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nbsp; “Since you love my daughter, I’d like to tell you something important—what she’s keeping from you, actually. If you two are meant to be together, this shouldn’t be a barrier. She was telling the truth when she said that it wasn’t her secret to tell. It’s Logan’s secret. And mine, in a way. But it’s also going to impact you. Once I tell you, things will change, you understand? If you’d rather not know, I’ll shut my mouth, but I think it will help you understand where she’s coming from.”
It would impact him? Pepper had said something like that before, but how could something like that have anything to do with him? “Tell me,” he said, before he lost his nerve. If he didn’t find out now, he’d always wonder what she was hiding from him.
“Now, this is not public knowledge. I’m telling you in confidence as a part of my family, you understand?” Grant nodded, getting more and more anxious about what he was about to hear.
“Logan is not my biological son. Pepper recently learned this and it’s really bothered her. She knew even before Logan did, so it was a terrible burden for her to carry. It will probably be a greater burden for you to carry for a similar reason because you can’t tell anyone about it.”
Great. Another big secret he had to carry around. He wasn’t thrilled, but he’d do it for Pepper. He wasn’t entirely certain why Logan’s paternity was an issue for him, but . . . Grant’s eyes widened. The pieces slowly came together, making his stomach start to ache. Pepper’s mother hated his family, his father in particular. She insisted that Pepper stay away from him because he would just use her. Logan had recently learned the truth and hated his family more than ever. If Mr. Anthony wasn’t Logan’s father . . .
“Logan is your half-brother, Grant. Kate got pregnant with Norman’s child before your parents got engaged.” That. That was the piece that made everything make sense. And at the same time, made everything seem so much worse. His brother. Logan was his brother.
“You okay, Grant?”
“Yes, sir,” Grant nearly choked out the words. “That wasn’t what I was expecting when I came in here tonight.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t. And I’m sorry to dump that information on you, knowing that you’ll have to keep it from your family. Maybe one day, Logan will decide that he wants people to know who his biological father is. I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
“I can imagine that’s a hard decision to make, especially in a small town like ours.” Another secret to eat at him. And all because of his stupid father. Grant felt so naïve. He knew his father had been spreading himself around for years. Why hadn’t it ever occurred to him that he might’ve fathered a few illegitimate children along the way? “Does my father know about him?”
Vince nodded. “He wasn’t too interested, to put it simply. But aside from him, Kate, Logan, Pepper, myself, and now you, no one else knows the truth. You understand why Pepper had to keep it from you?”
“I do. If I were in her position, I don’t know what I would do. Probably the same thing.” The pained expression in her eyes as she pushed him away was all the more meaningful to him now. She sacrificed their relationship to protect her family. As she should have.
“May I ask what you plan to do now, son?”
That was a really good question. He opened his mouth and answered with the first thing that came to mind. “I plan to ask for your daughter’s hand, sir.”
It surprised both of them. Even Chopper lifted his head to look up at him.
“I’ve let her get away twice, Mr. Anthony. I don’t intend to make that mistake a third time.”
The older man watched him for a moment, then slowly nodded in consent. “See that you don’t.”
Pepper opened the envelope with her paycheck and nearly choked when she saw the total. “Uh, I think we’ve got a very serious typo on my paycheck here, Sarah.”
Sarah smiled and shook her head. “Nope. I assure you it’s correct.”
Pepper looked back down at her check with the amount that was about four thousand dollars more than she was expecting. “There’s no way I did this much in two weeks. It’s been slower than usual. I had two clients cancel and I sold almost no product.”
Her boss planted a hand on her hip and looked at her with an amused smirk. “But some of the product you did sell was to a very wealthy and particular client. One who dumped water on your lap and cost you four grand, if you’ll recall.”
Pepper frowned. “I don’t understand. My appointment with Miss Adelia was a month ago. She stopped in last week, but all she did was buy some of that violet shampoo.”
“Yes, that’s all she bought, technically, but our receipts always have the line for tips and she filled it out generously.”
“Four grand? She really meant to tip me four grand?”
“Yes,” Sarah said with a serious nod of her head. “Believe me, I double-checked before she left the store.”
“She left me a tip that huge and you didn’t think to mention it? She bought that shampoo last week.”
“I know.” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s been killing me, but she swore me to secrecy. She wanted it to be a surprise for you. She told me she felt so bad about the whole thing at the auction but was glad it brought you and Grant together in the end. You must’ve been right when you said you thought she was trying to fix you two up.”
“The surprise is on her,” Pepper said bitterly. “I wonder if she knows Grant and I broke up pretty much right after she did this.”
Sarah frowned and got her purse out from under the counter. “I don’t know, but I don’t think it would’ve made a difference to her. I’m sorry you two didn’t work out.” She put a comforting arm around Pepper and squeezed her shoulders. “I liked the idea of you and Grant.”
