by Loraine, Kim
“You’re doing it again.” Grace smirked as she filled her mug and leaned against the counter.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Have you seen yourself? It should be criminal to look that way in the morning.”
She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. “It should be criminal to make decaffeinated coffee.”
Chuckling as he rounded the counter, he took the cup from her and dumped it down the drain. “You are the only person who is daft enough to think they can taste the caffeine.”
He pulled her to him, trailing his fingers up her arms and pressing a whisper of a kiss to her lips. A giggle escaped her as her stomach rumbled between them. Leaning his forehead on hers, he placed a palm over her small bump. “Right. We best get you lot fed.”
He led her to the table and began plating up breakfast, but as he moved to fill her plate he did a double take at the frying pan.
“Love?”
“Hmm?”
“Were you planning on anything other than bacon for breakfast today?”
She blushed and smiled.
“I already ate the eggs and toast while the bacon was cooking. I was starving.”
Flashing her a wide grin, he scooped up a few strips of bacon and brought them to her. “It’s good to see you with a healthy appetite.”
She didn’t answer him. Her gaze was trained on the screen of her laptop. Work, pulling them apart again. With a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and turned away, wishing their moment had lasted longer.
As he started the kettle boiling, he planned the day in his head. They had two weeks left until their holiday in Golden Beach started. He stopped himself. Holiday wasn’t really the word to use. Grace’s overbearing mum frequently reminded him that he’d stolen her baby from her. He’d wanted to book a hotel, but her parents wouldn’t hear of them staying anywhere besides the family home. That meant weeks in the same house with Abby McConnell. No, this wasn’t a holiday. It was more like voluntarily thrusting himself into a potential hornet’s nest.
The next morning, Grace stepped bleary eyed and tired into the kitchen. She needed coffee. With their trip so close at hand, she’d spent many sleepless nights trying to get everything in order for her crew. Her heart raced as she thought of all of the things she was trying to balance. She felt like she’d thrown a bunch of plates in the air and was just hoping to catch the important ones before they came crashing to the ground.
“Drew, I’ve got my appointment scheduled on Thursday morning. They’re doing a scan. You never told me if you’d be able to make it.” She watched her husband from across the breakfast table. He yawned and absently swirled his tea. “Hello? Are you awake?”
His gaze finally connected with hers. “What? Did you say something, love?”
“Nothing, never mind.” She waved away the hurt feelings when he offered his infectious smile and took her hand. She’d text him. It was the only way to get time scheduled together, appointments or otherwise.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got loads on my mind. How’s work coming on the library?”
She shrugged. “I can’t get a good foreman to save my life. I’ve had to fire the last one because the idiot showed up to the site completely drunk.”
“Did he really?” His eyebrows rose in surprise.
She nodded. “So, that means extra work and delays. I’m supposed to start on the church in the spring, but at this rate, it’s never going to happen.” She could feel her blood pressure rising at the mere thought of everything she needed to get done.
His phone beeped, and he groaned. “Sorry, love. I’ve got to get to the shop. My day is filled with meetings.” He eyed her clothing as she stood and gathered her running shoes. “Are you going for a run this morning?”
“Yeah, but it’ll be more like a jog. I need to keep this figure as long as the baby will let me.”
She rubbed at the slight swell of her belly. It wasn’t noticeable to the casual observer, but she felt every inch of it.
“I noticed last night when you were changing for bed—your bump is bigger already.” He looked like he might burst with pride as he walked over and placed a warm palm over the small bulge.
“What about when I get fat? You won’t be so excited then.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips, gentle and loving. “You’re not going to get fat. Pregnant is different, love. Watching your body change as our child grows, that’s something I’ll remember until the day I die.”
“I think you must’ve been one hell of a lawyer.”
He chuckled. “Why do you say that?”
“Because my ass has already gotten too fat for my jeans and you’ve somehow managed to make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Only because it’s true.”
Her phone buzzed from its place on the entryway table, signaling an incoming email. As she scrolled through it, her pulse quickened.
Maggie.
Hating to break the sweetness of their morning, she took a pause to gather her thoughts before shattering the moment. “So, Maggie sent me an email. She wants to meet us for a coffee whenever we can.”
His jaw clenched and her chest tightened in response. Refusing to let it get to her, she pressed on. “I set up a meeting for the Monday after we arrive.”
He took a sharp breath and raked a hand through his hair. “Right. That’s . . . I suppose that’s one of the reasons for our holiday.”
“It’s the reason. You can’t tell me you’re not even a little curious to know her?”
“I’ll meet her because I need to ask her why she’d abandon me but seek out my brother. I’m not curious to know her. I just want to know why.”
A heavy silence sat between them as they each prepared for the day. Him, gathering his lunch. Her, fitting her phone into an armband and spending too much time focused on tying her shoes.
