Page 34 of On One Condition

“If that’s the case, Adele, might I trouble you for some advice?”

Gran seems thrilled to have a purpose that’s something other than sitting in her wheelchair. “Of course. Is it love advice? I’m really good at that. I was with my Richard for over sixty years.” She holds a hand to her heart and gets a wistful smile on her face. “I argued a lot if you catch my drift.” She winks.

Ledger coughs through his laugh, and I want to pretend I didn’t hear my gran just say she was good in bed. Clearly, she’s having more than just a good day today.

“Sure. I guess my question can be classified as about love in a sense.”

“Goody.” If she could rub her two hands together in anticipation, I’m sure she would be.

“There’s this girl,” he says. I immediately shake my head in response to Ledger Sharpe asking my grandmother for love advice about me. Because that’s what he’s about to do, isn’t he? The glance he gives me partnered with the sly smile is all I need to see to know I’m right.

“What about her?” Gran asks.

“We haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

“Did you do something wrong to her? To hurt her?”

Ledger hangs his head for a beat to look at where he’s playing with a checker piece. “The more time that passes, the less I know the answer to that question,” he murmurs before looking up and directly at me. My breath hitches and my pulse starts to race. “Everything I thought was certain didn’t feel so certain anymore once I saw her again.”

“So you have seen her again then?” Gran asks, and Ledger finally breaks his gaze from mine to look at her as he nods. “Force her to talk to you. Tell her your side.” Gran pats his hand in sympathy. “Easy.”

“Not so easy. She refuses to talk to me about the past.”

Gran smiles wistfully, almost as if she’s remembering something from her own memory, before looking back at him. “Pin the girl down and kiss her. That’ll remind her exactly of who you are and what you had. Then I’m certain she’ll stop and listen.”

A smile slowly crawls onto Ledger’s lips. “You think that will work?” he asks Gran but holds my gaze, arching one brow.

“I do,” she murmurs.

“I disagree,” I say, trying to break up this little tête-à-tête. “If she’s angry at you, she’s angry at you and you don’t have any right to invalidate that anger.”

Ledger chews the inside of his cheek as he leans back in his chair. “No one’s invalidating anything.”

I snort and roll my eyes as Gran does her best to narrow hers at me. “Did you ever try to get in touch with her over the years? To talk to her?”

Ledger nods, and I immediately reject his response. I lived it. I was there, I want to shout at him. “There are two sides to every story, Asher.”

His gaze pins me in place. The teenager I used to know wasn’t as in control of his emotions as the man is before me.

But his jaw tics and his eyes swim with challenge.

“Okay, everyone,” the activity director says to the room. There’s shuffling and murmuring as heads turn to look her way. “We’re going to move into the sunroom for a bit now and watch a movie.”

Gran rolls her eyes before looking at Ledger. “Thank you for spending time with me.” She pats his arm. “Maybe one day Asher here will find a nice man like you. We used to say to keep her honest, but I’d rather he kept her on her toes.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Ledger says, reaching out and patting the top of her hand.

Gran blinks several times as she looks at him before turning to me. “I’m really tired.” Her face falls a little and I can sense her starting to fade, as she often does. This is when the cognitive decline becomes apparent and for her own dignity’s sake, I rise immediately so she’s not embarrassed by it.

“Perfect time to rest then while everyone else watches the movie.”

She nods slightly, her lack of words telling me her downward spiral is coming fast. Within moments, I have her favorite nurse helping her to her room for some privacy with a promise to put the game away and come kiss her goodbye after she’s settled.

The minute she is out of earshot, I turn to find Ledger studying me. I’m annoyed with him, and I’m honestly not sure why.

Is it because he stole some of my time with Gran? No. That can’t be it, because look how lively he made her.

Is it because I’m jealous that he was able to do for her what I wasn’t able to?