by Jill Sanders
He filled everyone in on the last few hours’ events, then they sat around trying to decide their next move.
He’d seen Grace enter from the deck on the arm of the dark-haired guy. He’d known the second he saw her that something was wrong. He’d alerted Wendy and had just made his way to Grace when the guy started leading her up the stairs.
Seeing her glassed-over eyes, he’d known that she’d been drugged. In his few years bartending, he’d witnessed it three times. Each time, he’d called the cops and protected the women until they arrived.
Not on his watch. Especially not with someone he knew and was starting to really care about.
He turned when the swinging doors opened, and a nurse stepped out. He’d seen her in the bar several times in the past and remembered her name was Candace.
“She’s resting right now. We’ve found a slight amount of Rohypnol in her system.” Alan’s fists tightened, and the nurse rested a hand on his arm. “A slight amount. She’ll rest, then she can go home. First, we have a few questions.”
He nodded, then motioned for Anna to follow him.
Over the next half hour, they answered as many questions as they could. He didn’t know any of the guys, hadn’t seen them before, didn’t know if someone had spiked her drink. Most important, he knew that she hadn’t been assaulted, since he’d watched her eat her sandwich and talk to the guy through the windows. Candace confirmed that fact, which caused him to relax slightly. Still, he was pissed at himself for not going after the guy.
“You did the right thing.” Anna rested a hand on his arm. They were still sitting in the waiting room together. Wendy, Cole, Marcus, and Roman had returned to the house to put an end to the party.
By the time Wendy and Cole returned an hour later, Grace was awake and asking to go home.
He helped her into the Jeep and sat in the back as they drove to her place in silence.
“Are you okay?” Anna asked as he helped her out of the Jeep in front of the house.
“I just want to shower and get some sleep.” Grace closed her eyes and leaned against him.
“I’ll stay tonight,” Anna added, opening the door.
He was surprised at how clean the place was as they passed through the main rooms. He led her up the stairs with Anna following close behind.
“You don’t have to,” Grace said when they reached the first landing.
“I already texted my mother,” Anna said behind them. “Besides, I’m not going to leave you alone. The nurse said—”
“Okay,” Grace interrupted. “I don’t think I want to be left alone anyway.” She wrapped her arm around her friend and they helped her the rest of the way up the stairs together.
“I’m going to head back and get Ralph. We’ll crash here. Just in case,” he said as they entered the room at the top of the stairs.
“You don’t…” Grace started, but stopped when she noticed the look he was giving her. “Thank you.” She stopped and dropped her arms from him.
He stood back as Anna shut the door between them. His knuckles were sore, his pride stung, and he wanted to punch something for letting those assholes run off. He’d be damned if he allowed any of them to return that night.
“Everything okay?” Wendy asked when he made his way back downstairs.
“Yeah, I’m going to head out and collect Ralph. We’ll crash here tonight.” He swiped his hand through his hair and glanced around. “Thanks for all this.”
She smiled. “I didn’t do much. Cole, Marcus, and Roman did most of the heavy lifting after they kicked everyone out.”
He nodded. “I owe them each a drink.” Hell, he’d owe them more than just one.
“I’m going to head out.” Wendy walked over and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You saved her.” She took a step away, then snapped her fingers. “Speaking of being a savior…” She smiled, and he knew she was up to something. “I forgot to tell you the news.” She reached over and grabbed her husband’s hand. “We’re having a baby.”
He wasn’t surprised by the news, since he’d noticed that she’d been drinking water all night and had a distant dreamy look in her eyes.
“Congrats.” He hugged her, then shook Cole’s hand.
“We’d like you to be the baby’s godparent.”
This was a surprise to him. When he’d first met Cole, he’d gotten the distinct feeling the guy didn’t like him. After Wendy and he had started dating, Cole had loosened up towards him.
“Well?” Wendy asked after a moment.
“I can’t think of anything I’d like more.” He hugged her once more.
6
Grace sank further into the tub and sighed. Her head was foggy and her elbow and hip hurt, but all she could remember was Alan’s soft voice in her head. “I’ve got you. No one’s going to hurt you, not on my watch.” She didn’t know if he’d really said it or if she’d made it up.
“Are you okay in there?” Anna’s voice sounded from outside the bathroom door.
“Yes,” she said softly. Her head hurt too much for her to yell back.
“Need any help?” Anna asked.
“You just want to see me naked,” she joked.
“Please, with those little tits?” Anna chuckled through the door. “I like more meat on my victims. Besides, I’m a hot dog lover.”
Grace laughed and grabbed her head when pain shot behind her eyes. “Go away. You’re making me laugh, which hurts.”
“God forbid!” Anna joked through the door. “I’m right outside if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” She dunked her hair under the warm water and then looked at her body. There was a nasty bruise on her left hip and her elbow was sporting a small cut, which she knew would be surrounded by bruises by the morning.
When she climbed out of the tub, she heard more than Anna’s voice on the other side of the door. Pulling on the pj’s she’d brought into the bathroom with her, she rolled her long hair up in the towel and stepped out into the big room.
