Chapter 26
WYNTER
Grams sighed for what felt like the hundredth time.
It wasn’t one of those soft sighs meant to settle a person. It was a heavy, all-consuming, and obnoxious sigh that grated on Wynter’s nerves.
She knew this was coming. Ever since that night at the Christmas party, Wynter expected her grandmother to pull her aside and try to convince her that she needed to be more patient. More understanding.
The worst part about it was that Wynter was struggling not to be those things.
Marcus might not have understood her very well, but she knew him better than he probably knew himself.
He was the kind of man who looked at the glass as half full.
The world was his oyster, and there wasn’t anything he couldn’t accomplish.
When he wanted something, he went after it without a second thought to the risks.
And maybe she was a little flattered that he’d set his sights on her.
Maybe she would have been if his motives weren’t questionable.
His personality being what it was, his desire to jump in with eyes shut made her nervous.
And yet, she admired his courage. There were parts of her soul that longed to throw caution to the wind and accept the fallout for any and all bad decisions.
Unfortunately, those parts of her weren’t strong enough.
She scowled harder at her laptop, determined not to let Grams get the better of her. There were only a few more full days of work before the company shut down for the year. Only a few more days before Christmas.
Instrumental versions of her favorite Christmas songs played in the background, and Grams had lit a candle that made the whole house smell like spiced apples. It would have been a good, quiet evening alone if Grams would stop with the obvious sighing and shuffling across the room.
She had a book in her hand, but she was definitely not reading it.
Grams sighed again.
Wynter rolled her eyes and finally lifted her head. “Is there something you want to say to me?”
Grams snapped the book shut and set it aside. “Actually—”
“Before you finish that sentence, I want to make it clear that I’m not going to talk about Marcus. What he did was inappropriate, and he should have known better.”
Her grandmother frowned and folded her arms tight across her chest. Smug, Wynter turned back to her computer. She knew this was about Marcus. At least Grams seemed to agree that Marcus had crossed the line. Her silence was more than enough to prove it.
“I didn’t hurt my wrist.”
The words echoed in Wynter’s ears, bouncing around as if trying to gain purchase on something. Anything. Wynter couldn’t have heard that right. Grams said something else. Something that sounded like…
Slowly, Wynter lifted her eyes to stare at the woman who had practically raised her. Then she dipped her focus to her grandmother’s wrist that was still in a brace. Narrowing her gaze, she pressed her lips together in a thin line.
Grams didn’t seem bothered at all by the hard stare she was receiving. She merely reached for the brace. Velcro cried out in protest as it was pried apart. Then the brace was dropped to the table in front of Grams.
She lifted her wrist, twisted it back and forth, then placed both hands in her lap. “See? I’m fine.”
Wynter blinked. Her ears were burning. The sound of her heart thundered angrily while her stomach roiled from the betrayal. She kept waiting for her grandmother to chuckle and tell her she was joking. That this was the only way she’d get Wynter to listen to her.
But she didn’t.
And Wynter had to admit that was one way to get her complete attention.
A myriad of thoughts stumbled through her mind.
She’d uprooted her whole life for Grams. She’d put a job she liked on hold.
She’d traveled across state lines. She’d taken a temporary gig—and yes, she enjoyed it more than she had expected—but that didn’t change the fact that her grandmother had manipulated her.
“Why?” The word was a combination of a whisper and a growl, but it didn’t faze Grams in the slightest. Why didn’t she look even remotely guilty? She had to have known what she was doing.
What had been her plan?
Wynter closed her eyes to stave off the dizziness that was closing in on her. She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed. “Why, Grams? Why did you tell me you needed me here?”
“Because you needed to be here.”
She opened her eyes and scoffed. “What?”
Grams had always been the epitome of grace and wisdom, and it had never been more true than it was in this moment. She lifted her chin and her eyes flashed. “You heard me. Don’t play dumb. You’ve been miserable. Don’t bother denying it.”
“Miserable?” Wynter scoffed, hearing the hysteria creep into her voice.
If she hadn’t come to Copper Creek, she wouldn’t be dealing with the heartache of what Marcus had done.
She wouldn’t have given in to those bad ideas and gotten close to him.
She wouldn’t be hurting. “I wasn’t miserable. I was fine.”
Grams snorted. “Fine is just another word for miserable.”
Wynter’s mouth popped open. “You can’t be serious.” She shook her head and spoke more to herself than anyone else. “She can’t be serious. I can’t believe this.”
“Wynter, dear, you need to listen to me.”
Her head snapped up and she was fully prepared to give Grams the lecture of her life, but upon seeing the pain in her grandmother’s eyes, she thought better of it.
