Rein
"You're moping," Granny observes.
"He's been moping for days," Sabrina supplies, taking a sip of tea.
Whenever I'm back in Gilberton, I like spending as much time as I can with Granny. My sister tagged along with me today, and she's right. I've been miserable this past week since running into Beau again.
"Is it a woman?" Granny asks, glancing at the impressive spread her chef laid out for us on the coffee table in her formal sitting room. "Because normally you would have scoffed down half of this food."
"It's not a woman," I grumble, grabbing a slice of artisan sourdough topped with whipped salted butter to satisfy her.
"A man, then?" Granny asks, exchanging a look with Sabrina.
I swallow the bread. "A man? Really?"
"What? I may be nearing ninety, but I'm very open-minded." She smiles warmly, and I have to hand it to her, she really is. She's also the only person in my family who never had an issue with Beau and me being friends.
Unlike my parents, or even Sabrina, who took massive exception to it. Then again, they're all involved in the resort and casino and way more caught up in the whole family feud than I've ever been. It happened so long ago. Surely, as adults, they should be able to sort it out?
Then again, what happened with Beau and me also happened a long time ago, and have we been able to sort that out?
Sadly, no.
Seeing him has only reminded me of what I've done my best to try and forget—I miss him, I love him, and I'm desperate to have him back in my life again. But he made it clear that's not what he wants, so what choice do I have but to respect his wishes?
Scooping up a handful of pistachios and Marcona almonds, I do my best to block out the way he looked at me when he said he never wanted to see me.
Sabrina tells us about how well the resort and casino are doing, well and truly out of the COVID and post-pandemic slump.
They’re looking to acquire the land next to the resort and start expanding.
I ask Granny about the serum I picked up for her the other week in an attempt to stop drawing attention to my mopey-ness. I throw back a few lemon shortbread cookies for that very reason, too. She seems to be buying it.
Sabrina has to get back to work, but since I've got nothing on except for a business meeting tomorrow, I stay. Once Sabrina leaves, Granny turns to me in the entrance and presses her perfectly manicured index finger into my chest. Sharply.
"Ow." I turn away. "What was that for?"
"For lying to your grandmother."
"What have I lied to you about?"
"Running into Beau Katona last week."
"How did you know about that?"
"Do I need to remind you where you are? Everyone knows everything in this town, and no one knows more than I do."
Well, shit.
She is, and has always been, remarkably well-connected and well-liked around Gilberton. Unlike the rest of the family who everyone seems to love gossiping and spreading nasty rumors about. We're a bunch of ruthless, rich, greedy, cold-hearted villains, according to people around here.
"I didn't lie to you," I point out, hoping to salvage the situation.
"You didn't tell me, which amounts to the same thing," she shoots back, killing my defense better than a linebacker reading the play.
She then flips into caring granny mode in the blink of an eye.
"You're a good nugget, Rein," she says, tugging me into her side as she leads me into her sprawling kitchen.
"I'm making us another cup of tea, and then you're going to tell me everything that happened with you and Beau. "
"There's not much to tell, really."
She starts filling the kettle, one eyebrow raised sky high. "So it's normal to end up in the honeymoon suite with your former best friend these days, is it?"
My cheeks burn. "It's not what it looks like."
Well, it's not entirely what it looks like. I fill her in on what happened, and I include the kiss because I trust Granny and have always been able to be completely honest with her.
"That explains the moping." She slides a cup of tea over to me, studying me across the massive kitchen island.
"It does. I don't get it, Granny. Why is Beau so mad at me? He's the one who cut me off after the accident."
"Hmm…" She lifts the tea cup to her lips.
Everyone in my family has tells galore. Sabrina tugs on her ponytail when she’s lying, my big one is my left eye twitching when I'm about to cry, and Granny's is her pursing her lips together and making that very hmm noise she just made when she's got something to say but is trying to hold it in.
"What are you not telling me?"
She rests the cup on the counter and offers me a contemplative look. "I loved your grandfather with all my heart. And I love all my sons—your dad and your uncles—too. Very much. Money is nice to have, but family has always been the most important thing to me."
I'm not sure where she's going with this, but I nod and say, "Okay," anyway. If I thought she might clear things up, her next words prove me wrong.
"No one is perfect, Rein. And sometimes, despite people's best intentions, they make mistakes. Big ones."
Granny's words are still rattling around in my head the next day.
I pressed her to clarify what she meant, but a guilty look crossed her face, like she'd revealed too much.
She then suddenly remembered she had to get ready for her weekly bridge game at the club with her girlfriends and practically booted me out of her house, so I'm none the wiser.
"All right, get your shit together," I tell myself as I pull into the gravel parking lot of Clovelly House, one of the nicest and most awarded inns in the county, for my business meeting.
I need to have my head in the game. This is what I came back to Gilberton to do after all.
And if my meeting with Cory Tillford goes well, the Gilberton Grizzlies will be mine.
Cory's an eccentric guy in his early sixties who comes from serious old money. He bought the team over a decade ago but never got around to starting it. It's ridiculous. Everyone in town is fed up and just wants someone to put on a jersey for on a Friday night.
And I'm going to be the one to make that happen. It's the logical next step for me, being back home and closer to Granny and involved in football again now that my playing days are well and truly over.
I get out of the car and stop dead in my tracks when I spot Beau getting out of his car.
"Well, shit."