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Chapter 46
Cash
Afteraspiritedgameof Twister and the family photo in front of the tree, in which I begrudgingly let Jay partake and had to practically beg Grace to join, Grace yawns loudly and says she’s heading to bed.
“I’ll be in soon,” I say to her, walking her to the door to have a private moment alone. “Everything okay?”
I know this is a lot for Grace. Her entire life changed dramatically this year. It’s not lost on me, mine has too, but I know it’s different for her. My siblings have always grounded me. Although Grace has Tessa and Marion, with them gone, she seems more fragile than normal. It’s odd because she never lets me take care of her, but this week after her scare, it’s almost like she’s slowly dropped her walls and allowed herself to lean on me. But it feels like she just noticed she did that, so she’s working hard to rebuild the walls even higher.
I’ll keep climbing them to get through to her, but I wish she’d put down the bricks for a while and let me in.
Grace gives me a fake smile. “I’m fine. Just a long day. I’m tired.”
“Okay, Angel. I love you. Get some rest.” I kiss her lips and leave her alone. It’s what she needs, even if it isn’t what I want. Truth is I have other things I need to handle.
I walk to the other side of the house and unlock the door that leads to my grandparents’ suite. It broke me that my grandfather didn’t feel well enough to join us for pizza and Twister tonight. He was always the reigning champion of Twister, for reasons that were rather unfair though. He’d always slice our legs out from underneath us, causing us to fall in a fit of laughter. Through the years, we’d all play the same way. Not tonight though. With Grace playing, I gave both Cat and Carter a stern glare that told them to keep the hijinks out of the game. I know she’s not made of glass, but after the hospital scare, I’m not taking any chances.
Cat is already sitting with my grandmother when I walk into their living room. “Merry Christmas Eve, Grandma,” I say dropping a kiss onto my grandmother’s soft cheeks.
Her eyes shine as she stares up at me. “Cassius, I was just telling Cat how excited I am to spend the day with my family. Cat tells me you have exciting news for us?”
I throw a look in Cat’s direction, and she has the decency to at least look a little sorry. I sigh. “Yes, I do. It should come as no shock to you that I’m dating Grace Kensington, as you and Marion put it all in motion.”
My grandmother’s cheeks turn rosy. “Oh, you heard about that?”
I laugh. “Yes,” I try to grumble as if I’m put out by her meddling. The truth is if my grandmother hadn’t forced me to settle down, I probably wouldn’t have met the woman who makes my heart run in circles.
“Well, I’m glad it all worked out,” she says with a smile. As if the fact that it all ended well gets her out of the doghouse.
It does, but I won’t tell her that.
“Grandma, you had no right to play matchmaker.”
She laughs. “No, I’d say it was Grace herself who played matchmaker. We paid her to do that, right? Seems it was a bit of a bonus that she got you on top of all that money.” She raises her eyes as if she’s just backed me in a corner.
“Believe me, I am the one that lucked out in this whole thing.”
My grandmother tuts her lips. “Cassius James, you are the head of the company, a good-looking, kind man, who could have your pick of any woman you wanted. Believe me, she’s notunluckyto be with you.”
I smile. “You’re biased because I’m your grandson, and I appreciate it. But believe me, I’m the lucky one. I’m also not the head of the company anymore.”
My grandmother’s eyes narrow. “What?”
Now it’s Cat’s turn to squirm. “Ask your granddaughter over here what she’s been up to. It’s only a matter of weeks until it all goes public, Cat, so no time like the present.”
Cat sighs. “We’re merging with Hanson. Cash will remain in charge of the liquor division, but Jay and I will be handling the expansion.”
My grandmother’s face is white and her chin locks. “Is that what this engagement was about?”
Cat shakes her head. “Jay and I are happy together. I know it all seems sudden, but we’ve been friends for years. Our marriage is a good thing. For us and for our families, I promise.”
“This isn’t what your grandfather wanted,” she says, unable to look Cat in the eye.
As much as I hate how Cat and Jay handled everything, I don’t want her taking all the blame. It was all of us who got us into this mess, not just Cat. I take my grandmother’s hand and squeeze it, drawing her attention. “I’ll talk to Pa. I should be the one to deal with this. It was me he left in charge.”
My grandmother holds my stare. In it I see so many words pass between us. Disappointment that this has happened, sadness that we’ve lost control of the company, and maybe a little bit of relief that she doesn’t have to be the one to tell him.
I stand up and walk to the bedroom where my grandfather spends his days recovering. When I open the door, I take a minute before entering. It’s hard to see someone you have admired your entire life, who has stood tall in both mind, body, and spirit, so weak in front of you.
