“Before you finish that sentence, I want to make it clear that I’m not going to talk about Marcus. What he did was inappropriate, and he should have known better.”
Her grandmother frowned and folded her arms tight across her chest. Smug, Wynter turned back to her computer. She knew this was about Marcus. At least Grams seemed to agree that Marcus had crossed the line. Her silence was more than enough to prove it.
“I didn’t hurt my wrist.”
The words echoed in Wynter’s ears, bouncing around as if trying to gain purchase on something. Anything. Wyntercouldn’t have heard that right. Grams said something else. Something that sounded like…
Slowly, Wynter lifted her eyes to stare at the woman who had practically raised her. Then she dipped her focus to her grandmother’s wrist that was still in a brace. Narrowing her gaze, she pressed her lips together in a thin line.
Grams didn’t seem bothered at all by the hard stare she was receiving. She merely reached for the brace. Velcro cried out in protest as it was pried apart. Then the brace was dropped to the table in front of Grams.
She lifted her wrist, twisted it back and forth, then placed both hands in her lap. “See? I’m fine.”
Wynter blinked. Her ears were burning. The sound of her heart thundered angrily while her stomach roiled from the betrayal. She kept waiting for her grandmother to chuckle and tell her she was joking. That this was the only way she’d get Wynter to listen to her.
But she didn’t.
And Wynter had to admit that was one way to get her complete attention.
A myriad of thoughts stumbled through her mind. She’d uprooted her whole life for Grams. She’d put a job she liked on hold. She’d traveled across state lines. She’d taken a temporary gig—and yes, she enjoyed it more than she had expected—but that didn’t change the fact that her grandmother had manipulated her.
“Why?” The word was a combination of a whisper and a growl, but it didn’t faze Grams in the slightest. Why didn’t she look even remotely guilty? She had to have known what she was doing.
What had been her plan?
Wynter closed her eyes to stave off the dizziness that was closing in on her. She pressed her fingers to her temples andrubbed. “Why, Grams? Why did you tell me you needed me here?”
“Because you needed to be here.”
She opened her eyes and scoffed. “What?”
Grams had always been the epitome of grace and wisdom, and it had never been more true than it was in this moment. She lifted her chin and her eyes flashed. “You heard me. Don’t play dumb. You’ve been miserable. Don’t bother denying it.”
“Miserable?” Wynter scoffed, hearing the hysteria creep into her voice. If she hadn’t come to Copper Creek, she wouldn’t be dealing with the heartache of what Marcus had done. She wouldn’t have given in to those bad ideas and gotten close to him. She wouldn’t be hurting. “I wasn’t miserable. I was fine.”
Grams snorted. “Fine is just another word for miserable.”
Wynter’s mouth popped open. “You can’t be serious.” She shook her head and spoke more to herself than anyone else. “She can’t be serious. I can’t believe this.”
“Wynter, dear, you need to listen to me.”
Her head snapped up and she was fully prepared to give Grams the lecture of her life, but upon seeing the pain in her grandmother’s eyes, she thought better of it.
“I’m not going to be around much longer.”
Wynter’s heart constricted and she shook her head. “No, don’t say that. You’re going to live a long life.”
“I’ve lived a long life, sweetie. And I know my time is coming to a close. I’m not the young, spry woman I used to be. It’s harder for me to get around. I can’t drive when it gets too dark out. I have to ask for help when I’m at the market; they deliver my groceries to me now.”
“You… never told me. Grams, this is why I want you to come live with me in California.”
Her grandmother’s expression hardened. “This is my home. Your grandfather’s home. I will not leave it.”
Wynter put the computer aside and tilted her head, her voice softening. “Grams…”
“No. Don’t pity me. And just listen, will you? I won’t be around much longer, and I’m going to feel a lot better if I know you’re taken care of.”
“I can take care of myself.”
