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Grace shook her head. “We agreed Dad would be the best ambassador. And I’ve got a lot to do here.”
For a moment, her mom just looked at her. Grace could see the sympathy in her eyes. She got it. She knew Grace didn’t want to go back.
And yeah, some of that was because of the break up with Pascal. But most of it was because she knew it would be best for the business. And for her.
Because Michael would be back by then and she’d much rather spend time with him.
She shook her head at how sappy she was. Hadn’t she told herself she wouldn’t fall for somebody again? That she wouldn’t let a man come between her and her career? And yet here she was, wanting to stay here in good old Hartson’s Creek rather than travel the world because of Michael Devlin.
Her Irish.
It was a good thing she trusted him. And that she was a little in love with him.
Okay, more than a little. A lot.
ChapterTwenty-Two
It was almost seven,but the heat of the day still clung to Grace’s skin like a blanket. It had been humid since the time she’d gotten up before dawn. She’d taken Arcadia out for a ride before the sun had risen above the horizon, knowing that later in the day would be too hot for her thoroughbred.
Her mom had joined her, the two of them cantering across the fields to the mountains, the air lifting their hair as the sun slowly illuminated the countryside.
By the time they’d gotten back to the stables, they were sweaty and so were their horses. They’d taken their time to wash them down, to clear out the stalls, and make them comfortable.
Though the stables weren’t air conditioned, they were well-ventilated and cool, and when she’d led Arcadia back to his freshly clean and straw-strewn stall, he’d seemed happy. The smell of the straw filled her nostrils, making her nose twitch as she’d petted Arcadia one last time, promising she’d be back in the morning to take him out for another run.
After they had an early lunch together, her day had been taken up with the chores she’d been putting off for weeks. Deep cleaning her house and scrubbing down the stove, washing three loads of laundry and then getting each load dry. Before she knew it, it had been time to change out of her short overalls and take a shower, ready to pick up Sabrina so they could watch Presley and Marley entertain the town.
As soon as she knocked on the front door, Cam answered it, and she knew he must have seen her drive up on their security camera.
“Hi.” He smiled, stepping aside to let her in. “Come on in. Sabrina’s upstairs getting ready. She should be down soon.”
She followed her uncle to the large living room that overlooked the mountains. The sun was sitting right above them, casting an orange glow on the peaks. The sky was slowly darkening to a perfect purple, making the view look almost like a picture rather than reality.
“Hey sweetie,” Mia said, smiling as she walked through the door. “I hear you’re Sabrina’s designated driver tonight.”
“It’s not too late to drop out,” Cam added, pointing at the chair. Grace dropped into it, smiling at her aunt. “I can tell Sabrina you came down with the plague or something.”
Grace laughed. “It’s not a problem. I would have been going, anyway. It’s nice that Presley’s band is actually playing some gigs.”
Cam nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
For a moment they were all silent. Presley and Delilah had been through a lot. She was so glad he was coming out of the other side of his pain.
“How are you feeling?” Grace asked Mia.
“I’m good. It’s the weekend, so I don’t have to go to the hospital.” Mia smiled at her. “And how are you? I hear you were out riding with your mom this morning.”
Another reminder that nothing was a secret in this town. Not that her going out on Arcadia was a secret, but still. How she and Michael had kept things on the down-low all this time she’d never know.
Thank goodness they wouldn’t have to do it for much longer.
“We had to go super early. This heatwave is a lot to deal with,” she said, just to make conversation.
“Tell me about it.” Mia sighed, pulling at the collar of her sleeveless shirt to get some air onto her skin. “Even with the air conditioning on full blast, I can’t get any relief.”
“Let’s hope they have quality AC at the bar,” Cam said wryly.
She’d always liked Mia and Cam. They were a very chilled out couple. When she was little and Mia was still working at the distillery, she always used to let Grace sit on her desk and play with whatever marketing merchandise she had that week. Sometimes it was a pad with G. Scott Carter emblazoned on it, sometimes it was a stress ball that Grace would squeeze for hours.
