The stupid wave of jealousy heated his cheeks. He shouldn’t care if his brother and Grace were involved, now or before.
“I already have. They’re friends. Like you and me. He said he’d have sex with her if she offered, but didn’t want any type of relationship. He already asked if she’d go for the friends with benefits deal.”
“He did?” His brother could be an asshole, but he didn’t think he’d be that inconsiderate to a woman.
“You’ve met your brother, right?” Alexis smirked and picked up her wine again. Carter was a man whore. He loved women. Loved having sex with women, and they seemed to fawn all over him. Grace though? Carter usually kept his trysts out of Crystal Cove. “His proposition was a joke. Although he said he’d gladly take her up on it if she ever changed her mind.”
He clenched his jaw and squeezed his bottle a little too hard. Loosening his grip, he set his beer on the bar top.
“Back to you. You’re interested. I can tell.”
“I’m not.”
“And now you’re defensive.”
“Only because you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“My sister is trouble. She’s a flake who can’t commit to anything. When her fancy shop thing ends up being a bust and a money suck, she’ll come crawling back home, taking back her childhood bedroom and mooching off our parents and whining to my husband.”
“You don’t have faith in your sister?”
Alexis gave him a stare down. Her lack of expression and the tilt of her head spoke louder than any words.
“She seems to be trying.”
“Like I said. You have the hots for Grace.”
“No, I don’t.”
“That’s how she gets what she wants.”
“Aren’t you being a little harsh?” It was unlike Alexis to be so ... snide. This was another side of her he’d never witnessed. In the past, when she’d talked about Grace, it had always been bitter at first, complaining that her sister had left the family with all the hard work. But there was a longing for her sister to come back home. Deep down inside, Brady believed Alexis loved her sister.
They had issues, for sure.
“Look at her.” He would have if she hadn’t left the building. “She’s not cut out for this town. She’s forgotten what winter in Maine can be like. I give her until Christmas, and then she’s out.”
Something deep inside Brady felt bad for Grace. He’d judged her quickly, as had Alexis, and probably many others in town.
Whatever her reputation had been back in high school, Grace was now a business owner. She helped Ty find the perfect engagement ring for Lily and from the sounds of it, hadn’t taken any of the credit.
Brady pushed to his feet. “Give Sophie a kiss for me.” He placed his hand on Alexis’ shoulder and squeezed. “I’m going to head home. Early mornings. You know how those go.”
“Sure do. I promised Ben one dance,” Alexis—always the tomboy—shuddered, “and then we’re out as well.”
“I’ll see you around.” Brady placed a few bills on the bar and picked up his fleece coat from the back of his stool.
Avoiding eye contact so he wouldn’t get stuck staying any later, he ducked out of the hall and headed toward the back of the gravel parking lot to his truck.
The full moon illuminated a lone silhouette in the gazebo. The woman leaned against the archway, arms crossed, looking out over the grapevines. Even with her back to him, Brady knew the figure.
Debating whether to give her privacy or to say hello, or goodnight, or something, he ground his toe into the dirt and turned his head in a one-eighty. On the other side of the parking lot, a fire crackled, and deep voices laughed and echoed through the cool night air.
Brady kicked at a small rock and it flew out, ricocheting against an oak barrel and off the gazebo step.
Grace spun around.
“Hi.” The whites of her eyes were big and round. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She sniffed and rubbed her chin against her shoulder.
His legs moved of their own accord up the steps to the gazebo. Grace stepped away from him, and he stopped dead center.
“Are you alright?”
Her sister had been pretty rough on her.
“Sure.”
He had no right talking to her about anything personal. Alexis had intentionally embarrassed her in front of him, and his heart hurt a little for her. He wasn’t sure what the gentlemanly thing to do was.
“Nice night.” Smooth. Brady tucked his hands deep in his fleece pockets and rocked back on his heels.
“Yeah.” Grace nodded and looked away. The moon continued to play against her pale skin. She chewed on her top lip and sniffled again.
