“You sure you don’t want to stay and keep me company while I get changed?” She suggestively untied the belt of her coat.
Dalton left so fast she could have practically sued him for whiplash. Closing the door, she stared around the homey room again. The emotions she was feeling were those she had never even shared with her friends, and Dalton was veering dangerously close to gaining a part of her heart. The last thing she needed was to lose another part; she didn’t know how many more she could lose before she lost herself and had nothing left to give anyone else.
“Please be worth it, Dalton,” she whispered out loud to the empty room. “Please be worth it.”
20
Playfully, T.A. reached out to the small pink rabbit she was using to tease Waylon with. Sitting cross legged on the floor beside the Christmas tree, she was playing with the two Dachshunds as the bigger dog lazily napped beside her.
“I’m out of milk,” Grace complained as she came into the living room. The men who were sitting around watching TV didn’t take their eyes off the television screen. Grace cleared her throat trying to get their attention. “Excuse me, I’m out of milk.”
Her husband turned to look at his wife over his shoulder. “I just came back from getting the cranberry sauce. I’m staying put.”
“Please… I need it for the casserole I’m making.”
“I’ll go.” Dalton rose to his feet.
“Thanks, Dad.” Grace gave her dad a thankful smile, then sent Ice an annoyed one. Unperturbed, Ice returned his attention to the TV. Her eyes met Dalton’s; they were both sensing the marriage was having problems that couldn’t be hidden even with company present.
“I’ll keep you company. I need to stretch my legs anyway.” She jumped to her feet. “I’ll go to my room and get my coat. I won’t be a minute.”
Rushing up the stairs, she put her calf-length boots on, then grabbed her coat. Dalton already had his on and was waiting by the front door.
“Grace gave me a list of some other things she needs. You can help me shop,” he said, opening the door.
In the car, T.A. stared out the windshield at the picture-perfect beauty of Grace’s and Ice’s home.
“I can see why you invited me.” Sadly, she didn’t think it was going to make a difference to the problems that were going on inside his daughter’s marriage.
“Dax and I have both tried to get Grace to open up to us about what’s going on.”
Her lips curled in a wry twist. “I wonder why,” she mocked.
His head turned sharply toward her. “What do you mean by that?”
She turned so that he could see she was rolling her eyes at him. “I mean that she’s just like her father. I had assumed that Grace took after Oceane because she’s just as beautiful, but other than looks, she’s you made over. She doesn’t want to share what she’s going through any more than you do. You’re both deep as shit, which works for you both because that’s how you deal with what’s bothering you, but for the rest of us, it kind of sucks.”
Dalton’s shadowy profile turned rigid. “Ice doesn’t want to discuss it either,” he snapped.
She rolled her eyes again. “And why would he?” she snapped back. “You’re her father. Ice knows you’re going to take her side. Why would he confide in you? It’s a no-brainer that you’ll be on Grace’s side even though the source of their problem could be coming from her.”
“Okay, Miss-Know-It-All, what do you think their problem is?”
“You really want to know?” Jutting her chin out, she got right back in his face. “I’ll tell you. You’re the fucking problem.”
She was sorry as soon as she said it, seeing the hurt on his face.
“I think so too. That’s why I’m trying to fix it.”
“Pft.” The sound sarcastically rang out in the close confines of the car. “You’re not going to fix it the way you’re acting. You haven’t said two words to me since we got to her house this morning. Dammit, you fucking know how to act in front of a movie camera. I could give a better performance with my hands tied behind my back, and I don’t have your experience.”
Dalton swung the car into a space near the front of the grocery store before cutting the engine off.
“You’re right.”
The admission had her patting him on his arm. “Grief can tear a family apart or make them cling tighter together. Yours are clinging together, and you’re smothering each other.”
“Which one did your family do when your sister died?”
Her hand jerked back. “How do you know I lost my sister?”
“Penni mentioned it when I had lunch with her.”
“Penni has a big mouth.” Shaken, she reached for the door handle.
“I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to pry. I truly didn’t.”