by Cat Miller
Grace parked at a meter just a bit down the road and across the street from The Inn on Main Street. She idled there with the heat warming her hands and feet while people streamed into the banquet hall for Mr. Landry’s wake. She waited until the limo arrived and Jack’s family disappeared into the building before she shut off the engine and anxiously crossed the street. She didn’t want to be caught by Jack in the lobby if they entered at the same time.
Once inside, Grace made a beeline for the elevator. It was on the opposite side of the lobby from the banquet hall entrance. She hit the button for the third floor and listened to the sound of soft instrumental music and murmured voices that filtered out from the wake as she waited with a knot in her stomach. The elevator was taking forever so she went to look for the stairs. The longer she stood in the lobby the better the chance Jack would find her there. As far as Grace was concerned, she’d never been there and she would never tell Jack about her whirlwind trip across the country to his hometown and back in the same day. Grace was already mentally and physically exhausted but she could sleep during the five and half hour flight that would take her home, if her mind would stop spinning, that is.
Grace saw the sign for the stairs and relief loosened the coil in her gut. The door adjacent to the stairwell opened and she nearly turned and ran the other way. Grace found herself face to face with Victor of the soulful eyes and warm skin. She wasn’t sure if Victor was Hispanic or possibly American Indian. What she did know was that he was an incredibly handsome, perfectly formed man.
Victor was leaving the restroom when he saw her. Grace’s steps stuttered but she kept moving past the handsome man with long lashes and dark eyes that seemed to see too much. Victor didn’t know her and she was happy to keep it that way. Pretending to be just another guest at the inn, Grace turned her gaze back to her goal and kept moving.
She was glad she hadn’t had time to unpack anything but her funeral dress. It only took about fifteen minutes for Grace to gather up her things, stuff them back into her carry on and get back down to the lobby. After quickly checking out at the front desk Grace strode out as swiftly as possible without drawing any attention. The rain had stopped so there were a few smokers lingering on the sidewalk outside, but thankfully there was no sign of Jack.
Grace thought she was in the clear until her nemesis stepped into her path. Grace halted just before slamming into the man. That was unfair, she chided herself. Victor hadn’t wronged her. She was envious of him. That didn’t make him a bad guy.
“Hello, Ms. Yates,” Victor said politely. Obviously Grace had been incorrect in her assumption that Victor didn’t know her. Her chances of Jack never knowing she’d been there were quickly dwindling. There was no sense in pretending she didn’t know exactly who he was now. Grace nodded and returned the greeting.
“Hello, Victor.” She didn’t know his last name so he was at a slight advantage. He’d obviously done some research.
“You look lovely.” He looked her over from the French twist in her hair down to her black wrap dress and on to the length of her legs with interest.
“Uh, thank you,” she replied, at a loss for what else to say to the man who had the right to stand by Jack’s side.
“So tell me, did you really think you were special because Jack bent you over his car?” he sneered at her. Grace gasped.
“Excuse me?” She couldn’t have heard him correctly.
“I asked if you truly believed that sweet little snatch of yours was so special that it could change a man?” he asked with no effort to keep his voice down.
“Look, I don’t know what you think happened between Jack and me, but this isn’t the time or place to discuss it. I came here to be a friend in his time of sorrow. Nothing more.” She tried to walk around Victor. She was mortified. It was obvious that Jack had told Victor about her, though it wasn’t true that he’d bent her over anything. Victor grabbed her arm and held on tight.
“He occasionally gets a taste for pussy.” Victor shrugged and the vulgar word was particularly harsh coming from such beautiful mouth. “So do I, it’s no big deal. I just thought you should know.” He leaned over and sniffed her hair. “Maybe I should fuck you and see what the fuss is about. Would you let me fuck you over my car, sweet little Grace?”
