Best Friend's Ex Box Set (A Second Chance Romance Love Story)

by Claire Adams

"I can't..." she said as she backed away. “I'm sorry, Adam."

  "It's okay," I croaked, trying to will the blood flowing through my body to return to my brain. I felt frustrated and embarrassed that she'd rejected me, so I laughed lightly and tried to play it off as a joke, "No wonder your boyfriend keeps coming back for more."

  "That's rude," she snapped. "And he's not my boyfriend. My God, how many times do I have to tell you that before you get it?"

  "I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit," I said backing up with my hands in the air. "Didn't mean to hit a sore spot."

  "Well, you did," she said and then stopped. When she looked up at me again, there were tears welling up in her eyes as she asked, "What am I going to do?"

  "I don't know," I replied. "I don't really have a clear idea of what's going on with you and your family, but it seems like you could use some help."

  She stiffened as I spoke and then lashed out, "I don't need any help! I can handle this just fine, thank you!"

  "Defensive, table for one?" I said bristling as she rejected my offer without even considering it.

  "Go to hell, Adam Wallace!" she hissed as she turned and ran up the stairs. Halfway up she turned and said, "We'll find another place for you to stay, but you have to leave tomorrow."

  "Fine," I shot back. "I'll be ready to go in the morning."

  Grace ran up the stairs and down the hallway, but I didn't move until I heard her slam the door to her bedroom. I headed into the guest room they'd set up for me, stripped down to my boxers, and climbed into bed. I lay listening to the sounds of the night for a long time before I fell asleep, and when I did, I dreamed of Grace's blue eyes and wheat-colored hair.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Grace

  I woke before dawn and lay in bed replaying the previous day in my mind over and over. The images of Faith and Hope rejecting me intermingled with the way I felt when Adam and I had kissed, and left me feeling confused and frustrated. I didn't want to ruin Verity's chances for a happy marriage, but I also resented that Uncle Amos was using my own sisters to blackmail me into behaving the way he thought I should.

  "He's not going to push me around," I grumbled as I threw back the sheet and swung my feet over the edge of the bed. I sat staring at the floor as I thought about the soft carpeting in my bedroom, the luxuriously tiled bathroom with the Jacuzzi, and the automatic drip coffeemaker waiting for me back in Chicago.

  I felt the strong pull of the city as I pushed myself out of bed and walked over to retrieve my cell phone from the closet. There were eight text messages from Mike, and all of them indicated some level of urgency regarding the upcoming presentation. I tapped out a response giving him the quick answers he needed to move forward with the project and letting him know what time I'd call. I then tucked my phone and the portable charger back in my bag in the closet and headed to the bathroom where I took a quick sponge bath before returning to my room.

  I sighed as I pulled out yet another set of silky lingerie and pulled them on. The royal-blue silk and lace felt lovely against my skin and I ran my hands over my body wondering what Adam would think if he knew what lay beneath my plain, cotton dress. I tucked the yellow lace bra and panties I’d worn the day before into a lingerie bag in the closet and stuck it back in my suitcase. I’d wash those things by hand later when everyone else was sleeping. I yanked the dress over my head and wrinkled my nose as I began putting the pins in place before smoothing my hair and donning my starched, white kapp.

  There were no mirrors hung in the house because they would violate the Ordung by promoting vanity, but Mamm kept a hand-held mirror in her dresser and we were allowed to use it on special occasions. I'd moved the mirror up to my room the day I'd arrived mostly because it made me feel closer to Mamm. Now I held it up and looked at myself shaking my head as I saw my plain face staring back at me wondering what Adam thought when he looked at me.

  Downstairs in the kitchen, I found Verity at work making breakfast. I picked up a knife and began cutting the melon that she'd pulled from the refrigerator and left on the cutting board. She was singing a song I'd recognized from evening song gatherings, and I smiled as I remembered the night she and Levi had first exchanged shy smiles.

  "I remember that one," I said, cutting into the pale green rind and splitting the honeydew in half, causing the juice and seeds to spill out on to the board. I quickly tilted the board into the sink and rinsed it off.

