Page 134 of Best Friends for Never

“Would that surprise you?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“She has a life here.”

“I know.” I sigh. “And I have a life back home.”

“You do.” She sips at her coffee. “Did you know your parents did the long-distance thing before they had you?”

My brows pull together. “They did?”

“Sure did. Your dad got a job offer in New York, and your mother didn’t want to leave Washington. She was going to college in Seattle.”

“Dad lived in New York?”

She nods. “For two years.”

“I’ve never . . . I didn’t know that. That’s . . .”

“A hell of a lot farther away than California?”

I swallow, understanding what she’s getting at. They made it work with much more distance between them, so why can’t Parker and I make it work too?

Because it’s still a lot to ask her to give up, and a lot to put her through. I’m not just working some job in a different state, I’m traveling all over the world, practically unreachable for days at a time, thanks to shooting schedules. It’s not justsome job. Asking her to come to LA with me ... It would be throwing her into the lion’s den, and I can’t do that to her.

“I know your situation is different,” Gran says. “But I also believe your love is strong enough to withstand whatever comes your way. You two kids ...” She shakes her head with a smile. “You two have always been something together. I was heartbroken when you couldn’t make it work after you left, but I understand why. You were young. You didn’t know any better. But now ... now I think you know exactly what you want, and you’re just too scared to go after it.”

She’s not wrong. Iamscared, and I know Parker is too.

“Can I confess something to you?” she asks.

“You can tell me anything, Gran.”

“I’m the reason you’re here.”

I tip my head, not following along. “What do you mean?”

“That anonymous donor? The one who wanted the theater named after you? It was me. I donated the money for the renovation.”

My jaw slackens. “No fucking way.”

“Yes fucking way.” She grins, looking smug.

And I guess she has a right to it. She fooled us all. I would have never thought in a million years that it was Gran who donated that money. I know Parker knows nothing about it, either, or she’d be having words with Gran right now.

“Why? How?Why?” I repeat that last question because it’s that damn important.

“Why? Well, part of it was for purely selfish reasons. I missed having you here and knew you would have to return for the ceremony. How? I’m old, Noel. I have money squirreled away that you have no clue about.”

“I ...” I shake my head. “I can’t believe it.”

“I’m immensely proud of everything you’ve accomplished in your short life, bub. It astounds me every day. But your fame ... your career ... None of that matters to me. None of that changes how I feel about you or how I still see you—that little boy who looked at me with tears in his eyes at his parents’ funeral. The little boy I love. I want you to be happy. And I fully believe that Parker is a key to achieving that.”

“But she and I hadn’t talked for ten years. How did you know that we ...?”

“Because you’re you.”

She says it with such conviction, like she believes it with her entire being.

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