by Jill Sanders
“Who?” Lauren said, leaning her hip against the bar and narrowing her eyes. “Dark or blonde?” she asked.
“Neither,” he added, tossing another drink as his eyes moved to the screen to get the score of the game. Alabama was down a couple points. Damn.
“Alan, you can’t hide anything from me. Maybe I need to sick Butler on you?”
“Don’t you dare.” He narrowed his eyes and looked towards the back of the building where Butler worked in the kitchen. The man was half the size of Alan and was one of his fishing buddies. He could get everything out of anyone who wanted to keep a secret.
“The blonde is nice looking, classy,” Lauren said, filling her tray. “Kind of shy with sad eyes.”
“Yeah.” He turned and looked across the room at her and thought of the sadness he’d noticed himself.
Lauren made a noise and he turned back towards her. “Don’t do…” But he was talking to her back as she walked across the room and delivered the drinks.
He wanted to watch his friend, but he had too many orders to fill. No doubt Lauren would go over and chat with the women, making a point to grill the blonde in the process. Either way, he knew soon his “work-wife,” as he liked to call her, would know everything about her. He’d wished he’d gotten her name at least, but still, he wondered if not knowing was half the attraction.
“Grace,” Lauren said less than five minutes later when she returned to pick up her next order.
“Hm?” He glanced up as he set another order down.
“Her name is Grace. She’s here on her honeymoon. At least, that’s what Anna, the dark-haired one said.”
His heart sank as his eyes moved back over to the two women.
“Don’t look so let down. Apparently, they’re celebrating because Grace’s husband-to-be left her at the altar.” Lauren bumped him in the hip and winked. “She’s here for two weeks.” She filled her tray and took off again.
The rest of his shift he felt like he was floating on air. Every time he looked over towards that corner, the two women were drinking, laughing, and eyeing a group of local guys at the end of the bar. He was slightly concerned, until he caught Grace’s eyes and she quickly looked away.
At one point, several male tourists tried to join their group, only to be shut down by the brunette. He could tell that Grace was extremely uncomfortable with the attention and was thankful the brunette had picked up on it as well.
He only had a half hour till the end of his shift, when he noticed the pair of them getting up. Knowing just how much they’d had drink, he sent Lauren over to the table to check if they needed rides home.
When the trio turned towards him, he stared at them like a deer in the headlights. Then the two of them sat back down as Lauren made her way over to him with a huge smile on her face.
“What?” he asked, wiping down the bar.
“You showed concern, so you get to babysit.”
“Hmm?” He stopped what he was doing and turned to her.
“My shift doesn’t end for another hour. I’m on cleanup tonight, so, you get to drive them home.”
“Me? Can’t you call them a cab?”
“One of them is at the condos down at the end of the corner, the other at the end of Bayou Street. You know it takes a cabbie half an hour sometimes to get here.”
He thought about the homes along Bayou and sighed. How many people in the area dreamed of living on Bayou? Including him.
“Fine, but they’ll have to wait until I’m done.”
“That’s the reason they’re sitting back down.” Lauren leaned closer. “You owe me one.” She winked as she walked away.
3
Grace felt like she was floating. She’d never been drunk before. Once, when she’d had her wisdom teeth pulled, she’d been drugged out of her mind, but this was a completely different feeling.
There was almost tunnel vision. Everything Anna said seemed funny, the cold fries they were nibbling on tasted amazing, and she no longer thought about Corey.
“You two ready to head out?” Alan stood at the end of their table, looking tired and sexy as hell.
“Alan!” they said at the same time, causing a new round of giggles to escape from them and a large smile to form on Alan’s face.
She gathered her purse and leaned on Anna as they made their way out of the bar.
“Cart!” She stopped dead in her tracks when she remembered the golf cart. She pulled out the keys. “I have these, for that.” She pointed to the massive thing she’d had trouble backing out of the garage earlier.
Alan sighed and took the keys. “You?” He turned to Anna.
“Walked.” She smiled up at him. “You’re sexy.” Her smile grew.
“Thanks.” Alan chuckled. “Pile in.” He motioned to the cart. “Which building are you in at the Breeze Condos?” he asked as he sat behind the wheel. Grace and Anna both filed in to the front seat. Grace was stuck in the middle next to Alan.
“The pink building,” Anna answered.
He nodded. “You?” he asked her.
“The house at the end.” She leaned back as he took off across the street. She heard him chuckle, but didn’t care. Instead, she watched the lights fly by her.
“Phone,” Anna said. “I’ll put my number in so we can hang out tomorrow.”
She handed her phone over to her new friend and watched as she put in her number, then smiled when she held up the phone and took a picture of them both for the contact.
“There, remember to call. I’m desperate for someone to save me from my mother and Ronald.” She rolled her eyes.
The cart came to a stop and she hugged Anna before she got out.
“I’ll walk you up.” Alan started to get out.
“No, I can make it.” Anna waved. “Thanks, Alan!” she said as she dashed up the stairs.
