Page 30 of Shocking Sapphires
Although I was wearing sunglasses and a ball cap, most people knew about my presence in town. So, it wasn’t much of a disguise. Besides, the wheelchair was a clear giveaway.
Luckily, we made it out to the walkway to the lighthouse without incident. I was well aware that it only took one fan recognizing me and posting my location on social media to create absolute chaos within minutes.
The slick rock path that led out to the jetty was treacherous in my chair, but I was determined to make it. As we slowly made our way out there, I decided to appeal to the local town council––or create my own board, if one didn’t exist––to make this picturesque landmark more accessible to people in wheelchairs.
Equal rights for people with disabilities was quickly becoming a passion project for me, especially when I noticed how awful the current conditions were in some places that hadn’t yet been modernized to current standards. I’d been shocked to find out how many places don’t have ramps, automatic doors, or even sidewalks. It was something I’d never bothered to take note of before, but now I struggled to deal with on a daily basis.
After a significant amount of effort, we made it to the large red lighthouse that served as the town’s most famous location.
Even though her back was to me as she gazed out over the inky water, I recognized her immediately. Just the sight of her nearly took my breath away.
After instructing my bodyguards to give us some space, but not to go too far, since I would need their help to get back to shore, I steeled my nerves to approach her.
28
Molly
Isensed his presence before I saw or heard him. Even though I tried to convince myself it was just wishful thinking, I couldn’t keep from turning to peek over my shoulder.
Seeing Grant there staring up at me nearly took my breath away. When he removed his sunglasses, I realized that the angry look in his eyes was gone and had been replaced with one of uncertainty and hope.
“Hi!” I said, delighted and a bit stunned that he was there. After trying so hard to get near him and not succeeding, it was a bit surreal that he was right in front of me––and alone.
His eyes immediately brightened at my warm greeting before he returned it. “Hi.”
After a long pause, he said, “I won’t bother you for very long, since I know your date will be here soon, but I have a few things that I need to talk to you about.”
“Date?” I asked, scrunching up my nose and wondering what he was talking about.
He nodded, “I saw you in Cole Daniels’ arms earlier just before he promised to meet you here tonight. That’s how I knew you’d be here.”
“Oh, right.” I nodded, honestly having forgotten about the billionaire’s yelled demand that I meet him here.
There was no denying the hurt that entered Grant’s expression, so I clarified. “I’m not here for him.”
Grant angled his head, considering that, before asking, “Then why are you here?”
“This is where I like to come and think things through when I have something serious on my mind. I’ve done it since I was a kid.”
“What’s on your mind tonight?” His voice was raspy and he stared unflinchingly at me as if my answer was the most important thing in the world to him.
“You,” I answered honestly.
His face took on a pain-filled expression that practically ripped my heart out of my chest just before he asked, “Why didn’t you ever call me?”
“I don’t have your number,” I reminded him. I’d always just shown up at his room with Scout, so there’d never been a reason for us to exchange numbers. The few times I’d called to let him know I would be late or to see if he needed anything, I’d called the facility and asked to be patched through to his room phone.
He seemed to accept that, but it didn’t ease the tortured look on his face. His voice was filled with emotion when he asked, “How could you just dump us like that, Molly? I get why you would tire of me, but haven’t you missed Scout? He didn’t do anything to deserve this, yet you haven’t even reached out once to see him.”
“I’ve missed him desperately every single second of every single day.” Deciding I might as well admit the full truth, I added, “I’ve missed you both… so much.”
His eyes were sparkling with surprise, but I couldn’t imagine that he didn’t realize I would miss them both. Latching on to his misstatement, I said, “And for the record. I didn’t dump you two. I would never do that. You’re the one who released me from my job with no warning, hired someone to replace me, and wouldn’t let me near you to even request an explanation.”
“I didn’t do any of those things.” He was shaking his head to back up his words. “You found another job and quit on us with no notice then stopped coming around at all. I was so devastated that I decided I might as well go back to California where I at least knew some people.”
My mouth hung open at his accusations as I worked to process what had truly happened. “I thought you arranged that job for me, so you wouldn’t have to feel guilty for letting me go.”
“Why would I have ever willingly let you go? You were amazing with Scout. And me.”
