Page 80 of You're the Reason

Seth’s jaw seemed to tighten. She needed to regain control of this conversation before it really went south.

“Dad.”

“Grace—”

Seth stood.

“Dad. Relax. I am an adult. You wouldn’t want to make a scene over sugar.”

That did the trick. Her parents were all about appearances, and the words seemed to bring them back to the fact they were in the town square on the most crowded day of the year. She couldn’t help but think about Nate and his daughter. Her dad would have flown off the handle if she’d done what Charis had done in public. It could be a front, but with the way the little girl had curled into his chest moments later, she doubted it. There was a sweetness and love there she never saw in either of her parents.

“Well, if you’re going to be ready to return to dancing as Giselle, then you need to be training, not eating junk. And why are you going Sunday and not Saturday like they asked?”

“How do you know all that?”

“That isn’t important. What is important is?—”

“It’s very important. I’m an adult. I have been for years. How would you— Alec?”

“You never took our names off your personnel file. We were the responsible parties when you joined the company. We knew we couldn’t count on you for updates, so we’ve been calling him all summer. Don’t think we won’t ask about the young man who you showed up with a couple weeks ago.”

“You’ve been spying on me.”

Her dad gestured to the funnel cake. “Evidently not well enough.”

Seth had come closer now. He seriously might break a molar, by the look of his expression.

“I have to go eat my funnel cake and elephant ear with Seth.” As soon as she motioned to him, her parents spun to face him.

“You!” her mom spat out.

“Seth is my friend.” Maybe more, but one bridge at a time. “You will be nice to him.”

“Do you have any idea?—”

“I know everything. And I know that the only reason Gregory got high that night was because he couldn’t meet your impossibly high expectations.”

She knew she shouldn’t have said it the moment her mom’s face paled and she took a step back. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I love you both, but I can’t do this right now.”

She walked past them toward Seth. Her mother took a step to follow, but her dad seemed to stop her. They had started to make a scene, and several people were trying to eye them discreetly from a distance.

When she got to Seth’s side, she leaned in. “Can we just go?”

He nodded, took the funnel cake, and led them to his car. He drove for a little while, but Grace didn’t even pay attention as to which direction they turned. The green foliage passed by in a blur as the conversation ran over and over again in her head. She should never have said that to her mother. But why did they have to try to control every move she made?

After a few minutes Seth stopped and shoved the car into park, and Grace looked around. A large sand dune sat in front of the car. “Are we at Little Sable?”

“Yup. Thought it was a good place to watch the fireworks tonight. But first ...” He reached in the back and lifted both plates. “You earned these. One elephant ear and one funnel cake. Which one first?”

She accepted the funnel cake and tore off a piece and dropped it on her tongue. The pastry practically melted in her mouth. “Wow.”

“They’re even better when they’re still warm.” He tore off a bit of elephant ear, then passed her the plate. “Try this one. I honestly can’t pick a favorite.”

She popped it in her mouth and closed her eyes, savoring the sugary goodness. He was right, amazing.

She opened her eyes and reached for another bite. “Do you ever think about making God happy?”

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