“Because secrets haven’t done us any favors so far,” he said, his jaw tight.
“Maybe not. But the truth hasn’t either.”
He laughed without humor. “You aren’t willing to even face the truth, Eliana. Not when it’s staring you in the face. Not when it’s one of the best things to ever happen.” A charged beat passed.
“I just … can’t.” She yanked her gaze away, backed up, turned, and took off in a run. She half-expected him to call after her. To follow her. To stop her.
She didn’t want that—so why was she so disappointed when he didn’t do those things?
She needed advice. Someone who could tell her why she was thinking this way and what to do. Grandma Winnie would know the best way out of this situation. She may have posted the video that started this whole mess, but Eliana was the one who went and fell for Asher. She didn’t believe for a second that Grandma had any notion of what she was setting in motion when she posted that video—though Eliana was going to teach her what she could and couldn’t post, as soon as she figured it out herself.
Besides, Eliana still didn’t have shoes on, and she wasn’t going back for them, so her options for places to go were very limited.
She ran on the beach side to avoid Mr. Richardson and Gerard, and banged on Grandma and Grandpa’s bungalow door. Grandpa answered it after a minute, the wrinkles on his face deeper than she’d ever seen them.
“Is Grandma here?” she asked, breathless.
He motioned for her to follow him into the house, moving slower than Louisa May Alcott. She wanted to snap her fingers at him to get him moving quicker. Her life was crumbling apart, and every second that passed was another piece of cliff that crashed into the ocean.
They arrived at the kitchen, where she sat at the table, and Grandpa sat across from her.
“Where’s Grandma?” she asked, sounding as impatient as she felt.
“She’s at your parents’ house. Telling your mom about her first husband.” He swallowed as though he’d eaten something sour. “I guess your mom missed all the excitement last night.”
“Lucky her,” Eliana muttered.
“Can I help you with something?” Grandpa sat across from her in his usual chair, his hands clasped in front of him. His hair looked like he hadn’t combed it yet today, and his wrinkled shirt was his dress shirt from the wedding. He looked as miserable as she felt.
“We’re a pair, aren’t we?”
Grandpa barked out a laugh. “I guess we are. We both know why I’m a mess. Why are you?”
Eliana frowned. She hated seeing her grandparents unhappy. She needed them to work through this—needed that stability in her life. “I know why Grandma kept the secret from you for so long,” she said.
Grandpa lifted a brow. “Is that what you came here to tell your grandma?”
“No. I came here to complain about my life and have her solve all my problems and tell me what to do.”
“Oh. She is good at that.” Grandpa bit down on his lip—was thatalmosta smile? No way was he trying not to laugh at her. He paused, then gestured for her to keep talking. “So why didn’t she tell me after all these years?”
“I don’t want to tell you anymore,” she said petulantly. “I think I’d rather tell you all my problems and see how goodyoudo solving them.”
He winced. “Unless the answer is a rousing round of golf with a good friend, I’m afraid I don’t have any good advice for you.”
She snorted. “Rousing. Oh Grandpa.” Then to her horror, her eyes filled with tears. What was she going to do?
Grandpa reached out his hands and enfolded hers in his larger ones.
She stared at their clasped hands, following the blue veins and familiar brown age spots along his skin. “Grandma probably didn’t tell you about Gerard because she’s been happy. You make her happy. And when you’re happy, you don’t want to think about your mistakes or your past relationships or your regrets.”
“She could tell me anything. She should know that.”
“She does know that.” Eliana stared at him now, and knew she was saying the truth. “But she didn’twantto tell you this. And not because of you. Because ofher. I think she needed a fresh start—one where no one knew she was rejected by someone she’d loved, or where people treated her like she’d failed, one where she could forget he existed and have the life she’d always wanted.”
Grandpa stared at her closely. Too closely. She felt like she’d laid herself bare on this table for examination and didn’t like it one bit.
“But you did the opposite,” he said.