Alan, Ralph, and Anna were laying on the massive bed, watching the TV. All three of them glanced in her direction. Anna had a big bowl of popcorn, while Alan was eating a burger.
“That smells amazing.” She moved over as Alan held out a bag.
“I got fries too.” He wiggled the bag.
“I love you.” She took the bag and placed a kiss on his forehead. Then she sat on the edge of the bed and buried her nose in the greasy bag. “My god.” She closed her eyes. “Orgasmic.”
“Alan got us movies.” Anna sat up slightly.
“I logged into my Netflix account.” He shrugged. “I thought we could watch something. You know, get our minds off of… things.”
“That is the best idea ever,” she added.
She settled on the bed as she finished off her burger and Anna picked a movie. She was happily surprised when Ralph snuggled at her feet.
She sat back and watched a comedy with her two new friends who had gone out of their way to save her skinny butt from what she deemed sheer stupidity.
She’d set her drink down several times that night and had never once thought about someone slipping something into it. She wouldn’t make that mistake twice.
Somewhere halfway through the movie, she lost consciousness.
Her cell phone ringing woke her up early the next morning. Rolling over, she opened her eyes and saw Anna was still curled up with Ralph in her bed. Alan must have snuck out sometime during the night.
“Hello?” she answered without looking at the screen.
“What’s this about you being drugged?” The tone of her father’s voice had her inwardly groaning.
“How did you hear about it?” she asked, without thinking.
“We received a call last night to confirm that you’re still on our insurance plan.” He sounded angrier than he had in a very long time. Even more than when he’d found out about Corey ditching her.
“I’m fine,” she replied, even though he hadn’t asked if she was.
“
We’re at the airport,” he said, and she could hear him moving things around. “We’ll be there in about half an hour.”
“Airport?” She sat up and looked at the clock. It was a quarter past six. The sun was up, but she could still see the pinks in the sky from the sunrise. “This airport?” She glanced over at Anna, who was staring at her funny.
“Yes, this one. We called the clinic and found out about the party. For your sake, I hope you didn’t trash the place. See you in half an hour.” Her father hung up without saying goodbye.
“Folks coming to your rescue?” Anna sat up and stretched her arms above her head.
Grace felt like tossing her phone once more. “Yeah, they treat me like I’m still a kid.”
“To them, you always will be.” Anna got up and made her way to the bathroom. “I have to head out. Mom and Ronald wanted to leave around nine.”
“You’re driving back?” Grace felt her heart sink a little, knowing her new friend wouldn’t be around any longer.
“Yeah.” Anna looked back at her. “Hey, don’t worry, Alan is still around. Besides, I’m not going to go and lose your number. I’ve never been to Kentucky. I was hoping to come up next break and check things out.” She winked, then shut the door behind her.
After pulling on some shorts and a fresh top, Grace made her way downstairs. Alan was standing in the kitchen in swim trunks and a tank top, cooking bacon and eggs.
“Morning.” He smiled over at her. “Thought I’d make us something…” He stopped when he noticed her. “What’s wrong?”
“My folks are on their way over here.” She bit her bottom lip.
“Oh.” He set the spatula down. After a minute he nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be awkward if I’m still around.”
“Me too,” Anna said from the top of the stairs. “We’ll head out. Alan can drop me off at the condo.”
She shook her head and felt tears behind her eyes. “Thank you.” She walked over and hugged Anna, then moved to give Alan a hug too. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said to Alan.
“I’m working. Maybe you can convince the folks to head into the Boardwalk for drinks or dinner?”
She nodded, knowing full well her parents wouldn’t pick the Boardwalk Bar and Grill if it was the only place open along the Gulf Coast.
Still, as she said goodbye to her friends, she wondered just why her parents had decided to make the trip. Why had they waited to call her from the airport?
She glanced down at her phone and groaned when she noticed all the missed calls from them last night. She must have slept like the dead.
This wasn’t going to be pretty.
When they arrived, she opened the door for them and stood back as the driver placed their luggage inside the doorway. Her parents walked in like they owned the place, which, in a way, they did. At least for the next week.
“You didn’t have to make the trip—” she started to say, only to be waved off as her father handed the driver several bills. When the front door was shut, and they were alone, he turned on her.
“What is the meaning of all this?” His eyes narrowed.
“We understand you’re upset after what that boy did to you,” her mother said, sitting down on one of the cream leather sofas. “But really, throwing a party.” She shook her head. “Getting drunk enough to let someone spike your drink…”
“I didn’t let someone…” She took a deep breath and tried not to raise her voice.
With her parents, the second she raised her voice, they accused her of being too emotional to talk rationally.
“I had a few friends over last night. Someone invited a group of men. One of them must have slipped something in my drink. My friend Alan caught it before anything bad happened.”
“Obviously, they weren’t the right kind of friends,” her father added from his spot by the fireplace, “if they know people who would do such a thing.”
Grace felt her eyes narrow. Somehow, her father always found a dark side to everything she said. Usually, it came back to being her fault.