Grace was doing her best to not a make scene but she really wanted to blast this asshole. How could he be such a crude and selfish jerk at a time like this? Grace revised her thoughts on Victor. It seemed he actually was the enemy. She would give him one more chance to act like a gentleman and let her leave quietly.
“I’m not doing this with you, Victor. Let me go. You have no reason to be jealous,” she told him calmly. Sadly, it was the truth. Grace was no threat to Victor’s relationship with Jack. This trip was all the solid proof she needed.
“Jealous?” Victor barked out a laugh. “Jealousy has nothing to do with it. I was trying to help you out, honey. I’ve seen too many girls set their heart on my Jack just to have it broken when he’s done with playing with them. I have nothing to be jealous of. He always comes back to me.”
“Let me go, Victor,” she ordered and pulled to get free. They’d drawn the attention of the smokers and people milling about on their phones.
“Is there a problem here?” A man asked from behind them and Victor stiffened. Grace peered around Victor and had the breath knocked out of her. For a split second she thought it was Jack. Then the man’s military cut hair, slightly larger build, and dress uniform sank into her brain. At the funeral she’d only seen Jack’s brother, Everett, from behind. Now the resemblance between the brothers struck her momentarily speechless.
“No problem,” Victor told Everett and turned his back on the man, dismissing him. Victor tugged on her arm. “I’m just escorting Ms. Yates to her car.”
“I don’t think the lady needs or wants your assistance, Victor.” The warning was clear in Everett’s tone. Victor stopped and let her go. Grace kept walking.
“Just remember, honey, one fuck means nothing.” Victor fired one more shot at her back. Grace spun around and glared at him.
“Go to hell,” Grace wanted to shout, but what she had to say would be best delivered calmly and without any additional drama. “Let’s get a few things straight, honey,” she mocked him and stepped closer so the whole street wouldn’t hear her. “First off, Jack didn’t bend me over his car. He held me to his chest and loved me hard, on his car.” Victor’s eyes widened. Maybe he didn’t have the whole story after all. “Secondly, that wasn’t the only time we were together.” That deflated Victor’s bravado a bit.
“I’m not here to have a bitch fight with you. I’m here because Jack came to me distraught over the loss of his father. I love him, Victor.” Victor’s mouth fell open. Everett’s eyebrows rose sharply. Fuck! Why had she said that out loud? Verbalizing her feelings gave them so much more weight.
“I love him enough to put aside my own hurt feelings and drag my sorry ass across the country to be here today, even if he really didn’t need me. And clearly he didn’t. You have the situation well in hand. So I’m just going to leave now.” Tears filled Grace’s eyes. Her composure crumbled there on the sidewalk. “I’m sorry I came, because Jack deserves better than this.” She sniffed and gestured between them.
Grace turned and hurried down the sidewalk toward her rental. Everett caught up with her and lifted her bag from the ground as they crossed the street and she let him do it. After opening the door she took the bag back from Everett and stuffed it in the back seat. Everett was watching her the whole time but she couldn’t return his gaze. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She felt horrible for causing a scene, even if she hadn’t instigated it. She slammed the back door of the compact car and opened the driver door.
This was a nightmare. Jack had been concerned about a confrontation over his sexuality. Grace had made his fears a reality. It was no wonder Everett felt the need to escort her away from the inn. The only thing she was grateful for was th
at Jack hadn’t seen her or heard anything that transpired. She hopped in the driver’s seat, turned the engine over, and rolled down the window. Everett was still standing by Grace’s car watching her carefully.
“Thank you for walking me to my car,” she told him and made brief eye contact. “I’m terribly sorry for what happened over there.” She cleared her throat. Swallowing shame over the scene with Victor and sadness because she knew everything Victor had said was painfully true. “You won’t see me again,” she promised.
“Well, that’s a damn shame,” Everett replied. What had that meant? She looked up at Everett. He was about to say something when he was cut off.
