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I grind my teeth. What choice do I have but to agree? “Fine. Go.” I motion to the door in aggravation, and he walks off. Before he leaves he stops and mutters something to Carter, who looks back at me and then nods a response to Frank. Fucking babysitting me, most likely.
Carter walks in fifteen minutes later with a bottle of whiskey and two tumblers. “If you break these fucking glasses, I’m gonna be pissed.”
I roll my eyes at his attempt at a joke. “I’m going out of my fucking mind.”
He laughs dryly. “Yeah, I can see that. So…the married woman,” he says, giving me an opening.
“Grace,” I grit out. “I told you last time we talked about this, she’s getting a divorce. Hell, it’s all over the media; you don’t need me to point it out.”
“I know. And I don’t mean to make things worse than they already are, but Hanson wasn’t the only guy she was seen with last night.”
My hand slips from the glass, and I push myself back from the table. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He pulls out his phone and tosses it in my direction. I catch it against my stomach and spin it in my fingers before raising it to my eyes and letting out a low groan. “I knew Hanson was up to something.”
“Yeah. So now Landry thinks they are together and what, you are just going to sweep in there and ‘steal’ Hanson’s girl? That won’t look good to Landry.” Carter cocks his brow at me and if I didn’t know he was right I’d want to punch the smug look off his face. But he’s right. Things just went from bad to worse.
I scrub my eyes with my palms. “I don’t know what to do. I’m in love with her. I’m not willing to give her up. None of this is worth it.” I toss the phone back at him.
The work, the stress, the way that my entire family is relying upon me. It’s too much. I never asked for this. And I damn well know that I don’t want it.
“You’ve known her for what—a month? You’ve wanted to run this company your whole life. You were Pa’s choice. You can’t really be telling me that she’s worth giving this all up?”
The truth is I don’t even hesitate. There isn’t a thing Carter could say to change my mind. “Mark my words, I’m going to marry that woman. I’d give up everything for her.”
Carter shakes his head and lets out a stilted laugh. “Then you’re a bigger fucking idiot than I thought.” He holds up his glass to mine. “Cheers to watching it all burn.” A smile crosses his face.
I clink my glass against his. If that’s the cost, I’ll pay it.
Chapter 37
Grace
It’s after three in the afternoon, and Tessa and I are curled up in bed after doing shots for lunch. Okay, with lunch. Tessa ordered white queso and tacos from our favorite Mexican place down the street. We poured the spicy white piping-hot cheese onto each of our crunchy tacos and did tequila shots in between bites. She even got the salt out and poured it on my wrist making me take it like a champ.
“Just because we’re sad, doesn’t mean we aren’t classy,” she teased.
Damn right. Now we’re watching Andy Anderson sing “You’re So Vain” to Benjamin Barry. “I could watch How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days every night and still not be sick of it.”
“Same,” Tessa replies, nodding at me in a very serious manner. “And I love how their names are alliterations. Andy Anderson,” she sloshes the words together and I smile in agreement.
“Benjamin Barry. That sounds nice.” I poke her nose. “I need a name like that. Grace Gracington. Maybe I’ll change my name to that. I’m certainly not going to keep fucking douchebag’s last name. And I sure as hell am not going back to my mother’s name.” I laugh at the ridiculousness of that idea. And then I laugh harder when I realize that my mother wouldn’t want me to have her name. Neither would Steven. “I’m a woman without a name,” I say into the abyss.
“Well, Grace Gracington it is!” Tessa says as she pulls out the Patrón and fills our cups again.
I shake my head and cover my mouth. “I think I’m going to puke if I have any more.”
Tessa shrugs and does her shot, and I cover my mouth as I throw my head over the side of the bed, trying to force air to move about.
Knocking and shouting sounds from the other room. I startle and fall from the bed, taking the covers with me and getting trapped. Tessa looks down at me and giggles. “Grace Gracington is not so graceful.”
I shoot her the middle finger. “Help me up! There’s doors at the people.”
Tessa laughs again. “You mean people at the door.”
“Right. That!”
I stumble out of my room and Tessa shouts after me, “Pants, Grace, you’re not wearing pants.” I look down and see she is correct. I have on a T-shirt and a thong.
