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“My mother needs to be careful,” he snapped. “And you have a very fairy-tale way of looking at that situation. But let me tell you, fairy-tale marriages and reconciliations don’t exist. I’ve had plenty of clients try to quote, unquote work it out only to come back to me wishing they never had.”
“Lucky for you,” I zinged back as I gazed out across the lake. I loved watching the gentle ripples on the water and seeing a daddy help his son throw bread in for the ducks, though I was so disturbed by Brooks’s outlook I couldn’t even focus on the beautiful sight. I wasn’t naive about love and marriage. I knew it had risks, yet in my heart I knew how wonderful it could be. My parents had shown me what it looked like to love someone so much that you cared more about their happiness than you did your own.
“Grace,” Brooks interrupted my thoughts. “Why do I tick you off so much? I don’t remember it ever being like this between us.” His voice was melancholy.
I kicked a pebble on the path, not knowing exactly what to say without revealing how I had felt about him all these years. The best thing I could come up with was, “I’m sorry, you do seem to bring out the worst in me. I guess . . . I’m just disappointed that you didn’t reach your potential.”
He tilted his head. “Excuse me? I graduated with honors from one of the top law schools in the country, and I work for one of the most successful firms in the state.”
“All admirable achievements, but at the end of the day, are you happy?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Happiness is overrated.”
“If you say so. I’m tired of arguing with you. Tell me why you’re so nervous to talk to your daddy.”
He looked down at his leather boat shoes and thought for a moment. “For a long time, I told myself I didn’t care what happened to him, and then when I thought he was going to die, I realized that wasn’t true.”
“You still care about him.”
He nodded.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I know you might not agree with me, but he did destroy my world. I swore I would never give him that power again.”
Against my better judgment, I tugged on his arm. Oh, wow, did it feel good. “Brooks, I understand your trepidation, but you, your momma, and Carly were and are his world. Believe me, he’s just as scared as you are that he’ll screw it up again. This isn’t a power struggle. Maybe look at it more as building a bridge together as equals.”
A softness washed over his face. “You always knew the right thing to say.”
I dropped my hand and started to smile, but Brooks’s head jerked up. “What does that kid think he’s doing? He’s defacing public property.”
I followed Brooks’s line of sight and saw a kid spray-painting a huge pink heart on the water tower. “That’s so cute.”
“He’s breaking the law. I should call the police.”
I rolled my eyes. The water tower had so much spray paint on it, the county officials hadn’t bothered to repaint it in years. “Don’t you dare. It’s romantic. I always wanted some guy to paint my name on the one in Pecan Orchard.”
“You wanted someone to risk having a misdemeanor on their permanent record just to prove to you they liked you?”
I shook my head, flabbergasted at how hardened he had become. The boy I’d known would have thought spray-painting your feelings for someone on a water tower was silly, but he wouldn’t have wanted to call the authorities. Instead he would have teased me about what I would want my tribute to say. I used to think Brooks Loves Grace would suffice. “What happened to you, Brooks?”
He blinked a few times. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Therein lies the problem.”Chapter Thirteen“Are you ready for this?”
Brooks stared at his father’s hospital room door, running a hand over his cleanly shaven face. “Maybe I should wait until he’s home.”
It was surprising how afraid the tough-as-nails lawyer was. “You haven’t even been able to walk inside the house yet.”
“I’ve been waiting for the right time,” he growled.
I took a step back. “Okay.”
“Grace,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you being here more than you know.”
“Remember when you decided to take your dad’s car for a spin before you got your license and you hit the mailbox?”
Brooks grinned.
“You thought your daddy was going to kill you, so you hid over at my house. We watched Clueless like four times in a row.”
“That was a punishment all on its own.”
“Whatever. You loved it. You totally had a thing for Alicia Silverstone. But that’s beside the point.”
“What is your point?”
“When your daddy finally came looking for you, do remember what he did?”
