Everything Changes

by Bybee, Catherine

  “There are a couple of sore ones after last night.”

  Dameon flashed a knowing grin. “I have early meetings tomorrow in Long Beach. I’m aiming to be back here Wednesday night.”

  “I remember.”

  He kissed her again and stood. He made it as far as the door before turning around. “Do you want a big family?” he asked out of the blue.

  “What?”

  “You know, kids? Are you thinking one or two? Or half a dozen?”

  Grace felt her jaw dropping at the unexpectedness of his question.

  “I, ahh . . .” How did she answer that? “More than one, less than six.”

  Dameon kept nodding as he walked away.

  Grace pulled her knees into her chest and hugged them tight. Holy shit, Dameon had just asked her how many kids she wanted. In all her years of dating, never once had someone asked her about having a family.

  She couldn’t stop smiling.

  Dameon poked his head back around the corner. “What about five?”

  She was starting to hyperventilate. “You’re going to be late for work.”

  He marched back into the room, kissed her again, this time with a little more something to talk about, and then abruptly walked away.

  Only when she heard the front door shut did she let out a squeal and kick the covers back.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  “What are the chances of getting Dameon to bowl with us?”

  Grace was on the phone over her car speaker talking to Parker.

  “Considering he asked me how many kids I wanted to have this morning, I’d say the chances are pretty high.”

  “He did not.”

  Grace was still giddy. “He did.”

  “Oh my God . . . why didn’t you call me?”

  She pulled the car to a stop at a traffic light. “My phone has been going crazy. Seems the paper made the rounds at work.”

  “The pictures are pretty telling.”

  The light turned green. “I’m having a hard time believing this is all happening. I’m not even upset about work anymore.”

  “How can you care about something you were beginning to hate?”

  “I love the job, can’t stand the politics. Even more now.”

  “I bet.” Parker paused. “So how did the conversation about kids come up?”

  “It didn’t. He literally just asked out of the blue.”

  “Have you talked about getting married?”

  “Parker, we haven’t been dating long.”

  “Yet he’s talking kids.”

  They were both silent for a while.

  Grace merged into the turn lane and checked her rearview mirror. “Wait . . . was Erin drinking last night?”

  “We went through two bottles of champagne.”

  “Yeah, but how much did Erin drink?”

  “I didn’t measure,” Parker said.

  Grace’s mind started to calculate. “She said she was driving on our family dinner night.”

  “Oh . . .”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Erin’s pregnant.

  “No. She would tell us.”

  Grace switched lanes once the light turned green. “I’m going over there.”

  “To Matt and Erin’s?”

  “Matt’s at work,” Grace reminded her.

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  Grace disconnected the call and buzzed the car around traffic to get in the correct lane. She didn’t see any cops, thank goodness. Because she was driving a little crazy even for her. Although the dark sedan behind her could be an unmarked police car.

  She slowed down and paid a little more attention to the road.

  With one eye on her rearview mirror and the other on her speedometer, Grace started to feel like maybe the car behind her was a cop.

  The cars opened up on the road and Grace moved into the slower lane.

  The sedan stuck right behind her.

  “C’mon, pull me over if you’re going to.”

  Only that didn’t happen.

  At the next red light, Grace stared through her rearview mirror. The expression on the man’s face was only partially hidden by sunglasses. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Was it someone she knew who was just messing with her?

  When she pulled into Erin’s neighborhood the car kept pace.

  “Okay, this is bullshit.” Grace pulled over to the side of the road suddenly and slammed on the brakes.

  The car behind her buzzed around at that point.

  She looked at the license plate to find a dark covering over the numbers. The kind of thing people use to get away with driving on a toll road without getting charged.

  “What the hell?”

  Maybe she’d just imagined the car following her.

  She shook out her nerves and continued to Erin and Matt’s place. But being the cautious person her dad taught her to be, Grace parked a house beyond Erin’s.

  Parker pulled into the driveway and watched Grace walking across the street. “Afraid I was going to hit your car?” she teased.

  Grace shook her head. “No, it’s just . . .” Yeah, an overactive imagination. “Nothing. Let’s go ask Erin if she has a dead rabbit on her hands.”

  She and Parker stood in the doorway and rang the doorbell.

  Erin opened the door. “Hi.”

  Parker hit Grace with her elbow.

  She elbowed Parker back.

  “What?” Erin asked.

  Grace looked at Parker. “Chicken.”

  Parker acted shocked.

  “Fine.” Grace looked Erin in the eye. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

  Erin’s face went stone white. “Who told you?”

  Parker and Erin both screamed at the same time, and then it was nothing but hugs and tears.

  Dameon had the phone on speaker. A week’s worth of paperwork spread out in front of him.

  “I just got off the phone with Carson,” Grace told him. “The dirtbag was served with papers yesterday, and my response was given to the city this morning.”

  Dameon stopped looking at the numbers on his spreadsheet. “What happens now?”