  "Ah yes, it was a lovely evening, wasn't it?" she nodded.

  "Verity, I have to ask you something," I said taking a deep breath. She turned toward me with an expectant look on her face so I forged ahead. "Faith and Hope have shunned me for allowing Adam to stay with us, and they said I'm not welcome in their homes until he goes. They've said it's because they're concerned about you and Honor and Danny, but mostly you."

  "Me? Why?" she asked.

  "They think that this will ruin your prospect of marriage to Levi," I said feeling foolish for saying it out loud. "They think that you'll be labeled damaged goods and that Levi's family won't allow you two to marry."

  "Oh, Grace," Verity said shaking her head. A sad smile crossed her lips as she said, "There's nothing that anyone could do that would keep Levi and I from marrying. We're meant to be together. He knows it, and I know it. Our bond isn't so fragile that it could be broken by an act of Christian charity."

  "But the community will talk," I said. "Faith and Hope will talk."

  "They mean well, Grace," she said smiling at me. "I understand their fear, but I don't share it. Mr. Wallace is welcome to stay here until he recovers and gets his car back. No matter what anyone says."

  "How do you do it, Verity?" I asked looking at my younger sister with awe and admiration.

  "Do what?"

  "How do you stay so calm and kind when people are threatening to try and ruin something that matters so much to you?" I asked.

  "It's God's will," she said calmly. "I trust in God and I know that when I follow the path He lays for me, it will all work out the way it's supposed to. It's trust, Grace."

  "Are you saying that I'm not trusting?" I said suddenly feeling defensive.

  "I'm not saying anything about you," she smiled. "I love you, Grace. You're my sister and part of my heart, but me following my own path is about me and my relationship with God, not about you or what you choose to do."

  "I know, but..." I said deflating a bit as I understood the point she was making.

  "But nothing," Verity replied softly patting my shoulder. "Just because you chose a different path doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. It's just right for you. We each have to make that decision, and Mamm and Dat tried the best they could to prepare us for that; don't you understand, Grace?"

  "I do, but the pressure from all sides," I sighed as I felt my emotions welling up again. "I don't know what to do, Verity. I'm trying to make everyone happy and make sure everyone has what they need. There's so much going on with the store, the farm, you and Honor and Danny, and then there's my job in the city..."

  "Grace, slow down and think about this," she said as she turned back to the bowl of batter she was beating. "Maybe the problem is that you're not listening to the only person who really matters."

  "I know, I know," I said cutting the melon into slices. "I should listen to God and hear what He says."

  "No, I don't think that's the answer for you," Verity replied. "You need to listen to the voice inside of you. What is it telling you?"

  "It's telling me not to give in to the pressure to kick Adam out!" I said stubbornly. "It's telling me to figure out a solution that puts the store and the farm in the black and gives you and the rest what you need to keep living however you choose to live!"

  I was on a roll as I angrily cut into a second melon and dumped the guts and juice into the sink with the remains of the first one. I sliced as I continued listing the things my inner voice was telling me to do until I finally ended the list with an emotional plea, "It's tel
ling me I want to go home to Chicago and back to my life in the city, but that makes me feel guilty for leaving you all here without Mamm and Dat!"

  "So, who asked you to sacrifice anything for us?" Honor said as she pulled open the back door and stepped inside. She was carrying a basket full of fresh eggs and a half full bucket of milk, which she set next to the counter before putting the eggs in the strainer next to the sink. "We didn't ask you to give up anything, Grace, but you make it sound like you're the only one who can somehow rescue us."

  "Wait a minute!" I said setting the knife down and turning toward her. "I didn't say that! I was just answering Verity's question about what my inner voice was telling me to do."

  "Honor! Grace!" Verity said sharply. "There's no reason to fight; we're all on the same side. We just need to figure out what needs to be done so that we can all do what it is we need to do."

