She nodded, her heart completely at ease. “I know.”
47
“Anything else?” Josh called as he wound the hose back up.
Grace looked around, thrilled with the transformation. Him having to run an errand turned into a blessing, and once again, her friends were right there when she needed them.
“No. This is awesome. He’s going to love it.”
Rosie wandered over to where she stood under the canopy. Grace eyed the table her friend had set up. “It’s perfect.”
Resting her head on Grace’s shoulder, Rosie murmured, “You deserve this. Him. Everything.”
Grace looked at her friend. “So do you.”
Josh wandered over to them. “We having a moment?”
Rosie laughed. “Just appreciating life.” She walked into his arms, resting her head on his chest.
“Thank you so much for this, guys. I have a few more things to do—” A car door slamming cut her short. Grace hurried around the side of the house. “I’m not ready yet, you guys need to—” She stopped short as Tammy marched toward her, anger written in every line of her body.
She felt Josh and Rosie at her back, and she had the sameurge as she did with Noah, to protect them from the hostility of this woman. Instead, she absorbedtheirneed to protecther.
Tammy waved a check around in the air. A cab idled in the distance. “This check wouldn’t cash. What the hell, Grace? We had a deal.”
“I told Noah to cancel it. You had no right to take anything from him.”
Tammy stopped in front of her, breathing heavily, like being spiteful stole her breath. She ignored Josh and Rosie, but Grace felt their presence like a shield. Noah’s car turned in to the drive. Grace winced. She’d wanted to welcome him home with happiness,notwith her mother.
Tammy grinned almost gleefully as Noah hurried over to them, heading right to Grace’s side. “What’s going on?”
Waving the check at him, she sneered. “Your stupid check was useless. Fix it.”
Grace’s heart burst when Noah looked right at her, love, trust, and strength in his gaze. “What do you need, Grace?”
She took a deep breath, stepped in front of him, and went with her gut, knowing if it didn’t work the way she hoped, she wasn’t alone. Either way, she needed to do this or she would spend her life feeling like a bad person and would always wonder if she’d done enough.
“You can stay in the house,” Grace said.
Tammy blanched, lowered her arm. “What?”
“Your parents’ house. You said you wanted the house or the money. You can’t have either but you’re right, this was your family’s home so you can stay there for as long as you need.”
If anything, her mom looked only angrier. “I don’t want tolivein the house. If anything, I’d want to sell it.”
Grace tipped her head to the side. “Well, as I’ve had to say before, my house isn’t for sale. But the offer for you to be there stands. You can take it or leave it but I’m done lettingyou manipulate me. I’m not giving you money but I’ll give you something more valuable.”
Tammy scoffed. Noah put both hands on Grace’s shoulders and she closed her eyes a minute, letting the feel of him at her back sink in.
She met Tammy’s gaze. “If you stay, maybe we can repair some of the damage to our relationship. You said in one of your letters that you wanted that. You said that family matters. There are no guarantees but I’m willing to try if you are.”
The cab honked impatiently. Tammy looked back and then at Grace. She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath.
Was it indecision she saw in her mother’s gaze? “I can make your life miserable,” Tammy said, leaning into Grace’s breathing space.
How could it still hurt? “No. You can’t. You don’t have any more control over me, Mom.” The words felt true, mostly. The hurt would fade. “It doesn’t have to be like this.” Hope hung by a pinkie finger on a crumbling ledge.
Tammy’s jaw clenched. She ripped the check up, tossed it toward Grace, and turned on her heel, hurrying toward the cab. Grace’s breathwhooshedout of her lungs, and though her mother not being willing to try nicked her heart, she knew she’d be okay. Noah turned her, hugged her hard.