  “Carson seems to think the city is going to lift my furlough and ask me to come back to work.”

  “That’s a change in tune.”

  “Yeah, he spoke with Simons, the city attorney, and offered a little information about Sokolov. The guy has a less than clean record. Spent a few nights in jail for a DUI and a few domestic calls to his mobile home park when he tried to strong-arm a tenant to leave.”

  Dameon cringed. “When I think of you out there alone with that man . . .”

  “I hear ya. Carson said the same thing to Simons. Suggested that Richard had been informed of this man’s hostility and still sent me there alone. That precautions needed to be in place.”

  “Sounds like the city is going to be doing some backtracking.”

  “I hate playing the fragile woman card. It’s not who I am.”

  Dameon closed his eyes. “Honey, you’re what, five three? And I’m gonna guess a hundred and fifteen pounds on any given day.”

  “You’re sweet. A hundred and twenty.”

  God, he loved her sass. “You’re missing my point.”

  “I hear ya.”

  “Do you? Because I’ve seen you hold your own with your brother but he would just as soon cut off his own hand before hitting back. Those tricks won’t work with a man twice your size with a grudge.”

  It took Grace a second to respond.

  “Hon?”

  “I’m here. And I know you’re right. I need to be smart and trust my instincts. I knew Sokolov was a shitty man the first time I met him. But I ignored it.”

  Dameon pulled his copy of the paper that had her picture in it and smiled. “Well, don’t ignore it anymore, okay? I just found you and I’m not ready to lose you.”

  He heard her sniffle over the line. “Grace?”

  “Yeah?”

  Okay,
she was choked up.

  “Are you crying?”

  “No.” Another sniff. “Okay, yes.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh my god. Nothing. You say the sweetest things to me, and I don’t know how to handle it.”

  That turned his worry into a smile. “Well, get used to it.”

  She sighed.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you home?”

  “I am. But if it’s okay with you I’m going to stay at the canyon house tomorrow night. We’re supposed to get some significant rain and I want to see how the runoff behaves. We don’t want surprises when you start building.”

  He couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re something else.”

  “I know,” she teased. “Just remember that when I ask you to join our bowling league.”

  “What? Bowling?” Did she just say bowling?

  “You heard me. It’s a smallish town. We take our kicks when and however we can get them.”

  “You’re serious? This isn’t like the pedicure man-card stealing thing, is it?”

  “Call Colin or Matt if you think I’m kidding. Our first game is Thursday night.”

  “You’re not kidding.”

  She laughed and laughed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Grace sat beside Carson and across the table from stoic Richard, apologetic Vivian, and matter-of-fact Simons.

  In front of her was her reinstatement paperwork.

  “We sincerely hope you understand the position we were in when these accusations were brought to us,” Vivian said, speaking for the team.

  Grace looked to Carson for direction. He lifted his hand as if telling her to feel free to say her piece.

  She placed her folded hands on top of the table and spoke up for herself for the first time since everything had blown up.

  “While I understand there are precautions and protocols in place to protect the city, I fail to see why there was never once a time where my character was upheld by anyone at this table.” She looked directly at her boss. “I have worked under your direction for five years. Have I ever once not performed in my job? Have I ever given you reason to consider these allegations had any merit whatsoever?”

  Richard stared without expression. “Your performance evaluations have always been satisfactory.”

  “That’s it?” It was clear Richard wasn’t going to budge on this.

  “We value you as an employee,” Vivian said in an effort to ease the tension.

  There is power in silence, and Grace did her best to channel that.

  Carson took her silence as his cue to speak. “As everyone at this table is aware of, Miss Hudson has filed a civil suit against Mr. Sokolov. In the many points in this suit, the man’s assaultive behavior is the one thing that stands out as a serious safety concern. If Miss Hudson chooses to continue her employment with the city, this suit and her safety have to be considered.”

  “Of course. It goes without saying that Grace wouldn’t be expected to work on anything in regard to this property.” Vivian was doing all the talking.

  “And in light of the romantic relationship Miss Hudson and Mr. Locke have developed, Grace feels it would be in her best interest to relinquish the charge of this project to one of her coworkers to avoid any possible questioning of her character.”

  Vivian and Richard exchanged glances. “That seems reasonable.”

  “What do you say, Grace? Are we able to move past this?” Simons asked.

  Carson looked at her, then back at the others. “Can you give us a few minutes?”

  Richard looked annoyed, while the other two attempted to smile. “Of course.”

  Once Grace and Carson were alone, she finally released the breath she felt she’d been holding. “He is such an asshole.”

  “I don’t think that is going to change.”

  She was completely torn. “I need some time to think on this.”

  Carson nodded. “That’s reasonable.”

  A few minutes later, Carson asked the others to return. When they did, he told them she was going to take the rest of the week and weekend to make her decision.

  “Thank you, Carson,” she said as they walked out to the parking lot.

  “We’re not done yet. Unless you’ve changed your mind about the countersuit.”