“Everett?” An all too familiar voice called from across the street and Grace’s mortification was complete. Jack had come looking for his absent brother. When Everett turned around Grace and her tear stained face was revealed to Jack. He stared at her, too stunned by her presence to react. Grace was still crying and there was no way to hide it with the trails of mascara she was sporting. She needed to go before the shock wore off and Jack crossed the street.
Grace smiled sadly at Jack and gave a little wave before she pulled away from the curb. The light at the corner was red so she had to pause in her getaway. Her eyes immediately searched out Jack in her side mirror. Everett reached Jack and she continued to watch while Everett spoke to him. Grace assumed she was being discussed. Jack turned to look at her car and the light turned green. She heard Jack yell her name.
“Grace! Wait!” he shouted, but she didn’t stop. You had to know when enough was enough. And Grace had had enough for one day.
****
After that awful day in Jack’s picturesque home town, things between Jack and Grace continued down a path that was destructive and painful for Grace. She refused to talk to Jack about what happened. He wanted to know what she and Victor had talked about, but she wouldn’t discuss it. Victor must have clammed up as well. That was probably best for him. She didn’t believe Jack would appreciate the way he had accosted her. She’d told the whole sorted story to Luke and Jessie, and they agreed that she was doing the right thing, but staying away from Jack was going to be hard.
At first, Grace avoided Jack in a mad effort at self-preservation, but he used every excuse he could find to seek her out. First he needed a tutor to help him prepare for his math final. He’d been nearly hostile when he learned that she and Luke study together as a habit. He attended their study sessions but she didn’t believe he actually needed help. He just glared at her and Luke as they quizzed each other. When she quizzed him he never needed help finding the answers.
Then he needed a ride to the airport when he flew home to help his mom deal with some legal papers and box up some of his dad’s stuff to be donated. He hated eating alone so he’d show up at her door and insist he let him take her to dinner. Grace could never look into his pleading, ever-changing blue eyes and tell him no.
Of course, half the time he came to her room Jack would find Luke there, too. It annoyed Grace when they both puffed up their chests and got all macho. Jack didn’t like her spending so much time with Luke but she wasn’t going to let him chase away one of her best friends. Luke didn’t think Jack deserved to breathe the same oxygen she did. He was such a sweetheart. She would question his relationship with his blond bestie and the argument was over.
The more time she spent with Jack the deeper her feelings for him grew. He wanted her as desperately as she wanted him and she knew it. He would always hold her hand or tuck her in close to his body as they walked and anyone who saw them together believed they were a couple. Jack took every opportunity he got to kiss Grace and he constantly tried to push her past her objections to dating him. She was so weak in his arms. It really was like they were already a couple even though she tried to pretend otherwise. Turning away from his passionate affection was nearly impossible. Then she’d remember that he would be returning to Victor and whoever else he was seeing. Those thoughts effectively halted Jack’s advances every time.
She was in love with the man, and that was the problem. Jack had feelings for Grace and the chemistry between them was like a nuclear reaction, but he wasn’t ready to give up the other people in his love life. She didn’t fault him for it, at least she didn’t in her mind, but her heart was another matter altogether.
The funny thing about a person’s tolerance for heartache is that you never see the last straw until you buckle under its weight. Grace would see Jack around campus with Victor and another guy she’d never met. She assumed he was another boyfriend. Jack knew better than to approach her if he wasn’t alone when they crossed paths. Every time it happened she sank deeper into the chasm of despair that was quickly swallowing her whole. She’d seen Jack’s blond bestie a few times but the ridiculously attractive woman always glared at Grace and sniffed with disdain. She supposed his friends blamed her for Jack’s moods.
After graduation, the student body was busy moving out of the dorms. Grace was about ready to go and the knowledge that she wouldn’t see Jack again was a dark shadow over what should have been one of the happiest times of her life. She had several offers for internships at finance and accounting firms, one of which was in Seattle. Jack would be going home to Washington State. Somewhere in the corner of her mind that still believed in fairytales Grace was still waiting for her prince to make her dreams come true. So she applied for the internship in a moment of weakness. So as not to put all of her eggs in Jack’s basket, she’d also applied to firms in New York, Chicago, and Atlanta. She’d been offered the positions in Seattle, New York, and Atlanta. Now was the hard part. She had to decide which company was the best choice for her career and her future, and she had to do it fast.
