Page 120 of Trick or Tease

“What?” I asked with confusion. “Who? What?”

Granny Mae perked up, her eyes sparkling with interest. “Now that sounds like a story worth hearing. What’s this about a contract?”

Lucy launched into the whole tale, complete with dramatic gestures and sound effects. She described how Garrett had stood up to his boss after he insulted Billy. How he had torn up the sale papers and apparently how he had basically chosen the farm over his career in one spectacular moment of defiance.

And I missed it.

“And then, that cat—you know, the black one that’s always hanging around—came out of nowhere and tripped Ron right into the poop! It was like the universe was on our side!”

Granny Mae cackled with delight, slapping her knee. “Well, I’ll be damned! Sounds like that boy finally came to his senses.”

I felt their expectant gazes on me, waiting for me to share in their excitement. But all I could think about was the weeks of lies, the secret phone calls and the way Garrett had pulled away from me right when I started believing we might have a real future together.

“It’s encouraging,” I said carefully. “But it doesn’t change what he did.”

Lucy’s smile faltered slightly. “What do you mean? He chose us, Sabrina. He chose the farm. He told his boss to go to hell and ripped up a seven-million-dollar contract.”

“After weeks of lying about it,” I pointed out. “After letting us all think he was here to help while secretly planning to sell everything out from under us. One grand gesture doesn’t erase all of that.”

Granny Mae was watching our exchange with interest, her head tilted like a bird studying something fascinating.

“But it shows he changed his mind,” Lucy pressed. “It shows that being here, working with us, meant something to him. Billy thinks he’s going to stay, maybe help run the farm⁠—”

“And then what?” I interrupted, more sharply than I intended. “He stays for a few months until he gets bored or finds another job opportunity? He can’t practice law here, Lucy. His whole career is in the city. You think he’s going to give all that up to play farmer?”

“Maybe he will,” Lucy said quietly. “Maybe this place, maybe we, are worth more to him than his old life.”

I wanted to believe that. God, I wanted to believe it so badly it made my chest ache. But I’d been burned too badly to trust in maybes.

“Even if he stays, how am I supposed to trust him after this? He kept secrets from me, Lucy. Big ones. He made me think we were building something together while he was planning to tear it all down. That’s not the kind of man I can be with.”

Granny Mae cleared her throat, drawing our attention. “People make mistakes. What matters is what they do once they figure out they did make a mistake.”

“This wasn’t just a mistake, Granny,” I said. “This was a betrayal.”

“Was it, though?” She looked at me in that way that said there was some wisdom heading my way. “Or was it a man getting pulled in two different directions, trying to figure out where he belonged? Sometimes people make bad choices when they’re scared or confused. Doesn’t mean they’re bad people.”

I felt my defenses rising. “So, I’m supposed to just forgive him? Pretend like none of this happened?”

“I’m saying maybe you should give him a chance to explain himself before you write him off completely,” Granny said gently.

“I haven’t seen him or talked to him. I made it pretty clear I wasn’t interested. I’m sure he got the message.”

“He kept looking around during cleanup, like he was searching for you,” Lucy said. “Billy told me he asked where you went at least three times.”

My heart did a traitorous little flutter at that, but I squashed it down. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t be with someone who keeps secrets like that. Someone who doesn’t trust me enough to be honest about what’s going on.”

“Even if he made a mistake?” Granny asked. “Even if he realized it and tried to make it right?”

“Too little, too late,” I said firmly, even though the words tasted bitter in my mouth.

Granny Mae studied me for a long moment, then shook her head with a knowing smile. “You are one stubborn young lady, Sabrina Lamb. Stubborn as your granny, and twice as proud.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having self-respect,” I said, lifting my chin.

“No, there isn’t,” she agreed. “But there’s a difference between self-respect and cutting off your nose to spite your face. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is have a conversation you’re afraid to have.”

I finished loading the last of her supplies into my truck, not trusting myself to respond. Granny Mae meant well, but she didn’t understand. She hadn’t been the one lied to, manipulated, and made to feel like a fool for believing in something that was never real.