“No kidding. You need to get your shit together.”
“Yeah.” Jax nodded, rubbing his hands across his face. He just wasn’t sure how to go about doing it.
Chapter Eighteen
Epiphanies in the Relish Aisle
Sixty-two-year-old Gene Fritch was a wealthy man. His family had lived on Mirabelle Beach since the 1930s and they’d accumulated quite a bit of the land. Over the last twenty years they’d built dozens of beach houses that they rented out. Five years ago they built the LaBella Resort complete with golf course, private pool, and spa. Harper worked there three days a week giving massages, and she was booked solid every day. The Fritches made a pretty penny during the summer, and the snowbirds kept them well in the black during the winter.
Well, Gene had died of a heart attack, and his funeral was going to be a finale of grand proportions.
Carla Fritch, Gene’s third wife who just happened to be twenty-five years younger than him, was known for her theatrics. Gene’s funeral was going to be the performance of her life, so she spared absolutely no expense. She ordered the funeral home to be filled with orchids, roses, and lilies. The café was catering almost five thousand dollars’ worth of food, there was going to be an open bar, and a professional violinist and harpist were being flown down from New York to play music.
Paige was still on maternity leave, but she was going to come in and work for a little bit. Carla ordered the picture tribute, service folders, prayer cards, and every other thing she could possibly put her husband’s picture on. It was well over eight thousand dollars’ worth of stuff. There were going to be huge pictures of him stationed around the funeral home surrounded by the plethora of flowers that she wanted everywhere. Not to mention she’d ordered some of that creepy jewelry the funeral home sold. Carla was going to be walking around with her dead husband’s thumbprint around her neck.
When everything was said and done, Gene Fritch’s funeral was going to be over one hundred thousand dollars. To top it all off, he was going to be buried with another one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of stuff: a gold crucifix from the 1500s, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl ring, a tie pin and cufflink set that was made of platinum and diamonds, a twenty-thousand-dollar suit, and a baseball signed by the Mets when they won the 1969 World Series.
Apparently good old Gene thought that he could take some of his riches with him to the afterlife.
The funeral was going to be on Thursday night. Gene was going to be lowered into his final resting place at dusk.
That gave Grace and Lula Mae a good couple of days to plan everything out and start prepping. The day of the funeral, Grace and Lula Mae showed up at the café at six in the morning and cooked for a solid nine hours. They had Lula Mae’s SUV and Grace’s Bug loaded up with everything before four and had two hours to set everything up before the service started.
“Grace,” Lula Mae said as she stacked the shrimp cocktail on a platter, “I need you to run over to the store. I forgot the ketchup for the cocktail sauce and we need more fresh strawberries for the mousse cups.”
“Anything else?” Grace asked as she grabbed her purse.
“If the fresh pineapple looks good get two of those and we could use some more cilantro.”
“I’ll be back,” she said as she headed for the front door.
Grace pulled into the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly five minutes later. She grabbed a handheld basket and headed for the produce. She got the strawberries, pineapples, and cilantro. The service started in twenty minutes, so she rushed over to the condiments aisle, rounding the corner and running smack-dab into a solid chest, the very same solid chest that she loved.
“Grace,” Jax said as his hands grabbed on to her arms to steady her.
Why did the first time she saw him have to be then? Have to be when she couldn’t take a second to really deal with it?
“Jax,” she said, inhaling sharply. “Sorry, I, uh, wasn’t watching where I was going.” She took a step back.
“It’s okay,” he said as his hands fell from her shoulders.
She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and press her mouth to his. To kiss him until neither of them could breathe anymore. But that wouldn’t accomplish anything except ripping her heart open even wider.
God, she missed him, everything about him. She missed wearing one of his T-shirts and smelling like him all day. She missed drinking coffee with him in the mornings, the feel of his fingers in her hair, and his hand at the small of her back. She missed waking him up in the middle of the night to make love. But it hadn’t ever been love to him. Just sex because he didn’t love her.
“I have to go,” she said, needing to get away from him before she started crying in front of the relish display. She stepped around him, and as always he let her walk away.
* * *
Jax still felt the warmth from Grace’s skin on his hands, still had the scent of her in his lungs. He’d had her in front of him. Literally had her in his hands, something he’d wanted since he’d let her walk away from him weeks ago, and he hadn’t done anything to make her stay.
There were so many things he wanted to say to her. That he was a moron for starters. That he should’ve never let her go. That he missed her so much it was physically painful to be without her. That he was miserable. That she was everything to him.
That he loved her.
Jax couldn’t remember telling anyone that he loved them. He might’ve told his grandmother at one point, but he wasn’t sure. For him, the very idea of saying those three words was terrifying. He’d always thought that saying it would make it real, make it possible to let someone in, make it possible for someone to hurt him.
Parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally, to take care of them, protect them. Jax had never had that. He’d never known love from his own blood, so he’d always thought he wasn’t capable of it, that it wasn’t part of his DNA.
He was a fucking idiot.
He’d been loved for most of his life, and it might not have been by a family that shared his blood, but it was most definitely by a family that would bleed for him.
He’d had Claire, Lula Mae, and Oliver who’d always treated him like a son. Brendan and Shep who were more like brothers than anything else. Brothers who had helped him through the darkest times in his life, who had helped him build a house because they wanted him to have a home, brothers that called him on his bullshit when he was too blind to see what was standing right in front of him. Well, what had been standing right in front of him.
