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God, she was so stupid. Why did she even think of sharing it with her mother? Of course Iffat didn’t understand. Her parents just didn’t care. Not in the ways she needed.
“It’s fine,” Lucy whispered to herself, but it didn’t feel fine. She was hurt.
It was hard to hide from Grayson the pain she was feeling, and he walked over, hand gentle as it rested on her elbow.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head, giving him a smile. “Nothing.” He looked at her. “No, really. Something exciting happened, but let’s find Charles so I can tell you two together.”
They found Charles reading in the lounge chair, and she told them about Jean-Pierre. They knew about her efforts to convert Jean-Pierre to a reader, and Charles had been so proud of her when she had sold a book to him last month.
Now, his face lit up when she told them about the movie.
“That’s wonderful, Lucy!” Charles said, clapping. He waved his hand and magic made sparks appear in the air. “Congratulations, I’m so proud of you, darling girl.”
His reaction was appropriate, exactly what she had been looking for. The dull pain from her mother’s call faded down to a bruise, and she smiled at Charles.
“That is impressive,” Grayson added, so clearly pleased for her.
“Thank you, thank you,” she said, giving a little curtsy, happy to be validated.
A little while later, when they were at the front of the store and Charles was reading in the back, Grayson kept staring at her as if wanting to ask something.
“What?” she finally said. He didn’t even try to act like he hadn’t been waiting to speak.
“Were you on the phone with your parents earlier?” he asked.
She bristled. Her heart sank at the memory. “My mom, yeah.”
“Sorry, I just overhead a little,” he said. “You were telling her about Jean-Pierre?”
“Mm-hmm,” Lucy said, hardly able to speak because suddenly she wanted to cry. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Grayson, and his face melted with concern. “I just want them to be proud of me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, enveloping her in a hug. She listened to the sound of his heart as he stroked her hair. “You know, it’s pretty ironic: They’re supposed to be so smart but they’re really not clever at all if they can’t see how amazing you are.”
Warmth unspooled in her chest. She pulled back, meeting Grayson’s eyes. He wiped his thumbs across her cheeks, smoothing away her tears.
“I’m never going to be enough for them,” she said, voice despairing. “I know I’m enough, but for them I never will be. And they’re my parents. I don’t know how to just not care about what they think.”
Grayson frowned. “It’s horrid,” he said. “I won’t pretend like it isn’t, and I won’t make excuses for them, either. It’s awful, and I’m not just saying that. I spent half my life trying to win my uncle’s love and affection, and I never got it, no matter how much I craved it. So I understand how it can feel, truly. And I’m sorry.”
He kissed her cheek softly, and the touch sent comfort radiating through her.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for listening. I know I need to just … not let it bother me.”
“It’s okay if it bothers you,” he said, squeezing her hand. “You’re a person, after all.” He paused. “Well, half person, half devil, maybe,” he joked. “Maybe more than half devil.”
That got a smile out of her, and his eyes lit up.
“Ah, there’s my favorite smile,” he said, cupping her face. “That’s my girl.”
Her heart squeezed painfully.
That was all she wanted—to be his.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Grayson
