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“I have herbal tea, if you would prefer?”
“Oh, that would be great. Peppermint, if you have it.”
Still holding Patti, I grabbed the box of tea from the pantry. “I hope you slept well?” This is what I hated. The polite, meaningless chit chat in my own damn kitchen, when all I wanted to do was be alone.
“Oh, I slept like a baby,” she said, beaming. “That bed is so comfortable. And the sound of the waves outside the window was just perfect.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I waited for the kettle to boil, trying to think of something else to say. “Would you guys like a snack?”
“I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble. Although if that dinner last night is any guide, you’re an exceptional cook.”
“Uh, thank you. It’s no hassle. I was just about to make something for Stef.”
“Oh, well, in that case, then yes, please! Here, let me take Patti.”
“Thanks.” I handed the kitten over and went to the fridge to see what there was for me to throw together.
“So you make all of Stef’s meals?”
“I do, yes. She’s on a very detailed health plan but doesn’t have much appetite, so it’s a matter of trying to find things she’s happy to eat.”
“I see.”
I glanced over to see Lucy eyeing me carefully. There was something about her steady green gaze that unnerved me.
“It looks like you’re taking wonderful care of her.”
I felt a twinge of discomfort at her words. It was true that I was doing everything I could to help Stef recover. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was in no way a selfless act, since it was all wrapped up in my need to atone. I wasn’t going to say that though, was I?
“I’m just doing what I can,” I said, trying to brush off her comment as I placed her mug of tea on the counter.
She nodded. “That’s great. Well, it’s great to see that you’re taking such good care of her. Although, I have some thoughts on the matter of your relationship with my sister-in-law.”
What could Lucy possibly have to say about my relationship with Stef? Of course. Stef already told her everything.
“Oh?” I tried to sound as neutral as possible, but I could tell I hadn’t pulled it off. “What thoughts?”
Lucy took a sip of her tea, then looked me straight in the eye. “Well, Grayson, I know that you and Stef have a complicated history. And I also know that you hurt her very deeply in the past.”
I rubbed at my chest, trying to ease the ache. “You seem to know quite a lot.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Not as much as I’d like. As in, I don’t know the exact details. How about you enlighten me?”
Jesus Christ, this woman was unbelievable. She’d neatly tricked me into revealing something I’d assumed she already knew. I’d rather face down a full board in a hostile takeover than have the conversation it seemed we were about to have.
“I’ll preface whatever it is you’re going to tell me by explaining my reasoning. I want to know what happened between you, because I want to help you fix it. Either that, or I pack Stef’s bags myself and drag her out of here. I’ve already gathered that I’ll be doing the former, if that helps you. Yes, you can ask me why.”
“Why?”
“Because I can almostseethe chemistry between you and Stef.” She held up a hand and laughed a little. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m psychic or anything. Just that I’m really good at reading people. The connection between you and Stef is very, very strong. But there’s a wall between you as well, holding back from her, while you’re trying to pull her closer. She wants it too, to be closer to you, but she’s fighting it. So how about you tell me what the fuck you did to hurt her so badly, and I’ll help you make it right with her. Or, as I said, I’ll take her home with me today.”
Fuck. I had two choices. Tell Lucy to get fucked, or come clean, tell her the whole shitty story and have the best chance I could get of finally making things right with Stef. Really, it was a no brainer. I forced myself to meet Lucy’s eyes when I said, “I dropped in on her band playing at Lacey’s one night, because my brother had mentioned that I should check them out for my new record label. We met, spent the night together and the next morning, I let her know I assumed that she’d slept with me so she could get the contract.” There. The bare, sorry facts of what an asshole I was.
“Well, that was quite a shitty thing to do.”
“I’m aware.”
“I assume you’ve apologized and done your best to make amends.”