ELEVEN
Piper
In the kitchen,I started opening cabinets. “I swear the kettle was here somewhere. Ah ha.” A survey of a lower cabinet revealed an aluminum antique, bright blue with the classic splotches of white.
As I stood, I bumped up against him. The kitchen was tiny, and he wasrightbehind me. His hand reached out to steady me.
Then his arm brushed my shoulder as he reached around me, pulling a box of tea bags from a shelf. “We’ll need these too,” he murmured.
I cleared my throat. “Thanks.”
I busied myself filling the kettle and setting it on the stove, hyperaware of every movement he made. He was glancing through the cabinets, and when he opened the corner one, he made a sound of amusement.
“Instant coffee crystals,” he said, holding up the jar like it was a dead mouse. “I’m guessing this isn’t yours?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ew. I’d rather drink a cup of muddy water from the backyard.”
“I figured.” He set the jar back in the cabinet and closed the door. “The espresso at Silver Linings is fantastic, by the way.”
“Should be. I buy my beans from the best regional roasters.”When I glanced over, I found him listening intently. “Costs have been going up though. My margins have been getting a lot tighter lately. That’s why I decided to finally rent this place out again.”
I hadn’t told anyone else about my financial stresses. Not even Grace. But after a few minutes alone with Grayden, the words had just tumbled out.
“I overheard some of your phone conversation earlier,” he said quietly. “With your ex.”
I stiffened. “How much did you hear?”
“Enough to know he owes you child support.”
I huffed, grabbing two mugs and rinsing any lingering dust under the faucet. “Yeah. Danny is the king of bad investments. He cares more about whatever new scheme he’s dreamed up to make a quick buck than about his son.”
“What does he do for a living?”
“He’s a dentist.”
Grayden’s eyebrows shot up. “A dentist? Aren’t they supposed to be stable and boring and make a great income?”
“You’d think. But Danny managed to get himself into debt, which of course he blames on our divorce, and then he pissed off so many people in Silver Ridge that he had to leave town. Moved his practice hours away, which is a common excuse for why he can’t get here to see Ollie. He also loves bringing up the fact that Teller is dating a superstar now, so I should just ask my brother for money if I need it.”
Grayden was nodding along. So he’d clearly heard about Teller dating Ayla. “But you won’t.”
“Last resort. I know you feel a similar way about Grace and Callum. You said you don’t want anyone feeling sorry for you. Or to feel like you’re a charity case.”
“True.”
The kettle started to whistle, and I poured water over the tea bags, watching the liquid slowly take on color. I set the kettle down and handed him one of the mugs, and we sank into chairs at the kitchen table.
“Danny failed to show up to spend Thanksgiving with Ollie last week. Now he wants me to look for some box that belonged to my mother.” I shrugged, thinking of his odd request. “Supposedly it has something valuable in it, though of course he won’t explain himself. Not that I want to know.”
After Mom died, Danny pawed through her belongings like he might find some priceless antique buried here. He was disappointed then, so why this sudden interest in my mom’s things?
“But Danny rarely cares about what I want,” I went on. “He expects me to do what he says or else.”
Grayden rubbed his jaw. “That sounds ominous.”
Clearly I hesitated too long.
“Piper?” Grayden’s voice was still a low rumble, but far more dangerous than soft this time. “Has Danny ever hurt you?”
