AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sink onto the couch, stewing in frustration. My brain replays the fight with Dash, still coming up with counterarguments. What was he thinking anyways, having Grace meet him at the bar? That had to be intentional. He’s always putting his nose in my damn business.
I’ve got too much pent-up energy rattling in my system. I grab clutter from countertops as if I’m robbing the joint. I toss some mail, put my dry cleaning bags into the closet, then move to clear the coffee cup from my dresser.
On the other side of the bed, the nightstand still holds half a glass of water for Grace. I groan. Her sweater is draped over the chair. And there, next to the lamp, I spot her glasses. Shit. She’s been without them for days now. Why wouldn’t she have texted me?
Because I was an asshole, and she’d probably rather get new glasses than speak to me, after how I acted.
I grab her stuff and pause. I could box them up and send them back. I could have a delivery guy take them; or leave them at the bar for her to pick up. There are a dozen ways to return them, all without laying eyes on her again.
So, of course, I decide to take them over myself.
It’s only polite, I tell myself, making the trip over to Brooklyn. And after all, I’m not the bad guy here. Really. Despite the fact she bolted out of the bar at full speed rather than look at me a moment longer. But as I arrive out front of her aunts’ store, I can’t help feeling like something smeared on the bottom of my shoe.
Guilty.
I grit my teeth, and head inside.
“Well, hello,” a voice says, coolly, as the chimes sound overhead. Grace’s Aunt Skye stares me down from behind the counter. “Are you looking for Grace? Or purchasing our bestselling Heartache Soother tea?”
Okay, so she definitely knows that we ended things. I offer a smile. “Just dropping off her stuff—”
“Honey!” Skye calls toward the back room, ignoring me. “Did Gracie say she was coming back here with that guy or going to his place?”
My stomach gives a kick, like I could gag right here among the mystical trinkets. Grace is out with some guy already? Just bolted out of the bar and went on a date? Maybe that’s where she was headed all along.
“What?” the voice calls, from somewhere in the back.
“Never mind!” Skye turns back to me, shrugging. “Guess she’s still out.”
“That’s okay,” I say quickly. “I, um. She left her glasses at my place.”
I set the frames and sweater on the countertop and back away, like Grace’s aunt might kill me with a single look. Hell, I feel like I deserve it. But instead, she picks them up and nods. “Thank you. She was looking for these.”
“I figured,” I say. Man, I sound like an idiot. “But she’s—she’s okay?”
“Great,” Skye chirps. “Business is hopping, so thank you for nudging her in that direction. And honestly, as her aunt who can see the big picture, I also appreciate you being honest with her and ending things.”
Finally—someone gets it. “Thankyou. I was actually trying to do right by her.”
She nods, but there’s something… Knowing about this woman. I get the suspicion she’s setting me up. “Gracie’s a born problem-solver,” she continues. “But she manages to be both that little Type-A Doeranda blast to be around. She’s ferocious for the people she loves and, of course, a total babe.”
Is she trying to rub it in? “I… Agree.”
Skye nods, satisfied with that response. “In other words, she’s the best teammate anyone could ask for. It’s easy to take advantage of, and she’s learned that the hard way. But she wants real partnership. The long haul, the hard parts, all of it.”
“Right.” I stare down at my shoes. It sounds so damn brave when she says it like that. And I feel like an absolute coward. “I know.”
“So, thanks for letting her go.” Grace’s aunt smiles kindly at me. “Because now she can go find her teammate.”
The knife twists—goddamn. I thought nothing could be worse than imagining Grace on a date with another guy, but yep, this is actually much worse.
Her falling inlovewith someone else.
“Yeah, I…” I clear my throat. “She deserves the best.”
“Agreed,” Skye says brightly. “Well, don’t be a stranger!”
The chimes sound on the way out, like they’re laughing at me.
