Page 50 of Little Buried Secrets

He gave us a two-finger salute and disappeared down the hallway.

Rae looked distraught, like she’d had just about as much as she could handle, and I wasn’t even finished yet. She’d need a lot more than a glass of water to get through the next part.

CHAPTER 20

“There’s one more person I need to talk to you about,” I said, returning to my seat.

“Based on the way you’re looking at me, you saved the worst for last,” Rae said. “Who is it?”

“It’s Grant,” I said.

Rae blew out a long sigh and said, “If you’re wondering whether we’ve spoken today, we have. Twice.”

“Has he asked to come over?”

“Yes and no. He’s still shaken up over what happened last night with Bronte. I get the feeling he doesn’t want to see her just yet.”

I crossed one leg over the other. “How are you feeling about it all?”

“With everything going on, it’s hard to know what I feel about anything. I’m numb, and I don’t have the capacity to invest in our relationship right now. It’s unfair to Grant, I know, but I need to take some time for myself, and for Bronte. This morning, I looked in the mirror and I wondered how long it will take before I regain some semblance of the life I had before all this happened. I feel like I never will. I tried telling all of this to Grant, and I had been sure he’d heard me and understood … until he tried to tell me all the reasons I need him by my side right now.”

“It doesn’t sound like you want him here,” I said.

“I don’t. It has nothing to do with him, or me not wanting to be with him. He doesn’t get it. He’s never been a parent, never experienced this kind of loss.”

Except he was a parent.

An absent one.

I took a deep breath in and said, “What do you know about Grant’s past?”

“He’s talked about it. Are you asking about any specific event in particular?”

“I am. Are you aware of his past relationships?”

“He’s spoken to me about his exes. Why?”

“He’s been married multiple times.”

“I’m aware.”

“He has a history of having relationships with women who are a lot younger, starting with a woman he pursued when she was seventeen and he was twenty-two.”

“Jenny Conroy. Her father tried to split them up. Grant told me all about it.”

“Jenny had a child,” I said. “She listed Grant as the father on the birth certificate.”

She rubbed her forehead and sighed. “And you’re wondering why he hasn’t seen her for all these years?”

“I am. I’m also curious about why he was so quick to marry another woman before Jenny even had the baby.”

Rae took a few gulps of water and set the glass down. “There’s a simple explanation. Jenny’s father threatened to disown Jenny if she didn’t break things off with Grant. Her father was adamant Grant have no part in the baby’s life. Grant said he’s made several attempts to see the child over the years. Jenny has always refused him.”

“If he’s the father, he has rights. He could have taken it to court.”

“Oh, he’s the father, all right. Angela looks just like him. And you’re right. Grant could have fought for custody.”

“So why didn’t he?” I asked.

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