Page 59 of Catch
His grandma turned toward Miles, giving him a teasing look. It was like she was intentionally driving him crazy, and I loved her for it. “Well we need proper introductions, Miles.”
Miles scoffed. “Introduce you? You three know each other better than I do, apparently.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Grams rolled her eyes. “We just talked about apple pie in the produce aisle. We didn’t swap names and numbers.”
“I’m Loxley.” I extended my hand, but she swatted it away and hugged me again.
“Loxley, it’s great to officially meet you. I’m Grams, and this old coot over here is Gramps.”
“It’s great to meet you both,” I said warmly. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“So I’m confused,” Gramps said, looking between me and Miles. “Are you two seeing each other, or is this really part of the mission?”
“It’s part of a mission,” Miles snapped, clearly flustered.
The words hit me harder than I expected. Was that really all this was? Over the last few days, it felt like there was something more. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I had been stupid to think we could be anything more thantemporary.
“Well, now that we know what’s been keeping Miles distracted,” Gramps winked, “we’ll get out of your hair.”
Grams waved her hands as she grabbed a small bag from the chair. “But I expect to see you both at Sunday dinner.”
Before I could even respond, they were gone. Miles and I stood there, ten feet apart, both confused, both a little angry.
I didn’t know what he had to be mad about, but I wasn’t in the mood to ask. I just walked past him into the kitchen, grabbed a banana, and strolled back toward my bedroom without looking at him.
I shut the door behind me and let out a slow breath. I needed space. And I needed a plan.
Because I wasn’t about to let Sam or anyone else turn my need for peace into a three-ring circus.
Chapter Thirty-One
MILES
Loxley should’ve stayedhidden and let me handle my grandparents. It was bad enough that I was lying to them, but it was even worse that I was lying to myself.
Loxley was angry, but I couldn’t understand why. She was the one who came out of the room dressed like we were about to sign a business merger instead of whatever this thing between us was.
At least the mystery of my missing keys was solved, and while I was completely shocked, I wasn’t upset about that. The only thing that had me on edge was that once Loxley met the two most important people in my life, she locked herself away, making me feel guilty for letting them in at all.
Was that what she was mad about? That I risked her secrecy by letting them in?
She’d have to get over that because my grandparents were always welcome in my home.
What I couldn’t wrap my head around was how the same woman who had written a song so beautiful it made my chest ache could be the same one shutting me out over something as small as this. She could’ve stayed in the back if she wanted to stay hidden.
I spent the rest of the day puttering around the house, fixing things that had been on my to-do list forever. I replaced the fridge filter, tightened the wobbly chair in the dining room, and even chopped some wood, despite the fact that I wouldn’t need it for months.
After a shower, I pulled out the things Grams had left and started piecing together a meal. I wasn’t sure if Loxley would join me, but I still made enough for two.
Just as I was finishing, I heard the creak of the wooden floor near the doorway to the kitchen and froze, my back to her. I waited, giving her a chance to speak. When she didn’t, I went back to stirring the ground meat in the pan.
“I won’t go to Sunday dinner,” she said flatly.
I turned around fast, dropping the spoon into the pan and closing the distance between us in just a few strides. “Yes, the fuck you will.”
She flinched, her eyes widening at my tone, and I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. Softening my stance, I tried again. “Lox, the two most important people in my life invited you to dinner Sunday. I want you to go with me.”
“That feels too personal for this—” she lifted her hands, making exaggerated air quotes “—‘temporary’ mission you’re on.”
