Page 36 of The Sweetest Obsession

He looks at me oddly, then down at my hand against the thick, dark hair furring his arm. I suck in a breath and pull my hand back, but that only earns me another unreadable look as he sets the mug down and runs his fingers through his thick, brown beard.

“I ain’t mad, having to talk about them,” he rumbles. “Just haven’t had to tell this story in a good long while. Mice in the walls, I guess. Got through the electrical wiring. Some of the walls in that house were a century old. Brittle as hell. Just damned tinder. All it took was one spark.” He shakes his head gravely. “I was on call that night. Got there before the fire trucks could make it. I wasn’t supposed to go, but when I realized it was my aunt and uncle’s address...”

I almost don’t recognize Grant right now as he trails off.

That taciturn young man I knew has grown into a colder, older man, yes, but there’s alsomore.

Some deeper, wiser, fuller sense of self.

Something that pulls at me in ways both old and familiar—and new and unsettling, too.

“I don’t remember going in the house,” he continues. “Next thing I know, there’s smoke and fire everywhere, rafters caving in. They’d gotten to Nell’s nursery and covered her with a wet blanket before the smoke got to them.” He pauses, swirling the tea in his mug. “I was too fucking late for them. But little Nell, she was screaming up a storm, scared out of her mind. She was okay ’cause that blanket filtered the smoke, saving her little lungs. I snatched her up and got the hell out of there right before the roof caved in.”

“Oh my God.” I shake my head, willing him to continue.

“Yeah. It’s just me and my parents now. We stepped up as a family, taking her in and sharing the responsibility. Nell mostly stays with me, but my folks keep her if I’m at work and she’s not in school. She calls me her uncle ’cause it makes more sense to her, I guess, seeing how I’m so much older.”

Holy hell.

That’s a lot to take in.

I just let it process for a minute, then murmur, “I’m so sorry. It seems like I’ve missed a lot of your life. But I’m really glad Nell has you.”

“You’ve missed a lot of everyone’s lives,” he flares.

And just like that, I’m ready to grind my teeth down to nubs again.

Stupid lunk.

Why does he have to rub it in when he’s the one who told me not to come back?

I try to keep my voice level as I say, “You’re right. Including whatever’s up with Ros. By the way, has she been acting kinda funny lately, or is that just how she is now? I don’t even know where she went tonight.”

For a second, the big man across from me sits up taller in his chair.

My eyes narrow.

There’s one thing I’ve always known about Grant Faircross.

He can’t lie worth a damn.

He can stay quiet about something—he’s insanely good at keeping secrets—but he sure as hell can’t lie about it.

And even if there are so many little things different now, things that throw me off until everything feels real but not real... I guess that hasn’t changed.

Because there’s a familiar stiffness to his shoulders, a little guilty jerk, a tell before he answers like nothing happened.

“Haven’t noticed,” he drawls, slurping his tea. “Don’t see Ros much these days. Been dealing with the tourists for weeks. Not much time to stop and talk.”

Right. Like he ever makes time for chitchat.

There’s a flash of irrational jealousy.

I picture Rosalind here every day, Grant stopping by Mom’s shop to find her waiting behind the counter with her sunny disposition and bright smile and crown of golden hair. She has the kind of personality that would charm anyone, even the most dour, stubborn, rude, brave—

Down, girl.

Calm your tits right now.

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