Page 64 of Where the Heart Is

Whatever they’d been discussing must’ve been big for them to be holding hands. That’s when it hit Mila.

Maybe they’d been discussing formalising their divorce?

Rather than reconnecting as she hoped, they might’ve been talking about the past and getting nostalgic or saddened by the prospect of divorcing and had been comforting each other.

Whatever had gone down, she hoped the B & S ball might spark memories for them and give them a gentle nudge in the right direction: towards reconciliation.

‘Gramps, I need to talk to Gran, but I’ll stop by when I’m leaving.’

He shook his head. ‘I’m headed out. I might drop by the farm tomorrow and we’ll catch up then?’

‘Sounds good.’ She pressed a kiss to his cheek. ‘If I’m out in the paddocks, Sawyer will be around.’

Gramps’s eyebrows rose, and she continued. ‘He’s staying in town a bit longer and the motel isn’t conducive to comfort for more than a few nights, I’ve got the room, so I invited him to stay.’

As expected, Gramps frowned. She may be thirty-two and capable of making decisions, but Gramps still treated her like a teenager at times. But before he could say anything, Gran said, ‘I’ve got a fair bit on today, Mila, so if you want to chat, we’ll have to do it now.’

She shot her intuitive grandmother a grateful look. ‘Okay. Bye, Gramps.’

With that, she all but bolted from the room into the kitchen and out the back door with Addy. Only after the door closed did they slow down and take one look at each other before bursting into laughter.

‘You should’ve seen the expression on your face.’ Addy chuckled. ‘It was exactly the same when we had the period talk.’

Mila smiled. ‘Gramps looked like he was going to launch into a spiel about the inappropriateness of having boys sleep over.’

‘He loves you. He’s protective. Nothing wrong with that.’

Considering the dynamic of what she’d just witnessed, Addy leaping to Jack’s defence didn’t surprise Mila.

‘You two looked awfully cosy when I arrived,’ Mila said, fishing for information. ‘Hope I didn’t interrupt anything.’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Addy snorted, but the colour in her cheeks deepened again. ‘Your grandfather and I had dinner at the pub last night, because I wanted to thank him for letting me stay here, and we were just discussing that.’

‘Right,’ Mila said, stifling a giggle at the blatant lie. ‘So talking about dinner at the pub makes your cheeks blaze the same colour as a fire engine.’

Addy made a pfft sound and Mila couldn’t contain her laughter. ‘Gran, I think it’s great you and Gramps are on speaking terms, let alone able to coexist in the same room. I was incredibly nervous at the thought of you two seeing each other at my wedding after not speaking for so long, so being civil is nothing to be embarrassed about.’

Addy didn’t speak as she opened the bungalow door and after they entered, Mila spied the easel and paints in the corner by the window where natural light streamed in.

‘That’s great you bought some supplies—’

‘Jack did it,’ Addy blurted, her voice quavering, and for a second Mila thought her grandmother might cry. ‘I never expected him to be so welcoming, let alone thoughtful, when I don’t deserve it.’

Mila had a feeling where this was heading—her gran playing the blame game—so she headed her off. ‘We all make mistakes, Gran. And if it’s not a mistake, we make choices we think are right at the time. So whatever happened between you and Gramps in the past, I think it’s incredible you’re both big enough to acknowledge it and move on, without animosity.’

Addy sniffed and dabbed at the inner corners of her eyes with her pinkies. ‘I don’t want to hurt him again.’

‘Is there a risk of that happening?’

Because that meant her grandparents had moved beyond friendship and Mila shared Addy’s concern. Gramps didn’t deserve to have his heart broken again, but if he’d opened himself up to Addy, and she left as intended, that might be a distinct possibility.

‘There might be.’ Addy sighed and sank onto the sofa. ‘There’s still a spark between us.’

‘Wow.’ Mila sat beside her. ‘If you want my opinion, Gran, it’s this. Tread carefully. Gramps is living his best life these days. He’s come to terms with you leaving him. So if you start something up … it could get complicated.’

‘Don’t you think I know that?’ Addy snapped, instantly remorseful as she reached out and clasped Mila’s hand. ‘Sorry, sweetheart. I’m edgy and confused.’

This is why Mila didn’t do relationships. What she had with Sawyer was two friends indulging in some fabulous benefits, without the complication of feelings. They’d have fun, Sawyer would leave, and she’d throw herself wholeheartedly into making the farm-stay project a success and making a dent in her sizeable mortgage.

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