Shit. She’d been crying. That completely changed the game. What the hell did he do with a crying woman? If it had been his fault, he’d apologize. This wasn’t his doing—thankfully—so now what?
“Can I get you anything?” Again, lame.
“Nope. Peachy hunky dory here.” Grace let out a humorless laugh and shrugged. “I was just taking in some air before heading home. To think, a week ago all I’d have to do was walk up those stairs.” She nodded toward the main house where she’d been living since back in Maine. “Now it’s a whole ten minutes to town.”
“Have you been drinking?” Brady couldn’t help but be the responsible adult. It was ingrained in him now.
“Water. I hadn’t planned on staying too long. I need to look fresh when I open the store tomorrow morning.” Again, the smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“You always look fresh, Grace.” The compliment slipped out.
Grace slapped a hand over her chest. “First I’m pretty and now I look fresh. And your face didn’t make that look like it hurt to say it. I don’t know what to do with all the compliments. And here I thought you hated me.”
Brady stepped closer, those legs of his moving on their own again. “I never said I hated you.”
“Please,” she snorted. “You and Alexis couldn’t look anymore down on me. I know what I do will never measure up to the work you two put into your jobs, but I’m not—”
First his legs, now his hand. Brady had no intentions of reaching out and touching her. He had no right, but his brain hadn’t registered the thought fast enough to his hand. His fingers wrapped around her wrist, stopping it from swirling around as she spoke.
Those eyes, as green as the dress she wore, turned up toward his and hell, his knees nearly buckled.
Doe eyes. Scared, lost, passionate eyes. Frozen in the moment, he didn’t know what to do or say next. Hell, if any of his body parts moved faster than his brain he would be in deep shit.
“Owning your own business, no matter what it is, is something to be proud of.” Her skin was soft and delicate under his rough and calloused hands. He didn’t want to squeeze too hard, afraid he’d break her. Proud of himself for resisting the temptation to stroke her wrist with the pad of his thumb, he let her go.
Grace rubbed her wrist with her other hand, those stormy sea eyes lowering to his mouth.
No. Don’t do it.
She did.
The tip of her tongue traced her lips before she caught her bottom one between her teeth.
Shoving his hands back in his pockets, he stepped back and cleared his throat. “Can I give you a ride home?”
“I have my car,” she said, her voice soft.
“Okay then. I’ll, uh, walk you to it. It’s late.” He stated the obvious. Also obvious, they were in a no-crime town and her car couldn’t be too far away.
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s dark.” Way to go, Captain Obvious.
Finally agreeing, Grace nodded and stepped past him, a trail of spice following in her wake. He walked elbow-to-elbow with her around to the front of the winery where he spotted her white sedan.
“Pretty soon we’ll be running out to warm up our cars five minutes before we need to leave.” Th
is was why he didn’t date. He said stupid things to women.
“I’m definitely not looking forward to that.”
The casual bet Alexis made rang through his ears. I give her until Christmas and then she’ll be out. He waited while she unlocked her car.
“Drive safely.” Grace slid behind the wheel, and he held on to the door to close it for her. “Congratulations on your store. I’m sure it will be a great success.”
“Thanks,” she said, the doubt in her eyes as evident as the doubt in her sister’s words.
“You have that drive. The passion. If anyone can make a store like that work in Crystal Cove, it’s you, Grace.”
She tilted her head up, her mouth open. He waited as she struggled to formulate words.
“That means a lot to me.” She closed her eyes, scrunching them tight before opening them again. “There aren’t many who have faith in me. I’d put you in that category as well.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been...”
“An ass?”
“Something like that.” He smirked. He’d been too quick to judge. No, she wasn’t perfect, far from it, but she deserved a chance. A shot at achieving her dream, even if it seemed outlandish and nothing Brady could comprehend.
They were as different as different could be. Their interests were as far right and as far left as could be.