  "How come no one ever asks me that question?" Honor said as the stomped to the back door and pushed it open. "No one ever asked me what I wanted to do. You all just expect that I'll be here taking care of the animals and watching over Danny, but you never ask me anything about what I want!"

  In a flash, she darted out the back door and ran toward the barn. I looked at Verity and she nodded as she turned off the gas on the stove, wiped her hands, and followed Honor out to the barn.

  "Dammit!" I swore once she was out of earshot.

  "You okay, Grace?" Adam asked. Startled, I gasped and jumped away from the counter as I turned and saw him standing framed in the kitchen doorway. His hair was tousled and he had a sleepy look on his face that told me we'd most likely woken him up.

  "I'm sorry, we were having a family discussion that got a little heated," I said reluctantly pulling my gaze away from his handsome face. "Did we wake you?"

  "No, actually I have been awake for a few hours," he said. "I was going to get up and start breakfast, but I had no idea where to begin."

  "Probably better that you didn't mess with Verity's territory," I said, giving him a playful grin which he quickly returned before he looked away. I couldn't read his face and I wasn't sure if he was embarrassed about the night before or if I'd hurt his feelings when I'd pulled back. I wanted to ask, but I was afraid of what his answer would be.

  "Grace, are you sure..." he began as Danny came bounding down the stairs and entered the kitchen signing his apologies that he'd overslept.

  "I'll go milk the cows," he signed as he fastened his suspenders to his pants.

  "Honor already did it!" I yelled as he ran past me and flew out the back door. "And don't let the door—"

  I braced myself as the door slammed against the frame, and then threw my hands up in the air.

  "Can I set the table or something?" Adam chuckled as he shook his head. I nodded and pointed to the stack of plates and pile of silverware Verity had set on the table. I watched as Adam limped over and grabbed the silverware then turned and relit the stove.

  It wasn't long before Verity returned from the barn. She acted as if nothing had happened, so I followed her lead and finished cutting up the fruit and putting everything on the table for breakfast. A short while later, Danny and Honor returned to the house. They silently washed their hands in the kitchen sink and then sat down at the table and waited for the rest of us.

  Breakfast was eaten in silence. Halfway through it, a truck pulled into the drive. Danny and Honor were out of their chairs and through the back door before any of us could say a word. I looked at Verity and she shrugged, so I followed the other two outside to find a very confused FedEx driver asking for Adam.

  "Adam, there's a package here for you!" I called through the screen door. A few minutes later, he emerged on the front porch waving to the delivery driver who quickly made it way up the steps and presented Adam with an electronic signature form.

  "I didn't know the Amish had cell phones now," the driver commented as he waited for Adam to finish signing.

  "They don't," he said handing the pad back to the driver with a smile that annoyed me. "I'm just a guest."

  The driver looked confused, but nodded and quickly returned to his truck. He shook his head as he back down the drive, pulled back out on to the road, and drove away. I gave him a small wave, wishing I could hop on the truck and head back to the city with him. His reply was a short blast of his horn before he sped off toward town.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Adam

  My new phone quickly became the focus of attention as I unwrapped it and began setting it up. Danny singed something that I couldn't understand.

  "Danny wants to know where that came from and what it does," Verity translated.

  "It's a cell phone, er, telephone," I said offering it to him for inspection. Danny took the phone in one hand and flipped it over examining every inch of the thin, flat device as he signed with his free hand.

  "I don't know, Danny," Verity frowned. "Mr. Wallace, he wants to know if this is an eight, sixteen, or sixty-four. Do you know what that means?"

  "It's a one-twenty-eight," I laughed as I patted Danny's shoulder. "How do you know about cell phone memory?"

  "Like I've said before, we're Amish, but we're not backward," Grace said as entered from the front porch.

  "Grace!" Verity gasped. "There's no need to be so rude!"

  "What? I'm sick of him assuming that we're some kind of uninformed group of backward country folk," Grace said gesturing toward me.

  "Just because you're—" Verity began.

  "Verity," Grace growled in a tone that silenced her sister immediately. Verity scowled at Grace then turned and walked back into the kitchen without saying anything else.

