Always Be True by Alexis Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

a multimillionaire. My only regret is that I won’t be around to see how much that will piss her off.” His smile faded a bit. “Natalie, I know her. She’ll want to give most of it away or something else equally foolish. You won’t be able to stop her completely, but keep an eye on her for me.”
    His blunt talk about dying always stabbed Natalie right in the heart, but he’d never been one to dance around the edges of tough subjects. “She’s family, Grandpa. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”
    “That’s my girl. Now, let’s have some of the tea before it gets cold.”
    For the next few minutes, the two of them soaked up some sun as they devoured the scones. They were delicious, but that came as no surprise. Baking was another of Esther’s many talents. When they’d finished off the last crumb, her grandfather poured them each some more tea. “So, young lady, how is the work coming along on the community center?”
    “It’s right on schedule. As long as the volunteers keep showing up regularly, we might even finish earlier than expected.”
    Cyrus looked pleased. “That’s good. It’s always hard to predict how things will go when you’re not paying people to do the work. Then there’s the problem of getting volunteers who know what they’re doing.”
    “That’s true.”
    She considered telling him about Tino but decided against it. She still didn’t know if he’d show up again. Maybe she’d ask him when she saw him on Thursday.
    “That smile on your face is kind of interesting. Makes me wonder what you’re thinking about or if I should even ask.”
    What the heck, why not share? “A new guy showed up to work on Saturday who definitely knew what he was doing. I’m hoping he’ll keep coming back.”
    There was no reason not to tell him the rest. “He showed me how to use one of those fancy reciprocating saws. I cut out some damaged drywall.”
    Her grandfather’s eyebrows shot up. “How did that go?”
    “Just fine,” she said with no little pride. “Of course, all I had to do was follow the lines he’d drawn on the wall. Still, he said I did a good job.”
    “Did he now?” Cyrus sipped his tea. “Does this brave man have a name?”
    “He does.” Natalie hid a smile behind her teacup. When her grandfather glared at her for her non-answer, she added, “His name is Tino.”
    “Tino what?”
    She shook her finger at her grandfather. “Nope, I’m not going to tell you his full name. We both know you’ll either start digging into his background yourself or pay someone to do it like you do every time I start seeing someone new.”
    He’d done that with the men she’d dated in the past, and she hadn’t appreciated it one bit. He’d claimed it was to make sure they weren’t simply after her money, but it made her feel as if he didn’t trust her judgment. On the other hand, maybe he was right to do so. After all, he’d been the only member of the family who hadn’t approved of her engagement to Benton.
    “Well, that’s interesting.”
    What was? Then she realized Cyrus was looking at her as if she’d just tossed him a special treat, his smile more than a little wolfish. Before she figured out what it was, he said, “I just asked what his name was. You’re the one who brought up the subject of dating him.”
    She closed her eyes and sighed. Yep, she might as well have painted a target on herself—and maybe Tino, too. “Don’t tell Mom, but Tino and I are going out for dinner and a movie on Thursday evening.”
    “And you don’t want your mother to know because…?”
    “You know how she can be, Grandpa, especially if she doesn’t approve of my choice in men.”
    His eyes narrowed. “What makes you think she won’t approve of this fellow?”
    “Because he isn’t Benton.” Natalie let her disgust show. “She and Dad still think I’m making a mistake by not asking Benton to forgive me for breaking up with him. They think he’d be glad to take me back if I