A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street #8)(83)

“I realize that. I’ll admit you surprised me, Bethanne. You have an uncanny mind for business.”

“I had a good teacher.” She doubted that Grant knew how much she’d learned from him.

“You did?” he asked, astonishment reflected in his eyes.

“Yes,” she told him. “You. When I hosted those dinner parties,” she elaborated, “I socialized with your business associates, listened to their stories—and yours. You’re good with people, Grant. They like and trust you right away. That’s a gift.”

“I never understood how much of a team we were until…until I was on my own,” Grant said. “You did far more than arrange those social events. You were my emotional support, my encourager. I owed a great deal of my success to you and I was too self-absorbed to see it.”

Hearing him admit her importance to his career felt good. More than good. His acknowledgment validated her in ways she hadn’t expected.

“Thank you,” she whispered, hardly able to speak.

“I realize now that I didn’t appreciate you nearly enough. Fool that I am, I walked away from the one person in this world who complemented me better than anyone else ever could.”

He leaned toward her and she toward him, and their lips met in a sweet, gentle kiss.

Bethanne drew back. If she thought this time in Florida, away from Max, would clear her head, she was wrong. She stood abruptly and grabbed her purse, ready to go. Their kiss had been…comfortable. And that had unsettled her.

Watching her closely, Grant stood, too. He’d paid for their lunch when he’d placed the order, so they were free to leave. They walked back to the hotel, side by side. He didn’t reach for her hand and Bethanne was grateful. She wasn’t sure what she felt. No, that wasn’t it. She felt too much. Too many different emotions. Contradictory emotions. She longed to call Max and tell him what had happened, discuss it with him. But they’d made no promises to each other, no commitments. In fact, everything had been left unresolved.

As they walked, Grant peered down the beach. “Is that Annie and Craig?” he asked.

Bethanne looked up and nodded.

Annie saw them and waved, and then, with Craig at her side, she raced toward Bethanne and Grant.

“Mom, Dad,” Annie said, sounding breathless and excited. “Craig and I have the most fantastic idea.”

“Which is?” Bethanne asked.

Still gasping, Annie pressed her hand over her heart. “We want to redo prom night for Grandma and Royce.”

“The whole thing,” Craig said, equally excited. “From beginning to end.”

“What do you mean? How exactly?”

“The dinner and photos, a limo and a dance and everything,” Annie explained.

“I’ve already talked to the manager of the restaurant at your hotel and there’s a private room we can use,” Craig said.

Annie exchanged a smile with Royce’s grandson. “Craig has a friend who drives part-time for a limo company, and he checked and they have a car available Saturday night….”

“I know Gramps would love to redo that night.”

“Can we?” Annie’s eyes seemed twice their normal size as she implored them to consider the idea.

Grant looked at Bethanne and she looked at him. She’d had enough experience throwing parties that this one wouldn’t be a problem.

“We’ll make it happen,” she said.

Grant nodded. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Twenty-Seven

“What are we doing?” Ruth asked in a bewildered voice. Her eyes shot to Bethanne, who merely shrugged. They wouldn’t be able to keep the secret much longer, but she knew Annie wanted to play this out to the last possible second.

“We’re going shopping, Grandma,” Annie said, steering her grandmother out of the hotel room and down the hallway toward the lobby.

“But why? I brought everything I need. Will you two kindly tell me what you’ve got up your sleeves? And don’t you say it’s nothing, because I know better.”

“You don’t have everything you need,” Annie insisted.

“Surely you’ve learned not to argue with Annie,” Bethanne said, closing the door to their room and hurrying after them.

“Just where are you taking me?” Ruth demanded.

“Shopping.”

“I found a perfect store right here on the beach that I want to show you,” Annie said. “We can walk there. Come on, Grandma.”

“I don’t know what you two are up to,” Ruth muttered, clearly confused but curious nonetheless.

“What makes you think we’re up to anything?” Bethanne asked innocently. She’d done her best to arrange everything without raising Ruth’s suspicions, but it’d been difficult. For the past twenty-four hours she’d met with florists, musicians and photographers. She’d run herself ragged and worked a miracle. Or what she hoped would be a miracle. Grant had talked to Royce and he’d agreed to do whatever he could to pull this off.

Royce had contacted a number of their high school friends in town, including Jane and Diane. Meanwhile, Annie, Craig and Grant had been busy decorating the hotel restaurant’s private room, recreating prom night with the theme of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the same as it’d been fifty years earlier.