Page 37 of Hibiscus Heights

With her anger-fueled adrenaline fading, Deb brought a hand to her heart. “She used to crank up the music at the beach house and dance with all of us.”

“Now you remember.” He stared at her, the same smile she recalled tugging his lips. “I noticed you the moment I walked into the hotel, but I didn’t recognize you at first. It looks like life has been very good to you.”

She dipped her chin. Grant sounded as earnest as he always had. Yet, he’d left without a word. He’d broken her heart and impacted her life. Still, that was years ago, and now she’d misread his relationship with Mason and Teddy. She should rise above the past and give him the courtesy of an apology for that.

“I’m sorry I misinterpreted the situation with your sons.”

Grant took a step closer. “Would you come back to the bar with me? My mother is disturbed about our misunderstanding.”

She shook her head. “Tell your mother you just missed me. Mason and Teddy are sweet kids, and I’ve enjoyed talking to them. But you and I have too much history.”

She turned away. She was no longer a lovesick teenager but a woman in charge of her emotions.

Grant touched her arm. “Wait. I shouldn’t ask, but I would like to know. Why didn’t you ever call me back?”

Slowly, she turned around, heat rising again in her chest. “You have the nerve to ask me that? You’re the one who left without a word and never called.”

He furrowed his brow, looking confused. “I went back to the beach house to get ready for our date, but when I arrived, our suitcases were packed. My father insisted we leave right away. His mother had an emergency, so we rushed to the airport. Didn’t your brothers tell you I called?”

“No. I never heard anything.” She drew a hand over her forehead, realizing what happened. The hurt in his eyes now mirrored her own.

Taking another step toward her, he pressed his hands together, pleading with her. “I must have called more than ten times and spoken to at least two of them. Randy and David, as I recall. I gave up because I figured you were hiding behind them. I thought you were angry at me, and I never wanted to hurt you. Losing you ripped my heart to shreds. Please believe me.”

Deb could feel the heat of his body, but she couldn’t step away. She was quiet for a moment, considering these new details. Her heart ached as the truth came to light.

She knew what her older brothers were capable of. They’d meddled with her boyfriends for as long as she could remember. Maybe they didn’t realize that Grant was her first love. Or if they had, they never let on.

Because she never would have forgiven them.

“Actually, that make sense,” she said, nodding at last.

Grant stretched his hand to her shoulder but stopped short, clenching his fist and bringing it to his mouth. “I wish we hadn’t ended that way. You were my first love, and your silence destroyed me. I figured you’d met someone who wasn’t just a tourist, someone who lived here and was part of your world. I thought it might be that guy who played the guitar, Adrian. You were everyone’s golden girl, and I was just the summer interloper.”

She passed a hand over her eyes, trying to imagine Grant being envious of Adrian. Memories swirled in her mind as this alternate version suddenly seemed plausible.

With a small, tentative movement, Grant brushed a finger against hers. “Can we put all that behind us?”

Her chest tightened, and she lowered her eyes, tempted for a moment before she brought her hand back, clutching it as if to shield herself from the magnetism of his touch.

Still unable to meet his gaze, she said, “I can’t.”

As if he’d misread her cues, Grant stepped back. “Please forgive me. You probably have someone in your life. I didn’t think to ask if you were married.”

His words sliced through her heart. She couldn’t have this conversation with him, of all people. “I’m not, but I have plans. I have to go.”

This time, he grasped her hand. “I’m glad we talked. We’ve needed this for a long time.”

Shaken by his sudden touch, she stepped away from him, flushed, the heat of his flesh sizzling her skin. “Thanks for letting me know all that.”

When she turned, she dared not look back. Something about Kitty had been tugging at her memory since they’d met in the ladies’ room. Now, as she replayed the encounter, everything clicked into place. Kitty had not given her last name.

Perhaps on purpose.

Yet, something still seemed missing in Grant’s story. Her determined footsteps faltered as she neared her vehicle.

After getting into her Land Rover, she drove out the farthest exit so she wouldn’t have to go past Grant again. In her review mirror, she saw him watching her.

With her emotions in a tangled mess, she glanced at the time. On impulse, she jerked the wheel in the opposite direction from home. As she replayed Grant’s words, a fresh wave of fury rose within her.

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