Best Served Cold

I held my hand up to say goodnight, and she did the same before she put her key in the door and disappeared inside.

Blowing out a long breath, I rested my forehead against the top of my steering wheel. My heart was still in the pit of my stomach—at least it felt that way—but the way we’d left things gave me the tiniest hint of hope that even if there was no chance of her ever being mine again, that we could be friends.

And I’d take any bit of Raelynn Fortune I could get.

Even if it was her fist in my teeth.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN – RAELYNN

“Huh.” Grandma sat opposite me, sliding me my second cup of coffee. “I didn’t see that coming.”

I’d filled her in on everything that’d happened last night with Chase. I wanted her opinion on everything because I’d barely slept thinking about it. Yet, I hadn’t been able to think about anything at all.

It’d been a total mess of thoughts that all seemed to string together in something that didn’t make any sense to me.

All I knew was that two things had stood out.

He hadn’t opened the store to hurt me.

He still loved me.

Both of those things went against everything I’d thought for two years and changing that wasn’t going to be easy.

If I even wanted to change it.

“What do you think about it?” Grandma opened a banana.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have asked for your opinion.” I sighed and leaned forward, looking down at the table. “I don’t know. On the one hand, I want to tell him to shove his stupid apology and reasons up his stupid ass.”

Her eyes sparkled. “And on the other?”

On the other…

I dropped my head briefly before I looked back up at her. “It’s Chase.”

She raised her eyebrows. “I know it’s Chase. That doesn’t explain anything.”

Jesus.

“No. I mean… It’s Chase.” I tucked hair behind my ear. “You know? It’s Chase. It’s not like he’s someone I don’t know. He’s not a random guy. We have a history and a past and, I don’t know, Grandma. Maybe there is still something there.”

“Are you saying this because you think it or because he finally told you he’s still in love with you?”

“What do you mean, finally?”

“Honey, he’s been coming here every Sunday since you broke up helping your grandfather in the garage. At least two to three hours the way he always used to.”

I choked on my coffee. “What? Why?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “Because he wanted to. Your grandpa didn’t mind. He welcomed the company from someone who wouldn’t shout at him about sawdust. I’ve known that boy never got over you.”

“Is there anything in this town that hasn’t been hidden from me? It’s not like I left and came back. I’ve been here the whole time.” Annoyance filtered through my veins—was there anything I did know?

“Don’t start a guilt trip with me.” She wiggled a wrinkled finger at me. “What goes on between you two is none of my business. How you feel about each other and what you do about that is between the two of you. Now, unless you know what you want to do with this situation, I can’t help you or offer advice.

“Would I like to see you two kids get back together? I sure would, but I understand there’s a lot of water under the bridge you’re both standing on right now. I won’t push you in any direction. What you do with the information Chase told you last night is solely up to you, Raelynn. I will be here for you if you need some help, but I can’t look inside you and tell you how you feel about him.”

I swallowed down the bubble of annoyance. She was right. As much as it pissed me off that my grandparents apparently had a secret friendship with my ex, that really was quite small in the grand scheme of my personal life right now.

I took a deep breath in and sighed it out, linking my fingers behind my neck. “Okay.” I dropped my hands. “I get that. I just… I don’t know what to do, Grandma. Do I forgive him? We both did wrong. Do we be friends? Do I cut him off? Do I open myself to the potential of a future?”

“That’s a lot of questions, and none of them have an answer until you decide it, sugar.” She got up to handle the bacon that was spitting in the frying pan.

“I knowwww, and that doesn’t helppppp,” I whined, slumping forward onto the table. One big huff escaped me, and I sat back up. “I wish someone could come out of the woodwork and tell me what to do with this situation.”

As if I’d summoned someone, there were three knocks at the door.

“I got it.” I slid off the chair and walked to the door.