If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,136

eyes were bright. She looked happy.

“So’s their director,” Hollis said quietly.

She found his eyes, and a smile skittered across her lips.

“Thanks for teaching Jolie,” Jana said. “It’s all she talks about. She’s already looking forward to next summer.”

“She’s a great kid,” Emily said. “Really, I have her to thank for helping me remember why I loved the stage in the first place.”

“We should go shopping or something while I’m here,” Jana said, turning Emily into one of her girlfriends.

Emily glanced at Hollis, then back to Jana. “I’d love that.”

“Great,” Jana said. “We’re going to head out. Hollis, tell Jolie we’ll see her in the morning.”

“You got it.”

They disappeared, leaving Hollis wishing the rest of the crowd would do the same so he’d have Emily all to himself.

The thought was fleeting because seconds later, Eliza Ackerman exited the auditorium and made a beeline straight for them.

Emily’s face turned pale. “I had no idea she was here.”

“I should go.”

She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Please don’t.”

The simple gesture made him feel wanted. She’d given him permission, not to protect her, but to stand beside her, even though this could be a potentially difficult confrontation.

She was letting him in, and that knowledge settled in a warm spot inside his belly.

Emily wasn’t prepared to see her grandmother. She hadn’t come back to the island for Eliza Ackerman—where the older woman was concerned, Emily still had a lot of mixed emotions. Actually, her emotions weren’t mixed; they simply weren’t kind.

She’d prayed about her grandma while she was away. She found herself unmoved. She’d keep praying, but how would that help her right now?

“Maybe she’s here to say she’s sorry?” Hollis whispered as Grandma approached.

But Emily knew better. Emily knew that Eliza Ackerman didn’t apologize to anyone. Ever. Besides, her grandma didn’t regret what she’d done. Nothing would change that.

Grandma stood in front of her now, chin jutted upward as if she needed to look down her nose on the rest of them. “I thought you might come back.”

Emily inhaled slowly. “I came back for the kids.” And for Hollis.

But she wouldn’t say that. She wouldn’t let her grandmother in on the part of her life that brought her joy. Grandma had lost the right to know her most personal thoughts.

“They did a lovely job,” Grandma said.

“Yes, they did,” Emily agreed.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Grandma began rummaging through her purse until she found a small key ring with two silver keys on it. “I thought you should have these.”

Emily held her breath as her grandma pressed the keys into her hand. “What are they?”

“They’re my keys to the house,” Grandma said. “It’s your house now, so I don’t really need them.”

Emily watched as Eliza looked away, plastering a smile on her face as she waved to Gladys Middlebury and another older woman.

“You don’t have to do that, Grandma,” Emily said.

Eliza brought her eyes back to Emily’s. “It’s what your grandfather wanted.” She reached out and took Emily’s hands. “And what I want. You deserve it, and you’ve done a lovely job with the renovations so far.”

“Really?” Why her grandmother’s approval still bolstered her confidence, Emily wasn’t sure.

“Really. And I hope one day you can come to understand that everything I did I did because I thought it was what was best for you and for your mother.”

It wasn’t an apology—Emily knew that was too much to hope for—but it was an indication that her grandmother wanted things to be right between them. She just didn’t want to admit any wrongdoing on her own part.

Emily didn’t have forgiveness to offer her—not yet. But maybe one day she would. She hoped she would. She’d have to work on it, to pray about it, because it wasn’t going to magically appear.

As if her grandmother read her mind, the older woman took a step back, dropped Emily’s hands, and straightened.

“I’m heading out tonight,” she said. “The house is all yours.”

“Thank you,” Emily said.

Grandma looked at Hollis. “You take good care of her.”

Hollis tightened his hand around Emily’s. “I plan to.”

His touch was familiar, and yet it still sent her insides swirling. She knew now that relationships weren’t easy—they were messy and challenging and filled with emotions, but for the first time in her life she wanted to brave those things in order to see what was on the other side.

Was she scared? Yes. But Hollis was worth it. They were worth it.

Grandma gave a pointed nod, then walked off. Emily wondered when she would see her again. It could