“No, it was a damn accident, not divine intervention. What she lost… It shouldn’t have happened.”

“Everyone seems better for it, though. Everyone’s doing fine, except you.”

“Elena, I’m already running behind, and the day hasn’t really started yet. Can we just cut to whatever you want to say so I can get out of here?”

“You care about her, but Marigold and Wade say you’re quiet and distant around her. Why?”

Because she scares me.

Because she deserves more.

Because if I hold her again, I won’t let her go.

Because my guilt is a burden I should carry alone.

“She’s too young, too beautiful, and too goddamned cheery for me,” I say with my sternest, surliest voice.

“No, she isn’t. She’s not too anything for you. Don’t use her age as an excuse⁠—”

“I’m not. I mean, maybe I am. Look, I’ll always feel bad about that day, but she needs space. I’ve done enough for her now, haven’t I?”

“Of course, you have. I didn’t mean it that way,” Elena says. “I just meant… You’ve connected with this woman, asked her to rely on you, and she has. I only wonder if you could rely on her, too.”

I cut her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“I think she might understand you in ways others can’t. Have you told her about Emma? About what happened?”

“No.” I scoff. “Why would I?”

“Oh, let’s see… it could unburden you and make you feel better. Marnie might understand and help remove that gigantic chip off your shoulder. You might let go of the past. It’d be good for you to talk to someone. She’s lovely, and you know you like her. Like her, like her. Pick your reason, Grady.”

My shoulders slump, and I don’t know where to begin, not that I have the time. So, I give her my stock answer. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

Her eyes roll under her chunky reading glasses. “Grady, go to her. Spend time with her. Give her a try. What harm would it do?”

I groan, flooded with answers.

Still, Elena gets her way—I spend my ten-hour farm rotation thinking about Marina until I’m desperate to see her, desperate to test Elena’s theory.

29. Marnie

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Marnie

It’s been a strange month—strange, even for me. Grady’s become my stealthy assistant. I get on a ladder, and the next thing I know, he’s at the bottom, holding it steady. I try to lift a heavy bag of trash into the dumpster, and suddenly, there he is, grabbing it and tossing it in. Once fully engrossed in painting the storefront window trims, I didn’t notice him until he met me in the middle—he’d done half the work without saying a word.