Page 27 of First Bride to Fall
He didn’t ask what she’d heard, fearing it was negative. Grant wasn’t sure how many folks were aware that his dad had died from liver cancer, but he figured a fair number of them guessed. By the time Grant and his dad moved to Majestic, Grant was a senior in high school and his mom had already been gone for five years.
“When did you lose your mom?” she asked softly.
“When I was twelve.” He swallowed hard. “She was great when she was around, though.” His voice went scratchy, and he cleared his throat. “A really great mom.”
Nell got up from the table and tossed the frozen peas back into the freezer. Then she hobbled over to him.
“Grant.” She placed her hand on his arm and looked up into his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Somehow, that small comfort meant a lot. Grant didn’t often talk about his family. He hadn’t even told Susan certain things. Particularly about his mom.
He stared into Nell’s pretty brown eyes, and they glimmered with understanding. Compassion, too, and maybe something else. “Thanks.”
“You know,” she said. “You still have her with you in here.” She motioned to her heart, and he knew it was true. But there’d been so many times when he’d wished he’d had her around in reality instead of in his imagination. Like when he’d graduated high school, and then college. And when he’d started Blue Sky Adventures.
She’d been outdoorsy, too, and her love of nature had inspired Grant’s. She would have loved his store. His dad had barely acknowledged its opening and hadn’t bothered showing up for it after promising that he would.
“I bet she would have been very proud of you,” Nell said kindly.
“You think so?”
“You own your own business, Grant. That’s a big deal.”
“Yeah, well. My dad kind of thought it was a waste of time. Creating a career out of recreation.” He regretted the bitterness in his tone, thinking he should change the subject. “In any case.” He drew in a deep breath, then released it. “Time’s moved on.”
“And you’re very successful.” She held an admiring twinkle in her eye, and he was warmed by it.
“Thanks, Nell. Bearberry Brews seems to be doing fantastic, too.”
She pursed her lips at his mention of her family business. “Um, yeah. They…are? But they’ve also seen better times. Honestly.”
“Oof. I’m sorry to hear it. The economy’s been a little rough as of late.”
“Yeah. Last winter was especially hard.”
“What do you do there?” he asked lightly. “Besides making highly caloric coffees?”
She laughed. “I keep the books.”
“You’re the accountant?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s a big job.”
“It’s what I trained for. Before that, my mom handled things, but she was burning out.”
“Understood.”
“Misty runs the register,” she volunteered. “And Charlotte handles publicity. Apart from that, we all chip in. Lucas, too. He’s sort of like the general manager.”
“Oh yeah, I’ve seen Lucas around. He was in my class at school.”
“That’s right!” she said. “He’s great, honestly.”
He gave her a scrutinizing look, wondering if there was any interest there. For whatever reason, he hoped there wasn’t. Okay, all right. He knew the reason. The reason was becausehewas developing an interest in Nell. It was hard not to be attracted to her with her pretty smile and her incredible brown-and-gold eyes. On top of that, she had a softness about her, something sweet and wonderful. She’d been so kind about his mom.
She laughed at his expression. “Lucas has never been the guy for me, if that’s what you’re thinking so hard about over there.”
