“You don’t get to talk to her like that,” Braxton says, his voice dangerous. “Gracie’s the only one here who hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“Out!” Raewyn demands angrily, her eyes bright. “And take your damn daughter with you!”
A tear streaks down Paisley’s cheek. “I was just trying to do a nice thing,” she whispers, wringing her hands in front of her.
Raewyn marches up to her, pointing a finger right in her face. “You knew exactly what you were doing here. Just because your parents don’t see it doesn’t mean the rest of us are blind.” She exhales heavily, her shoulders bunching up tightly. “I’ve known you since you were a little girl, and I have never been as disappointed inanyoneas I am in youright now.” Her head swivels, her eyes catching on Braxton. “Except one other person.”
I look at Braxton as he winces, my eyes catching on holly sprig paper, the present abandoned next to the couch.
“You should open that,” I tell him.
“Gracie, let’s go talk,” he coaxes, not letting me go. “Just me and you.”
“No, thank you.” My tone is polite even as I wrench free of his hold. I stumble on some wrapping paper, almost slipping, but then Stephen’s there, keeping me up. I shoot him a grateful smile, which falls away as I look back at Braxton. “Open it,” I say firmly.
His throat bobs on a swallow, but he scoops the haphazardly wrapped present up, ripping it open. He stares down at the cell phone that was buried inside, a low sound of misery escaping him as he lifts wet eyes to mine.
“I heard you lost it,” I tell him archly, acting like I’m not falling apart.Maybe I could be an actress,after all.“You’ll never guess who found it and returned it for you.”
“Fuck,” he breathes, his eyes flying to mine with dawning horror.
Raewyn looks between us before she focuses back on Paisley, Esther, and Joseph hovering behind her. “That’s enough. You need to go. Right now.”
Joseph sighs heavily, grabbing both Esther and Paisley by the arm and directing them out. “Come on, Nick,” he calls. “Let’s see if we can salvage the day at home.”
“No.” Nick crosses his arms over his chest, a grim scowl on his lips. “I’ll stay here. I’d like to support Gracie through this because she’s the one who has been wronged.”
“Nick—” Esther starts, but something that looks like realization crosses over Joseph’s face, and he shakes his head.
“Go, Esther,” he commands quietly. “Just go.”
The room falls deathly quiet as we wait for the door to close behind them. When it finally snicks closed, a sob bursts from me, my chest aching with the force of it. Stephen’s still holding me, his hand stroking my arm, but then Raewyn’s there, pulling me from him and wrapping me in her arms.
Stephen turns to Braxton, his voice loud as he demands, “What the fuck did you do?!”
“Please talk to me, Gracie.”
I stare out the window in front of me, my hands lying limply in my lap. My heart has calmed, but it’s made way for the ice trickling through my body, and now…I just don’t feel anything at all. I know I should—devastation, fury,grief. But I just feel oddly detached, almost like my body and mind no longer belong to me.
Braxton has just finished telling me everything that happened with Paisley, from them sharing baking outside the red maple—from a basket—to the movies, where theycuddled.
At least, I think that’s everything. It’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not, especially when he’s already lied so much.
“Gracie—”
“What happened with the house?” I interrupt, my voice hoarse. I shift my weight, my shirt sticking to my clammy skin. My thoughts are trying to fire in several different directions with no real destination, but I need answers, and if I don’t ask now, I never will.
Braxton is crouched on the floor in front of me, and hesuddenly sits back on his haunches, rubbing a hand over his face.
“Someone else put in a better offer.” He looks as drained as I feel, and bitter amusement pulses to life in my chest. He looks as if he’s been hurt by everything that has just happened.
Our pain is not the same.
A loud scoff sounds from somewhere behind us. “Thetruth, Braxton,” Raewyn demands, blatantly eavesdropping and clearly not caring who knows it.
Braxton glances in her direction before blowing out a breath, like he’s bracing himself. “I forgot to put the offer in?—”
“You forgot,” I echo, staring down at him like he’s a stranger.
