Jonathan really didn''t know whether tough or cry.
"Grandma, whose side are you on?"
Penelope gave a little snort. "Of course I''m on Anne''s side. I''ve always liked that girl. Now that I know you lied to her and owe her so much, don''t even think about getting ahead of Anne in this house. You''d better have some self-awareness."
Jonathan was speechless.
Noticing the silence, Penelope spoke up again. "Why so quiet? Did your wife really leave you?"
Jonathan felt like Penelope''s words had stabbed him in the chest like daggers. He loosened his tie and answered. "No, Anne loves me. We''re fine. But her
grandmother found out about the incident and can''t ept me. Her health isn''t great, so she can''t take any more stress..."
Penelope rolled her eyes when Jonathan spoke so confidently about Anneliese loving him.
But since he seemed so sure, Penelope felt reassured that their rtionship hadn''t actually been affected.
She smiled a little. She''d really been worried that Anneliese might leave Jonathan for good-he''d probably lose his mind.
"It''s not strange that Anne''s grandmother can''t ept it. She lost her only daughter, after all.
"These things can''t be rushed. Anne is close to her grandmother, and I am sure her grandmother cares deeply for her, too. Any grandparent just wants their grandchildren to be happy—nothing else matters.
"In time, her grandmother will understand. Be patient, and show her your sincerity. The most important thing is to show her how much you love Anne."
After Penelope finished, Jonathan rxed a little. They exchanged a few more words, and he hung up.
Penelope sat with her phone, then called a maid over.
"Pack my suitcase. I''m going to Oceanton tomorrow."
The maid answered right away and went to get the suitcase. Derek came in from outside and frowned when he saw what was happening.
"Are you leaving me alone for the holidays again?"
Penelope nced at Derek and waved for the maid not to worry about him. "Just go pack."
Once the maid left for the closet, she said, "I''m going to Oceanton tomorrow."
Derek''s frown deepened. "Why do you keep running off to Oceanton? I let you go before because you wanted to get some fresh air, but now the holidays aren''t even over. I don''t want you to go!"
If she weren''t so old, Derek would have suspected she was hiding a lover there.
Penelope and Derek had a fightst time because Derek was getting more stubborn with age.
Now, hearing him refuse without even asking, she was in no mood to humor him.
She''d already decided to go help her grandson, no matter what Derek thought.
She fixed Derek with a look. "You do know the princess room next to Jonathan''s bedroom is for Anne, right?"
Derek was thrown by the sudden change of subject, but he nodded.
"Yeah, I know. Why?"
Previously Jonathan had suddenly announced he was married but
never brought his new wife home so
Derek had already looked into
Anneliese''s background.
Jonathanter brought Anneliese home, so he and Derek had talked about it.
Penelope snorted. "Great, so you two teamed up and kept it from me."
When she realized that, she didn''t feel like going to Oceanton anymore.
Derek was a little surprised to see Penelope upset.
"Jonathan didn''t tell you? I thought he already did, so I never mentioned it to you."
Penelope shot him a re.
You old geezer, you sure are quick to throw your grandson under the bus when things get tough.
She let it go, though, and just asked, "How did that fire start all those years ago? Did anyone ever figure it out?"
Derek limped over and sat down on the couch, frowning at the question.
"Why bring that up now?"
"Anne''s grandmother won''t let your
grandson be with Anne, and she''s dead set against it. If we don''t do something, your
granddaughter-inw might walk away for good."
Derek''s grip tightened on his cane. His voice sounded weary as he spoke, "When we visited Anne''s grandmother all those year ago she didn''t like us them. She''s stubborn as can be. Even after all these years, she still can''t let it go." Cóntent