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“What was your favorite treat as a kid?” I ask her as she takes a sip of her drink.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. We didn’t have many treats when I was younger,” she admits quietly, and I frown.
She never really talks about herself or her life before she came to Fallen Peak. I’ve always gotten the feeling that it wasn’t great. I don’t want to force her to relive something painful, but I want to know everything about her. I want to know if there’s anything that I can do to make it better.
“Do you have any siblings?” I ask, and she shakes her head no. “Me either.”
“What about your mom?” She asks, eyeing me carefully, and I pass her a box of gummy bears before I answer.
“She passed away when I was young. I barely remember her. I don’t think I would know what she looked like if we didn’t have pictures,” I tell her, and she reaches over, resting her hand on mine.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. My dad used to tell me stories about her, and I know that I would have loved her. He was crazy about her. Never even looked at another woman after she was gone,” I say, and I could swear that I see a wistful look in Grier’s eyes.
She wants that kind of love, which is good because so do I.
“I had my dad and gramps, and it was good. They were always there for me and supportive; I know they loved me. I only wish that I had more time with both of them.”
She nods, glancing out the front window as the movie starts to play.
“What about you?” I ask her quietly, and she sighs.
“It was just my mom and me…. And whatever man she was seeing at the time.”
“There were a lot of men?” I guess, and she nods.
“She was never single. She was boy-crazy, but she could never seem to find one to stay. None of them really loved her; they were just using her for something,” she says bitterly, and I think I’m starting to see why Grier has been pushing me away for so long.
“And you never wanted to be like that,” I whisper, and she glances at me sharply, seeming surprised that I would know that about her.
“No,” she admits. “She was always so sad. I was stuck picking up the pieces. I was stuck taking care of myself. It could have been her and I as a team, but I was always the odd man out.”
“I’m so sorry, Grier. She should have been looking out for you, not the other way around.”
She nods, looking like a sad, lost girl and it breaks my heart. Seeing her like this breaks my heart, and I find myself reaching for her, dragging her over and into my lap.
“It’s her loss,” I whisper against her temple, and she sighs, melting into me.
“I know. I just wish…”
“Wish what?” I ask, needing to know.
I will give this girl anything that she wants. I would walk through fire, would move heaven and Earth for her.
“I wish that I had that, even now. I wish I had a family, people who love and care about me, no matter what. Someone whose love for me wasn’t dependent on what I could do for them or give them.”
“You do,” I promise her. “You have Anise and me. Mabel and Jonah. You have people, Grier.”
She rests her head on my shoulder, and we sit in silence for a few minutes, watching the movie. I need to figure out how to get us out of this sad place and when my hand brushes against her side and Grier jolts, I think I’ve figured it out.
“Are you ticklish?” I ask her with a laugh.
“No, absolutely not,” she tries to lie, already scooting back towards her seat.
“I think you are,” I say as I brush my fingers against her side again.
“Hunter!” She yells, wiggling away from me, and I laugh, holding her in place as I continue to tickle her side.
