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“Years of practice, I guess.”
She finishes her water and then goes to stand up. I’m sitting there trying to figure out what she meant by that last comment, that is, if she meant anything at all, but the sight of her on full display erases pretty much everything else from my brain.
I stand when she does and then gesture for her to leave the plates. “I’ll get this.”
“Ok, thanks. I’m heading inside to change. See you in a bit.”
“She’s off limits, my friend. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
I turn to see Leo’s friend Max eyeing Grace as she makes her way across the yard and inside. I’ve met him a few times, and while he can come off as an ass sometimes, my gut tells me he’s basically a good guy.
“How are you, Max?”
“You know me...Looking for love in all the wrong places.”
That earns him a laugh. “I thought you were serious with that girl, the nurse. What was her name?”
“Nadia.” He shakes his head. “We broke up a couple of weeks ago.”
“Sorry to hear it. She seemed like a good person.”
“She was. I mean, she is. I screwed that up and she’s not the type to put up with my shit. My mother says I self-sabotage.”
“Yourmom?”
He laughs and then takes a sip of his drink. “She’s a clinical psychologist. And she’s right. When things start getting serious I do something to fuck it up. In this case, I did Nadia’s friend, Lexi.”
“Jesus. I’m glad she kicked your ass to the curb.”
“It was fully deserved.” He tilts his beer in the direction that Grace just headed. “And even if that one wasn’t already spoken for, Skylar would put a hit out on me if I so much as spoke to any one of her friends.”
“I guess she knows your act.”
“She certainly does.”
I keep Grace’s current status to myself, just in case Max does go getting any ideas where she’s concerned. And then I smile to myself, repeating the line my own mother throws out like confetti whenever the chips are down:Always remember that something good is right around the corner.
Something good.
I’m hoping that’s Grace.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Grace
Sitting upright, I rub the sleep from my eyes and take in my surroundings. Right, I crashed at Skylar and Leo’s. Massaging my scalp, I remember those birthday shots that made my decision to stay over a no-brainer. I don’t know what got into me last night.
Oh, yes I do.
Charlotte Mason.
When Skylar asked Sienna to fill her in on all the hometown gossip, she slapped her forehead and then looked over to where Garth was standing at the edge of the garden with their son. “I cannot believe I forgot to tell you!” Sienna looked to me when she asked, “Do you remember Simon Wade? He was in our year.”
“Sure, he was in Honors English.”
Skylar sighed, shaking her head. “So not fair. He was smartandhot.”
Nodding, Sienna agreed, “Every girl had a crush on him. Anyway, Garth stays in touch with him. Not too often, but they talk on the phone from time to time.”
