Page 17 of I Still Do

Dare nodded.

As Grey got up from his seat and strode toward the kitchen, his brain told him he ought to let Cora be. She was more than tough enough to handle anything thrown at her. She’d proven that many times over the years he’d known her.

This intense need to protect her was unnecessary, but he wasn’t about to ignore it either. Someone needed to show Flynn that Cora was welcome here, too.

Chapter Seven

“It wasn’t easy for Grey to get his life straightened out once you walked away.” Maria had gone to retrieve another box from the storage closet upstairs, and Flynn was taking advantage of the time alone with Cora.

“Grandpa Jackson wanted me here. He was like a grandfather to me, and there’s no way I was going to ignore those last wishes.” Cora knew Flynn had issues with her, but was it so wrong to think he could at least bury them for the weekend? If for no other reason, for Maria’s sake.

Flynn frowned. “I get that, and your motivation is admirable. But if this is your way of trying to get a foot through the family door, then you are sadly mistaken. Grey moved on, and I hope you have, too.”

“Of course I’ve moved on. I’m a registered nurse now. I have friends and a life of my own.”

“And the education that made it possible for you to be a registered nurse was paid for by my brother’s money.”

Cora dug a fingernail into her thumb to try and curb her temper. “Grey and I are being considerate toward one another in honor of Grandpa Jackson. He doesn’t have a problem with my being here, so neither should you.”

A muscle in Flynn’s neck flexed as he clenched his jaw. “I know you wanted to honor Grandpa Jackson’s wishes, but coming here was selfish, Cora. You didn’t consider how your presence would disrupt the entire family.”

Maria returned then with the last box they’d need. Flynn took it from her and started filling it with food.

Flynn’s words left Cora feeling numb. No matter what he said, Cora hadn’t made a mistake. Coming here for Grandpa Jackson was the right thing to do.

But it did leave her wondering whether she was doing more harm than good. She loved Maria, and despite all they’d gone through, she’d always love Grey. Was Cora only making it harder on them both? Hurting them was the last thing she wanted to do.

There wasn’t a thing she could change now, though. It’s not like she could just hike to the airport and get on the first flight home.

An overwhelming sadness enveloped her as she decided to go back to her room for a while. She’d gotten halfway up the stairs when Grey called to her.

“Cora, wait up a second.”

She swallowed hard and did her best to paste a normal smile on her face. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Are you okay?”

“Sure.” That was a lie, and it was clear he knew it, too. “I’m just going to go up to my room for the afternoon.”

Grey put a hand on the rail next to Cora. “I only heard the last part of the conversation, but Flynn—”

Cora shook her head to stop him. “I handled it. I came here to honor Grandpa Jackson. I can survive anything for two or three days, right?” She gave him a sad smile and continued her walk up the stairs. She could tell by the footsteps behind her that he was following. When they got to her door, she turned around again. “Let it go, Grey.”

“I’ll talk to Flynn. He needs to leave you alone, especially when it comes to us. That’s our business and not his.”

“There is no ‘us’ anymore, remember?” Her voice sounded much sadder than she wanted it to. “You can’t fix everything. I’m going to go read for a while. Seriously, Grey, go visit with your family. I think it’s great you’re all together again. It was a long time coming.”

She slipped into her room, closed the door behind her, and turned the lock. She leaned against the doorframe and noted that it was several heartbeats before Grey’s footsteps faded.

One tear escaped to slip down her cheek, but that was all she’d allow. She’d cried way too many tears over Grey. Over this family. She was supposed to have moved on, and it’d do her well to remember that.

Cora spent the rest of the afternoon in her room. She had an entire library stored on the reading application on her phone. Since the electricity was out, though, she turned it off to conserve what battery power she had left.

Thankfully, she’d also tucked a paperback into her suitcase. It was one she’d purchased at the bookstore last month during an author signing. She didn’t buy that many paperbacks anymore, but this weekend convinced her she should always have something to read because you just never knew when you might have some spare time.

She read for a couple of hours before falling asleep on the bed, her book propped open on her stomach. The sounds of voices outside along with a child’s squeal woke her up. A glance at her watch told her it was five-thirty. She supposed she should probably clean up and meander downstairs soon.

Cora had just finished washing her face and double checking her hair when there was a tap on the door. She opened it to find Maria waiting with a smile.

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