Seeing her had reminded him of the summer he’d walked into the house in the Hamptons to find her and Grandma in the kitchen making a peach cobbler. Perhaps it was the surprise, or maybe it was just the latent crush he’d always had on her, but his feelings had exploded on seeing her standing there, a dash of flour on one cheek, her grin instant and welcoming. She’d seemed happy to see him, which had given him that most devastating of all emotions—hope.
That had been a huge mistake. He’d known Ella for a long time and knew her better than anyone. From some things she’d shared with him years ago, he suspected that her avoidance of any relationship past a quick, passionate fling was because she was attempting to avoid the pain she’d felt when her father died. Nothing hurt like being left behind. So the second she felt vulnerable, she ran away. He’d seen her do it time and again. And who could blame her for that? Gray certainly didn’t.
That summer was no different. He might have been devastated when she broke up with him, but he didn’t blame her. She’d warned him repeatedly that she was planning on leaving. I should have believed her, but I kept thinking I could change her mind.
Which had been stupid. It would take a lot to change Ella’s mind. It would take patience, and effort, and maybe even a little conniving.
Which was why he’d decided that this time he would play her game better than she did. If she wanted to see him, then she had to be the one to make the move, not him. Stay cool, he told himself. Keep it casual and slow, which will keep her from panicking.
He’d just turned onto Highway 70 when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and cursed inwardly at the disappointment he felt when he saw his brother’s name instead of Ella’s. Scowling at his own weakness, he answered, “Hi, Mark.”
“Consider this a warning,” Mark said. “Mom’s going to use Grandma’s health to try to convince you to stay in the apartment here and not move into your house when it’s ready.”
“Grandma doesn’t need a sitter.”
“I know. That’s why I’m warning you.”
That was kind of Mark. “Thanks for looking out for me.”
Mark snorted. “Yeah. That’s what I’m here for.”
Gray knew Mark believed he was just joking when he said that, but he had been doing that ever since Dad died. It had been really annoying, especially in middle school when Gray couldn’t have a single argument with one of his friends without his brother butting in and threatening some sort of bodily harm. Now that they were adults, Mark’s overprotectiveness—although expressed in different ways than Mom’s—was just as frustrating.
“It sounds like you’re in your truck,” Mark said. “Where are you headed?”
“Swannanoa. I need to get some more line.”
“Oh. By yourself?”
That was an odd question. “Yes. Why?”
“Nothing. Mom was just saying she hadn’t seen much of you lately.”
“I’ve been busy at the house.”
“That’s what I told her. But you know how she is. Maybe you could stop by for dinner tonight? Just to calm Mom’s overactive imagination.”
Gray frowned. As much as he hated to admit it, Mark was right. It had been well over a week since he’d seen his family. Even Grandma’s requests for snacks seemed to have tapered off. “I’ll be there. I should be back in time.”
“Great. I’ll let everyone know. Mom’s making a roast with potatoes and carrots.”
He did love a nice roast. He thought about the half sandwich sitting in his fridge at the farmhouse right now. It would be soggy by now, too. “What time?”
“Seven.”
“Great. See you there.” Gray closed his phone and dropped it into the passenger seat. A half hour later, he turned onto the main road through Swannanoa. He was just a few stores away from the hardware shop when he hit a red light beside a nondescript strip mall and slowed to a stop. While waiting for the light to change, he absently glanced toward the half-full parking lot.
There, walking into the Fancy Fixes nail salon, was Grandma.
Gray blinked and then leaned forward. Yup, that was her. What in the heck is she doing here, in Swannanoa? She didn’t drive, so she couldn’t be wandering around alone.
She was obviously on her way to get her nails done, which would be hard to hide from Mom. Has she finally told Mom the truth? It’s about time. Wait. No. That can’t be it. Mom wouldn’t be having a normal dinner tonight if she and Grandma’d had a flare-up.
A honk behind him let him know the light had changed. As he wasn’t in a turn lane, he had to drive on. It took him a few minutes to get turned around and return to the strip mall, but he made it.
He pulled into a parking place, climbed out of his truck, and headed for the nail salon. He’d just reached the sidewalk when someone called out, “Hello, stranger!”
He turned around and there, pulling her huge purse from the back seat of her car, was Ella. She was dressed in a purple flowered dress that hugged all the right places and a blue-jean jacket, her blond hair in a thick braid over one shoulder, with a red ribbon tying it off.
What was she doing here? He sent her a confused look until the truth dawned on him. “You drove my grandmother here.”
“She had an appointment.”
“Good Lord. When I saw her, I thought I was hallucinating.”
“Oh, she’s here. I didn’t want to bring her, but…” Ella shrugged. “I’m her Uber now.”
What? This was getting interesting. “You’re her ride?”
“Well, not by choice. Your grandma can be very, very persuasive.”
Oh, Grandma, what are you doing now? “How long have you been driving her?”
“For too long. She gets bored at home since…” Ella caught herself, slanting him a cautious look.
There was power in being in the know. He crossed his arms and slanted her a smile. “She’s told you about her convoluted and extremely unethical situation.”
Ella’s eyes widened. “You know about that? I thought she’d fooled the whole family.”
“She told me, but Mark and Mom are still in the dark. I don’t think this will end well.”
“I’ve told her as much, but she won’t listen to me. To be honest, I sort of wonder if now she’s not in too deep to quit. Of course, so long as she has me to take her places and run her errands, she has even less of a reason to bring this charade to an end.”
He grinned at Ella. “She was having me bring her snacks, but then she stopped. I thought she was just eating healthier, but you must be delivering her daily sugar fix now.”
Ella nodded sadly. “The checkout girl at the Piggly Wiggly thinks I’m a raging diabetic. I don’t know how your grandma can eat so many sweets and stay so thin.”
“That’s no secret. She has the metabolism and ethics of a coked-up monkey.”
Ella laughed, which made him even more aware of her. Darn, but she looked good in her sundress and jacket and would look even better out of them. He had to clear his throat before he asked, “What are you going to do while Grandma gets her claws filed down?”
She nodded to the coffee shop at the other end of the strip mall. “I was thinking about getting a macchiato and then coming back to my car for a cupcake. I made some for your grandma, but she’ll never know if a few are missing. Want to join me?”