Alan watched her until she was safely in the building.
“You’re a good guy, Alan,” she said, realizing her words were a little slurred. “I bet you wouldn’t leave someone at the altar.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you married?” she asked, realizing she’d been fantasizing about the guy all night long and didn’t know anything about him.
“Nope,” he said, backing up the cart again. “Seems like you’re better off.”
It was then that she realized she was still plastered against his hard body. “Sorry,” she mumbled and moved away from him.
They were silent for a while as he drove down the dark empty road.
“Is it always this quiet around here?” she asked, feeling nervous all of a sudden.
“You don’t usually get loud partiers renting the homes along here. Most of the noise stays on the main roads or at the condos.”
“Right.” She glanced around at the dark homes. “I think I’m the only one staying along this entire stretch.” Even though it was still in the high eighties, she felt a slight shiver and wrapped her arms around herself.
“Yeah, there aren’t a lot of rentals on Bayou. Most of these places are seasonals.”
“Seasonals?” she asked.
“Privately owned homes where the owners only come down once a year. Usually in the winter months.” He glanced over at her. “Cold?” he asked.
“Not really, just… tired, I suppose.” Things started to look familiar and she could see her place at the end of the row of dark homes. Then her mind cleared. “How are you going to get back?” She glanced over at him.
“I’ll walk.” He shrugged.
“I can’t ask you…”
“It’s only half a mile.” He smiled. “I’ll be okay. I didn’t have anything to drink tonight.”
“Now I feel really bad that I made you drive all this way,” she said as he pulled into the stone driveway.
“Don’t.” He stopped in front of the garage.
“Here.” She pulled out the garage opener and hit the button. “Maybe you’ll have better luck at parking it than I did at getting it out of there.”
When he slid the long cart smoothly into its spot, she groaned and he chuckled.
He helped her out and handed her the keys. “Nice place you have.” He glanced around.
“Would you like to look around?” she asked before she knew what she was doing.
His eyebrows shot up and she could tell he was assessing her. “Maybe some other time.” He smiled. “Go in, get some sleep.” He turned to go, then stopped and looked back at her. “I work all week, but I’m off on Thursday. Maybe you’d like to hit the beach?”
She smiled. “I’d like that.” She nodded, then reached out to steady herself on the stair railing.
“Do you like dogs?” he asked suddenly.
“Love them.” She smiled.
“Good, Ralph and I’ll be here around noon. I’ll bring lunch and we can enjoy some of those.” He nodded to the paddleboards and kayaks that filled the other half of the garage.
She nodded again. “Sounds good.” He turned to go, but she stopped him by saying his name lightly. When he turned back towards her again, she held her breath. “Thank you.”
She watched him disappear into the darkness, then shut the garage door and made her way up the three flights of stairs to the room she’d claimed as her own.
The next morning, the sunlight hitting her full force woke her. She groaned and turned over, only to almost fall off the bed. Somehow, in the middle of the night, she’d shifted to the very end of the bed.
Sitting up, she glanced around and realized she hadn’t even taken her sandals off.
Pulling all her clothes off, she tossed them in her suitcase and made her way towards the bathroom.
The size was comparable to her own back home, but the brightness of everything instantly made her cheerful. There was a long glass shower that could fit an entire football team in it along one wall, and a beautiful freestanding stone pedestal tub directly in front of a corner full of large windows overlooking the private beach. She squinted at the brightness of the teal water.
When the water from the shower poured over her, she sighed at the feeling and closed her eyes to relax under the spray.
Deciding to explore the beach today, she pulled on one of her swimsuits and lathered her skin with enough sunblock that she doubted a single ray would get through.
There were private chairs along with umbrellas at the end of the boardwalk. Deciding to come back for those later, she set off on a long walk along the beach. She needed to clear her mind from the aftereffects of the alcohol.
She’d grown up in a bourbon family. Her great-great-grandparents had established one of the oldest running bourbon distilleries, Hamilton Hill Spirits. There had been bourbon or wine on the table at almost every meal. Still, she’d grown up without drinking any herself. She’d never really enjoyed the taste of strong alcohol. Still didn’t, but she had to admit, she’d enjoyed herself with Anna last night.
Pulling out her cell phone, she looked up her number and sent a text to her new friend.
-Grace here, are you alive this morning?
Tucking her phone back in her cover up, she walked down the soft sand. Since the house was at the very end of a jetty, there was only one way she could walk, towards town. She passed house after house, most of which appeared empty. Some were even boarded up. She remembered that Alan had said most of the homes were seasonal homes.
She thought about her parents owning a place like this and decided it would be just like them to let a massive place sit empty most of the year rather than rent it out.
When she reached a spot on the beach that was packed with tourists, she glanced up and realized she was in front of a large condo complex. There was a massive swimming pool at the base of the units and the noise level from the area caused her head to vibrate.