Yet something about Grace pulled at his heartstrings.
And damn, he was a sucker for those legs.
CHAPTER NINE
THE CLOSET’S OPENING week had been more than what Grace expected. Her friends had rallied, stopping by every day to visit and even buy a few pieces. Mia’s social circle was the biggest, and she’d told her party girls to check out the shop.
And they did. The women weren’t what Grace had expected. They were more like... her. Or rather, who she was in Europe. Shallow, superficial, and on the prowl for bigger and better. She was surprised Mia hung out with the women.
At six, she closed up and hurried up to her apartment to put the pizza dip she’d made this morning into the oven to warm up. It was her turn to bring snacks to the book club. While the dip heated, she changed into leggings and a pair of cute dark plum heels and pulled her hair up into a messy bun.
She’d finished the Sandra Brown novel two nights ago and even prepared a handful of questions for the girls to ponder over. They’d been on a roll the past two months actually talking about books and not just Lily and Ty’s love life. Granted, now that they were engaged, the topic would be back to them and not as much on the books they were reading, which was fine with Grace.
The off-topic meets were her favorite. They made Grace feel a little more connected, one step closer to calling the girls her true friends.
Alexis’ dismissal of her the other night still stung. She’d never come right out and said it, but Grace knew her sister wasn’t thrilled with her return. Grace hadn’t meant to prod her way into her sister’s friends’ lives. It just sort of happened.
It started with Hope’s invite to a book night, then an invitation from Mia to join them in Rockland for a concert in the park, and then her connection with Lily. Grace didn’t invite herself to anything and even declined the invitation to some of the backyard barbecues this past summer.
The once a month book clubs were her favorite though. She’d always been a reader. Books were what got her through those lonely days and nights when she didn’t have a friend to call on or a sister to talk to. She could escape in a book and forget how truly alone she was in the world, despite living in a glamorous city like Paris and partying every weekend.
It had been her idea to prepare questions ahead of time. Alexis had scoffed at first, but Jenna and Lily were excited about it. Hope thought it was a decent idea as well. Mia didn’t care either way.
The timer on the stove went off. Grace finished brushing her teeth and rushed into the kitchen. She picked up two potholders and opened the oven door. A wave of heat blasted her face, followed by the smell of sauce and pepperoni.
There were a few things she was good at. And while cooking may not be one of them, she was learning. Pinterest had been her new best friend. She’d always admired her mother’s cooking, and when home these past months she started helping out in the kitchen.
Cooking was therapeutic. There were some major disasters, like when she drained lasagna noodles and placed the plastic strainer back on the hot burner. Or when she made a roasted chicken and forgot to take out the gizzards. Or when she added a fourth of a cup of baking soda instead of a teaspoon in her oatmeal raisin cookies.
For the most part, she could handle one recipe at a time. Multi-tasking was the challenge. That was when most of the blunders happened.
Placing the hot dish on the stovetop, Grace let out a sigh of relief as she inspected the perfectly bubbly cheese layer on top. She slipped off the mitts and took the baguette out of the plastic sleeve and sliced it into little rounds.
Not having anything fancy, she found a Ziploc bag and tossed the bread in it. Now how to transport the hot dip? She hadn’t thought it all the way through. She scanned her kitchen, limited on supplies even with her mother’s boxes of donated dishes and utensils.
The dip was in an eight-by-eight glass dish. Spotting the nine-by-thirteen glass pan, she set the dip inside. Not bad. Only it slipped around when she picked up the larger pan. Taking it out again, she wrapped a small towel around the dip and then placed it in the nine-by-thirteen pan.
“Perfect.” Now to make it to Books by the Ocean without dropping it. The twenty-two steps to the bottom of her stairs didn’t pose a problem now. In the winter they’d be brutal. She wouldn’t dare juggle a hot dish if there was ice on the steps.
