Page 57 of Everything Has Changed
“You can’t remember anything?”
I shake my head, stabbing at my ice cream with the spoon. “Just flashes. Mostly of you, so it’s not too bad.” I relish the flush that takes over her cheeks. “Unless it really was that bad?”
“No, you were fine. A little incoherent by the time you fell asleep, but nothing crazy.” She waves her spoon in the air. “Already forgotten, I promise.” The smirk she shoots me is quick and doesn’t reach the rest of her face, but I decide to let it go.
“Okay, now enjoy your cold toothpaste.” I nudge her bowl closer to her.
She throws her head back on a laugh. “Toothpaste? What toothpaste are you using that tastes this magical? Because I think I need to switch. What are you eating?” She peers over into my bowl and furrows her brow. “Butter pecan? Okay, Grandpa. No wonder you can’t handle your alcohol.”
“Hey, now! Butter pecan is a wonderful flavor. Especially with a little drizzle of hot fudge.” I take a big bite with flair, moaning as the explosion of flavor hits my tongue. “You’re missing out.”
She rolls her eyes, but grins as she takes much smaller bites, obviously trying to savor the flavor.
We eat in comfortable silence for a few bites before she speaks up again.
“Wanna talk about why you were the way you were last night?”
I think for a second; wondering if anyone could take the weight of my thoughts these days. I bet Gwen could with her kind smile and open heart. But I falter, not ready to let anyone in on what’s going on inside my mind while it’s still a tangled mess. I’m not even sure I can get concrete evidence of my father’s wrongdoings just yet. He’s still being super cagey with the information he allows me. No doubt testing to see if I can be trusted. Plus, I have no idea how she will react to finding out my father is bringing in a big corporation to build a fancy resort that will change the way Willow Grove is forever.
I shake my head. “What I do want to talk about is this contact list my mother passed along. You’re not going to believe who is on here.” Fishing out the stationary adorned with my mother’s monogram on top, I flatten out the handwritten list.
I watch Gwen’s reaction, waiting for her to read through the names until she gets to the last one.
Her jaw drops along with her spoon which clatters in the bowl. “Frederick Jacobs? You’re joking. How?”
“Apparently, they went to college together. She said he owes her a favor after a party incident she never cashed in on.”
Her wide green eyes look up at me. “We have to reachout to his team.”
“Already ahead of you. I sent an email to his assistant and it turns out he’s performing with his band in Asheville soon.” I wait to see if she will pick up what I mean, and my girl doesn’t disappoint.
She jumps to her feet, bouncing up and down with a grin so wide I worry it might split her face open. Her fingers wrap around my forearm, shaking the appendage with fervor. “I love his music!The Ballad of Heartbreakgot me through high school.”
I narrow my gaze at her. “Were you tending to heartbreak often in high school?”
“You have no idea,” she sighs.
“Give me names. I want to know who these idiots were.”
She slaps my arm lightly with a giggle, though it admittedly has an edge to it that makes me wonder why. But I don’t want to ruin this good mood with thoughts of darkness in the past.
“I’m not sure what we can get, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I think that would be a big-ticket item. ”
She waggles her eyebrows. “Bigger than Bernie’s free vacation? Don’t tell him that. He might cry.”
Pushing my ice cream away, I turn to face her. “What else do we have left in the big binder of planning?”
“A lot. I still need to secure the booth signups and see what everyone has planned. The auction items, of course. Oh, and comb the town for eligible singles.”
“Grab the binder, and we can divvy up some checklists.”
Her face scrunches in the cutest way. “It’s almost nine at night. Don’t you want to get some rest after last night?”
Absolutely, but I would give up sleep for a week if it meant spending more time with Gwen.
“Let’s get to it, Boss.”
21
