Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(52)

“Probably not, but the truth is, I really don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, our marriage is over and it was years ago. We’re both different people now. I wish your father well, I really do, but I’m not going back. If he can’t accept that, then it’s time he did. Perhaps you’re the one who can help him.”

Annie glared back at Bethanne as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How can you treat Dad this way? You’re cold, Mom. You’ve got a heart of stone.” With that, she fled the office as though running from a burning building.

Releasing the tension with a lengthy sigh, Bethanne walked back to the window and looked out over the Seattle landscape below. Perhaps she was coldhearted when it came to her ex-husband. Max would reassure her that it was a good thing. Grant was no longer part of her life.

The problem was that Grant and Bethanne had children together. They were about to be grandparents for the first time, and there were sure to be additional members coming into the family. She would never be completely free of him.

Less than twenty minutes later, Bethanne’s cellphone chirped. Caller ID told her it was Grant. No doubt Annie had immediately contacted her father, hysterical and crying. Oh, that child made for a great drama queen.

Exhaling, Bethanne waited until the third ring before she answered her phone. “Yes, Grant?” Her voice was clipped, making sure he understood that hearing from him was a nuisance.

“Well, good afternoon to you, too.”

“What’s on your mind?” Might as well get to the point as quickly as possible and be done with it.

“How’s your day going?”

“Fine. Do you have a reason for interrupting it?”

“Well, yes,” he continued in the same easy tone she was convinced he used with his real-estate clients. “Andrew and Courtney phoned Sunday afternoon to thank me for the dinner. While we were talking, I decided to offer to buy the furnishings for the baby’s room.”

“That was generous of you.”

“I don’t want a repeat of what happened with my parents,” he said.

Bethanne heard the humor in his voice. Before Andrew was born, they couldn’t afford a new crib, and so they’d purchased a secondhand one, which Grant had refinished. When the varnish had dried, Grant hadn’t been able to reassemble it. Two of the screws were missing, and he’d nearly blown a gasket putting it back together.

The irony was, his parents were so excited about their first grandchild that they’d purchased a crib to keep at their house for when Grant and Bethanne came to visit. A new crib.

“I was hoping you’d be willing to do a bit of shopping with me,” Grant continued. “I don’t have any idea what kind of budget to give them. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve even thought about baby furniture. I don’t know what cribs and changing stations are going for these days.”

“Wouldn’t it be just as easy to look online?”

“Of course it would, but I’d feel better if I could see the piece, touch it, test its construction.”

“You should take Andrew with you. He knows far more about that sort of thing than I do.”

“You’re right, I should.” He hesitated.

“Annie phoned you, didn’t she?” If he wasn’t going to say it, she would.

“Yes,” he admitted, with some reluctance.

“This whole thing with the baby’s crib is a ploy to talk to me about moving to California.” It stunned her that Grant believed she was gullible enough to fall for this shopping scheme of his.

“I did want to buy the furniture for the baby,” he insisted.

“Like I said, that’s generous of you. I’m sure Andrew and Courtney will appreciate it.”

“Bethanne, we need to talk.” He sounded serious and deeply troubled.

“Frankly, I can’t think of a thing you and I have to discuss. I’m busy, Grant. I have a business to run, so unless you have something important to say, I need to go.”

Her words seemed to shake him. “Bethanne …”

“Goodbye, Grant.”

“You’re right,” he said. “You aren’t the same woman any longer.”

This shouldn’t be news. Without a qualm, Bethanne ended the call.

Just before she left the office, Max phoned. The sound of his voice was like a warm ocean breeze washing over her.

“Your day going okay?” he asked.

“It’s going fine,” she assured him. She could hear warehouse noises in the background.

“How are matters with Annie?”

“Tense.”

“She still upset?”

Bethanne didn’t want to drag him into the squabble with her daughter any more than necessary. “I probably didn’t help things any when I told her I’m considering moving to California.”

The line went silent for an instant. “My guess is that news didn’t go over well.”

Bethanne laughed. “You could say that, but Annie needs to know in plenty of time so she can make her own plans.”

“True.”

Because this matter with Annie deeply depressed her, she changed the subject. “I’m grateful you and Rooster are back and safe.”

“We are … I know you weren’t pleased that we decided to drive straight through, but all is well that ends well, right?”