Emma treated him to a genuine smile. “That’s simple. You make my granddaughter happy.”
Maybe he had once. But not anymore.
Yet he found it impossible to dislike or remain angry with Emma Montgomery, no matter how much trouble she caused or how irrepressible she chose to be. Deep down she had a heart of gold.
Like Grace.
Ben had broken that heart. He only hoped he could undo some of the damage he’d caused. If not, he’d live with the consequences—and emptiness—for the rest of his life.
* * *
Ben approached her from behind. He’d found her at the park, kicking at the sand in the sandbox. She could have been a kid who’d lost her best friend, but Ben knew better. She was a woman who’d lost someone she loved and her faith in a man she’d trusted. The anguish couldn’t be smoothed over with a stick of candy or a kiss on the cheek. Much as he’d like to try.
He came up beside her and eased himself onto the wooden planks surrounding the sand. “Hi, there.”
She didn’t glance up. “I suppose that’s just one of the drawbacks of you being a private investigator. The ability to find people who don’t want to be found.”
“If you didn’t want to be found you wouldn’t have come here.” Ben drew a deep breath. “I didn’t find you because of professional skills. I found you because I know you.”
“Too bad I can’t say the same.” She laughed, but it wasn’t the lighthearted laugh he’d come to associate with Grace, and his gut twisted with the knowledge that he’d taken that away from her.
All he could do was explain. “When I took the case, I didn’t know you. Working for Emma was just another assignment.”
“That paid extremely well, no doubt.”
He wished he could deny it. “Would it make a difference if I said I needed the money to get my mother into assisted care?”
She kicked at the dirt once more. “I’m not angry with you for taking a job. You’re entitled. I just can’t understand how you could… sleep with me knowing you were taking money to get close to me. I don’t understand how you… how we did the things we did together, and you never once tried to tell me the truth.”
She swiped at a tear dripping down her face and his gut clenched with regret and shame. Mere words wouldn’t undo the damage he’d caused.
Her brown eyes, absent of the light and life he adored, met his gaze. “And most of all I don’t understand how you let me go on believing that what we shared was the one thing in my life separate and apart from my family’s name and money.”
Her voice cracked, but she didn’t quit talking and Ben didn’t try to stop her.
“You knew how important my independence was. You knew, even if I never said it aloud, that my whole self-perception had been shaped by what my family could buy for me. But you—I never thought you could be bought. Not for me, not for anyone. Yet it turns out that’s exactly what happened. Emma bought you. For me.”
“Grace…”
She shook her head. “She bought your services as a private investigator as a ruse for you to get close to me. She hoped you’d fall in love with me. Because she didn’t think I was worthy on my own.”
Hearing her view of their situation, Ben thought he’d be sick. Not once had he believed he’d been bought to fall in love with Grace.
He’d done that all on his own. “Is it my turn yet?”
“Go ahead. But like I said earlier, it’s too little too late.”
“Maybe so, but I’m not leaving until you hear me out.”
Her arm swept the expanse of the park. “Free speech,” she muttered. “I can’t deny you that.”
“Gee, thanks,” he said wryly. “This is more serious than that.”
She tipped her head to the side and looked at him through huge brown eyes. “More serious than constitutional rights? Then I suppose it needs to be said.”
He grabbed for her ice-cold hand. “I’m not sure this is going to come out right. It’s twisted in here.” He pointed to his head. “And here.” He tapped at his heart. “So I’m not positive I can even explain myself well to you. But I’ll give it a shot.”
Dusk was setting around them, the sun dipping below the buildings, and a cool breeze chilled the air. But Ben wasn’t going anywhere, and so far, neither was Grace.