A few weeks ago, I might've tried to change the subject. But that was then, and this was now.I was done hiding things."Well, if you want the truth, I was wondering if you've been giving me a bad reference."
He gave me an odd look. "WhywouldI?"
"Youknowwhy. I quit with no notice. And you never liked me – as an employee, I mean."
"What makes you say that?"
"Well for starters you practically goaded me into quitting."
A ghost of a smile crossed his features. "Goaded you, huh?"
I saw nothing to smile about. "Do you deny it?"
"No."
"See? So why'd you do that?"
"Because I value loyalty."
I bristled at the implication. "But Iamloyal. Ask anyone."
"Yeah. But you were loyal to Grampkin, not me."
"Oh." I looked away. "I guess that makes sense. Sort of." Of course, this assumed I believed everything I'd just heard.
Did I?
I couldn’t say for sure either way, but it was pretty obvious that things with Mister Grampkin weren't nearly as black and white as I'd originally thought.
And then there was Cole. As I'd seen firsthand, he wasn't the heartless grump I'd made him out to be. But for months, I'd been convinced otherwise.
Even worse, I'd convinced others, especially my own sister.
What did that say about me? Or my own judgment?
By now, Cole and I had been standing on his porch for longer than I'd anticipated. The night was chilly, and I was starting to feel it. Even so, I was in no hurry to leave, especially when I recalled something.
I looked back to Cole. "Wait a minute. You said you had a confession. Was any of that it?"
He smiled. "No, that was me answering your questions."
"So, whatisyour confession?"
The smile faded. "Last Sunday, I drove by your house."
"You did?"
He nodded. "And I didn't like what I saw."
Chapter 26
Cole
With a baffled look, Lexie asked, "Which house are you talking about?"
I flicked my gaze to the house across the street. "Well it wasn't your aunt's place."
"So you drove by the bungalow I share with my sister? The one on Linwood?"
