Page 32 of Kiss Me Now
“It didn’t look right,” I said, feeling both sheepish and grumpy. “Sweet woman shows up next door and suddenly you’re talking about leaving her your very valuable property? I wanted to make sure she was legit.”
“And what did you find?”
“All the right pieces. I just...” I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face. “I put them together completely wrong.”
“So you’re saying you’ve discovered that my neighbor is a sweet young woman and nothing more?” Gran’s tone was dryer than the Sahara.
“Not exactly.” Brooke had more layers to her than I’d expected, an integrity I hadn’t seen in...years. “But she’s not a con artist. Anyway, I made some accusations last night that I needed to apologize for. Since she wouldn’t answer, I tried shouting them at her through the door. That was not super effective.” I rubbed my face again. Had I forgotten how normal people behaved? That genuinely good people existed?
Apparently. I felt more idiotic by the minute.
Gran sat next to me and patted my back. “I suppose it’s time for a confession of my own.”
I dropped my hands enough to give her a sideways glance. “Come again?”
“This is only about eighty percent your fault.” She looked thoughtful for a second. “No, eighty-five. But the rest is probably me.”
I straightened and scooted into the sofa corner so I could study her more closely. “This should be interesting.”
“You know you don’t come around here often enough.”
Leave it to Gran to keep me humble with a scolding even as she led into some kind of “confession.” “Stipulated,” I said.
“And you also date women who are totally wrong for you.”
“Gran...” But she held her hand up for silence and I subsided with a small sigh.
“You do.”
“You haven’t met any of them.”
“That’s how I know,” she said, unruffled. “If any of them were something special, you’d be bringing them around. What’s more, if they were truly right for you, they’d make you bring them around because they’d want to know where you come from. How you became you.”
I nodded. Fair enough. I’d never had the slightest interest in bringing any of my girlfriends out to meet the family.
“But Brooke is perfect for you.”
“Gran...” This time there was a note of warning in my tone.
“Hush. I knew you wouldn’t believe me when I told you. And it didn’t work to flat out ask you to come and visit me so I could casually introduce you. So I’m the one who was up to no good in this whole scenario, not Brooke. I lied about considering changing my will because I figured it was the fastest way to lure you here.”
“Gran!” That one was pure shock.
“I know.” She had the decency to look guilty for a split second. “But to be fair, I expected you to be a good enough judge of character to sense her natural goodness the second you met her. Isn’t it your instincts that make you such a good investigator? How was I supposed to know this would be the first time they’d fail you completely?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression defiant and a touch cranky.
It was such an unusual expression from her that a laugh escaped me. “I’m sorry, Gran, but you look like Izzie did when she broke your lamp that one time.” Izzie was my younger sister.
The corner of her mouth twitched. “I do not.”
I copied her expression and posture, crossing my arms.
Her twitch turned into a reluctant grin. “You look ridiculous.”
I lifted an eyebrow.
“Oh, fine,” she said, uncrossing her arms. “I’m sorry, Ian. I shouldn’t have lured you down here. Next time, I’ll nag you relentlessly until you come to visit,thenI’ll force you to get to know my pretty, single neighbor. Will you forgive me?”
I leaned over and hauled her tiny self into a hug. “On one condition,” I said into the soft, white curls tickling my chin.