When she couldn’t take it anymore, she blurted, “How’s work on the expansion going?”
He didn’t meet her eyes as he slid his feet into a pair of well-loved Converses. “Oh, fine. It’s fine. Lots to do.”
He pasted a too-wide grin on his face and dropped a soft kiss on her forehead. When he pulled away, she frowned. Something wasn’t right.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he called as he left her standing in the foyer, confused and concerned.
She sighed and followed him out, watching as he walked down the block until he turned the corner and was out of sight. Attempting to focus on the beauty of the English town she’d chosen to call home, she breathed in the summer air and closed her eyes while stretching. As she started down the footpath, the sun crested over the hills beyond the small village and morning dew glistened and began to steam in the warmth.
Instead of being at ease, Grace flinched with every step, just like she had every time she’d tried a pace faster than a jog since finding out she was pregnant. She remembered vividly the run she’d been on in the moments leading up to the miscarriage of their first baby. Terror gripped her and she had to stop. She sat on a large rock, breathing hard as she tried to collect herself.
No one knew she was pregnant again. Not yet. She wouldn’t tell anyone until she was sure nothing was going to happen to this baby. Once she got her scan and confirmed the baby was healthy, then she’d share the news.
She walked the remaining three miles of her usual route and grinned as she passed Ten’s, Drew’s family-owned grocery. She’d take him some lunch today, maybe pop by the cafe they liked and surprise him with a sandwich and one of the chocolate croissants he loved.
Her heart stopped when she saw a familiar figure sashay across the street and enter the store. Sarah, Drew’s horrible ex-wife. What was that woman doing at the grocery? She’d been blessedly absent for the better part of a year. This was the last thing Dr
ew needed to add to his already overwhelming situation. She wanted to go inside and tell Sarah to get the hell out, but truly, she thought that was something Drew needed to do.
She wondered if he’d ever be able to cut her out of his life—their life.
Chapter 4
Drew rolled his eyes as he saw the familiar and unwelcome figure of Sarah come through the door to his shop. Thank God he had a meeting in a short while. Closing the blinds to his office, he called down to Henry at the register.
“Hiya, Drew. What’s up?”
“I’ve got a meeting with our new account manager at AGG in just a bit. Send her up when she gets here. Otherwise, I’m not to be disturbed.”
“Right.” Henry hung up the phone and Drew smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head.
Nice try, Sarah.
A sharp knock on the door had him scrambling to set himself to rights. No good meeting his new distributor looking like a complete wanker.
Her perfume hit him first, and he bit back a groan of annoyance.
“Sarah, what the bleeding hell are you doing here?”
She smirked at him, tossing her long, blond hair over her shoulders. Without invitation, she sat herself down in the chair opposite his desk and stared at him.
“I don’t know what you mean, Drews.” Her voice was pure innocence.
“I’ve got a very important meeting in . . . well, now actually. You need to leave.”
She surprised him by standing, smoothing her skirt over her hips, and leaving without another word.
Moments later, his office phone rang.
“What is it, Henry?”
“Um, your meeting is here. Shall I send her in?”
“Yes.” He could hear the exasperation in his voice. “I already told you to send her on up.”
“I did, but . . . she asked me to ring you.”
Realization hit him like a sledgehammer.
Sarah.
No. No. No.
She slithered into his office, her smirk now replaced by a pitying smile. The kind of smile one might use when placating a small child.
“Sarah.”
“Drews.” She sat and crossed her legs, pulling out a folder with the AGG logo emblazoned on the front.
“This is not going to work for me.” His breaths felt like a chore as he worked to control his fury. She’d wormed her way into his life—again.
She chuckled at his distress and waved a hand in a dismissive gesture as she flipped through the folder.
“I have here your last five months of purchase orders. It seems you’ve got a standing order every Tuesday. Then it looks like supplemental orders go in as needed. Is that correct?”
“What the fuck are you trying to pull?” His anger went unchecked. He was sure his face betrayed as much as his voice.
“I’m doing my job. After you got married, I realized that was it. I’d missed my chance to fix anything with you, and messed up my own life in the process.”
He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “You tried to sue me for sexual harassment. You set me up.”
She shrugged. “I was destitute.”
He bit back a venom-laced retort. She’d never been destitute in her life. “Get out.” He pointed toward the door.
“Wait. Wait. I need this job. I’ve got no one. I’m going it alone for the first time. If I get fired, I’ll have to move in with my mum and dad.”
“Oh, not your mum and dad.” He feigned distress. He could care less where she ended up.
“You used to love me.”
“A fact I unfortunately can’t change.”
Her face fell at his bitter tone and something in her eyes shifted from confident to desperate.
