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“You’re stressing again, Grace.”
“I’m trying to understand.”
“The only thing you need to understand right now is that you’re in danger. Actual danger. How many people are coming to this party?”
Oh, no.
He wouldn’t confine me to the house this weekend, would he? I needed my girls. I had to vent about all the heat Hunter was stirring in my body.
“We’re not canceling, and I promise not to leave your side.”
“How many people, Grace?”
“I don’t know. Fifteen neighbors with about ten guests each, so 150, give or take.”
“Give or take?”
“Some cancel and some replace the cancellations, but nobody keeps an exact count.”
“Great. And you call that a small party?”
“I never called it a small party.”
He cranked his neck sideways and dropped his shoulders. “Won’t you be embarrassed in front of Bev and Susanne?”
What was there to be embarrassed about? “What? Why?”
“Because I’ll be at your side the entire time, Grace.”
“No, of course I won’t be embarrassed. They know you, and… I’m sorry you feel that way. I… I didn’t treat you right, and I’m sorry for that.”
He tossed a couple of grapes in his mouth.
“You’re not the only one at fault for our breakup. I was an asshole and I made terrible choices. If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d choose differently.”
Sand scratched at my throat, and air stopped circulating. It felt like my heart took a pause, as well. Hunter stopped chewing and leaned forward on the table. His blue eyes softened, taking me back in time.
“I would have chosen you.”
Why did that hurt so much? And why wouldn’t he choose me now?
“I needed Costa Rica to grow up.”
“It worked,” I said, my words a mere push of air. “It truly worked.”
He sat still, looking at me like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. What was I missing?
“I have a long day, and you have a call in fifteen with the renovations team.”
“Right. Work. Got it. Thank you for the smoothie.” I lifted the glass, stood and spun on my heel, retreating to my office. My mind raced, searching for answers I couldn’t find. I drummed my fingers on the desk. They’d installed a new camera in the room’s corner. The security system at my house seemed excessive, and I was beginning to think the police had gotten it wrong. The salon’s attack had to have been random. Then again, I enjoyed having Hunter around.
After my call with the renovations team, I got in touch with Frankie and my staff, confirming their attendance for tomorrow. Cathy was still shaken up from the attack and was staying home, but I couldn’t wait to see everyone else. Hunter sat at the dinette table for most of the day, munching on cookies, fruits, and vegetables all at once. In the afternoon, I made him his third coffee and called my mother.
“Hey, Mom. I’m sorry about yesterday.”
“Hunter said you fell asleep, exhausted.”
I snorted, and her forehead creased. “Yeah, something like that. Mom, why did you hire him?”
