Chapter 6

Emily's face fell. "Grace, I know you're mad at me, but this was Andrew's dad's keepsake. Can't you do this one thing for him?"

"I've already done more than enough for him," I said.

Sophia scoffed, "It's jealousy, plain and simple. Emily, stop begging her. She's materialistic. Money will get to her."

She pulled out a stack of dollars from her bag and slapped it down on the counter. "Is this enough for you? If not, I can throw in more."

Grandpa's face darkened. "Miss, take your money and leave."

Sophia gave a dismissive snort. "Too little for you?"

I grabbed the stack of cash and stuffed it back into her bag. "There's the door."

Emily bit her lip, then suddenly turned on her phone and cranked up the volume.

Andrew's voice came through the phone. "Grace, you need to fix that vintage cup. My dad's in a bad mood today, and we have to use it for the family dinner tomorrow night.

"Don't bring your personal issues into this."

I stared at the phone.

Emily said, "Andrew was afraid you wouldn't do it, so he had me record this for you."

Grandpa looked at me, the veins on the back of his hand standing out. "Is this really the man you want to marry?"

I opened the box again and stared at the chipped rim of the vintage cup.

Andrew's father, Richard Cooper, was never really unkind to me. He didn't treat me like family, but at least he wasn't as cruel as Helen.

I said, "I can fix it, but you'll need to sign off on it. The repair marks will stay visible. I won't pretend it was never broken."

Emily nodded immediately. "Okay."

Sophia muttered under her breath, "She sure knows how to act all high and mighty."

I ignored her.

After I worked on it all afternoon, the vintage cup was barely holding together.

When Emily came to pick it up, Andrew showed up, too.

As soon as he walked in, his eyes went straight to Emily. "Are you tired?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm really grateful that Grace was willing to help."

Andrew shot me a look. "At least you're finally being sensible."

Grandpa came out holding the vintage cup.

Andrew reached out to take it, but Grandpa didn't hand it over.

"Sign the repair form first," I said.

Andrew frowned. "Do we really need to sign a form for something this minor?"

"Any broken piece that comes in for repair needs a signature," I said.

He picked up the pen, but as he started to write, his phone rang.

Emily said, "Andrew, we're running out of time. Let me sign for you."

She took the pen and signed Andrew's name.

Grandpa was about to say something, but I stopped him. "It's signed. Take it."

Before Andrew turned to leave, he said, "You're coming to the family dinner tomorrow night. My dad wants you there. Don't be late."

I asked, "And what am I supposed to be there as?"

He stopped in his tracks.

Emily said softly, "Grace, you're Andrew's fiancée, of course."

I looked at her.

Emily gave me a soft smile. "At least for the next few days."

*****

The Cooper family dinner was held at Cooper Manor.

When I arrived, Helen was showing Emily around, introducing her to the family. "This is Emily, Andrew's childhood friend. If she hadn't gone abroad back then, we wouldn't have had all these complications."

She shot me a look as she said that.

Everyone in the Cooper family knew exactly what she meant.

Lucia, wearing a purple dress, took Emily's hand. "This girl's a real blessing for the family. She and Andrew are a perfect match."

Helen was grinning from ear to ear. "Exactly. Emily just got back, and she already helped get that vintage cup fixed. Richard's been treasuring that cup for years."

Emily quickly said, "It wasn't me who fixed it. Grace did."

She spoke quietly, like she didn't want to steal the spotlight.

Helen gave her hand a reassuring pat. "You're such a straightforward kid. You always care about Richard. That's why you get it fixed. That kind of care for family is worth more than anything."

Richard sat at the head of the table, inspecting the vintage cup carefully. "Nicely done."

Helen jumped in, "Emily went back and forth to Oinwan Street so many times. Her feet even got all blistered from her shoes."

Emily lowered her eyes. "Mrs. Cooper, please, that's enough."

Andrew looked down at her shoes, his brows knitting together. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I stood by the door, holding the repair report Grandpa had told me to bring.

The report detailed the damage, the repair method, and included the signature of the person who brought it in.

No one bothered to ask me anything.

Richard looked up and saw me. "Grace, you're here. Have a seat."

Helen pointed to the last seat at the table. "Sit there. We're all family today, so don't be shy."

I sat down.

Halfway through the meal, Richard picked up the vintage cup. "Emily, you really went out of your way. Andrew, make sure she doesn't get hurt again."

Andrew nodded. "I know."

Helen immediately slid a gift across the table to Emily. "This is from me. It's your first with us for dinner."

Emily shook her head, trying to decline. "Mrs. Cooper, I really can't take this."

Helen shoved the gift into her hand. "Take it. At least you're not like some people who've been around the Cooper family for years and still have no clue what Richard likes."

I set my fork down. "I fixed that vintage cup."

The whole table went quiet.

Helen's expression soured. "So what if you fixed it? Emily was the one who brought it in."

I pulled out the repair report and set it on the table. "Andrew's name is on the form, but Emily was the one who actually signed it. And the restorer? That's me."

Richard picked up the report and squinted at it. "Andrew, this isn't your handwriting."

Andrew turned to Emily.

Emily quickly said, "I'm sorry, Richard. I was afraid we'd run out of time, so I signed for Andrew. Grace was there, and she didn't object."

Helen jumped right in, quick to take advantage. "Did you hear that? She didn't object, and now she's here trying to show off. Grace, do you know what shame is?"

"I'm stating the facts," I said.

Lucia curled her lip. "The fact is, you're the repair girl. Don't go acting like you're more devoted to the Cooper family than their future daughter-in-law."