CHAPTER 10
EMILY GESTUREDto the waiter to clear their breakfast plates. Across the table, Gregory sipped a mimosa. They’d met here, at the little café overlooking the Pacific, to celebrate their victory in matchmaking. Of course, Gregory had ordered champagne—tempered with orange juice simply in deference to the early-morning hour.
She hadn’t argued. She’d wanted to share this moment with him, even though she knew that their victory wasn’t yet complete.
She took another sip of her own mimosa and sighed.
Gregory reached across the small table to brush his fingers over hers. “Emily? What’s wrong?”
She forced a smile. “Not a thing, Gregory, darling. I’m simply watching the ocean and thinking about the passage of time.”
That, in part, was true. So much time. She’d loved her husband, Clark, of course, just as Gregory had loved Martha. But they’d both been gone for years, and she and Gregory had wasted so much time.
She didn’t want to waste any more.
“We were right, you know,” Gregory said, still focusing on the children. “Mel’s quite taken with Kyle.” He rubbed his mustache. “As fast as they started dating, it should be no time before they’re engaged.”
Emily took a sip of her mimosa, stalling for time as she tried to decide how to answer. Their plan had definitely been a success so far, but she had to wonder if the victory was entirely legitimate. She’d tried to call Frances yesterday, but her sister had avoided her calls. That had been the usual state of affairs years ago, but lately they’d been getting along so much better.
Frances’s hesitation had gotten Emily thinking, and she’d come to only one conclusion—Frances had slipped up. The woman had never been as good an actress as Emily. If Kyle had even an inkling of the strings the three of them had been pulling, he would have hounded Frances until she told him everything.
Which would explain why the children were suddenly so cozy. Their sneaky little grandchildren were trying to turn the tables on them!
In truth, though, Emily didn’t mind. The only question was whether to tell Gregory. About that, though, she decided to keep her own counsel. Evenmore, she decided to do everything she could to movebothschemes along.
“Emily?” he repeated, a hint of concern in his voice. “You do think it will work out, don’t you?”
She studied him, thinking less about their own scheme and more about the grandchildren’s. Finally she nodded. “Yes, darling,” she said. “I think everything will work out perfectly.”
* * *
MEL WAS CURLED UPon her sofa in ratty old sweat-pants, a Robert Ludlum novel resting on the cushion beside her andTo Catch a Thiefplaying in the background on the television. Gramps was in the armchair, his eyes glued to the screen despite having seen the movie at least a hundred times.
She’d been bummed when Kyle had told her he had to meet with clients that night, but now she was enjoying herself. She hadn’t had the chance to spend much time alone with Gramps in the past few days, and she was looking forward to gracefully interrogating him about Emily.
“You and Kyle seem to have hit it off,” Gramps said, keeping his eyes on the screen. Mel fought a smile, realizing that he’d jumped on the interrogation bandwagon.
“So have you and Emily.”
His whole body seemed to come alive. He sat upstraighter, his eyes lit up and he seemed to lose ten years. She wondered if she looked that alive when she thought about Kyle, and promptly pushed the idea away. This was about Gramps. She already knew how her story with Kyle was going to end.
“Emily’s a lovely woman,” Gramps said.
She licked her lips, not sure how much to reveal, then decided she had nothing to lose. “I want the scoop. How come there wasn’t anything between you two before now?”
He didn’t answer at first, and she started to wonder if she’d crossed the line. Then he said, “Emily was already a huge star when I knew her, and I was playing bit parts. A character actor with a questionable reputation. That didn’t stop us, though, and we went out a few times. I wanted more. I think she did, too, though she never specifically said so.”
“What did she say?”
“She said no.” He smoothed his thinning gray hair. “But the studio made her say that. Her persona was simply worth too much.”
“What about later? Grandma passed away five years ago.”
Gramps merely shrugged. “Where once we were young and foolish, now we’re old and stupid.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Foolish andstupid. Okay. Got it. But are you still stupid? Or are you going to do something about itnow?”
“Yes.” He nodded, his face serious. “Yes, I am. Are you?”
