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“This is quite a family,” Gram said, looking around at the elegant room. “Very impressive.”

“They’re nice,” I said. “More down to earth than I expected.”

“Mmm.” She sipped her coffee. “So tell me about Jeremy.”

“There’s nothing to tell. He’s my client. My friend.”

“A friend who flew an old lady and her boyfriend halfway across the country.” Gram set down her cup. “You should see the penthouse he put us up in. Would a friend do all of that just to make you happy?”

“I mean, when the friend is a billionaire, I guess so.”

“Lucy, sweetheart.” Gram reached over and took my hand. “I’ve known you your whole life. I know when you’re hiding something from me. And I know that look in your eyes when you watch that young man.”

“What look?”

“The same look I had when I met your grandfather.”

I thought about Alaska. “We agreed to be just friends,” I said. “We work together. It would be too complicated.”

“Life is complicated, sweetheart. That’s not a reason to run from the good parts.” Gram leaned back in her chair. “That boy cares about you. Don’t let fear make you miss out on something wonderful.”

26

JEREMY

Too much food had left us all feeling like sloths. People had broken off into smaller groups, scattered throughout the various rooms. Dad, Drew, and Harold were deep in conversation about the best yachts. I hoped Mom was ready to join the yacht club because it sounded like Dad was ready to go shopping. Drew already had his amazing yacht, which he spent a lot of time on.

Mom and the wives had migrated to the kitchen, picking at leftovers and sharing stories over wine and coffee. My brothers were somewhere causing trouble, their laughter echoing through the halls. I looked around for Lucy and couldn’t find her.

I checked the living room, the dining room, and the den where some of the kids were watching a movie. No Lucy. A small knot of worry formed in my stomach. Had something happened? Had I overwhelmed her with my family’s chaos?

Then I noticed her out on the patio. She looked out at the gardens. The short days of fall meant the sun was already going down. From personal experience, I knew the view of my parents’ backyard was pretty impressive. She looked deep in thought.

“Hey,” I said softly, stepping outside. “What are you doing out here all alone?”

She turned and smiled. “Just needed some air. Some time to think.”

“I can give you some privacy if you want.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Stay. Please.”

I moved to stand beside her. The evening air had chilled just a bit, making a sweater comfortable. The scent of the millions of flowers still blooming in the garden drowned out the scent of the chlorine from the pool. We stood in silence watching the sky change colors.

“Thank you for everything,” she said. “You really surprised me. Thank you so much for flying my grandmother out here. All of it. That was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I’m serious.” She turned to face me. I could see the emotion in her eyes. “No one has ever done anything like that for me before. You didn’t have to go through all that trouble.”

“It wasn’t trouble.” I meant it. “Seeing your face when you opened that door and saw her standing there? Worth every phone call and every favor I had to pull.”

She smiled, but there was something wistful in it. “I’m not used to this, you know. Being in such a full house like this.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m an only child. After my parents died, it was just Gram and me. Quiet holidays. Small gatherings. Two place settings at the table.” She looked back out at the garden. “This is a lot. In a good way. But a lot.”

“Stick with me and you’ll never have an empty house on the holidays again.”