Ollie’s face scrunched up. “So Ashford thinks Grayden would hurt Maisie?”
“I don’t think so. Not exactly. I think Ashford’s afraid of getting hurt himself. His heart, I mean. Because of…a lot of things.”
Nice and awkward there, Piper.
How did I explain to my nine-year-old that us adults were carrying deep wounds that rarely showed on the surface? That Ashford, a man Ollie idolized, had once been a scared kid who lost his mom and dad.
Sure, I could say those things, but how did I make Ollie understand?
“Families are complicated,” I finished. “We’re all just doing our best, even if we mess things up. Ashford, Grace, me. And Grayden too.”
“And Dad? Even though he didn’t take me on our trip today like he said he would?”
Ugh. I wished Danny would live by his better instincts instead of his worst. I had zero faith where my ex was concerned.
“I hope so,” I said. “I do know your dad loves you. Very much.”
Ollie looked out his window and nodded, but a crease remained between his little eyebrows.
Snow fell in big, soft flakes, gathering on the windows and the edges of the windshield beyond the wipers. The world was a blur of white and shadow until we got closer to Main Street, where there were more street lights.
I drove slowly past a gas station on the edge of the commercial district, mindful of the ice on the road. A figure emergedfrom the tiny convenience store. Tall and broad shouldered, with a knit cap pulled over his messy hair.
My heart did a strange stuttering dance.
Grayden held a small shopping bag in his hand. The gas station shop was probably the only business open tonight, given the holiday. I watched as he walked at a casual pace toward an old, beat-up Dodge parked on the curb, seeming not to mind the snow gathering on his jacket and hat.
He reached the truck. But instead of getting in the driver’s seat, he opened the rear door of the extended cab and climbed into the back.
Wait a minute. He wasn’t…
“Mom?” Ollie craned his neck to see what I was staring at. “Why are we stopped? Is the storm getting bad?”
“Uh, no, it’s not too bad to drive. But I need to pull over for a moment.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I need to check on something really quick. Okay? Just stay in the car.”
Turning the wheel and pressing the gas, I steered my Subaru to the same curb where Grayden was parked, but with my hood facing his. My car was probably too low for my headlights to blind him, but I switched them off just in case.
“Stay in the car,” I said again to Ollie, hoping he’d listen.
Then I got out and walked toward Grayden’s truck.
FIVE
Grayden
A gas stationThanksgiving dinner wasn’t the worst I’d ever had. Not by a long shot.
After spending over an hour trying to find a cheap enough motel to justify spending my hard-earned money, I finally gave up and headed toward Main Street. Nearly every business was closed, but old-fashioned street lights lit the route, and strings of cheerful lights crisscrossed overhead. Pretty.
In a couple more weeks, there’d be holiday greenery and red ribbons decorating every spare surface. And a Christmas tree in front of the town hall.
Brought back memories. Like when Teller and I used to cruise down this stretch of road in high school, thinking we owned this town.
Teller became chief of police, a local hero. While I turned out to be the bad guy. The villain in the O’Neal family story.
