Boom - Sabrina Stark Page 0,69

the memory, my heart clenched like it always did. Still, I went on. "And then, three years after that, my grandpa passed away." As the memories swirled, my voice grew quiet. "It was really sudden, too."

Brody took a single step closer, and then stopped. His gaze met mine as he said, "I'm sorry."

He actually looked it, too. I tried to smile. "Yeah, well, he was almost eighty, so I guess I should've expected it, huh? But you know how it is with grandparents."

He shook his head. "No. I don't."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I never knew my mine."

I could hardly imagine. "Not on either side?"

"No."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Ask me later," he said. "We're talking about the house."

Right. The house. "Well…the point is," I continued, "my grandpa wanted the house to stay in the family like it always had, so he willed it to my mom." I paused for emphasis. "And to my cousin Jason."

"Why Jason?"

"Because my grandparents had two kids – my mom and her brother. But my mom's brother – my Uncle Chet – he died like five years ago."

"And?"

"And Jason – being Chet's only kid – ended up with Chet's half."

"What about you?" Brody said. "What'd you end up with?"

"Nothing." I hesitated. "Actually, that's not quite true. After my grandma passed away, my grandpa gave me all of her baking supplies, even her mixer, which was a really big deal. The thing cost a fortune." Realizing who I was talking to, I added, "Well, in relative terms, anyway. It wouldn't have seemed like that much money to you, for example."

I shook my head. "But forget the mixer. The cost wasn’t important. It was just that she loved it so much, so I loved it, too." I smiled at the memory. "And then, there were the cookie sheets, and the cookie cutters, and her favorite mixing bowls. They're all in storage now, but when I get settled someplace, I'm going to put them in my own kitchen, and carry on the traditions, you know?"

Was I rambling?

I felt like I was rambling.

And now, in the quiet kitchen, there was something in Brody's gaze that was making me feel nearly naked – and not in a sexual way. In a low voice, he said, "Go on."

"Anyway, back to the house. My mom didn't love it the way I did. And neither did Jason, which is probably part of the reason he sold it."

To you.

But I didn't say that last part, because the subject of Brody's ownership had been beaten to death already.

No need to give it a few more whacks, right?

Brody studied my face. "But a minute ago, you said that you owned part of it."

"Not just part of it," I said. "Half. It's sort of complicated."

"Hey, I've got all night."

Oddly enough, I believed him. During the past couple of weeks, there'd been plenty of nights we'd stayed up late talking, sometimes well past midnight. On those nights, we'd talked not only about the house, but about other things, too.

Even so, we'd discussed nothing quite this serious.

As far as the house, I wasn't quite sure how to explain how I'd come to lose it. The story was so stupidly embarrassing, because I'd been such an idiot, and the thought of confessing my mistakes – to Brody of all people – was not my idea of a good time.

But he looked so sincere that I continued, anyway. "Alright. The thing is, when my mom inherited her half, she didn't want it."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"All she wanted was the money. And Jason? He didn't want the house either."

"But you did."

With an embarrassed laugh, I said, "Gee, how could you tell?"

At this, he looked almost ready to smile. "Call it a hunch."

"Anyway, my grandparents weren't what you'd call wealthy. But they were really good with money, and the house was completely paid off, which meant that when they died, there was no mortgage or anything. This meant there were no payments except for the taxes and the upkeep. So after the reading of my grandpa's will, I beg my mom – and no, not on my knees, in case you're wondering—"

"I wasn't."

Heat flooded my face. "Sorry. Bad joke."

"You weren't joking." Brody's voice softened. "We both know that. But that's alright. I get it."

Did he? I wasn't sure. Still, I continued. "The point is, I literally beg her to hang on to her half of the house, so I can buy it from her – and Jason's half, too, after I graduate from