Worth Every Cent (Worth It 2)

“Yeah. See you then,” she said.

She pushed out of the car and I watched her all the way into Cecily’s place. Then I pulled away and went to go grab some things in town. I parked my car in front of the pharmacy so I could go in and get a few toiletries, then I crossed over to the grocery store to grab some things for us to have for lunch tomorrow. I placed everything in my car and walked by the liquor store, debating on whether or not to have something a little stronger than wine with Michelle tomorrow.

So I headed in to see what their selection was.

I laughed when I got to their wine shelves. My meager stock of wine was displayed front and center at the lowest price offering my vineyard afforded. I wondered if anyone in Stillsville knew who owned the wine on display. In the foggy glass case that was meant to showcase it. On a whim, I grabbed a bottle of it. The older vintage didn’t have nearly the type of flavor palette my newer ones did, but I wanted Michelle’s opinion on it anyway. The irony of a town that hated me selling my wine front and center brought a joy to my soul I couldn’t even speak of. But when I paid for the wine and walked out, I ran into someone that sucked the joy right from my body.

I ran straight into my dad.

At first, he didn’t even look up at me. Just barreled past me and made a beeline for the cheapest vodka on the shelf. I stood there in the doorway of the store, watching him as he limped heavily down the aisle. He made his way directly to what he wanted, grabbed it, then limped back up to the cash register.

And the second he lifted his eyes, he saw me.

I waited for him to say something—anything—to the son he’d lost all those years ago. I almost begged him to say something so I could lay him out on the floor. Instead, he squinted his eyes really hard—as if he couldn’t believe what he saw—then blinked and looked away.

He didn’t say a damn word to me.

Didn’t even say my name.

He paid for his liquor and shoved past me in the doorway, pushing his way out onto the sidewalk. I turned to watch him as I stepped out of the store, wondering if I should go after him. Did he recognize me? Did he even know who the hell I was?

But before I could take a step towards his limping body, I stopped.

If there was even the slightest possibility he did know who I was and simply decided to ignore me, I wanted no part of it. If there was the slightest chance he knew who I was—or that I was in town—and didn’t even bother to reach out, I knew it would only anger me more. I stood there and watched him get into his truck before pulling out and driving off, and the idea of him knowing me and not speaking with me made my heart ache.

It didn’t make me angry and it didn’t make me want to kill him.

It only made me hurt.

Chapter 18

Michelle

I knew the second I slipped into Gray’s car the next morning that something was wrong. He seemed somber. Quiet. Nothing at all like the vibrant man I’d spent my day with yesterday. I watched him for a little bit before turning my eyes out the windshield, racking my brain for something I could use to cheer him up a little bit.

“You know, it’s really entertaining to work at a diner sometimes,” I said.

“Mhm,” Gray said.

“At my last shift, there was this little old man that kept falling asleep at the table. He kept drooping and shaking himself away. Drooping and shaking himself awake. Until finally, he drooped over and landed straight on his face. In his soup! The man was snoring in his soup. I have no idea how he didn’t drown himself.”

I looked over to see if my story got a reaction, but all Gray did was nod his head.

“Anyway, I went over and shook him awake, then offered him one of my rags so he could wipe his face down. But before he even took my rag, he fell asleep again. I had no idea what to do, so I just lifted his head, moved the bowl of soup, and started cleaning him off myself. It wasn’t until Dr. Luke came over and told me the guy had narcolepsy that I understood what was going on.”

“Narco Ned,” Gray said.

“So you do know him!” I exclaimed. “Apparently, everyone does. And everyone in the diner was waiting to see what my reaction would be to him. Once he finally woke up, he thanked me for helping him. But I didn’t know what to do except suggest he get something other than soup.”

I looked back at Gray and watched a small grin twitch his cheek.

It was better than nothing.

“It’s hard, getting to know a new town’s quirks. Everyone knows everyone except me, and when I don’t know someone they get offended almost. And Stillsville seems to have more quirks than most,” I said.

“I warned you that first morning about my hometown,” Gray said through his laughter.

Oh, that sounded so good to my ears. I was glad I could get him laughing. To get whatever was on his mind off it for just a moment. We pulled up to Anton’s house and got to work, and I decided to keep the mood a little more subtle. Sure, there were the playful jabs and the cracked jokes, but I only had a few hours to help him finish things before the showing. Plus, I had to work that evening, and I hoped to get a nap in before I had to go to work.