  “Oh, no. I hate bullies, and that’s what this person is.”

  “Couldn’t agree more.”

  She stopped at her car. “Listen . . . something is bothering me. I want to run it past you.”

  “Okay.” Carson turned to look at her.

  “The other day I was driving to my brother’s. This sedan pulled in behind me. At first, I thought maybe it was an unmarked police car because he was right on my butt. I slowed down, he slowed down. I turned, he turned.”

  “You were being followed?”

  “That’s what it felt like.”

  “Was it Sokolov?”

  She shook her head. “No. The guy looked familiar, but I didn’t get a good look at him. When I turned into my brother’s neighborhood, I pulled over to the side of the road and the guy pulled past me.”

  “When was this?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Nothing since?”

  “No.”

  “You wouldn’t be the first person to get harassed after filing a lawsuit. It does take a special layer of stupidity to do so once things are already in the courts. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unintelligent people out there. The problem is we can’t do anything about it until Sokolov makes contact, directly or indirectly. If the man contacts you at all, you need to call me immediately. I’ll file an emergency restraining order.”

  Grace instantly thought of Erin. “Like that will work.”

  “I know. But it’s all we have. You need to keep your eyes open. Be cautious. This guy had your cell phone. There’s a lot of personal information in there.”

  Grace nodded. “It might have just been my imagination.”

  Carson stared her down. “Is that what your gut is saying?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, then. Did you tell Dameon?”

  Grace wavered. “No.”

  “Tell him. And your family. The sooner we nip this, the better our chances of nailing this guy if he’s behind it.”

  The sky started to open up, and small droplets of rain fell.

  “Thanks for your advice,” she said.

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  Grace went straight to her condo after the city meeting and changed. She packed her mud boots and parka for her drive to Dameon’s canyon home. She had started to pack an overnight bag and decided against it. As a rule, she wasn’t a woman afraid of the dark, or being in a house alone. But the canyon house was isolated without a lot of traffic going by. Heeding Carson’s advice, she didn’t think it was in her best interest to be there alone once the sun went down.

  As she drove through town, Grace paid close attention to the cars behind her.

  Nothing out of the norm stuck out. Outside of the slapping of her windshield wipers, the drive was uneventful.

  Grace waited until she was inside the house before calling Dameon using his landline.

  His phone went to voice mail after the third ring. “It’s me. I wanted to tell you how everything went today. And bring you up-to-date on a few things. I’m at the house, so call the landline. You know how bad the service is out here. I’m going back to my condo in a couple of hours. Before dark. I don’t want you to worry. Oh, and if I don’t answer right away, it’s because I’m outside. Now I sound paranoid.” She laughed and then had to stifle the urge to tell him she loved him.

  When she hung up the phone, she realized how easy the thought rolled through her head.

  She’d fallen in love with Dameon Locke. He’d somehow become the person she wanted to talk to every morning and every night. There wasn’t a single red flag warning her that loving him was wrong. She smiled into the thought.


  She walked over to the thermostat to turn up the heat and decided against it. She wouldn’t be in there long enough to need it. And that disappointed her. She’d actually looked forward to staying the night, even if Dameon couldn’t be there with her. Being in his space and seeing the few memories she’d shared with him made her feel more connected. Like she belonged.

  But Carson’s advice sounded in her head. “You wouldn’t be the first person to get harassed after filing a lawsuit . . . Tell Dameon. Tell your family.”

  Grace stared at her phone and thought of who she should call. It was the middle of the day, so she knew Colin was working. She was pretty sure Matt was home, but telling him about the car thing would go straight to Erin. And yeah, Grace didn’t need the pregnant woman worrying. So Grace called Parker.

  “How did it go?” Parker asked the second she picked up the phone.

  “They want to give me my job back.”

  “That’s great.”

  Grace sighed. “I don’t know if I want it.”

  “That’s fair.”

  “Listen, I’m at Dameon’s. I have about an hour of work to do here, two at the most, and I’m headed back to my place.”

  “I thought you were going to stay through the storm.”

  “I was, but I don’t think it’s wise to be out here by myself right now.” She took a few minutes to tell Parker about the car that followed her and was quick to say that it hadn’t happened twice.

  “That’s scary,” Parker said.

  “I don’t want to be paranoid, but I really don’t want to be stupid.”

  “I think you’re smart to get out of there long before dark,” Parker told her.

  “Yeah. I’m still sensitive after Erin.” Although Grace had to admit, if only to herself . . . Erin’s ex and all the insecurities he’d created were fading into her past. She had to credit Dameon for that. For showing her that there were good men out there.

  “We all are. I have you on Friend Finder. Call before you leave the house.”

  “I will. And I’ll call when I get home,” Grace said.

  “I’ll keep my phone handy.”

  Grace hung up and bundled into her rain gear.

  She took a good look around once she stepped outside. There weren’t any strange cars parked on the road or driving by. In fact, there weren’t any cars on the road directly in front of the drive.