Cranberry Point (Cedar Cove #4)(31)

"What's that goofy grin about?" Grace's narrowed eyes focused suspiciously on Olivia.

"You." Hands on her hips, Olivia laughed again. "You crack me up."

"I'm glad you find me so amusing." Groaning, she raised her bent knee to the bench and untied her tennis shoe. "You'll be sorry one day when I'm taken away in an Aid Car."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Would it make you feel better if I bought you a piece of coconut cream pie?"

Grace looked up. "It might. Any reason in particular?"

Olivia nodded. "I want to ask you something."

"Sure." Grace nodded as she untied the second shoe and kicked it off.

Her immediate willingness to listen and to help if she could was what made Grace such a good friend. There wasn't a single thing Olivia couldn't share with her. That was the reason this conversation would be so difficult and painful. She was afraid her oldest and dearest friend hadn't been completely honest with her—and she was afraid she knew why.

A half hour later, they sat in the PancakePalace with large slices of coconut cream pie and coffee.

"I hope you realize this defeats the entire purpose of going to aerobics class." Grace lifted the fork to her mouth and savored the first bite.

"In certain circumstances, only pie will do," Olivia said.

"Is this one of those times?"

Olivia didn't answer her. Instead, she launched the topic that had been on her mind all week. "I got a phone call from Will a little while ago." She studied Grace, hoping to read her reaction to Will's name.

Sure enough, Grace instantly dropped her gaze. So it was Will she'd been involved with earlier in the year. A flash of anger, first at Will and then Grace, nearly made her lose her train of thought. Olivia squelched the urge to shake them both.

"Don't you want to know what he wanted?" she asked, trying hard to disguise her feelings.

"Sure."

Olivia sighed. "He wants me to have Ben Rhodes investigated."

Shocked, Grace raised her eyes. "Ben? Whatever for?"

"He thinks Ben's planning to swindle our mother out of her life savings."

Grace's frown revealed her disapproval. "Are you going to do it?"

Olivia hated to admit she'd caved in, but she couldn't see any way around it. "I am. I spoke to Roy earlier in the week, although I think it's a waste of good money."

"Olivia!" Grace seemed horrified, which only made Olivia feel worse. "I can't believe you actually did that."

She regretted it now, but she'd told Will she'd hire someone to look into Ben's background and so she had. "My brother made a good case. Ben doesn't have any family in the area and we really don't know much about him." It sounded ridiculous when she said it out loud. "Will convinced me we should do this. He can be persuasive when he wants to be." Again she watched Grace, studying her reaction.

All Grace did was shake her head as if she couldn't believe Olivia would agree to anything so foolish. In retrospect Olivia agreed with her. She wished she'd sat on it a day or two before calling Roy, but it was too late.

"If Mom ever hears about this, she'll be outraged," Olivia said.

"Yes, she will," Grace muttered.

"I told Will how much I like and trust Ben. I can't imagine him doing anything underhanded."

Grace lowered her eyes and sliced energetically into her pie with the side of her fork. Olivia had the impression that her friend was concentrating on the pie in an effort to conceal her reluctance to discuss Will.

Olivia looked at her carefully. "Seems to me you haven't asked about Will in a long time," she said in a deceptively casual voice. "Any reason?"

"Not really." Grace's response was devoid of emotion.

"He certainly had questions about you."

Grace reached for her coffee, still avoiding eye contact.

"Aren't you curious about what they were?"

"Not really."

Olivia was tired of waiting for Grace to admit the truth. "It was my brother, wasn't it?" She was unable to keep the anger out of her voice. She was furious with Will and sick at heart that he'd taken advantage of her best friend—not that Grace was completely innocent in any of this.

Grace didn't answer.

"The least you can do is be honest about it, Grace. You were emotionally involved with my brother."

Tears filled Grace's eyes and she slowly nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Olivia asked. Yet she realized that much of the hurt she felt was due to the fact that Grace hadn't confided in her. "We've always shared everything."

"I couldn't tell you. I should have in the beginning, but I didn't. I don't know why—no, that's not true. I do know. You would've disapproved and rightly so."

"How did it get started?" Will had visited Cedar Cove when their mother had cancer surgery, but to the best of Olivia's knowledge, Grace and her brother had barely spoken.

"It was all so innocent in the beginning." Grace stared down at the table and her voice fell to a whisper. "He wrote me after Dan's body was discovered to tell me how sorry he was. It was a lovely letter and at the bottom he put his e-mail address. I e-mailed him back to thank him. Then he e-mailed me back, and before I knew it, we were sending each other messages every day."