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“Why did you do that?” She looked at her mom from the corner of her eye.
“Because he asked, and I answered.” Her mom shrugged. “He’s a nice boy, honey.”
“He’s a man,” Grace pointed out. “And anyway, since when did you like the nice ones?”
Her mom laughed. Mostly because Grace’s dad had been an ass when he first started working with her mom. It took a lot of fighting for them to get where they were today.
“Since my daughter started dating,” her mom said. “And got her heart broken.”
“Pascal didn’t break my heart,” Grace told her. And it was true. Yes, he upset her. Mostly because she thought they were serious, but he was only using her for a bit of fun before he settled down with a French woman his parents approved of, but that was old history now.
“Of course he did. I remember when you came home, how sad you were. I used to watch you when you didn’t know I was looking. You’d stare at your phone as though you hoped he’d call.”
Grace blinked. Her mom had it all wrong. She’d stare at her phone, thinking about how stupid she’d been to sleep with Michael. Panicking that somebody might find out.
“Why not let me find my own nice guy?” Grace asked her. They were getting closer to the hills now. Where they’d need to turn back and return to the farm. She wanted to finish this conversation. To feel the wind in her hair once again.
To forget about French boyfriends and cousins who weren’t cousins and prom dates who wouldn’t get the message.
“You’re no fun,” her mom complained, and Grace rolled her eyes. “I just wanted to do a little matchmaking.”
“Do it to somebody else,” Grace said, giving her a warm smile. “Because I’m perfectly capable of organizing my own love life.” Well, kind of.
“Okay then, I will.” Her mom rolled her eyes at Grace. “Let’s see. Michael’s back in town. He’s single now that his divorce was finalized, I guess I could matchmake him..”
“He’s divorced? I didn’t even know he was married.” Grace frowned. Why hadn’t she known this?
“Neither did Mia for a while. They eloped.” Her mom laughed. “I think that happened while you were away. And then it all went to hell from what I can tell and then they got divorced last year. Mia doesn’t really like to talk about it. You know how quiet she can be about her personal life.”
Grace stared right ahead, her teeth clenched. That meant he was married when they’d spent the night together. A wave of fury washed over her. What right did he have to lie to her and then come storming into her house like a self righteous pig?
Oh, he had some answering to do.
“Come on, let’s stop talking and ride,” she said, because she needed to work this energy off.
“Okay.” Her mom grinned, turning her horse around. “Race you back to the farm.”
And that’s what she needed. A race, a fast ride. Anything to push the thought of him – and his stupid marriage and their one night together – out of her head.
* * *
“The team isn’t playing ball. They’re refusing to make an offer unless we agree to a one year extension.”
“We said two. And a new contract.” Michael shook his head at the laptop in front of him. He wasn’t supposed to be working. Wasn’t supposed to be in his room above the garage – the one his mom and Cam had built for him when he was still a teenager, but he’d barely stayed in. And yeah, he felt guilty because his mom really tried to make this place feel like his home.
There were photographs of all of them. Him, his mom, stepdad, and Josh, the younger brother he also shared a dad with.
Josh and Cam had always been close. He’d even taken Cam’s surname when their mom had married him. But he’d been nine and Michael had been sixteen by that point, and there was a vast gulf between being an excited kid and a grumpy-ass teenager.
It was funny, really, because Michael was the reason Cam and his mom had met. He and Josh had been throwing a ball in the street and damaged the paintwork on an expensive sports car, only for the owner to climb out and chase after them.
The owner had been Cam, of course. And then he’d turned out to be Michael’s football coach at high school, too.
And that’s how Cam and Michael’s mom had first started talking. And why he’d hated the thought of them together. It had been embarrassing, and at the time he still hadn’t gotten over his parents’ divorce.
As an adult, he was much more understanding. Shit happened. You found happiness where you could. And who was he to stop his mom from being happy?
“Let’s do nothing until Monday afternoon,” Michael said. “Make them sweat. Call the client, let him know the plan, and tell him to get out and get papped this weekend.” Michael lifted his brow. “Not drinking. Just having a good time. Looking casual.”