“I’m not going to be around much longer.”
Wynter’s heart constricted and she shook her head. “No, don’t say that. You’re going to live a long life.”
“I’ve lived a long life, sweetie. And I know my time is coming to a close. I’m not the young, spry woman I used to be. It’s harder for me to get around. I can’t drive when it gets too dark out. I have to ask for help when I’m at the market; they deliver my groceries to me now.”
“You… never told me. Grams, this is why I want you to come live with me in California.”
Her grandmother’s expression hardened. “This is my home. Your grandfather’s home. I will not leave it.”
Wynter put the computer aside and tilted her head, her voice softening. “Grams…”
“No. Don’t pity me. And just listen, will you? I won’t be around much longer, and I’m going to feel a lot better if I know you’re taken care of.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know that. I’m not daft, child.”
Wynter bit back a laugh, then schooled her features when her grandmother leveled her with another warning stare.
“The only man who has ever meant something to you lives in this town. Just down the road. That man loves you. With his whole heart and soul.”
The muscles in Wynter’s body went rigid and her heart picked up again. She didn’t like talking about Marcus. She didn’t want to see or hear the truth her grandmother was laying out for her.
Grams’s voice softened, and she inched closer so she could reach out a hand and take Wynter’s. “I need you to be ready. And even if you don’t need someone to take care of you, I want to make sure someone in your life wants to take care of you anyway.”
Wynter choked out a sad laugh. “But I don’t want to get married, Grams.”
“Oh, hogwash.”
Wynter startled at her grandmother’s harsh tone.
“You want to get married. And I can tell you love that boy. What’s holding you back? Be honest with me. Help me understand.”
Wynter studied her grandmother’s face for a long moment before she finally had to look away. “They always leave Grams. Everyone always leaves. I can’t open my heart to anyone else. Mom and Dad. Grandpa…”
“Oh, sweetie.” There was a soft sort of understanding about the way she spoke, and it drew Wynter’s attention once more.
“Your mother and grandfather didn’t leave you on their own accord.
They were taken. The only person in your life who left was your father.
” Grams drew her brows together and shook her head with a frown.
“That man didn’t deserve you. Didn’t deserve your mother, either. And as for losing people—that’s life.”
“It will hurt,” Wynter whimpered. “I can’t let someone else into my life who isn’t going to stay.”
“And what makes you think Marcus would leave?”
She lifted a shoulder noncommittally at her grandmother’s question.
“There are no guarantees in life, sweetie. There is always risk involved. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the job market. The economy. Or in love.”
“Don’t you think I’ve had enough loss? Don’t you think you’ve lost enough?” Wynter’s voice no longer held an edge to it. If anything, there was a pleading for her grandmother to agree with her, to stay on her side. Because as hard as she was trying, she was wavering in her own convictions.
“Of course we’ve lost more than our fair share.
But sweetheart, Marcus has never left you.
” Grams got to her feet, walked around the coffee table and took a seat beside Wynter.
She grasped both of her hands and squeezed them tight.
“The only person leaving is you. The only one running… is you. Marcus lost you once. When you moved away and cut ties with him, I think that did something to his soul. And yet when you came back, he forgave you.” She tucked a strand of hair behind Wynter’s ear and smiled sadly.
“Can you blame him for getting desperate? That boy only has eyes for you. Even your grandfather saw it.”
Wynter stiffened. “He did?”
“Oh, boy, did he.” Grams smiled fondly. “He knew the two of you would end up together. Why do you think he was always hovering? He didn’t want anything untoward going on before it was appropriate, but then he was always incredibly old-fashioned.
You don’t know how many times I had to remind him we live in modern times and chaperones aren’t a thing anymore. ”
Wynter let out a laugh, but it wasn’t until Grams traced a thumb across her cheek that she realized she’d been crying. She sucked in sharply and blinked.
Grams handed her a tissue, her smile still present. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one thing we need to clear up.”
“And what’s that?” Wynter asked, not sure if she was ready to take this next step.
“Do you love him?”
Yes.
The word practically echoed in her brain.
She wanted to shout it, scream it, tell the world.
Yes, she was in love with Marcus. And that was why she was so utterly terrified about her future.
That was why she itched to pack her bags and move back to California.
Now that she knew her grandmother wasn’t injured, there really wasn’t anything stopping her.
The contract was more for her benefit than anything else.
She was guaranteed a job while she was here for three months, but if she wanted out, she could take her leave.
Nothing was stopping her from walking out that door.
Except that wasn’t entirely true, was it?
“Wynter?”
She blinked and focused on Grams.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes,” she rasped. “I love him.”