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She pauses. “Oh, Mr. James, how are you?”
“I’m good. Grace is with me. I had my driver get her out of the city.”
Grace glares at me and it’s her story to tell, so I stop talking for the moment.
“I’ve got to be honest, I’m a bit surprised she’s not with Jonathan,” the woman says, clearly seeking more information. But then her tone changes, and I swear if I could see her, she’d be smiling. “But I can’t say I’m disappointed that the two of you finally came to your senses.”
Grace eyes the phone in confusion then she grabs it out of my hand. “Um, what?”
“Oh, Grace, put me on FaceTime.”
Grace turns to me, and I shrug. Seconds later Marion appears on the screen with a sly smile on her face. “Before I go any further…Tell me, what is going on with you two?”
Grace nibbles on her thumb as she darts a glance at me and Marion laughs. “That’s what I thought. How long?”
Grace looks squeamish. “Since Florida,” she finally says quietly.
Marion’s face lights up. “Then my plan worked! I knew I still had it.”
Grace and I both take in a shocked breath, but I speak first. “I’m sorry, what plan?”
“Your grandmother reached out to me before the trip. You don’t remember me because you were so young, but I was a good friend of your mother’s.” She meets my eyes through the phone, and I feel a warmth in her gaze.
I’ve never spoken to anyone who really knew my mother. My grandparents are my father’s parents, and her parents died before I was born. I have so many questions, so many things I want to know, but the only thing that comes out of my mouth is, “Really?”
Marion smiles. “Apparently, your grandmother remembered me from your parents’ wedding. I was the maid of honor,” she says proudly. “She said if anyone could find you a partner—someone as wonderful as your mother—then it would be me.” She smiles at Grace. “And I knew immediately a woman that Cash’s mother, Hope, would love just as much as I do. She met you, Grace. I’m sure you don’t remember it because you were so young but Lily, Hope, and I were friends for years. Hope and I hated how lost Lily was, and whenever we had the opportunity, I would bring you up to visit Hope. You’d play with her children—at the time she only had Carter and Catherine—and we’d discuss how we could get through to Lily, get her to stop dating losers. Unfortunately, your mother got sick, Cash, and Lily never changed. But I don’t know, I just had a feeling when your grandmother called me that this is what Hope would want me to do. To introduce the two of you.”
Grace swallows, and her face is riddled with confusion. “But I was married.”
Marion tilts her head in admonition. “Grace, you were miserable. And it was more than obvious that Steven was cheating. But I knew you needed to figure that out yourself. Or at least I believed that until I heard you crying on the phone.”
Grace’s eyes grow and she sighs as she remembers what Marion is talking about. “The night of the event.”
“Yes. I heard you telling Steven that you’d give him the divorce as soon as you got through your next client. That he owed it to you and then he could be with his new girlfriend. My heart broke, Grace. Don’t you know you could have come to me? There is nothing that would have kept me from handing over my company to you. You are the daughter I never had. I love you.”
Tears fall down Grace’s cheeks freely, and I wipe them with my thumb as I kiss her forehead.
“See? That right there is why I knew I was right.” She beams over the phone.
“So, you set us up?” I ask, finally trying to get her back to the original plot.
Marion smirks. “All I did was put you in the same place at the same time. I figured if sparks were meant to fly, they would.”
I look down at Grace to gauge what she’s thinking. I can’t even wrap my mind around this. Grace just shakes her head. “This is too much. I can’t focus right now.”
My patience snaps. I’m trying to be understanding. I know that her world is spinning, but I want to know more. I want to talk to Marion about my mother. I want to call my grandmother and ask her what the hell she was thinking. But mostly, I want Grace to be as blown away by all of this as I am. Our relationship means so much more to me now that I know my mother had a hand in it. That my mother knew Grace. That Grace knew my mother. And all she is focused on is her business. Her reputation. Things that just don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
Marion sighs. “I know, Sweets. And I’m sorry I kept you in the dark. Listen, I’ll get on the phone with the attorney, and when you get back to the city we can sit down and figure out a plan.”
Grace nods as my aggravation grows. They say goodbye, and I stand there staring at the blank screen like an idiot.
Before I have the ability to crack, Grace slumps down on the bed and taps on the spot beside her. “Can we just sit for a minute?”
Sitting isn’t really something I’m capable of right now. I need to move. I need to speak to my grandmother. I need to talk to my mom. But Grace looks like she needs me more.
Tentatively, I sit next to her and wait for her to speak. The way she handles these next few minutes feels monumental. No longer is this only about her. My life has been intertwined with hers; we are inexplicably linked and if she doesn’t see that, I don’t know what that means for us.
Grace leans her head against my shoulder and blows out a breath. “That was a lot.”