“Why can’t you give me a chance to show you I’ve changed? I promise I’m not going to try anything. I can’t lose this account. I just can’t.”
He sighed and sat back in his chair, taking off his black rimmed glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. AGG was an important contact for the shop, he couldn’t have his orders getting mucked up while he was in the middle of the expansion. Sarah had been trained by Mark, clearly she knew his order patterns. If he switched account managers now, he’d have a mess on his hands.
“One month.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll give you one month to show me you’re serious.”
Her eyes lit up. “I’m serious. I promise I’ve changed. I just want to do my job.”
“I’ll be gone the first part of August, but you can still reach me via email if there’s a problem. The new stores won’t be opening until the beginning of the year so our orders won’t be changing much until then.”
She nodded and smiled, taking notes. Fishing a card out of her purse, she slid it across his desk. “My contact information. Thank you, Drew. You won’t regret this.”
As she left his office, his stomach churned with an uneasy feeling.
He hoped she was right. But typically, regret came hand-in-hand with Sarah.
Grace stretched her aching shoulders as she closed the latest draft of an email. She’d been working since early in the morning, trying to set things up to run smoothly while she and Drew were back in Golden Beach. With less than a week until their trip, she needed a mindless distraction from her responsibilities.
Persistent worries about Drew’s encounter with Sarah kept working their way into her head. She’d expected him to bring her up at dinner a week ago, after Grace had seen the vile woman walk into the shop. He hadn’t. Then breakfast came and went without a word from him. She’d tried telling herself that he would’ve mentioned it if there was anything worth knowing, but Sarah was a sore spot, and always would be. Her conversation with the local librarian and town busy-body, Annette Tilly, ran through her mind. “That girl’s like quicksand,” she’d said.
“Stop it,” she told herself, and opened a new internet browser.
Since Valerie had moved back to Virginia, Grace had tried to keep up via social media as much as possible. Even so, she hadn’t had a chance to tell her friend the good news of her pregnancy. Typing her username and password, she checked her notifications.
Photos of Valerie had been posted on Grace’s main page. Her heart lurched when she saw Valerie’s ex, Mick, listed as the person who’d posted the pictures.
A sick feeling clawed at her belly as her cursor hovered over the photos. Even looking at the thumbnail previews, she could already make out the intimate situations her friend was depicted in. Valerie was partially naked in some, undressing, sleeping, showering.
“Shit,” she muttered as she clicked through the images.
She grabbed her phone and dialed the number for Ten’s, needing Drew to tell her he could fix this.
“Ten’s, can I help ya?” Henry’s cheerful voice brought a soft smile to her lips.
“Hi, Henry. I need to talk to Drew. Can you transfer me?”
“Oh, hi, Grace. Let me see if he’s in his office.”
The line went silent and Grace rolled her eyes. Henry never used the Hold function on the phone, even after she’d shown him how on five separate occasions.
“Grace? He’s not in. Can I have him ring you back?”
Her heart sank. Where was he? More importantly, who was he with?
“Yeah, that’s fine. Tell him it’s urgent though, please.”
After hanging up, she decided on a jog, something that might help her think through the situation at hand. As she headed out the door, the mid-July weather draped her in unusually uncomfortable heat and humidity and the jog quickly turned to a walk. The wispy hairs at the nape of her neck and her temples began sticking to her skin almost the moment she hit the footpath. Fatigue pressed down o
n her shoulders and had her breath coming in gasps at only half her normal distance. Not wanting to push herself, she turned and headed for home, needing a cool shower and a big glass of water.
She caught sight of Drew as she made the turn from the footpath to their street. His face was ashen and his jaw set with a concerned tightness.
“Drew!” she called, catching his attention.
A look of utter relief washed over him when he saw her, startling her. She’d only been out for a short time. Why would he be worried?
“Are you all right? I’ve been phoning, but you didn’t answer. I thought something must’ve happened.” His hands roamed her body, resting on her abdomen.
Awareness hit her like a bolt of lightning.
“I’m so sorry. I left my phone at home.”
“So, you’re okay?”
She nodded and kissed him. “Yes. A little tired and a lot uncomfortable in this heat, but fine.”
“What’s all this about an urgent phone call, then?”
“Valerie.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house.
“Is she all right?”
Shaking her head, she opened her laptop and showed him the photos. His brow furrowed and mouth dropped open as the reality of what he was seeing began to sink in.
“That bloody wanker,” he bit out.
“Can you do anything to help? Isn’t there some kind of legal action to get this taken down?”
He tugged at one ear while simultaneously blocking Mick from her account and reporting the images. Opening a new window, he typed Valerie’s name into the search engine. With a heavy sigh he turned to face her.
“It’s everywhere. He’s plastered her all over the internet.”