It was her last night on campus and Jack dragged her out for dinner and dancing at a new Latin club in town. This always happened after she saw him with one of his men. He would show up at her door dressed and ready for a night on the town insisting they spend some quality time on the dance floor. Jessie would glare at him and comment that he must not have anyone better to abuse that night. Jessie hated that Grace was letting the situation with Jack drag her down. But when she and Jack were together Grace wasn’t down. She was happy. She was in love. It was when Jack was gone that the misery took over. This time was different though. There was an air of finality between her and Jack. This was it. Jack knew about her internship offer in Seattle and he was pushing hard for her to accept it and follow him home.
After an incredible night of dancing and just being together Grace felt her will to resist Jack slipping. She loved him so much that she’d nearly convinced herself that she could win Jack’s heart if she only took a chance and sacrificed her own. She had the opportunity to take the relationship further. It would be hard to move to a new city and start her career there, but it would be worth it if they ended up together, just the two of them forever.
“What are you thinking about, babe?” Jack asked. They were dancing close and Grace was trying to work up the nerve to tell him she planned to take the job in Seattle.
“I’m thinking about you . . . and me,” she admitted. Jack sobered and searched her face. He looked at her mouth and back up to her eyes. He wanted to kiss her, again. And this time she wouldn’t try to pretend she didn’t want him to do it.
“What are you saying?” he asked. She just smiled up at him. She didn’t want to talk about it here in a crowded club.
“Can I stay the night with you tonight?” she asked with a blush. “We can talk about it later . . . or maybe in the morning.” They both knew if he got her in a secluded place they’d both be naked in a hurry. Jack’s smile started small and quickly spread across his face. He did kiss her then. Jack brought his lips down on hers and he kissed her softly, sweetly, with the promise of all that was to come later when he got her home.
Jack let out a trumpet, “Woohoo!” and they took off into another dance. Grace’s heart felt buoyant and ready to soar. Jack and she laughed and smiled like fools as he atte
mpted to teach her the steps to the sultry dance.
That’s when the unthinkable happened. Victor appeared on the dance floor right behind Jack. He moved in behind Jack as he danced close to Grace, effectively sandwiching Jack between them. Grace released Jack and backed away a step. Jack was surprised at the intimate contact and spun around. Victor smiled sweetly at his lover and moved in to continue the dance. Jack looked over his shoulder at Grace guiltily, but he let Victor lead him away in the dance. And wasn’t that a metaphor for their entire relationship. Jack said he wanted to be with Grace, but it was far too easy for someone else to lead him in another direction. Just when Grace began to hope for more, something would happen to remind her exactly where she stood.
Grace watched them from the sidelines. They weren’t the only male couple dancing and there were several pairs of ladies enjoying the mesmerizing Latin beat as well. This was a test of Grace’s mettle. If she could tolerate this and still go home with Jack they had a chance. She was doing just fine until the dance ended and Victor moved in for a scorching kiss. Just like the night in that bar on the mountain, Victor took Jack’s mouth like a man who knew he had the right to be there. And Grace couldn’t take it. It had nothing to do with the fact that Jack was kissing another man. It was all about the fact that someone else, man or woman, was kissing her man.
That was still the bottom line. Grace just couldn’t share him with anyone. She gathered her clutch purse and shawl from their table and weaved her way through the crowd. On the curb she hailed a cab. Jack won’t follow her tonight. He’d know she was hurt and needed space. In the morning her Dad would be there with a moving van to haul her belongings back from school for the last time. This chapter in her life was over. She had to move on. And she had to do it without Jack.
