The Inn on Harmony Island (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman #1)(16)

I didn’t like turning over control of my shop, but I needed the help because Sabrina needed me. She’d changed after the birth of Samuel, and I worried about her being home by herself, especially at night. During the day, I asked our neighbor, Mrs. Leatherbury to check in on her. And she was good at that. But at night, Mrs. Leatherbury wanted to be home with her husband when he got off work, so I had to make a point of getting out of the bookstore in a timely manner.

It wasn’t like Trevor was ever going to show up again. He was long gone, and I doubted he remembered the small town of Harmony and the woman he broke when he left.

“Jerk,” I muttered under my breath before forcing a smile and turning to see Fanny standing behind me with her eyebrows raised.

“Jerk?” she asked with a teasing tone.

I pinched my lips together and waved my hand in front of my face. “Just thinking about Sabrina’s ex.”

Fanny furrowed her brow as she slipped off her jean jacket and draped it on the chair I’d just vacated. “Any particular reason why you were thinking about him?”

I gathered the papers I’d strewn about and tapped them on the counter to straighten them out. “I was up with Samuel all night to give Sabrina a break.” I sighed. “What my sister needs right now is the father of her son. But of course, he left without even a goodbye, so I’m stuck being dad to his child.”

My eyes widened as my words echoed in my head. “Not stuck.” I pressed my fingertips to my lips. “Oh, gosh. That sounded horrible.” I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. “I love my nephew, and I’d do anything for him.”

Fanny chuckled as she waved away my words. “Girl, I don’t fault you for what you said. We love our family members even if it’s hard to be around them sometimes.” She reached up and began to gather her hair into a high ponytail.

Speaking of families…I leaned toward her. “Guess who was here this morning?”

Fanny finished tying up her hair and ran her hand down her ponytail before focusing on me. “Who?”

“Missy.”

She rolled her eyes. “What did the town’s gossip want?”

I swallowed, not sure if I should say anything or not, but I needed to tell someone, and I knew Sabrina wouldn’t care. So I pushed away the guilt that started to rise in my stomach and continued. “Charlotte’s granddaughter is coming to the will reading on Monday.” As I said the words, I realized how ridiculous this all sounded.

What seemed like a scandal when Missy said it now just seemed like a random conversation between people making small talk at a coffee shop. Why I thought Fanny would care was beyond me.

Fanny furrowed her brow for a moment. “Oh, really?” she asked, once recognition passed over her face. “That’s interesting.”

I slammed my hand down on the counter. “See? And from the way Missy was going on, I knew there was something to the story. I just don’t know anything about Charlotte, much less her granddaughter who has Missy in such a fit.” I blew out my breath as I hoisted myself up onto the counter.

Fanny was studying me. The expression on her face was incredulous.

“So, you know their story?” I asked.

She pinched her lips together.

“Are you going to tell it to me?” I placed my hands behind me and leaned back.

Fanny grabbed the chair and dragged it over so she could sit down. “So, you know Miles?”

I nodded. “He’s Charlotte’s grandson, right?”

“Step-grandson, er…” She held up a finger. “Ex-step-grandson.”

“Ex?”

She nodded. “Miles’s dad married Charlotte’s daughter. They were married for a few years before they divorced. Charlotte’s daughter died, and Miles’s dad disappeared. Miles left for about six years until he came back. He moved in with Miss Charlotte, and they ran Harmony Inn together.” She let her voice trail off as her eyes sparkled like she was holding in a juicy secret.

I leaned forward, knowing there was something good there. “What?” I asked.

Fanny’s eyes widened before she shook her head once more and sighed. “I shouldn’t be saying. My momma would be so mad at me for gossiping.” She glanced up toward the ceiling before she shook her head once more. “But I guess it’s just telling you facts. And that’s not gossiping.” She paused before she lowered her gaze to meet mine. “Miles has a sordid history with women.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Sordid?”

Fanny nodded. “Yes.”

“How?” There was no way that Miles had dated Charlotte…was there? “He didn’t date…” I let my question disappear as heat permeated my cheeks. I felt wrong discussing this. So what if it was true?

Fanny stared at me for a moment before she covered her mouth with her fingers. “Oh, my gosh, no. Not like that.”

I laughed, feeling stupid that my mind went there. I folded my arms and leaned against the counter. “So, if not that, then what?”

Fanny brought her foot up and rested her chin on her knee. “Well, Charlotte’s daughter, Emma, had a daughter, Shelby.”

“He dated his stepsister?” I asked, feeling like I was hearing the plot to a soap opera.

Fanny shrugged. “It was all town speculation that he liked her, but never anything official. It ended when Shelby started dating Clint.”