Page 110 of Eleanor & Grey
I swallowed hard. “Yes?”
“Can I have a word in my office?”
He headed off with his briefcase handle still in his hand, and I followed his footsteps, with every nerve in my gut twisting and turning.
He didn’t speak right away, but he did gesture toward a chair, and I sat quickly. I kept fidgeting with my fingers, unsure what to do with my hands. I knew I had been out of line that day. I knew I’d made a lot of mistakes, but truthfully, I didn’t regret it. For the first time in a long time, I had seen Karla smile.
That made it worth it to me.
He set his briefcase down, took off his coat, and then took a seat at his desk.
Still no words.
His hands clasped together, and he took in a deep breath. “I received a call from Mrs.Robertson today.”
“Mrs.Robertson?”
“Caroline Robertson’s mother.”
Oh. That woman.
“Listen, I can explain. I know I snapped, and I’m sorry, but then again, I’m not actually sorry. You know why? Because she and her daughter were both extremely disrespectful toward Lorelai, and I stand by everything I said.” I paused. “Well, maybe calling her daughter a little bitch was out of line, but I do stand by the fact that the mother was a bitch. And I’m sorry, but—”
“Eleanor,” Greyson said sternly.
“Yes?”
“You’re rambling.”
“Yes. Sorry. I’m just... I want you to know that even though I know I’m in a lot of trouble, I stand by it. I stand by my words, and I know it was wrong of me and childish to snap in public, and I know it paints you in a bad light, but I just couldn’t hold it in. I know you’re probably also wondering why there’s a big mess in your living room, and I’m just going to tell you now because, whatever, I’m already in trouble, but Karla had a really shitty hard day too, and I took her out of school and we bingedWesley Petersmovies and ate sugar, and OK, I’m sorry.”
He lowered his brows, staring, not really showing any type of emotion. Not anger, not disappointment—nothing really. I wished he’d stop that. I wished he’d at least give me something to go off of, just a few context clues.
“Thank you,” he finally said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I said thank you. Thank you for being there for my girls.”
I stood, baffled. “You aren’t... you aren’t mad?”
“No. I called you in here to just say thank you for standingup for them. I know I’m not always able to be around, and I know I’ve been distant over the past few months. I’m not...” He took a breath and looked down at his hands. “I’m not myself. I’m trying to be myself to get back to normal, but I’m not there yet. So thank you for being there. They needed you today. I needed you today.”
It was the complete opposite of what I’d thought he was going to say to me. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure how to react.
I sat back in my chair, so thrown off. “Oh, well... OK. You’re welcome.”
“Just keep me in the loop a little next time. If you’re going to take Karla out of school or cuss out a woman in front of the whole elementary school, just give me a heads-up.”
“Yes, of course. It won’t be a normal thing, and I am really sorry for it all, especially for snapping at Lorelai’s school.”
“Don’t be. Mrs.Robertson is a bitch.”
I smiled. He smiled back.
Greyson smiled at me.
It was the kind of smile I remembered, the kind of smile that had made me look at him time and time again in wonderment when we were younger, the kind I hadn’t known I’d missed until I saw it on his lips.
