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I warmed up on the treadmill and was arranging weights on the bench press when the door swung open and Bailey strolled in, beaming when she spotted me. She sauntered over, her hips swaying, her lips curved into a flirtatious smile that I knew didn’t mean a damn thing. Bailey was Summer’s best friend, and she’d practically grown up with us. She could flirt her little heart out without ramifications because none of us would ever go there. Honestly, with the nonstop attention she got from tourists at the bar, she probably liked knowing she was safe with us.
“Hey, Bailey,” I called in greeting.
“Looking good, Nate.” She conducted a thorough visual sweep of my body and winked. “All that police training is working for you.”
I rolled my eyes. Perhaps her words would be better for my ego if I didn’t know she’d say them even if I’d succumbed to the dad pouch that had been trying to develop since Tess had been born. Bailey was sweet. Not in the wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly way that Grace was, but sweet all the same.
“What would you know about police workouts, Little Miss Peace and Love?” I teased.
She gave me a look haughty enough to befit royalty and strutted over to the bars. She bent her knees and launched into the air, pulling herself over one of the bars in a fluid motion. She paused for long enough to meet my eyes, then dove over the bar and seemed to glide in an arc before returning to her original position. She released her grip with one hand until she was holding herself in the air with only one arm attached to the bar. She was barely sweating.
I laughed. “Point made. I forgot you were a former gymnast.”
“Nothing former about it,” she said, lowering herself to the ground. “A gymnast is a gymnast regardless of whether they compete or not.”
“True,” I agreed. “And I hear you’re a hell of a coach.”
In addition to working at the bar at Drunken Destiny, Bailey also coached the Destiny Falls gymnastics team and maintained a health and beauty blog. I’d never fully understood it, but Summer had assured me she was successful enough not to need the extra bartending income. She only kept her job at the pub because she loved my parents. Everyone in Destiny Falls did. The Braddock family was an institution. Dad owned the local bar, Mum managed the information center, and between the six of us kids with our various careers, we formed a massive part of the local community.
Bailey grinned and headed for a yoga mat in the corner. Obviously unimpressed by my choice of music, she drew her earbuds from her pocket and put them in, then she began some kind of yoga flow. I hefted the bar off the rack and grunted through another set of bench presses.
My mind wandered. Thinking about Grace. Bailey. Women in Destiny Falls.
Unfortunately, the downside of living in a small community where everyone knew everyone else was that there were few women I’d be interested in dating if I ever wanted to put myself out there. Not that it mattered anyway. I’d decided soon after Maddy asked for a divorce that I should focus on Tess until she was grown. When she’d slapped divorce papers against my chest, Maddy had made sure to tell me of the many ways in which I’d let her down. I hadn’t been there when she needed me. I worked too much. I didn’t give her enough attention. I never wanted to spend time with her. She felt unappreciated. And the real zinger: I seemed to love Tess more than her.
The thing is, I did love Tess more than her.
But Tess was my daughter. How could anyone—even her mother—expect me to love them over her?
Nope. I’d failed at romantic relationships just like I had recently discovered I’d failed at friendship. I never wanted to make anyone else feel the way Maddy had—especially not someone I cared about, so it was best if I didn’t try again. Maybe one day. But for now, I’d just focus my energy on being the best dad I could be and hope I didn’t screw it up.
13
GRACE
I closedthe door behind Alice and locked it. Ever since the incident with Kennedy, I’d been more careful when I was home alone—to the point of worrying I might be growing paranoid. Surely the odds of something happening in the same place twice, and to the same person twice, were negligible.
I knelt and fussed over Duke, who’d followed me to the exit. “Hey, buddy. It’s just you and me. How about we stretch and then get a snack?”
He made a sound that could be interpreted as agreement, and when I stood, he followed me to the living room. I lay on the floor and stretched, feeling a tightness between my shoulder blades and in my upper back, then I turned onto my side for a spinal twist. I repeated the stretch on the other side, then got to my knees and threaded one arm beneath my body, leaning my weight on the shoulder to stretch out the shoulder blade.
I groaned. Damn, that felt good.
Outside, a vehicle rumbled up the drive. Duke barked, and I shushed him, recognizing the sound of Nate’s car. I didn’t move, knowing he’d let himself in. When some of the stiffness had gone from my shoulder, I swapped sides, sighing in relief. My muscles felt wrung out, and it was just what I needed. Sitting at a computer all day could be hell on my body. It was great when I had guests because I had to run through daily maintenance routines, but with the cottages empty and Alice taking care of most of my admin work, there wasn’t any excuse for me to get up from my desk.
I listened as the front door opened, and Duke raced down the hall, barking frantically.
“It’s okay, boy,” I called, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.
“Hey, Gracie.” Nate’s voice carried down the hall. “Where are you?”
“Private living room,” I yelled as loudly as I could from my current position.
“How did the—whoa.” His footsteps stopped abruptly. “What’s up with you?”
“Sore back.”
He tutted. “You have to take better care of yourself.”
