“No,” he said sternly. “Don't call anyone. I don't want to see them. I just want to rest.”
“Gavin,” she said.
“Rest,” he said roughly. “Please.”
“Okay,” she said with defeat in her tone. “I won't.”
“Thank you,” he said, before turning and walking up the stairs to his old room.
So much had changed since he'd been in it last. He'd changed. Many things happened while he was gone, and his life would never go back to what it was before. He'd seen more than he ever thought he would, and he still wasn't sure how he felt about that.
He woke to the sound of his door opening and was so glad that he hadn't been dreaming. There was no way he'd be going to bed without locking his door again.
“Gavin,” his dad said from the doorway.
“Yeah,” Gavin answered.
“Your mom made dinner.”
“I'll be down in a minute,” he said.
“It's great to have you back,” his dad said.
“Thanks,” was all he had to say back.
His mom had done as he'd asked and not invited anyone. For that he was happy. She did make a huge meal though. His brother hadn't come home from school yet, and Gavin was fine with that. Both of his sisters were at school, so he wouldn't be seeing them right away. He'd sent them both a text to let them know he was home but told them not to come. If he hadn't, they would have called or shown up. That wasn't on his list of things to do. He didn't feel like talking on the phone or seeing anyone.
“Thanks for dinner,” he said, as he pushed his food around before finally taking a bite. “It's delicious.”
“Have you talked to any of the crew?” his dad asked, making sure to stretch the word crew.
The parents didn't like that the kids stuck together and excluded them. They had to realize they were all too old to be part of the group. It was the kids against the parents. They had to do that for survival. They couldn't let the parents break through the group. It would never work.
“A few,” Gavin answered.
There was no way he was telling them that Gracie had been sending him texts while he was gone and he was blowing them off. He answered everyone else with short, sweet, I'm fine answers.
“How was Hawaii?” Gavin asked, knowing it would get them onto another subject.
“It was nice,” his mom said. “Josh and Lisa went. I think it was good for them. Gracie didn't go. She didn't want to be away from the restaurants. Jessie didn't go either. She was busy with nursing stuff.”
“Never stopped Gracie before,” Gavin's dad said.
“I know,” his mom replied. “Josh said she works every waking moment. She's proud of what they've built. I think she does it so that he'll be home with Lisa. She's a great kid.”
Gracie missed Hawaii, Gavin thought to himself. He was with his dad on that one. She'd never even considered missing it before.
“Was Ethan there?” Gavin asked.
“He was,” Gavin's mom answered.
Something didn't seem right to Gavin about that, but he knew it wasn't his business. She was fine. If she wasn't, her parents or Ethan would surely have taken care of her.
Chapter 21
Gracie
Gracie was working more hours than she ever had. She'd travel to at least three of the restaurants each day. While she was there, she'd check in with the managers. Then she'd go into the kitchen to see what was going on. She'd ask each of the cooks their opinions on new dishes and how the older ones were selling. She made sure to visit the new restaurant every other day.
By the time she'd walk through her door each night, she could barely keep her eyes open. Gracie literally changed and fell onto her bed. She'd wake up and do the same thing over again. It was her new normal.
She continued going one night a week to her parents' house for dinner. If she didn't, she knew they would be checking up on her. Her dad was already giving her such a hard time about working even more than before. Gracie made sure to have a smile on her face each time she saw them. There was no way she wanted her parents to think she was anything but perfect. She'd missed their annual trip to Hawaii. Gracie told them she had to work, when really there was just no way she wanted to spend time with all of them. It wasn't something she was up for. Jack wouldn't be there, and neither would Gavin.
Ethan was emailing her once a week. She made sure to tell him exactly what she knew he wanted to hear. When he found out she wasn't going to Hawaii, he'd called her to discuss it. She fed him the same thing she did her parents, and he bought it.
As far as everyone knew, she was fine. Not for one second did she let them know that she was dying inside a little more each time she thought about Jack or that her heart broke even more every time Gavin blew her off.
Gracie had sent Gavin messages for the first couple of weeks after Jack's funeral. Not once did he answer. Fuck him, she thought. He obviously didn't give a shit about her. If he had, he would have at least let her know he was okay. He didn't do that. He didn't do anything. She was so angry with him. They'd grown closer, at least that was what she'd thought. It was all shit. He was such an asshole. Knowing he wasn't even acknowledging her was pissing her off even more. He pulled her brother in with him, and he had nothing to say. She would have rather he came back at her and told her to leave him alone than have him ignore her like she never existed. Gracie was so mad that he was okay. He would recover completely. At the same time, she was so thankful that he wasn't gone as well.
“What the hell is wrong with me?” she asked herself, as she stared up at her dark ceiling. “Make up your mind. Do you hate him, or do you care for him?”
She thought for a few minutes before coming to a conclusion.
“Get him out of your mind, Gracie,” she told herself. “He doesn't care about you. Get over it already.”
The next day was dinner with her parents, and she was not looking forward to it. She would have much rather gone home than face anyone. When she pulled in the driveway, she let out a sigh. Gavin's parents were there. It was bad enough she had to smile for her own mom and dad, but she really didn't feel like seeing Gavin's parents too. Their son was fine, and he was a giant asshole. She slammed her car door and walked toward the house. That was where she knew all of her aggravation had to stay.
