It’s so quiet in here.
Soquiet.
“Your grandfather stole our family’s secret gingerbread recipe from the Silvers,” I say. “He was engaged to Dane’s great-great-grandmother, but he dumped her because he said he was tricked, and he refused to give the dowry back. The dowry was the gingerbread recipe. Everything we’ve built our family fortune on started with a recipe that was a stolen dowry.”
“Amanda,” Grandma says stronger.
“Ooohhhhh, that makes so much sense,” someone in the crowd says. Winona. The town historian. “All of those letters ...”
“Great-great-great-however-many-times Lucy saying that she couldn’t send it again because her mom had been struck with the fever and wasn’t lucid,” Esme whispers. “She couldn’t recite the recipe again.”
“I can’t find the recipe to prove it, but the handwriting matches,” I say.“I know the handwriting matches.”
It does.
I’m not making that up.
Why would I make up something that would hurt my family?
Grandma Vicki gapes at me.
I can’t give up my grip on Dane’s hand.
This is it. I’ve ruined it all. It’s over.
And I can’t let go of his hand.
I don’t want to let go of his hand.
At the same time, I can’t bring myself to look at him.
I got us into this with my big mouth.
And now I’ve ended it with my big mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I add in a whisper.
I don’t know if I’m apologizing to Dane or to Grandma or to my mom or to the entire Silver family on behalf of what my family did to them.
I just know I’m sorry.
So, so sorry.
“You faked being engaged so that we’d get along with the Andersons?” Rob says.
“Without a single regret,” Dane answers. “I’m done being a pawn in your feud. Find something else to brag about or shut the hell up.”
He’s not trying to shake me off. Not trying to get away from me.
“You promised no tragedies,” Mr. Briggs says.
“That’s in our family’s hands now,” Dane replies. “But as for my generation, the Silvers are completely good with the Andersons. This feud ends with us.”
My eyes water. My throat threatens to close in on itself.
He’s a good man.
Doing the right thing for all the right reasons.
