Understanding filled her assistant’s eyes. “I know.”
She shook her head, feeling herself lose control. “I can’t trust him. I don’t trust him. He walked out on me, and he had another woman in his apartment the very next night.”
“Maybe it wasn’t what you thought.”
“She was in her trashy underwear.” Blair’s voice rose, and her lack of control scared her more than her feelings for Garrett. What in the hell was happening to her?
Melissa was silent for a moment. “Everyone makes mistakes, Blair. Even you. Think about it.” Then she stood and walked to the door. “I’ll let you know when the car arrives.”
The door shut, and Blair sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm down. She was dangerously close to crying, and she couldn’t figure out why. She’d shed her tears over Garrett years ago, so she sure as hell didn’t want to shed new ones now. Suddenly the room was too small. Her dress was too tight. Her life too confining. She stood and began to pace, chanting a mantra in her head. “I don’t need him. It’s going to be okay.”
It was the very mantra she’d taught herself five years ago.
Tears burned her eyes, but she continued to walk her straight lines, and after several minutes passed, the numbness in her face and head slowly faded. By the time Melissa buzzed in to say her car had arrived, she was relatively calm. By the time she reached the elevator, she had convinced herself everything really was going to be okay.
That was, if she survived her wedding shower.
Chapter Eleven
Garrett hit his hotel bar as soon as he left the hospital. It was probably the least productive thing he could do, but he needed courage—not to mention inspiration—to go through with his nonexistent plan.
He was on his second beer when he heard a familiar voice behind him. “Do all you lawyers waste your money on fancy beer?”
He turned and a grin spread across his face. An older woman leaned on a four-legged steel cane, the feet covered with neon orange tennis balls. She wore a pair of jeans with a white knit shirt. Her face was covered with the deep wrinkles and brown spots of someone who’d spent most of her life under the sun. He knew for a fact that a few scars on her face were from skin cancer removals. Late seventies or not, she was stronger than anyone he knew. Yet she’d aged quite a bit since he’d seen her last. She looked thinner and more fragile. The cane she was leaning on didn’t help. “It’s not a fancy beer, Nana. It’s Coors. Just like you taught me to drink.” He’d give her a hug, but she’d never been big on displays of affection.
A grudging grimace tightened her mouth before she said, “I bet it came with a fancy price.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “I’m surprised to see you here. I expected you to stay at a Motel 6.” Garrett’s mother had told him the wedding guests were staying at this hotel, which was why he was here, but he’d never expected his nana to stay somewhere so upscale.
“Neil insisted I stay here, and the fool paid for it,” she grumbled. “He’s trying to show me how much money he has now. I suppose you’re trying to flaunt it too.”
He laughed. “You think anything that costs more than fifty dollars a night is too much.”
“I don’t need my bathroom covered in marble. It’s a damn hotel room, not a church.”
He chuckled and lifted his bottle in a salute. “How about I get you a fancy beer to drink? I’ll waste my money.”
She pondered it for a moment and moved to the stool next to him. “Why the hell not? I’m going to a damn wedding shower for Neil’s bride-to-be. I’ve never met her, but if she’s anything like my pompous grandson, she’s bound to be a doozy. I’ll need all the help I can get.”
Garrett’s eyes widened, and several questions ran through his head at once. He latched onto the one that seemed the most important. “Wait? You’re going to a wedding shower? Tonight?”
“Ain’t that what I just said?” She climbed up on the stool and looked around. “Where’s my beer?”
Garrett flagged down the bartender and ordered her beverage.
“You and I need to have a chat.” Her tone was hard, which prepared him for what she had to say next. He was lucky she hadn’t led with it. “What the Sam Hill you been doin’, boy?”
He steeled his shoulders. “Exactly what you asked me to do, Nana.” He held out his hands. “I went to the dinner last night. I’m here like a dutiful grandson.”
“Bullshit,” she barked. “I gave you one assignment, and you blew it to kingdom come.”
“Nana, I can explain.”
“Save it.” She gave him a stern look. “Why do you want the ring?”
What should he tell her? He suspected she’d understand if he told her the truth, but then she’d try and take matters into her own hands. Nana Ruby wasn’t known for her subtlety. “I guess Mom’s rubbed off on me.”
“So how do you plan to get it?”
“I told Aunt Debra and Neil that we’d let you decide.”
She stared at him like he’d lost his mind, then started to chuckle. “I want you to take me to the shower tonight.”
“A wedding shower?” Part of him was horrified, but he also knew Blair would be there, of course. “Okay.”
Her eyebrows lifted in suspicion. “No argument?”