She decided she should have hydrated before heading out and turned back around. By the time she reached the stairs back to the house, her mouth was dry, and her head hurt even more. Her phone rang, and she picked it up without looking at the screen.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Grace.” For just a moment, she forgot why hearing Corey’s voice should have shocked her. Then her heart skipped as she sat down on the edge of one of the lounge chairs along the outside of the pool.
She wanted to toss her phone into the pool or over the edge of the railing, but gripped it more tightly instead.
“You there?” Corey’s voice sounded muffled.
“What do you want?” she asked as the pounding in her head doubled.
“I wanted to talk to you in person, but your father won’t tell me where you went.”
“I’m out of the state,” she said quickly.
“So, I hear. I wanted a chance to explain—”
“No,” she interjected.
“I have a right to—”
“No,” she said again.
“Grace, this is childish. Why don’t you come home so we can talk things out?”
“Talk things out?” She stood up, her voice raised. “How? Do you seriously think I’d accept your apology for leaving me like you did?”
“I didn’t mean… Things are complicated.” Corey sighed, and she could just imagine him running his hands through his thick dark hair. She remembered all the times she had run her own fingers through it and closed her eyes, trying to block the emotions that welled up inside her.
“I wish you’d tell me where you are. I want to explain things in person.”
“Do you love her?” she asked out of the blue. She didn’t know why she wanted to know it, but something deep inside her needed to.
Corey sighed first. “No, like I said, it’s complicated. I didn’t mean for things to turn out like this. I think it was fear. You were just so determined. I was looking for any excuse out. Then I found several…”
His words stung, and she stood up and walked over to the edge of the deck to look out at the vast open space. Instantly, she felt lighter, looking out at the crystal-clear teal water.
“There’s no need to explain. I’m over it,” she said softly.
“Grace.” Corey’s voice stopped her from hanging up. “I really am sorry. I still love you.”
She hung up without saying anything more.
Turning towards the house, she decided she no longer wanted to be alone.
Glancing down at the phone, she read Anna’s reply and then texted her the address and asked her to come over.
“I’ll bring the wine,” Anna replied.
* * *
Over the next few nights, he saw Grace and Anna several more times. Each time they came in, he drove them home. He was a little surprised that Anna had spent a few nights with Grace at the big house.
She mentioned something to him about not wanting to stay at the same place as her mother and her new fuck-buddy, but he knew from the look in her eyes that she hadn’t wanted to leave Grace alone in the big place by herself.
He prided himself on being a good judge of character, and as far as good friends went, Anna was quality material.
Each night, he flirted with Grace a little more, taking it slow since he knew what she’d just been through. He’d overheard them talking one night when they’d sat at the bar about how her ex, Corey, had called her and tried to explain.
He agreed with Anna on her idea to castrate the man, but for the most part, kept his mouth shut.
When Thursday finally rolled around, he piled Ralph, his five-year-old Australian Shepherd mix, into his Jeep along with the lunch he’d carefully packed into his large cooler and headed out towards Grace’s place.
When he got there, she was standing out on the balcony. He parked and opened the door, then turned to Ralph and told him to be on his best behavior.
“Don’t screw this up for me, man,” he said, scratching the dog under his chin.
“Hi,” she called down. Her smile grew when she saw Ralph.
She met the dog halfway down the stairs and sat down to give him all of her attention.
“My father and three brothers have
dogs, all a handful. And my mom has a little purse dog she never lets go of.”
He laughed. “Ralph is pretty independent. He likes to hang out with me at work during the off season, when it’s not so busy.” He set the cooler down on the driveway, then followed his dog up the stairs.
“Come on in.” She waved both of them up the stairs and stood back to open the door.
“I watched them build this place last year,” he said, looking around. The house was far nicer than he’d imagined. He’d been in plenty of rentals along the coast, but never something so big, especially for just one person.
“Tell me you got a discount after they found out you’d been stiffed at the altar.”
She chuckled. “I’m not sure, this was a gift from my parents. A non-refundable gift.” She rolled her eyes.
“Bet they loved that,” he said under his breath, imagining what his dad would have done to him if he’d skipped out on a wedding.
“I think behind it all they were thrilled that I didn’t marry Corey.” She motioned for him to look around. He followed her into the living room and looked out over the calm waters of the Gulf.
“Not their type?” he asked, glancing at her sideways.
“No one is their type,” she said sarcastically. “But they tolerated Corey for years.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Long engagement?” he asked as she sat down on the cream-colored sofa.
“Since grade school.” Her sarcastic chuckle reverberated in the large room.
He sat across from her, and Ralph took the position by his feet.
“That’s a long time. Was he your only… boyfriend?” He instantly regretted asking the question when her cheeks heated.
“Yes, he’s the only one I have ever been with. I spent most of my life believing… he felt the same way about me.”
The room was silent for a moment. He stood up, and Ralph jumped up too. “How about you take me on a tour of this incredible place, then we hit the beach and try to forget everything except the sun and the water?”
She smiled and stood up more slowly. “Sounds like a great plan to me.”
4
