His arms tightened. “And they love you.”
Joann asked Anna to help her in the kitchen. She’d brought a stunning professionally made birthday cake with pink and orange flowers. Tears stung the backs of Anna’s eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had presented her with a birthday cake. Usually, she had frozen cheesecake and a wine cooler while watching a black and white classic with Bogey or one of her other favorites.
“Thanks for talking Skylar into returning my case,” she said.
“Sometimes the Griffin men do thoughtless things, but they mean well.” Joann placed candles on the cake. “Becca and I have some thoughts on your wedding. Call me when you get the chance, and we’ll talk.”
Another wave of guilt washed over her. The urge to blurt out the truth grew stronger, but she didn’t want to betray Skylar. Instead, she decided to plant a small seed about the wedding that would never happen.
Anna sighed. “I’m not sure there’s going to be a wedding. I think he’s still in love with Clare.”
“Sweetheart, he loves you more than he ever loved that woman.” Joann sighed. “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead. She had her strong points, but she was never right for him.”
Anna tucked her hair behind her ear while trying to look as if she didn’t care. Just simple curiosity. “Why do you think he loves me so much?”
“When he talks about your accomplishments, he sounds proud. He is protective over you. When you enter a room, he seems to know without glancing around. John was always like that with me. Griffin men never make the trip easy, but the destination is worth it. I promise you. Just hang in there.”
The pep talk made her feel better, hopeful. Mothers knew their children better than anyone. If Joann thought Skylar was in love with her, if she saw proof of it when Anna wasn’t looking, perhaps she was right. After all, Anna had fallen for him without meaning to. She’d gotten caught up in the pretense and realized she wasn’t playing anymore. The same thing might have happened to him.
Laughter from the living room area caught her attention, and she started to move in that direction. Joann’s hand on her lower arm stopped her. She turned with a smile to see what his mother wanted. The smile froze on her face at the sight of what rested on Joann’s palm, a square cut emerald in a stunning gold setting with tiny diamonds.
“My grandmother gave this to my mother and she gave it to me,” Joann said. “It goes to the firstborn. When Becca got married, Skylar told me to let her have it, but she wanted it to go to his future wife. I considered giving it to Clare after Skylar shocked us with their abrupt wedding. It just never felt right. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t last. Not that I expected her to die.” Joann stopped talking, took a deep breath, and pressed the ring into Anna’s hand. “Sorry. I’m rambling. I know Skylar already gave you that lovely ring you’re wearing, but… I just want you to know how much it would mean to me if you would wear my grandmother’s ring.”
Anna stared at it in shock, speechless.
Joann added, “If you don’t like it—”
“No.” Tears filled her eyes, and raw emotion clogged her throat. “I just...”
Desperate for air, she ran down the hallway and out of Skylar’s condo. Her first inclination was to summon the elevator, but it didn’t appear to be anywhere close to that floor. She didn’t want Skylar to come looking for her. She couldn’t face him until she got herself under control. In a mad dash, she went for the stairs.
She planned to bolt from the building and suck in as much oxygen as she could. But she realized her mistake when the door closed and clicked behind her. She spun around. Her hands tried to twist the doorknob. It refused to move. She jerked on the door. Nothing happened. The panicky feeling she got when trapped returned in a dizzying rush. She hurried down a flight of stairs and tried the door for that level. It wouldn’t budge either. She went to the next and the next. They were all the same.
She was locked in the stairwell without her phone.