Gracie opened the front door and walked in, making sure her happy smile was ready and perfectly in place. She closed the door behind her and stopped where she was when she heard her mom.
“When did he get back?”
He was back, she thought. Was he okay? When was he leaving again? How did they not mention him coming home?
“Gracie,” she heard her mom shout. “Is that you?”
Gracie moved her feet, walked into the dining room, and hugged her mom.
“Hey,” she said. “How's it going?”
Then she walked over to hug Becky.
“Fine,” her mom answered. “How is work?”
“Great,” Gracie said.
“I can't believe you didn't come to Hawaii,” Becky said. “We all missed you so much.”
“I'm trying to get my dad to open another restaurant, so I was working to keep everything going smoothly,” Gracie answered.
“You just opened one not that long ago,” Becky said.
“I'm ready to do it again,” Gracie said with a shrug. “How are you?”
“Good,” Becky answered.
“Is Gavin back?” Gracie asked. “I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation.”
“Yes,” Becky answered. “He got home yesterday. I had strict orders not to tell anyone. He looked exhausted. He came down for dinner, then went back to his room.”
“When does he go back?” Gracie asked without thinking.
“The only thing he told us was that he was being discharged and wouldn't be going back,” Becky answered.
“Why didn't he come tonight?” Gracie's mom asked.
“He said he was tired,” Becky answered. “He'll
be fine after he gets some rest.”
Gracie made a strange sound and quickly coughed to try and cover it.
“You okay?” Becky asked her.
“Perfect,” she answered.
“You blame him?” Becky asked.
“I do,” Gracie answered.
“Gracie,” her mom snapped, as she gave her an evil eye. “Don't say that.”
Gracie shrugged but said nothing.
“He's having a hard time,” Becky said.
“For now,” Gracie said. “He'll be fine before long. Then his life will go on.”
“I hope so. It's not his fault, Gracie.”
“Whatever you say,” Gracie mumbled to herself, as she turned around and took off up the stairs to her brother's room. “I'm not sure I agree.”
She sat on Jack's bed and looked around his room just like she did every week. When her eyes scanned the corner, she saw a couple of boxes that weren't there before. She lifted the lid on the top box and saw his clothes. They were his things from the service. She grabbed the t-shirt that was on top of the pile and closed the box. On her way down the stairs, she stuffed the shirt in her purse.
“They sent his stuff,” she said when they were deep into dinner.
“Yes,” her mom answered.
Gracie looked up from her plate and saw a sad look on Gavin's dad's face.
“Are you going to go through them?” Gracie asked her mom.
“Not yet,” she answered. “I can't do it.”
“When you do,” Gracie said. “Can I do it with you?”
“Of course,” her mom answered.
Gracie couldn't sit much longer with a fake smile on her face. It took all she had to not say so much more to Becky earlier. She needed to get out of there. Her plate was clean as fast as she could clean it. Then she was up and hugging her mom and dad.
“Where are you going?” her mom asked. “We haven't even had dessert yet.”
“I want to get an early start tomorrow,” Gracie answered. “I'm going to get home and to bed. I'm exhausted.”
“Gracie,” Becky said, as she stood.
“Have a great night,” Gracie said without acknowledging Becky. “I'll see everyone later.”
She grabbed her purse and keys and was out the door. On her drive home, she drove by the same bar she did every week. Gracie was so pissed at Gavin for ignoring her the whole time. He was home, but he didn't go to dinner. That pissed her off even more. What an asshole, she thought to herself. She'd thought there was a possibility he cared about her during the time they were writing. When he didn't answer her messages, she tried to convince herself he'd be different when he came home. He'd been home since the day before and she hadn't even known.
She turned her car around and pulled into the parking lot of the bar. It was only a mile from her apartment, and she needed a drink. The only time she'd been in a bar was with her brother. He was gone. She had nobody, not anybody she could actually let herself feel things around. She swung the door open feeling nervous. There were only a handful of people inside. The woman behind the bar didn't look threatening, so she sat there and ordered a beer. She hadn't really liked the taste when she'd had one with her brother, but she didn't care. All she needed was a few minutes to cool down. She pulled out her phone and looked through all of the messages she'd sent Gavin. He could have at least let her know he was okay, she thought. Shit, he could have asked if she was okay. Fucker couldn't even show up to dinner. She looked at the blinking line. It was screaming for her to say something.
Gracie: Coward.
It was only one word, but it was the right one. He hadn't talked to her or her family. Jack was her brother. The one he'd taken with him to war. The one that didn't come home. He'd blown off Jack's entire family. What an asshole, she thought. A fucking coward.
When she finished the beer, she felt a little warm inside. After a second, she started to feel a little numb. Her heart hurt a little less and she felt her stress fading. After the third, there was no hurt or anger anymore. There was nothing. Gracie got up and went home. When she fell into bed, she didn't stare at the ceiling. Her thoughts didn't go to Gavin or Jack. She was tired. Her eyes closed, and she slept.