  "What was that about?" I asked as I took the phone from Danny and pushed the power button. The screen flashed a picture of a battery with a thin line of red at one end. I sighed, "Oh great, it's out of juice."

  "You can plug it in out in the kitchen and let it charge," Grace said. "There's an outlet with a 120 volt out by the refrigerator."

  "How did you know that?" I asked looking up at her surprised that she knew what was needed. Next to me, Danny urgently signed something to which Grace simply shook her head. He quickly signed again, but she shook her head and clamped her lips shut. Danny sighed exasperatedly as he threw his hands up, then sat back up and signed something else.

  "Don't you dare," Grace warned frowning at him. "That's not yours."

  "The phone?" I asked. "Does he want the phone?"

  "No," Grace said staring pointedly at her brother. "He does not want the phone."

  Danny glared at his sister as he crossed his arms over his chest. Confused, I looked back and forth between them trying to figure out what was going on, but Grace said nothing. I took the phone and cord out to the kitchen and plugged it all in, leaving the phone on top of the refrigerator. Verity was at the sink washing dishes and avoided looking at me as I hooked everything up.

  "Verity, I know something's going on," I said quietly. "Is anyone going to tell me anything?"

  "It's not my story to tell," she said as she tossed a handful of silverware into the rinse water before adding, "Ask Grace."

  Back out in the living room, Grace and Danny were heatedly signing back and forth in silence. The look on Danny's face was one every teenager who'd ever argued in favor of something—and lost—had ever worn. Defeated, he stormed up the stairs and made a point of slamming the door to his room hard enough that the pictures on the walls shook.

  "I'm sorry about that," Grace said smoothing her dress as she tried to restore her usually calm expression. I could tell that she was worried, though. "He's having a tough time with everything."

  "Grace, what's going on around here?" I asked. "I feel like there's something you're not telling me."

  "What? Oh, no nothing that involves you," she said dismissing me in a tone that reminded me of my mother, and it made me bristle.

  "Grace, dammit! Tell me what's going on here and maybe I can help!" I said as I grabbed her arm.

  "Adam!
Stop it!" she yelled as turned and shoved me away. The palm of her hand hit the most bruised spot on my chest and I gasped as I fell backward onto the floor. Grace dropped to the ground next to me, "Adam! I'm so sorry; are you okay?"

  "Grace," I gasped struggling to catch my breath, "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

  Her face crumpled and she burst into tears as she wrapped her arms around her waist and sobbed. Pushing myself up off the floor, I knelt beside her. I could still feel a throbbing pain in the spot where her hand had hit my skin, but I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and pulled her to my chest. She resisted only for a moment and then gave in and collapsed against my chest and let out a wail of pain that made my eyes water in sympathy.

  "It's okay, Grace," I whispered as I rubbed her back and slowly rocked her until she was cried out. When Verity came rushing into the living room to see what had happened, I shook my head and she backed away, leaving me to handle her sister's anguish. "You're going to be okay. I promise."

  "How...how...how do you know?" she choked out between quiet sobs. "You don't know me. You don't know my family. You know nothing about us!"

  "I know that you're the kind people who were willing to take in and care for a perfect stranger without hesitation," I said as I rested my cheek against the top of her head and felt the stiff cap rubbing against my skin. I wanted to push it off so I could feel her soft hair rubbing against my cheek, but I didn't dare move any more than I already was. "I know that you are someone who has strong beliefs in something that I don't quite understand, but that you are willing to defend even when it means your sisters turn their backs on you. And I know that you love your brother and sisters more than anything in the world and that you are trying to find a way to ensure that they are taken care of no matter what."

  Grace grew silent in the circle of my arms. She leaned against me and let her arms drop to her sides as she tipped her head and looked up at me. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness and worry, and I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and take her into the bedroom with me. The memory of her warm body pressed against mine the night before sent the blood in my body racing down between my legs and I quickly shifted before she could feel the swelling in my pants.