Page 91 of The One You Want

Chapter 22

An hour later I was still curled up on the couch with Mittens, Ernie, and Lady. I’d gotten up long enough to fill their food dishes and grab a pint of ice cream for me. Now we were watching The Great British Bake Off while I tried very hard not to think aboutGrant.

It was weird though, that my grandparents knew about the breakup. Apparently, I hadn’t known Grant as well as I’d thought but it still seemed so unlike him to be talking about me around town. He wasn’t a gossip. Washe?

So how else would they have foundout?

The longer I sat there thinking about it, the more sure I felt that Grant wouldn’t have gone around telling people what happened. It just didn’t seem believable to me. And maybe that was more of my naiveté coming through but I seriously couldn’t pictureit.

But my grandmother had known. Had been sure enough about it to send Bradford after me again. How had sheknown?

Lady flexed her claws into my pant leg and I looked down to see her staring up at me with those intelligent eyes. Maybe it was all in my head but I swore I could detect a hint ofgirl, are you kidding me?there.

“Yeah,” I muttered, scratching behind her ears. “That’s what I’m thinking, too.” I managed to dislodge myself from under the cats and stalked into my bedroom to change out of mysweats.

I had a hotel tovisit.

* * *

I was surprisedto find them both in the lavish apartment they kept on the top floor. Normally, my grandfather would still be at work now, but I found him in the living room, adjusting hiscufflinks.

“Peanut,” he called, happy to see me. “We were just getting ready to go out to—” He must have caught sight of my face because his expression shifted to concern. “What’swrong?”

“Is she here?” I asked. I had the strangest feeling coursing through me. It was almost like giddiness, though I felt far from happy. Instead, my skin felt hot. I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to find out here today and the thought made me feel both sick andenraged.

“Jennifer, what’swrong?”

“Where is she?” I spun towards the hall to their bedroom. “Grandmother?”

“Did something happen?” my grandpa asked, reaching for my arm. “You lookupset.”

I glanced over at him and what I saw made my heart skip a beat. He lookedguilty.

“I ran into Bradford in town,” I said, my voice somehow controlled even though I could feel the urge to yell rising. The urge doubled when the guilt flashed again in hiseyes.

Heknew.

My grandmother chose that moment to appear in the doorway, her eyebrows raised, thatold familiar look of judgment I knew so well darkening herface.

“We have an engagement this afternoon. You should have called first,” she said, and that was pretty much the last straw. Whatever thread was holding my tempersnapped.

“I want to know what happened withGrant.”

There was the slightest pause where her careful facade seemed to falter for a second but then she was right back to being stern-faced. “What on earth are you raving about? And why do you look so disheveled?” She cast a look down my simple black pants and sweater. “That is hardly what I expect to see you wearing in thehotel.”

I almost wished I hadn’t changed out of my sweatpants. It might have cheered me up a little to see her headexplode.

“I saw Bradford in town. He mentioned you told him I broke up with Grant.” I crossed my arms. “I want to know where you heardthat.”

Her eyebrow arched. “Are you denying the truth of thestatement?”

A stab of pain flashed through me and I shook my head. “No. But I don’t see how you would have knownthat.”

She waved an elegant hand dismissively. “I heard it around townsomewhere.”

“Bullshit.” The word was out before I could think twice. Her eyes widened inanger.

“You will not use that language in myhome.”