Chapter 13 Piper
THIRTEEN
Piper
The moment we reached the sidewalk, Ollie ran ahead down the block. I called out for him to wait, then turned to Grayden. “I’m really sorry. I thought this would be nice, grabbing dinner together, but…” I trailed off, shaking my head.
“It’s alright. Ollie’s entitled to not like me. He’s hardly the only one.”
“But he’s not entitled to be rude. I taught him better than that.”
Grayden shrugged, brushing his hands over the damp spots on his coat. “Still had a good time with you tonight. For what it’s worth.”
I bit my lip. “Same.” For a while there, I’d been enjoying dinner with Grayden. Until Ollie had decided to blow up our evening.
My stomach twisted with embarrassment over what my kid had said and the way he’d acted. Even though he’d asked some legitimate questions.
Ugh, why was this so hard?
“I’ve got the rent check for you in my inside pocket,” he said. “Might be slightly damp from the spilled beer though.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it later.” The paperwork could wait. I didn’t care about the damn paperwork.
“Can I walk you both home, at least?” he asked.
“You haven’t had enough of us?”
“Nope. Not yet.” Grayden didn’t smile, but I’d detected a hint of his deadpan humor.
I didn’t want him to go yet either.
Ollie stayed ahead of us for the minutes it took to walk back to my place. When we reached the house, Ollie jogged up the steps and stood right beside the door, frowning at me with his feet tapping the porch.
“Mom, come on!”
I glanced sheepishly at Grayden. “I need to get Ollie settled, but if you don’t mind waiting, I can come back out and talk more. Unless you want to take off.”
He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’ll stay.”
“You’re not too cold? I’d invite you in, but—”
“Go on, Piper. Take care of Ollie, and I’ll hang out here. I don’t mind.”
Pulling my keys from my purse, I walked up the porch steps and went past Ollie.
“Mom, can I—”
“Don’t even think about it, mister. You were rude to Grayden after he was perfectly kind to you all evening. You’re going to bed.”
“I’m not tired.”
“Same thing you say every night.”
“Cause it’s true. Maybe you just need more sleep than me.”
A smile threatened to appear on my lips, but I kept it at bay.
I unlocked the door, pushing Ollie inside as I switched on lights. “Brush your teeth, then pajamas and bed. Right now. If you’re not tired, you can read. But I am one inch away from grounding you for the next week. Don’t give me a push. Got it?”
“Why am I in trouble for just asking what he did?”
“Because there’s a time and a place for difficult questions, but dinner out wasn’t it. Also, that’s grown-up stuff.”
“Yes, Momma,” he mumbled.
I kept an eye on him until he was tucked under his covers with his copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and a pile of comics. Then I sat on the mattress beside him and pulled him into a hug. “Ollie, I want you to give Grayden a chance.”
“Why? We have enough friends. We have Uncle Teller and Callum and Ashford. We don’t need him.”
“Because there’s always room for more love,” I said automatically. Even if the thought of Grayden O’Neal and the word love in the same sentence was enough to have my nerves rattling.
“And you might not need more friends,” I added, “but Grayden does. Did you ever think of that? He wasn’t perfect in his past, but he’s really trying to make up for it. The world would be a far better place if people could admit their mistakes and try to do better.”
“Yes, Momma,” Ollie grumbled again, before holding his book in front of his face.
Once Ollie was settled, I brewed some coffee, my ultimate peace offering. Grayden was still sitting there on the porch steps. Good. He hadn’t left.
“Coffee?” I asked. “I assume you take it black. Considering the espresso.”
“Black is perfect.”
He went to stand, but I crossed over to him, holding out a mug. “Here. Don’t get up. This is a good spot to sit.”
“Thanks.”
I’d left the porch light off, and the street was mostly dark, which left the stars arrayed above us. My mug was toasty in my hands.
I felt Grayden’s warmth beside me too, crossing the narrow space between us.
“Ollie shouldn’t have said those things to you,” I began.
“He made some fair points.”
“It must be exhausting, though. Having people throw your past in your face. I don’t just mean my kid. Small town doesn’t have to mean small minds, but sometimes…”
“It’s okay. I can handle it. I chose to come back here, knowing what the residents of Silver Ridge would probably say.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s right.”
Grayden sipped his coffee. “You know, Ollie is actually the first person in Silver Ridge to ask, point blank, what I did to wind up in prison.” He blinked, gaze bright in the dark. “Even you haven’t asked.”
My breath stopped in my chest. Did Grayden want me to ask?
“I know it was a bar fight.” There were some official records about it, though I hadn’t seen them.
“But you don’t know the details. Even Grace and Callum haven’t asked. Because they’re afraid of the answer.”
“Should they be afraid?”
He glanced up at the sky. “Fear is a subjective thing.”
I huffed a laugh, wrapping my arms around my coat. “You’re different from what I expected. You’re pretty philosophical sometimes.”
“A guy who spent years in prison can get very philosophical. Trust me.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled, and I smiled back. Couldn’t help myself.
Maybe Grayden’s smiles were like shooting stars. Even more arresting because they were rare.
“Grace and Callum might be afraid to ask the nitty-gritty details about your arrest and conviction, but you could just tell them. Tell Ashford too. That’s one of the things he’s still angry about. Not knowing, and feeling like it’s some secret you’re keeping.”
“I’ve thought about it. From the moment Grace called me, and I heard her voice for the first time in so long, I wanted to tell her everything. But the truth will hurt her. I’m afraid she’ll feel guilty.”
“Why would Grace feel guilty?”
Grayden breathed out slowly, staring into his coffee mug like it was a code to decipher.
“It’s a long, fucked-up story. Plus, aside from upsetting Grace, I would’ve sounded like I was making excuses for myself, and it’s not like I’m innocent in the whole thing.
A lot of it wasn’t my choice. But some of it was. ”
We sat in the quiet for a while longer until the coffee was gone. The words were on the tip of my tongue. What happened? What did you do?
But I didn’t ask any more questions, and Grayden didn’t volunteer anything either. I couldn’t decide if I was disappointed.
“I should get going.” He handed me his mug and stood.
I nodded. “I might not see you for a while. The holidays are pretty crazy at the coffee shop, and then we’re going to see Teller and Ayla in California.”
I was rambling about my schedule when there were so many other things I wanted to say. But he didn’t call me on it. Probably because he was holding back plenty too.
“Night, Piper. Happy holidays.” Grayden walked down the steps.
He turned back, as if he wanted one last look at me in the starlight. And then he was gone.