AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Orchestrating heartbreak?”
“Giving me a reason to go back to New York early.”
“Sweetheart, I’m not that conniving.”
“It won’t work,” I say.
“You won’t fall for her?”
“I won’t leave if you’re not doing well.”
The mood in the room changes immediately. No playfulness. No teasing. No fun.
We’re all business now.
Grandma is against this. I know she is. She’s clear about a few things in life: her love of work, her appreciation of sexual freedom, and her kids and grandkids flying out of the nest.
She doesn’t want this, but I need it. I need to help, right now. I didn’t help enough last time. I was too young to know how to help. I was too caught up in my own head, my feelings, my fear.
“Even if she breaks my heart,” I say. “Even if she never wants to speak to me again. If Lexi says the same. If Mr. Huntington comes over here with a shotgun—”
“A shotgun, really?”
“A vintage pistol.”
She nods. That is more realistic.
“If he challenges me to a duel. Says he’ll shoot if he sees the man who broke his daughter’s heart again.”
“Are you planning to break her heart?” Grandma asks.
It’s a good play. I almost latch onto the question. Of course not. Of course, I don’t want to hurt Deanna. And I won’t. Not intentionally.
I want to argue.
But this is all a distraction.
Grandma isn’t worried about Deanna or Mr. Huntington. She wants to keep me from making sacrifices for her.
It won’t work. “I want to tell you now,” I say. “So you know.”
“About you and Deanna?”
“I said I’d stay a month, but I’m not going back until September.”
“River.”
“No, Grandma. We agreed.”
“This isn’t what we agreed,” she says.
“I’m not fussing,” I say.
“You have a life there.”
“It’s only three months. And I have a job I can do anywhere.” Sure, I need to fly in for meetings every so often, but everything else is doable with email, chat, call.
“What about that promotion you mentioned?” she asks. “The one that will let you shape new artists? You’d need to be in the city to find people.”
