“Oh.”
“Were you worried?”
“Of course not,” she mumbles.
“Hmm.”
“What’s next on your calendar?” she asks.
“Training camp here, then preseason games. The first one is August eleventh, then the regular season starts September seventh.”
“How many games do you play during the regular season?”
“Seventeen.”
She exhales. “Dammit, Graham. That’s a lot of chances to be hurt.”
“You won’t need to be concerned.”
“Why not?” She tips her head and gazes up at me with big eyes.
Emotion makes my throat prickle. “By then, the inheritance should be here.”
She inhales a breath and holds my gaze for several long moments. A vein near her temple throbs. “Right. Of course. We won’t even be together. We never have to speak again—”
“Wait. Come on, Emmy. We can be friends after this is—”
She cuts me off and steps out of my arms. “While you were gone, I had your dad over for dinner, and he met Jane and Andrew and Londyn. Hopefully, I’ve convinced him we’re real, so even if Holden tries to pull his tricks, then we’ll have his support.”
I nod, regret knifing into me at her cool words. Brody filled me in on the dinner. Apparently, she and Jane made a lasagna. According to Brody, Dad adored the Darling family, especially little Londyn. Emmy also confided in Dad about her upbringing and also told him that Holden had a PI following her and was planning on releasing a story.
“Thanks for doing that,” I reply, studying the way she’s holding herself, her shoulders curled in. “Dad called me last week. He had words with Holden. There isn’t going to be any story about us.”
She pushes out a nonchalant shrug. “Honestly, I always thought I’d be upset to see my name and my parents’ past dragged in the papers, but that seems like a trivial thing compared to me nearly losing the bookstore—or your concussion. I like your dad. He reminds me of you.”
She pauses, seeming to consider her words. “Speaking of faithful, you left me at the beach. Why did you go to Seattle after camp?”
I needed some space from her, but I also had business. “I still had a condo there. It sold, and I was there to handle it.”
“Brody keeps saying I should know why you left. I don’t. Not really. Nothing definitive. I mean, you could have stayed. We could have hung out.”
I don’t reply.
She sighs. “Have you heard of Occam’s razor?”
“Yeah. It means that a simpler explanation is more likely to be true than a complex one. One famous example is if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.”
She fidgets, the color rising in her cheeks. “So, the simplest explanation is you couldn’t wait to get away from me.”
I heave out an exhale. “Emmy—”
“No, it’s fine.” She gives me a tight smile. “I’m going upstairs to get back to work.”
She turns to go, and I don’t stop her. Part of me wants to comfort her, but the other side is wary of getting too close.
She didn’t want to marry me.
She wants us to end.
And I’m afraid she’s going to rip out my heart when she leaves.
I shove that thought away. This was the plan. Just stick to it.
Chapter 23
EMMY
Since the basement incident, Graham’s taken care of dealing with the plumber, swept the rotunda, and helped an elderly couple onto the elevator. Both he and Jasper wear ball caps, and only a couple of people have recognized them.
Graham looks relaxed—that is, until Londyn squirms in Andrew’s arms and points at Graham. Andrew hands her to Graham, who holds her from his body with outstretched arms until Andrew tells him to put Londyn on his hip. He bounces her around when she starts to whimper, and pretty soon he’s walking around the store with her, pointing out different things for her to look at. She’s sleepy and rests her forehead on his shoulder.
I take a bite of the grilled cheese Jane made me earlier. It’s the first time I’ve sat down all day.
“Quite the view, right?” Brody says as he plops down next to me at the table. He arrived about an hour ago, after Graham texted him. Cas stayed behind for work but said he’d come by later.
I take a sip of my tea. “What view?”
“Graham with a baby. Giving you ideas?” He waggles his brows. “I’d adore a little niece or nephew. Cas and I have thought about adoption, but we need to get the business going first.”