“I guess so. That’s the first I’ve heard of it, though.”
“Maybe we should go up there and check.” He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it and her heart went all fluttery again. It had been doing that all day. Maybe she should see a cardiologist. This could not be healthy. Neither was keeping secrets. If they went upstairs, she’d really have no choice but to tell him. He deserved the whole truth but the thought of giving up what they currently had was enough to make her cry, so she leaned over and kissed him, just to capture another moment.
She heard Reggie’s voice from across the room. “Damn it to hell, I have got to get me some rental property.”
Delaney giggled into the kiss, and Grant leaned back.
“Is he serious?” he asked.
“Is he ever?”
Grant looked ready to answer, but before he had the chance, his phone chimed in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked back at her, eyes intense.
“It’s my mom.”
Chapter 19
“HELLO?” GRANT CLEARED HIS THROAT.
“Grant? Oh, thank heavens. I’m so glad to get ahold of you.” The voice was breathless and a little frantic, but it wasn’t his mother.
“Aunt Tina?” he said. Stress jolted through all his joints, and he sat up straighter on the piano bench.
“Yes, it’s me. I think we need to talk.”
“Where are you?” Grant asked. “Is my mom with you?” He could hear noises from the other side of the call, like someone blubbering into a pillow.
“Yes, she is,” Tina said, “but something is wrong. She just listened to your phone messages, and now she’s hysterical and won’t tell me what’s going on. She’s just crying and crying and told me I should call you and tell you she’s sorry.”
She was sorry? For all this trouble? Sorry was so not going to cut it. “Put her on the phone, would you please?” His voice was terse, but he added the please because there was no sense getting testy with his aunt. It was quite possible she didn’t have any idea what was going on. Even if she did, he needed her cooperation.
Elaine looked over at him, concern etched all over her face. And no wonder. She was about to find out if her life savings was gone. The color had all but drained from her complexion.
Tina’s voice cut in. “She can’t talk to you right now. She’s too distraught. She just keeps saying ‘tell him I still have it.’?”
Breath was a sharp stab in his chest. “She still has it? All of it? Every penny?”
He could hear his mother’s muffled voice in the background. It tugged at his heart for about a tenth of a second before he remembered that she’d stolen forty thousand dollars from Elaine, and his mother was not the victim here.
“Donna,” Tina said, “he wants to know if you have all of it.” There was some more blubbering, then Tina was back. “She said she has nearly all of it. What is going on here, Grant? What does she have?”
“Where are you guys?” he asked instead. “Have you gotten home to Memphis yet?”
“No, we’re in Effingham. The roads were bad so we decided to stop at a hotel for a few days. We’ve been having a lovely time too. Then this morning at breakfast your mother finally decided to turn on her phone and the next thing I knew she was having a nervous breakdown at the Bob Evans. Now we’re sitting in the parking lot and she won’t tell me what’s going on. So you tell me. What’s going on?”
Grant put his head down, a fist against his forehead. Naturally his mother would make a scene inside a restaurant instead of falling apart someplace discreet. She’d probably stolen all the mints from next to the cash register on the way out too.
“I really need to talk to her, Tina. Tell her . . .” he took a deep breath. “Tell her I’m not mad, I just need to ask her some questions.” That was a big Effingham lie. He was as furious as hell, but if his mother was sincere, if she really did still have nearly all of Elaine’s money, he didn’t want to make the situation worse by adding to her panic. Although, when his mother said nearly all, she could mean next to none. There was just no hope of getting the honest truth from her until they were physically together and he had that bag in his hand. Right now he was mainly a hostage negotiator.
He waited, clenching his jaw. He wanted to look over at Elaine, to reassure her that everything would be fine, but he didn’t dare because he didn’t want her seeing the doubt on his face. He stared down at the piano keys instead while she sat next to him, motionless. He could hear his aunt trying to cajole his mother to take the phone—his dear, batshit crazy mother, the catalyst of all this.