Chapter 22
Gavin
Gavin's mom asked him to go to dinner with her and his dad. He couldn't do it. There was no way he could face Josh and Lisa. What would he say, he wondered? I'm so sorry your son went with me and I didn't protect him. It was not happening. Gracie, he thought. What would he say to her? She'd given up messaging him. He never answered her, but he still checked his phone hoping to see a new message. She hated him, that he was sure of. I'll never forgive you ran through his head every single time he thought about her. He could still hear her saying it.
His parents had been gone for a couple of hours. He was in his bed, staring at the ceiling, enjoying the quiet. It really was important for him to get his own place. He had money saved from when he was gone, but he needed a job before he could lease a place.
When his phone buzzed, he didn't want to answer it. He was sure it was his mom checking in with him like he needed a sitter. She'd been to check on him several times before she left. He was in his room. What could he possibly do in there, he wondered? He let out a sigh of aggravation and grabbed his phone from the stand next to his bed. The second he saw the message, he felt his blood boil.
Gracie: Coward.
Without thinking, he pulled his arm back and then threw his phone. He heard the loud smack followed by the crash as it hit the ground and fell into three or four pieces from the sound of it.
“What the fuck,” he yelled out.
Who did she think she was, he wondered? What had happened for her to send that? How was he a coward? Why would she send that while eating dinner with his parents? She was a pain-in-the-ass and had been ever since he could remember. The more he thought about that one word, the more he wanted to go to her parents and give her a piece of his mind.
“I'm no fucking coward,” he snapped, as he stood from his bed and went down to the kitchen to get something to drink. “Who does she think she is? She doesn't know shit.”
“Who doesn't know shit?” he heard his mom ask from the kitchen doorway.
“Nobody,” he said. “You're home already.”
“We've been gone for hours,” she said.
Gracie had just sent the text ten minutes before.
“Was Gracie there?” he asked.
“Yes, she most definitely was,” his mom said in a stern tone. “She was in a mood tonight. I'm not sure what her deal was. I don't know what happened to set her off, but she got up from the table before dessert and took off. She told Lisa she needed to be at work early tomorrow.”
Gavin walked by his mom and up the stairs without another word. Gracie wasn't even with them when she sent that, he thought. What had her all pissed, he wondered? He grabbed the pieces from his phone, shoved them in a drawer, and fell back into bed. All of her texts had been civil before. That was the strangest of them all. Screw her, he thought. She wasn't allowed to call him a coward. That was bullshit.
He woke up the next morning, threw on some sweats and a t-shirt, grabbed his keys, and headed toward the front door.
“Where are you off to so early?” his mom asked the second his foot hit the last step.
“Going to the gym,” he grumbled.
“You sure?” she asked.
“Yep,” was all he said before leaving the house and closing the door behind him.
He needed some air. It was too damn hard being cooped up in the house. He needed to work off some of the stress that was driving him crazy. Would it hurt? Hell yeah it would. He was planning to soak up every second too. His arm needed work. He needed to strengthen it.
He'd never been there before, but it didn't take long to fill out the papers and be on his way. He started on the treadmill and pushed harder than he ever had before. Gavin pushed until every single muscle burned, and then he pushed some more. When h
e finally turned the machine off, his body was covered in sweat. There wasn't a dry inch on him. When he could barely move, he headed home.
The second he walked in, his mom was on his ass. Are you okay? Do you need anything? How are you? He'd grunted and groaned until then, but he couldn't take it anymore. She had to back off. He thought for a moment and realized they were worried because of his attitude. If he put a smile on his face, maybe she'd back off. He turned to her with the biggest smile he could fake.
“Everything's great,” he said. “I'm going to jump in the shower and wash this crap off. I'll be down in a bit.”
“That sounds great,” she said. “Did you have a good workout?”
“It was pretty good,” he said. “I'll have my arm back to normal in no time.”
“I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't. I love you.”
“Love you too,” he said, as he turned and took off up the stairs.
Gavin showered before taking a short nap. He couldn't wait to get back to the gym. Nobody questioned him there. Not one person in that gym gave a shit about his life and what had happened. They had no idea he'd gotten his best friend killed. They didn't care if he was okay. They all went on about their lives and left him alone. That was exactly what he needed.
His brother knocked on his door to let him know dinner was ready. He sat down with his mom, dad, and Nate. They all talked about their day. His dad talked about the company. His brother talked about school. His mom mentioned talking to his sisters. Gavin sat with that same smile he'd had earlier, and it was great. Not one time did any of them ask him how he was. That was the ticket. Pretend to be perfect, he told himself. Then life could go on for everyone.
Gavin repeated that day for the rest of the week. Each day was the same. He went to the gym, stayed in his room, and had dinner with his parents and brother. By the end of the week, his mom had stopped checking in on him.
He skipped dinner with Jack's family again that week. There was no phone to check in case Gracie sent another shitty message. Things were going well. Everyone was leaving him alone.
He repeated the same week again and managed to miss a third dinner. One more week, and his mom wasn't stopping to ask him anything at all. It was really working. His life was his, and they'd all gone on with their own.
Saved by Love (Bachelor Billionaire Kids #1) Page 8
