was being an asshole. Sometimes that made things worse. And sometimes he made me want to gain a little personal knowledge of what my palm print would look like on his cheek. All depended on the hour of the day.
“I never left.”
“You took about thirty-seven years off my life.”
I nestled my cheek into my paper-thin pillow. “Come on. Maybe five.”
His long, elegant fingers laced through mine. “Forty years, I was trying not to make you feel bad.”
“Between the two of us the median is more like twenty. Not bad at all.”
His hazel eyes went hard. “What were you doing, Grace?”
I sighed. I didn’t know what to tell him. I’d literally stumbled on the diary that had sent me running for the cove. Of course it had been light when I’d gone in there to check it out.
Okay, so twenty minutes from sunset, but I’d honestly thought I’d find something right away. The number of times my grandmother had mentioned it as her place to think made me hope I’d find some sort of answers.
All I’d actually found was a one-way ticket to the emergency room. At least I was pretty sure that’s where I’d started out. Things had gotten a little wonky before we’d gotten back to the beach house.
Part of me wanted to keep the information to myself. I’d been searching the house for weeks now. Before I got my job working at Carson Covenant, and the long evenings since I’d gotten my job back—no part of my grandmother’s house had been left to chance.
Blake had pulled back, and so had I.
And now he was staring at me with expectant eyes.
I hadn’t exactly lied to him, but I’d definitely been less than forthcoming. He’d shut me out for whatever reason. The problem was, I hadn’t made any overtures to get back to what we’d started to become.
Ever since the break in, we’d been drifting.
It was easier to not talk. The mystery surrounding my grandmother had consumed me, and I’d hidden in the easy part of our relationship. Our physical side. The only part of us that I never had to pick apart. Whether it was a forever kind of love, or infatuation, I still wasn’t sure.
Liar.
I closed my eyes.
No, I knew it was forever. I couldn’t lie to myself about it. At least it was for me. I opened my eyes again. “Did you work on my grandmother’s house?”
He nodded. “I own it.”
My gut tightened. There was no way he’d ever let me forget that. “I mean before my grandmother died.” When he only kept his gaze steady on mine, I sighed. “You told me you knew her.”
After a long moment, he inclined his head. “I’ve worked with Annabelle.” He shrugged. “Lady’s Cove and the homes on the surrounding private beaches were among the first to use my windows.”
I nodded. “All right. That makes sense.”
“Then if you’d be so kind as to clue me in to this little epiphany, I’d appreciate it.”
I pulled my hand away. “Don’t get all Blake on me.”
He sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Forgive me. It’s the only way I know how to be.”
“You know what I mean.”
One eyebrow rose. “No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do, asshole.”
My gaze flicked to Jack. I’d forgotten he was still there.