Edward Unconditionally Common Powers 3 by Lynn Lorenz Read Free Book Online

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Chapter Six

    Edward pulled up outside a small Craftsman cottage and parked. It was white, with a lovely garden that bordered the porch on either side. He checked the address with the one stenciled on the top step of the porch and got out.
    He stomach danced, and he tried to shake it off, but it'd been a long time since he'd seen his grandmother. He should have changed his shirt, but it was too late now. Would she recognize him? Would he recognize her?
    He walked down the brick path to the wooden steps and up to the front door. Pushing the bell, he gave his bangs a final brush with his fingers, then stepped back.
    A few moments later, a vaguely familiar woman with short gray hair opened the door. “Edward! I'd recognize you anywhere!” She gave him a quick hug.
    Her warm smile helped to settle his stomach, and he nodded. “Meemaw?” He slipped into the name he'd called her as a child.
    “It's been a long time. Come in.” She stepped back and pulled his arm.
    Edward stepped into the living room, and the aroma of just-baked cookies filled his nose. “Oatmeal raisin?”
    “That used to be your favorite, if I remember.” She led him to the couch. On the coffee table was a plate filled with cookies.
    “They still are,” he replied as he reached for one and took a bite, unable to stop himself. It was a little piece of heaven. “Mmm. Is that just a hint of ginger?”
    “Why, yes, it is. Most people don't recognize it.” She sat down and patted the cushion next to her.
    “I have a sensitive palate,” he mumbled around a mouthful of cookie as he sat. “These are wonderful. Just like I remember them.” It was funny, but until he'd taken a bite, he'd completely forgotten that she'd made those cookies for him whenever he'd visited her with his parents.
    “Glad you still like them. Now, Edward. What brings you to Spring Lake?” She sat back and watched him with sharp brown eyes.
    Unsure whether he should spill the beans about his mission, he shrugged and went with his second reason for visiting. “I needed to get away, Meemaw. Things in Atlanta... well, I needed a change.”
    “Edward. Are you in trouble with the law in Atlanta too?” Her eyes smiled at him, and he felt that she'd love him even if he had been a wanted man. For Edward, that was a rare thing.
    “No. Nothing like that.” He sighed. “It's more along the line of an affair gone bad.”
    “Ohh.” She nodded. “Had your heart broken?” She reached out and put a comforting hand on his leg.
    “Worse. I was dumped in the middle of the biggest social event of the year. Right in front of everyone ,” he whispered. The mortification of it still hung on him like cheap knock-off cologne.
    She nodded again. “That must have been awful.”
    “You have no idea.” He rolled his eyes. “I just couldn't stand the phone calls from so-called friends pretending to be sympathetic but just wanting to hear all the sordid details.”
    “The ‘I told you so's'?” she added.
    “Yes. But no one ever told me.” He shook his head and took another cookie.
    “You wouldn't have listened, would you?”
    He stared at her, cookie in his mouth; then he took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. “No, I don't think I would have.”
    “You were in love.”
    “At least I thought I was. I thought he— ” Edward froze and looked up at his grandmother. Hell and damnation, he'd just outed himself to her.
    “You thought he loved you, right?” She smiled at him, her eyes holding love and acceptance.
    “Yes.” He hung his head, so ashamed that he'd been played for a fool. Again. “I don't seem to pick the right men,” he confessed.
    “I was like that. Always the wrong man.” She leaned closer to tell her secret. “For me, it was bad boys.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “Oh my Lord, I did love bad boys. High school dropouts. Carnie workers. Rodeo cowboys. The kind of man that would make your head spin with danger and excitement, get you in nothing but