It only took a few minutes to load up and drive to the bookstore. If it was warmer out and she didn’t have to bring the snacks, she would have walked. Hope, Jenna, and Lily were already there.
“That smells amazing.” Jenna took the dish from Grace and set it on the square coffee table.
“Thanks. It’s been so cold out lately I figured a warm snack was in order.”
Lily opened the bag of bread and dipped it in the cheesy sauce. “Ohmygawd,” she said around a mouthful of pizza dip. “My old oven made this?”
“Technically, Grace did.” Hope followed suit, diving in as well.
Lily didn’t like to cook. According to her, the only use the oven got in the apartment was to heat up frozen dinners.
“I want this recipe.” Jenna dabbed her mouth with a napkin and sat down. “I hope Mia and Alexis can’t make it tonight. More for us.”
Jenna, always so sweet and kind, must really love the dip to wish the other two not come.
“I totally heard that,” Mia said from behind the seating area. “And since I’m drink girl tonight, you’re not getting any.”
“As long as I don’t have to share the dip, I don’t care.”
“It can’t be that good. I brought hot toddies. My nips froze just walking across the parking lot.” Mia set a bag down next to the food and unwound her purple scarf, tossing it on the back of the couch.
“Nice mouth,” Hope scolded. “It amazes me why you don’t have a boyfriend.”
“They’re overrated.” Mia took out a thermos and poured the drinks.
Grace had to agree. She’d yet to have one who treated her well and made the effort worth it. Taking out her book, she settled on the couch next to Jenna.
“Weather forecast says it’ll drop down to fifteen degrees tonight. Pretty cold for the first week of November,” Hope said.
“Which will kill my grapes.” Alexis blew into the store, cheeks flushed from the cold. “I can’t stay long. Ben and I have a long night ahead of us keeping an eye on the crops.”
“Don’t you need cold weather to make ice wine?” Grace asked. Her sister had great success the past two winters with ice wine. The wine was delicious but so much work went into making it.
The right side of Alexis’ face lifted in a snarly glare. “Not no
w. Not this cold. It’s too soon. Don’t you know anything about—”
“This is my first book club as an engaged woman,” Lily interrupted, holding out her left hand across the middle of the table. She giggled and winked at Grace when they made eye contact.
While Grace hadn’t bared her soul to Lily, her friend had picked up on the hostility between the sisters. She’d never been one who had to be the center of attention, and her tactic was clearly to break the tension in the room.
Grace blinked back grateful tears and sipped on the hot toddy Mia had made. After more ooohs and aaahs, everyone settled into the couches and chairs around the table.
“Grace, this pizza dip is totally kick ass.” Mia wiped her chin with a napkin.
“Thank you.”
“’K, ladies. Who came prepared with questions?” Hope, always the leader, attempted to bring the conversation to books.
“I have one.” Jenna raised her hand. “When’s the big day?”
Lily nestled into the cushions of the couch and laughed. “We’re not sure yet. We wanted to check in with Ty’s family and with you guys to see when would be the least obtrusive.”
“You’re too sweet. This day should be about you two though,” Hope said. “Cam and I didn’t want to wait, and we didn’t care what others thought. No offense, ladies.”
“I’m glad you didn’t wait. I don’t see the point,” Mia said.
“Summer would be beautiful, but you’re all so busy. Maybe early spring before it gets crowded around here? But fall is gorgeous too. I don’t know.”
For the next thirty minutes, Grace listened as Lily and her friends chatted about dresses, color schemes, and flowers.
“You’re awful quiet,” Jenna said, scooping up the last bit of pizza dip and bringing it to her mouth.
The side-eye Alexis cast her way all evening hadn’t gone unnoticed. She wasn’t welcome here.
“I guess my mind is preoccupied with everything I need to do at The Closet,” she lied. There wasn’t anything to do except more marketing. Foot traffic had already come to a halt in town with the festival being over, and Grace would have to rely on online sales to keep her afloat for the next few months. “I should probably go.”
Here With You Page 9