Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 399

I paused, letting the weight of it settle over the table.

"I was passing by the hotel one evening and heard a commotion in the back. The man had cornered her, and she was crying. I normally mind my own business, it is a rule I live by, but I could not overlook such injustice, not when she was weeping like that. I stepped in. I had the man fired for his behavior, and when I looked into it, I discovered he had been blocking Tasha's pay the entire time, leaving her mother's treatment in a critical condition."

Granny's hand had come to rest over her heart.

"It was too late by the time I intervened." I let my voice drop. "Her mother died that same day. Tasha had no one left. Since then, I have been the only family she has."

I reached across the table and took Tasha's hand. She flinched, barely, but I held on, gently, and looked at Granny with what I hoped read as quiet devotion.

"Tasha is very important to me. I kept her a secret all this time because she is shy, innocent, and I did not want anyone troubling her. She has been through enough."

The silence that followed was thick with sympathy. Granny looked at Tasha with such pity in her eyes that I almost felt guilty for the fiction.

When I glanced at Tasha, she was staring at me with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open, and I could read the thought on her face as clearly as if she had spoken it aloud. She could not believe how good a liar I was.

I squeezed her hand and smiled at her like a devoted fiancé. She looked away.

The old woman rose from her seat, came around the table, and took Tasha's hands in her own, pulling her gently to her feet.

"Listen to me, child." Her voice was thick with emotion. "You can consider me your family from now on. I will always support you, no matter the circumstances. Do you hear me? Always."

Tasha's chin trembled. And then, to my genuine surprise, she began to cry. Real tears, streaming down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

I stared at her, caught off guard. Was this real, or was she performing? I could not tell, and I prided myself on being able to tell. The girl had more layers than I had given her credit for.

Granny pulled her into a hug, patting her back and murmuring soothing words, and I sat there watching the two of them, waiting for the drama to play out. It went on for a while, the old woman loved a good cry, and Tasha seemed to have an endless supply of tears.

I did not blink. "In a few days."

Her fork clattered against the plate. "A few days? Sparrow, that is hardly any time at all. I thought it was a joke. Are you certain?"

"I am certain."

She stared at me for a long moment, then broke into a smile. "Well. I would not miss it for the world. I will be there, front row, with bells on."

"I would expect nothing less, Granny."

She turned to Tasha, her eyes bright. "I have some ideas for the wedding, child. I hope you do not mind an old woman sticking her nose in."

Tasha smiled, and there was something almost genuine in it. "I will follow whatever you think is best, Grandmother."