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GRACIE
“Just say yes,” I plead with the stranger standing beside me.
“Excuse me?” His confusion is expected. Up until five seconds ago, we’d never met much less spoken. But there’s no time to explain. I just need him to go along with the preposterous plan I devised on the fly a few moments ago as we stand in the frozen food section.
“Just say yes and your groceries are on me.” Reaching for the bread tucked under his arm, I take it and toss it in the cart. I grab a few other items and chuck them into the grocery cart with a cling. “Sweetie, are your parents coming by Sunday?”
His bewilderment turns into curiosity, and I’m grateful when he gives me ayeseven if it’s a bit reluctant. But he’ll soon figure out why, and I can give him the details later. First, we have something—or more like two someones—to deal with.
“Gracie, is that you?” The sweet tone scrapes every last nerve in my body, and once I turn, I’m met with a fake smile.
“Yep.” I don’t try and hide my animosity, it’d be pointless. My desperation, however, that I will fight tooth and nail to keep covered as evidenced by pulling some stranger shopping for frozen pizza into my drama. “Hi, Holly.” I turn to the lying, cheating bastard who, like me, doesn’t put on a show. “Dax.”
“Hey, Gracie.” He gives me a quick greeting before looking to Mr. Frozen Pizza Shopper. “How’ve you been?”
“Great.” I gesture to my new best friend and lifesaving pretend beau. I’m rolling with it now. “This is Luke.” I motion between the blissful couple. “Holly. Dax.”
Luke, as I’ve now dubbed him, extends his hand. “Nice to meet y’all.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine.” Holly places her hand in his and lingers, like she’s expecting him to raise it to his lips and kiss her knuckles or some shit. And when he gives her a friendly shake it makes me happy. Why would his lips on her make me jealous? It shouldn’t. But maybe it’s because of who else’s lips found her when they shouldn’t have.
“Yeah. I’m sure it is.” I give Luke a subtle apologetic glance because how could this get anymore awkward. “Well, we have to get going.”
Of course she can’t let me walk away with what little dignity I’m able to grasp at the moment. “What’s the rush, Gracie? We haven’t seen each other in forever. I had no idea that you’d moved on.”
“Yeah, well…” A smile rises on my face as I completely drop whatever the hell I was trying to hold onto. “Y’all didn’t inform me when the two of you hooked up, but okay.”
Dax shifts uncomfortably, hooking his arm on Holly’s elbow. At least he wants to end this whole encounter too. It’s the only time I’ve felt any appreciation for him since I found them in bed together—my bed to be exact.
“I thought we were past that.” Holly shrugs off Dax. “I figured as much when I didn’t get a response back to the invite.”
“Yeah. Must’ve gotten lost in the mail.” Or more like burned to a crisp while Megan and I enjoyed a drink around the firepit.
“Come on, Gracie. You’re my baby cousin, despite appearances.” Holly does an assessing look down my body.
Bitch. She’s never outright given me shit about being bigger than her, only likes to point out how much smaller she is than me, her younger,babycousin who outgrew her in size years ago.
“Appearances can be deceiving,” I retort.
“That’s the truth,” Dax adds quietly because he can’t exactly be allowed to have an opinion unless Holly wants to permit him a moment to speak. Which she doesn’t.
“So, can I put you down on the guest list”—she looks to Luke—“with a plus-one?”
Double shit.Hurry up! Think of anything snarkyto say.Anything that’ll avoid outright admitting my plus-one can’t attend.
Luke slips his arm around my lower back, pulling me to him so my hip presses against his thigh, his face leaning to me as he says, “I can make plans to attend. But only if your schedule is free. I know Mom has kept you hemmed up with her lately.”
What the actual fuck? I almost ask the question aloud, but instead look stupidly at the charming guy who smells too damn good. I would have never guessed Mr. Frozen Pizza Shopper would be willing and ready to bail my ass out. And I finally take the time to get a good look at him. From his towering height to his deep brown eyes that match his hair. Damn. If I were shopping for a man, his chiseled jaw line attached to his gorgeous smile would definitely be at the top of the wish list. Though we’re surrounded by food, he’s the only thing that is making my mouth water at the moment.
“So, what do you say, Gracie?” Holly asks.
Leave it to her to pull me out of my vivid fantasy of the stranger who seems hell-bent on rescuing me. Thank God he’s playing along. “Yeah. I’m not sure if we’ll make it.” I look to Dax. “But thanks for the invitation.”
“Well, just in case I’ll put you down. I know it’d be a difficult time since you’re still not past everything. Obviously. But it would probably be the first step in some closure for you.”
“No. I think his dick in your vagina on my Egyptian cotton sheets was enough closure for me.” Especially since I threw the damn things away and had to buy a new set. It wasn’t exactly an easy purchase but keeping the old ones would’ve been a harder undertaking.
“Yeah. That sounds pretty final.” Luke lets out a humorless laugh but his arm tightening around my waist doesn’t go unnoticed—by me or Dax. I see the way his eyes clock the strong fingers I feel through the thin fabric of my yoga pants. “We’ll keep it in mind, but we have places to be tonight.”
Luke’s free hand grips my shopping cart, pushing it down the aisle as he guides me along beside him. “Need anything else?”
“A stiff drink,” I mumble under my breath. Relief. That’s all I feel. To be away from that miserable couple and for the guy next to me who made the run-in so much more bearable.
“That can be arranged.” His reply catches me off guard as I lean a bit away from him. When his arm falls from my waist, my only (and surprising!) focus is how it felt so right… like, more than it should have, considering I don’t even know the guy’s actual name.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, glancing over my shoulder. “I just couldn’t face them alone with only ice cream and frozen pizza to keep me company.”
“Don’t apologize to me. Sounds like you’re the one who deserves an apology, but I doubt either of those boneheads will be issuing one.” He stops, looking to me. “If you ask me, they did you a favor. You obviously deserve better than a man who can’t appreciate a stunning woman.”
Oh, flattery. He’s good at it. But there’s an undercurrent of protectiveness too. And I’m appreciative for both, but I’ve got to get back to reality. One that doesn’t include a handsome stranger rescuing me. Unfortunately. “Thanks. And a deal is a deal. Let’s go check out. Your groceries are on me.”
