Red looked sharply at her. “How so?”
“That was who called at dinner. He and Coco are getting a divorce.”
Red snorted. “Big, fat shockeroo.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “He can’t get along with anyone. Always looking for the next shiny thing, and when that loses its luster, he bolts. Quitter. Leaver. Loser.”
Despite her heavy heart, Gracie managed a dry laugh. “How do you really feel?”
“I feel like our lives are better off without him. You?”
“I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “We talked, and it was…strange. He told me he and Coco are fighting, that it’s really bad. And then he said…” She hesitated, the words catching in her throat. “He said he misses us. Benny and me.”
Red’s head jerked up, eyes flashing. “If that no-good fool comes sniffing around trying to sweet-talk you, you tell him to take a hike in the mountains and get lost.”
“I’m not going to?—”
“I mean it.” His voice was rough with emotion. “He broke your heart. More than that, he lets that boy down time andagain. A man, if you can call him one, doesn’t change. He’s lonely, blue, and feeling like he’s made yet another mistake.”
He was so right.
Gracie wrapped her hands around her mug, soaking in the warmth. “I’ve built a life without him.” Her voice softened. “But it’s been ten years, you know. Same year Aunt Cindy and Uncle Jack divorced. And now they’re?—”
“A totally different situation,” Red insisted.
“But Benny does need a father figure.”
Red’s expression softened, though his eyes stayed fierce. “He’s got me.”
“He does,” Gracie said quickly. “And you’re the best. But you’re his great-grandfather, not his dad. It’s…different.” She swallowed hard. “I know I should probably try dating, try to find someone, but it’s scary. Weird. Hard. When I meet someone, I kind of freeze up. I’m not bubbly or outgoing.”
Red leaned over and put a hand on hers. “You’re a prize. You’re a Starling! You’ve got Cora’s strawberry blond hair, MJ’s big beautiful heart, George McBride’s brains, and my…backbone.”
She blinked fast, fighting tears. “What if that’s the answer I’ve been looking for all along? What if Benny could finally have his dad in his life the way he deserves?”
“Sam?” Red’s jaw tightened. “You don’t need a man who only shows up when it suits him. That boy needs stability, not empty promises.”
Gracie let out a shaky sigh as she sank deeper into the chair and sipped her tea.
“I just don’t know, Red. I share a child with Sam. Part of my heart will always…belong to him, I guess. Not in a romantic way, but because of Benny. Because we’re all connected by DNA.”
Red shook his head. “Don’t confuse history with hope, Gracie girl. That man had his chance, and he blew it. Don’t let him blow up your life all over again.”
She nodded, even as doubt prickled at the edges of her thoughts. “You’re right,” she whispered. “You’re always right.”
But as she nibbled the last bite of her biscotti, she couldn’t quite silence the treacherous voice inside her head.
What if this really was the answer? What if, against all odds, Sam meant what he said? What if Benny could have his father back, and she could stop worrying about filling that void herself?
Red reached over and patted her knee, his eyes soft now. “Want to know what I think?”
“Always.”
“Sam won’t show. And the popcorn popper would make Benny happy.”
“It would,” she reluctantly agreed.
“Can I bring it?”
She sighed. “You would even if I said no. That thing is iconic.”
