Her grandmother lifted her sandwich. “You also said you’ve cared for Avery on a few occasions, which of course means spending more time with him.”
Jesus, this woman could have been a detective. “We’ve been seeing a bit of each other, sure, but nothing’s happening between us.” Eastern was making sure of that.
“All right. But if somethingdidhappen, it would be okay. You’re allowed to move on quickly or slowly or at whatever pace you want.”
That made her pause. “So you don’t think it would be too soon after Scott?”
“There’s no such thing as too soon to meet the person you’re supposed to be with.”
Well, she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. “He’s older than me.”
“Pfft. Age is just a number. Your grandfather was twelve years older than me, and I always saw it as a good thing. He needed a few more years to get to the same point in maturity as me.”
Sadie laughed. “Okay. Maybe that was my problem with Scott. He was the same age as me.”
“Maybe. But I think you and I both know that the main problem, other than the cheating of course, was that you fell out of love with him a long time ago.”
She frowned at her grandmother. How did she know that?
“I know what love is,” her grandmother said softly, as if reading her mind. “And what you shared with Scott was companionship. Maybe a bit of comfort because you’d been together for so long. And familiarity.”
“I don’t know how you do that,” Sadie said quietly. “You see everything, even what I try to hide.”
Her grandmother cupped her cheek. “You may have only spent summers with me growing up, but they were the best part of my year. You were my baby as much as your father was.”
Tears pricked Sadie’s eyes. “I love you, Nan.”
“I love you too, darling.” She turned back to her sandwich. “This is the last thing I’ll say on the Eastern matter, then I’m minding my own business.”
Sadie’s lips twitched. “Okay.”
“If either of you are being hesitant because you both love Avery, and you think it might change things, remember—your love for her is so pure that you’llbothprotect her, no matter how things turn out.”
She ran her finger over the crust of bread. “It’s probably Eastern you should be saying that to. He’s the one who has a million reasons we can’t be together.”
“Give him time. He’s in pain because he didn’t come home to Avery earlier. But soon, he’ll realize that you can’t run from love for long.”
She almost choked. “It’s hardly love. We barely know each other.”
The smile her grandmother gave her said she had a secret no one else knew. “When I met your grandfather, he wasn’t sure it was love either. But slowly, he saw what was right in front of him.”
Her grandfather had passed away when Sadie was a baby. She’d always wished she’d met him. “You don’t talk about him much.”
“Oh, but I think about him every day. And every day, I’m reminded of how lucky I was to have him. I can only hope you experience that kind of love. When you were with Scott, I wasn’t so sure. Now…”
She was talking about loving Eastern.
Sadie opened her mouth, not entirely sure what was about to come out, when her phone vibrated on the table—Eastern’s name on the screen.
Her grandmother gave her another of those knowing smiles. “Now, something tells me you will.”
The doorbell rang,and Avery squealed before jumping off the island stool and running toward the door.
“Slow down, Ave, you’re gonna trip.” Either that, or she’d run smack into the door, and it wouldn’t be the first time.
She tugged the door open just before he got there. Sadie stood on the other side, a box in her hand and a huge smile stretching her lips as Avery threw her arms around her.
“Hey, baby girl,” Sadie said.
