Gramps purses his lips and studies me for a second, then lets out a long sigh. “You were so young when your parents died,” hesays, standing and walking over to the door, before turning to look at me. “So maybe you don’t remember what it’s like. But I’ll tell you something, Evan, I would give up everything in this life to have just one more day with your grandmother. Some of us don’t have the chance to save a love we’ve lost.”
I bite my tongue. He has no idea what he’s talking about. I fell in love with Amy, but she was playing me the entire time. There’s no love to save, nothing to redeem between us. It’s over. But the worst part about it is that it was never real in the first place.
“Thanks for the advice,” I grind out, because, even as pissed as I am, I can’t bring myself to be flippant with him. The only thing I want is to lie in this room by myself with the lights off. Feel sorry for myself. Wallow.
And I can’t do that until he leaves.
Sighing again, he turns the knob, steps out into the hallway, and turns back to look at me. Gramps has the kind of bushy eyebrows that would win him anold man award, if those existed. People tell me he looks a lot like my dad, but when I look at the pictures of my father, I can’t really see the resemblance.
Maybe if my dad had had the chance to grow old, I might have been able to see it better.
“Six o’clock,” Gramps says, seeming like he’s thought about it for a long time and decided on a reminder for the meeting tonight, rather than another lecture.
He lingers, and I nod, not meeting his eyes.
The moment he’s gone, I lock the door, turn off the lights, and ignore every single person who comes knocking hours later, until they finally give up and leave me alone.
CHAPTER 26
AMY
Kirstin isn’t talking to me, so it’s weird when a text comes through from her.
It’s been almost a week since that night, when I left Evan’s cabin in the back of the cop car, then made the drive back home to Denver, playing the scene again and again in which I couldn’t admit that I like him. That I love him.
Right now, I’m sitting at work, even though everyone else has left the office, making my way through paperwork that could wait. If I still had Evan and Granite Peaks, I would leave the paperwork until Monday. I would have left hours ago to go to the place that was just starting to feel like home.
But I don’t have them. So, I slog through spreadsheets and documents, sorting them and ensuring everything is in its place, until the buzz of my phone pulls my attention away from it.
Kirstin:Mom is back in town.
A rush of nausea swirls in my stomach at the sight of those words.
It’s a warning, I know, and not an olive branch. If I’d known, I would have warned her, too, even with the chilly silence sitting between us.
But the warning comes too late, because the next thing I know, my phone is ringing,Momflashing over the phone screen, the photo of me and her at my graduation stretching to all four sides of the phone.
In the picture, she’s immaculate, wearing a peach-colored dress that would wash anyone else out, a strand of pearls around her neck shining in the bright sunlight. The heels she wears are impossibly tall, and I remember her wearing them all day without complaint.
Like always, the sight of that caller ID fills me with a strange sense of euphoria and trepidation.
“Hey, love,” Mom says, the same way she always starts her calls, sounding like she might still be in the airport, her voice a little breathy from walking. I can picture her, striding along on the phone, darting through the crowds effortlessly. “Just got in from Italy. Want to meet for a drink?”
It’s not really a question; it’s more of a demand. And I’m powerless to say no, since I’ve been trying to impress her from the time I was old enough to slide my tiny feet into her heels and clomp around the house. Plus, the side of me that would normally come up with some sort of excuse is dormant, so tired and run-down from everything with Evan that I hear myself agreeing.
“Sure, where did you have in mind?”
Fifteen minutes and a rideshare later, I’m sitting in a dim, fragrant bar, sipping on a cranberry vodka while I wait for mymom to show up. This isn’t the kind of place Kirstin and I would usually go. We’re both doing decently financially, but notthirty-six dollars for a vodka crandecent.
I can’t stop myself from smiling, lips tweaking at how I’m sure Evan would react to this place—the servers in full suits, the staggering appetizer prices, the scent floating through the air that must be pumped in through the vents.
“Amy.”
Mom’s voice startles me out of my thoughts, and I force myself to smile at her as she rounds the table, kissing each of my cheeks like we’re girlfriends, rather than mother and daughter.
“How are you?” she asks, settling into her seat and giving me an intense look. “Kirstin said you’re up for a promotion at work.”
The sound of my sister’s name makes my mouth taste acidic. I’m sure the promotion was a minor point in the discussion, but Kirstin should have known better than to think our mother would be on her side for this.
