Eleanor & Grey(100)

I gave her a smile. “I am happy. I have you.”

She groaned, slapping her hand to her face. “Why do you have to be so corny sometimes?”

“I’m a father. Being corny is part of a father’s job.”

She stood from the chair and started walking away, but I called after her.

“Yeah?” she asked.

“What made you open the letter today?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Maybe it was just Mom whispering in my ear.”

She walked off, and I picked up the letter and read it over and over again.

“Thank you, Nicole,” I whispered into the wind, and I did as Lorelai instructed me to do.

I believed to my core that Nicole could hear me.





“So, I received a call from Karla saying you were being stubborn,” Claire mentioned during our Tuesday lunch date.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. She said you had a good thing in Eleanor and were tossing it to the side because you were a chicken shit—her words, not mine.”

I smirked. “Sounds like my daughter.”

“So, why aren’t you going to get in touch with Eleanor? Wasn’t the main reason you were keeping your distance because of Karla, and now with her blessing…” Claire’s words trailed off.

“It’s more complicated than that,” I argued. “It’s a long story.”

“Well, luckily I get an hour of your time every Tuesday. Unless you want me to start singing Journey songs again.”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. ‘I made a huge mistake when I was drunk… Eleanor and I were involved, and I accidentally called her by Nicole’s name. It was stupid. It was a huge mistake, and I don’t think I can really come back from that slip.”

She nodded slowly, in understanding. “When I first started dating Jack, I was terrified. I’d been married to my husband for forty years before Jack had come into my life, and I was certain I’d never love again. There was no way I could love someone the way I loved my husband, and in a way, I was right. My love for that man was its own creation. It was our special thing.

“Then when Jack showed up…” Claire’s eyes watered over with so much hope, I almost began to tear up. “Jack taught me how to trust again. He taught me that I didn’t have to be perfect, I just had to be me, scars and all. He taught me that being myself was all that I ever had to do. Truthfully, I didn’t think my heart could beat for another man, but I was wrong. What I learned was that hearts are resilient. They always remember how to beat again. We just have to be willing to give them something to beat for. And the only way to do that is to let go of fear.”

“But my mistake…” I whispered.

She smiled. “I called Jack by Randy’s name a handful of times. It wasn’t on purpose. I remember being horrified, and certain that I was going to run him off forever. But do you know what happened?”

“What’s that?”

“He stayed, and oh, boy, please believe that I gave him a million reasons to run, but he wouldn’t. He stayed.” She crossed her arms and kept grinning my way, as if she knew something that I hadn’t known. “What happened after you said it? Did she run away after you two talked it through?”

“No, she didn’t. She talked me through it. She listened to my pain. She stayed.”

“Then sweetheart…” Claire placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and shook her head. “Why are you running?”

I wanted to stop running. I wanted to call Eleanor and ask her to come back to me. But then I thought of my girls and all of the healing we still had to find.

“It’s too soon,” I said, shaking my head. “I just need more time.”

“I get that, son, I do. Just be careful to not let the time in the sand glass run out. Our lives are short, and tomorrow isn’t promised. If there is one thing we all deserve, it’s the right to be happy. Perhaps you deserve that even more than most, Greyson.”

Happy.

That’s all I ever wanted, and I was sure I’d get it someday.

Just not now.





57





Greyson





Two days later, the doorbell rang, and I stood from the living room couch to go answer it. The moment the door opened, confusion hit me. Eleanor stood there with eyes full of worry.

“Ellie, what are you—”

“Is she okay?” she asked, her voice shaky.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is who okay?”

“Karla. She sent me a text message saying she was in trouble and needed my help. I came over as soon as I could.”

“Oh, I’m fine,” a voice said behind me. I turned to see Karla standing there with a smirk on her face.

“Then why did you text Eleanor?” I asked.

“Because I do need her help. We all do.”

Eleanor looked bewildered, not having a clue what was going on, but I was slowly catching on. My hand brushed against my neck. “Sorry, Ellie. It seems my teenage daughter is acting up.”

“Only because you were being stubborn, Dad. Just face it…you like Eleanor. And Eleanor, you can’t even deny that you like him, too, because you can’t hide your emotions for anything. So, you two should just…be together.”