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What a stupid damn night it was turning out to be. He couldn’t wait for it to be over.
* * *
“Oh. My. God.” Sabrina stared at her phone screen, her mouth falling open. “I don’t believe it.”
“What?” Grace asked. They were in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher while their aunts watched a movie. Mia had chosenSteel Magnolias, and Sabrina had made them all virgin cocktails while Grace found it on the streaming service. Then they’d put on their face masks and turned out the lights. Delilah was fast asleep next to Maddie, her grandmother, curled up against her, looking cute as a button.
“My friend’s friend works in the pharmacy next door to the urgent care place. She just saw Mason and his friends come in to get a prescription filled.”
“Is Mason okay?” Grace asked. The last thing Mia needed was for her son to be hurt.
“He’s fine. It’s Ethan. Apparently somebody broke his nose.”
“What?” Grace stood, a dirty plate still in her hand. “Who? Why?”
“I don’t know. She’s still typing. Just a minute.” Her lips curled, and she laughed. “Oh, you’ll never believe this.”
“Try me,” Grace said dryly.
“She’s talking to Mason’s friend. Craig. He saw it all.” Sabrina gasped. “No way.”
“What?” Grace widened her eyes. She normally avoided gossip, but Ethan was a friend. Or kind of.
Whatever. She still liked him. Sort of.
“He was arguing about you.”
Grace froze. “He was what?”
“No, that’s not right. It can’t be.” Sabrina shook her head and Grace was getting annoyed now. Not with her cousin, but with the half-information she was getting.
Why the heck would Ethan argue with somebody about her? Had somebody said something?
“Oh, it gets worse. Ethan was arguing with Michael apparently,” Sabrina whispered. “I can’t believe it.”
The plate in Grace’s hands smashed to the floor, white pieces of china splintering everywhere.
“Shit.” Grace dropped to her haunches, trying to pick them up. “Do you have a broom?”
“There’s a small one under the sink.” Sabrina pulled the cupboard open and found it, hunkering down with Grace to clean them up. For a minute they concentrated on finding every shard, putting them in the dust pan, then sliding them into the trashcan.
When the floor was clean, Grace tried to take a deep breath.
What the heck had Michael said? Did this mean people knew about them? Her hands shook as she reached for another plate.
Sabrina started stabbing at her phone with her fingers. It always amazed Grace how quickly her friend could type a message. “Apparently, Michael warned Ethan to leave you alone.” Sabrina rolled her eyes. “He’s such an idiot.”
Grace swallowed, waiting for the inevitable. She was already trying to work out how she’d explain this all away.
“He’s such a stupid older brother. He thinks we’re all kids.” Sabrina huffed. “You already have one dad. You don’t need two.”
“What?” Grace blinked.
“Does he think we’re all vestal virgins or something?” Sabrina asked. “I’m sorry, he’s an ass. You and Ethan can date if you want to.”
“You think he hurt Ethan because he’s protective?” Grace asked. This was so confusing.
And annoying.
