The Passing Storm(51)
“I’m sorry. It was never my intention.”
The apology provoked an unexpected reaction. A tremor shuddered down his sister’s back. When she turned to regard him, her eyes were blank slates.
“I don’t believe you,” she said. “I’ve loved you all my life, but I’ve never really known you.” She wheeled back to the desk. “Who were you to Lark? The truth, baby brother.”
A thunderous silence overtook the room. It lasted long enough for the shame and the confusion to pull Griffin under, a treacherous undertow dragging him out to sea. He knew the most grievous wounds were inflicted carelessly. How much injury had he caused when Rae shut him out of her life—and he’d reciprocated by shutting her out of his heart?
Lark’s hidden agenda hardly mattered. Given all she’d discovered—his love letters to Rae, the photos—why wouldn’t she devise a plan to put him back in her mother’s path? The dreams Lark had constructed were fragile—spun glass.
He’d abetted her in spinning each one.
In agony, he grasped his grave mistake. He’d taken Lark to Dixon’s to fulfill a secret wish sealed beneath the seabed of his emotions. As Lark slid into the booth across from him and proceeded to enthrall him with giddy laughter and a young girl’s nonstop, effervescent chatter, he’d allowed his thoughts to veer onto the reckless ground of fantasy.
This is my daughter. The perfect child Rae and I brought into the world.
Sally’s fist hammered the desk. Pulled from the reverie, Griffin flinched.
“Answer me!” Revulsion glazed her features. “In high school, why did Rae break up with you?”
He set his jaw, too heartsick to respond.
“You got her pregnant. You refused to own up to what you’d done. Were you afraid to tell Dad? You didn’t have the courage?” Tears brimmed in Sally’s eyes. They glistened with pain and the awful conviction that her brother was a dishonorable man. “He loved you and he loved Rae, but he never would’ve forgiven you for knocking her up. For having Lark before he’d groomed you to take over the dealership.”
“Back off, Sally,” he growled. “What happened between me and Rae is none of your business.”
Even the closest siblings harbored resentments. Fault lines existed in every relationship. Griffin sensed they were approaching one in theirs.
“I never wanted the dealership,” he added. “That was your dream.”
“I’m not a man. My dreams never mattered.”
“How is that my problem? Dad was too sexist to put a woman in charge. Not my fault.” Cruelty wasn’t Griffin’s normal play, but he’d tired of the attacks. They struck too deep. He needed to strike back. “Cheer up, Sally. You had the sense to marry right. Trenton will let Dad lead him around by the nose until you both inherit Marks Auto. When you do, push your sniveling husband aside and take over.”
“Go to hell.”
Pride stopped him from responding immediately. She was his sister, his blood, and they’d taken this too far. There wasn’t anyone he valued more. She was nearing the door when he called out, the apology still forming on his lips.
Too late. In the doorway, Sally delivered a parting shot.
“The next time you’re on the prowl, stay away from my friends.”
Chapter 18
On the east end of Chardon Square, kids talked over each other inside the coffee shop. The place was a hole-in-the-wall, and a favored hangout for just about everyone at the high school with a driver’s license and spare time. Weaving through the crowd, Quinn reached the counter.
Ordering a latte, he took stock of the pretty girls. With the wad of cash from Rae’s dad, he’d bought new boots. He’d left his crappy parka in the truck and had put on a clean shirt.
There were more girls outside, some with boyfriends. Nervously scanning the faces, he found the girl from the junior class he was looking for. Remembering the advice from Rae and Connor, he told himself to relax. Talking to Ava would be easier if his heart stopped thumping so hard and he got rid of the jitters. Play it cool.
Quinn didn’t have much experience talking to girls other than Lark, and she’d been more like a kid sister who’d gladly filled the long silences and had liked cooking as much as he did. She’d also loved Shelby and helping him out when his parents acted crazy. Suddenly he missed her more than anything. How she’d crack a joke when he was scared or feeling bad. If she were here right now, she’d tell him to stop stalling and go over to speak with Ava.
Confident and easygoing, Ava wasn’t very tall. He liked her long brown hair and big eyes. Sauntering near, he pretended to check something on his phone.
“Hey, Quinn.” Her lips curved, revealing white teeth.
She was making this easy, and he broke out a grin. “Hey.”
“Nice boots. New?”
He patted the cash in his pocket. “Splurge day. I helped my grandpa this morning. Gramps pays good—I guess you could say he spoils me,” Quinn said, falling into the story he’d been telling himself since coming to live with Rae and her dad. Stupid dreams, mostly, but now he almost believed them.
“What were you doing to help your grandpa?”
“Stuff around the yard. It’s still pretty cold, but we got a lot done.” He thought about saying they were hanging lights in the trees, but he worried that would sound like they were putting up Christmas decorations at the end of February. Instead he added, “We worked all morning—really wore Grandpa out. He’s home, taking a nap. He was supposed to go bowling with his crew, but he was too wiped out.”