AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sit down, honey.” She’s frowning.
“Um, is something wrong?”
“Yes. You expected to text me about the big news and leave an old woman mired in suspense?” She empties a sachet of sugar into her coffee. The Winkley sweet tooth is alive and well. “It’s looking busy today.”
“The bakery, you mean? Actually… that’s kinda connected to the big news.” I lace my fingers together, knowing what’s coming.
Look, I never intended on telling her about Dexter’s arrangement with the store, but Haute isn’t Dexter, and I want to make her proud. Handing the store off to me was a gamble on her end, and I want her to know it’s paying off.
I need her to know I’ll keep her legacy alive long after she’s gone.
“Nana, I’ve landed us a great opportunity. You wouldn’t believe the orders coming from the golf course, and they’re not even having any special events yet. This year could be awesome, but come next summer—”
She cuts me off with a bleating sound.
My breath catches.
I’ve never heard Nana make a noise like a startled goat in my life, halfway between a yelp and a gasp. She presses her hands to her cheeks, her mouth trembling. Hot tears grow slowly along the line of her lashes.
I’m so confused. I don’t understand what has her so crazy until I follow her eyes.
Oh no.
Oh, crap on a cracker.
She’s staring at my ring.
About the same way a little girl looks when she sees a giraffe for the very first time in her life.
Oops.
At first, I told myself I would only wear it for deception, but it’s becoming a habit.
Now, it practically lives on my finger, feeling so natural I honestly forget it’s there. But I should have thought harder about the repercussions.
“Um.” I feel my face blazing and I look down at the table to avoid her gaze. She saw what it was like when Liam left.
The way I cried and yelled and swore to everyone that I’d never let a man use me as a Junie punching bag again.
“You’re engaged,” Gran hisses breathlessly. “You’re… you’re engaged to Dexter, aren’t you?”
I can’t argue with the truth, can I?
Especially when it’s really a spectacular lie.
I’m sitting right in front of her, wearing his freaking ring.
“I’m sorry, Nana. Honestly,” I say helplessly. “We were going to make a formal announcement soon but I just…”
But nothing.
I stop, deflated and out of excuses.
I should have thought this through before.
The moment Dexter fake proposed and gave me a ring, the moment his mom knew about us, I should have just fessed up and told her.
“How long, girl?” she asks firmly.