“You simply just don’t know a good friend from a bad friend. I can’t believe how immature you still are,” her father added.
Case in point, she thought as she sat down across from her mother.
“Well, we’re here to make sure you don’t make any more bad choices,” her mother said.
“Really?” She knew her voice had spiked, but she didn’t care. “I think I can handle—”
“Really?” her father interrupted her. “Do you really want to finish that sentence?”
Grace’s back teeth clenched.
“Feel free to pick a room. There are six more of them.” She turned to step out on the patio.
“Don’t go far,” her father called after her.
She knew it was childish, but she slammed the glass door behind her and set off across the sand.
* * *
Alan was halfway through his shift when Grace walked through the front doors. She was wearing another sundress, this one in a soft blue. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun at the base of her neck. He presumed the couple trailing behind her, looking bored and offended at the same time, were her parents.
He could tell by the look on her face that she was stressed. He waved and smiled and thought he noticed her eyes sparkle slightly when she noticed him.
“Hey,” he said, moving over to the end of the bar. He wanted to give her a hug but, by her stance, guessed it wasn’t the right time. “How’s it going?” he asked.
“Fine.” She glanced around. “Mom, Dad, this is Alan.”
Her father was a thin, tall man with the classic U-shaped baldness on top of his head. Her mother looked like so many women Alan had seen around. Not only did her attire scream of wealth, but so did her hair, makeup, jewelry, and the way she held herself. She was too good for anyone, especially in this place, even her own daughter.
“Hi.” He held out a hand for her father, but was quickly dismissed.
“We’ll go grab a table while you chat with your… friend.” Her father’s eyes ran over him several times. “Come on, Stephanie.” He took his wife’s arm and led her towards an empty table along the wall of windows that overlooked the beach.
“I’m sorry,” Grace said softly.
“For?” He leaned on the bar.
“My parents are…” She glanced over at the couple.
“Snobs?” he supplied.
She chuckled as her eyes closed. “To say the least.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He waved them off. “How about a drink?”
“Not while they’re here.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s funny, they both come from family lines tied to bourbon, but never touch the stuff themselves. Well, my father does occasionally, but only in private. I’d better go before they change their minds about eating here. I’m starved.” She turned to go, but stopped. “What are the chances of you meeting me on the beach tonight?” she asked. “For a walk? Maybe after they’re asleep?”
He nodded. “I’ll be there.”
He tried not to keep glancing over to their table, but he couldn’t stop worrying about her. He could see that her parents being here was making her unhappy. It appeared that they argued all the way through dinner.
When they left, she glanced over her shoulder and caught his eyes, then gave him a quick wave and mouthed. “See you later.”
He nodded and winked at her. He had another hour left before he could leave and filled his time as much as he could. He rushed home, took Ralph on a quick jog down the dark beach, then showered and headed towards her rental.
He parked the Jeep a few houses down, then walked down the beach and waited for her to come out.
He watched as the balcony door slid open and smiled when she tiptoed down the stairs.
He waved at her and felt his heart kick up a notch when she rushed towards him.
“I’ve never snuck out of the house before.” She giggled as she wrapped her arm in his and started walking down the be
ach.
He chuckled. “There’s a first time for everything.” They walked for a while, hand in hand along the dark beach, as the waves lapped gently along the white sand. The moon was full, lighting up the sand so that it almost looked like it was glowing.
“I’m sorry that your folks are ruining the last week of your not-honeymoon.”
She chuckled, then stopped and looked over at him. “They aren’t. Not really. Thank you for meeting me. I needed a friend.”
His heart sank slightly upon hearing the word friend. Sure, he was a friend, but he had hoped…
“No problem.” Before he could say more, she moved closer.
“I’m really terrible at this sort of thing.” She sighed.
“What sort of—”
He didn’t get any further, because she reached up and pressed her lips against his.
“Oh,” he said softly, his hands going to her hips as she moved closer.
“Yeah.” She smiled up at him. “I want to be with you.”
He glanced back at the house. “This isn’t because of them, is it?”
“No.” She shook her head lightly. “I’ve thought about this, us, since I first saw you on the boardwalk.”
She had wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pushed her beautiful body against his. How could he explain to her that he’d thought about her as well?
Instead of talking, he drew her closer and kissed her until he felt his chest vibrate.
“Think we can sneak back into the house?” he asked, pressing his forehead against hers.
“I set a blanket at the base of the stairs,” she hinted, “just in case.”
“Good, because as much as the movies lead people on, sand and sex don’t mix.” He chuckled as he took her hand and started walking towards the lights of the rental. “Stay here,” he said when they were a few yards away. “I’ll go grab it.”
She sat down in the sand as he jogged up the beach and grabbed the soft blanket. He smiled when he noticed the bottle of wine and two plastic glasses next to it.
Knowing that she had thought ahead about what she wanted made him want to give her more. He wished for candlelight and soft music, but he supposed the moon and starlight and the rhythmic sound of the surf would have to do.