Jax had been there the day Grace came home from the hospital. It was a couple of months after his grandmother died, and seeing her had been the first real moment he’d felt hope. She was so small, and perfect, and he wanted to protect her like he’d never been protected. And somewhere along the way, he’d fallen in love with her.
Who was he kidding? He’d always been in love with her. The love he had for her at age twenty-nine was definitely different from the love he’d had at five, but it had always been there.
Jax had been running from his love for Grace for a long time. Too long. He wanted to tell her as she stood in front of him, but she’d looked up at him with so much pain in her eyes that it had literally taken his breath away.
“I thought you were going to get the beer.”
Jax turned and looked at Bennett who was holding a bag of chips and a jar of ranch dip. They’d gone up to the house that afternoon and Bennett helped Jax install the appliances that had been delivered. Afterward, they’d grabbed a pizza to take back to Jax’s. The Yankees were playing the Angels so they were going to watch the game and drink beer. Jax had just been missing the beer part of the equation so they’d stopped by the supermarket.
“I ran into Grace.” Literally.
“Oh.” Bennett nodded. “How’d that go?”
“I’m an idiot.”
“Well, Shep and Brendan are pretty likely to agree with that statement.”
“Yeah.�
� Jax nodded, running his hand through his hair and turning back in the direction Grace had gone.
“Go after her. Talk to her.”
“She’s working tonight.”
“Oh, yeah, that funeral for Gene Fritch.”
“Let me go get the beer,” Jax said as he turned around and headed toward the refrigerated section. Well, at least he had the night to figure out how to get her back.
* * *
“All right, what’s going on with you?”
Grace looked up from stacking another tray of cookies. Harper was standing in the kitchen doorway, her hands folded under her ample breasts and a frown on her lips.
“Seriously?” Grace asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Besides the obvious,” Harper said, waving one of her hands in the air. “Something happened. Your mood has gotten funkier since I saw you yesterday.”
“I saw Jax,” Grace said softly. And she felt like she’d been ripped in half for the last three hours.
“Here?” Harper said, looking over her shoulder at the crowded hallway.
“No, earlier tonight at the store,” Grace said as she started stacking cookies again. “Where’s Mel?”
Even though Gene Fritch hadn’t been the one to hire Harper, nor had he really had anything to do with the spa, technically he had been her boss. Harper had to come to the service, so she dragged Mel along with her.
“I don’t know. I got cornered by Tarvis Fritch, one of Gene’s disgusting grandsons, and I only just got away. Who hits on someone at a funeral?”
“Creepers.”
“Exactly. And don’t think I’m going to let you get away with that little subject change.”
Grace sighed and looked up.
“Okay, I’m not going to push you on this right now, but be prepared for Mel and me kidnapping you when this is all said and done.”
“I have to help my grandmother clean up first.”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Lula Mae said, coming into the kitchen. “Pinky, Panky, and your grandfather are here. We can take care of it.” Lula Mae turned to Harper. “You take her with you when this is all finished.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Harper said, giving Grace a big ‘I won’ smile. “I’m going to go find Mel.” She turned around and left the kitchen.
Graced followed, carrying her newly stacked tray of cookies. She went out into the crowded hallway and into the viewing room.
Carla was standing by the casket, sobbing loudly as people hugged her. She was wearing a bright red dress and enough diamonds that Grace felt like she needed to put on her sunglasses to help with the glare.
Grace put the cookies down and then headed upstairs to use the bathroom. The one downstairs had a line ten people deep. When she walked out, she ran smack into Missy who was coming out of the casket display room.
“What are you doing up here?” Missy asked, narrowing her eyes at Grace suspiciously.
“Going to the bathroom. Do I need to ask permission these days?”
“You don’t need to be up here,” Missy snapped.
“Missy, can’t you find something better to do than be a giant pain in everybody’s ass?” Grace didn’t wait for an answer before she sidestepped Missy and headed back down into the crowd.
* * *
It was almost eleven by the time Grace, Mel, and Harper got out of the funeral home.
“Where are we going?” Grace asked as she climbed into the backseat of Harper’s car.
“Don’t you worry about it,” Harper said as she started the ignition. “So what happened when you saw Jax?”
Grace rested her head back on the seat and stared up at the ceiling. “Well, I ran into him and he put his hands on me to steady me. I miss his hands. I miss him,” she said unable to stop her voice from cracking.
“Oh, sweetie,” Mel said sympathetically.
“Did he say anything?” Harper asked.
“Well,” Grace said, pulling her head up, “I told him I was sorry for running into him. And he said, ‘it’s okay.’ That’s it. Well except when he said my name. I wanted to throw myself into his arms just as much as I wanted to run away.”
“Ugh,” Harper said, shaking her head. “I really just want to smack him.”
“Me, too,” Mel said.
“Look, I’m fine with us doing whatever tonight. But can we not talk about him? Please?”
“Talk about who?” Harper said.
“I have no idea,” Mel said.
“Thanks,” Grace said, closing her eyes as she leaned her head against the seat again.
“But can we please talk about Tarvis Fritch hitting on Harper?” Mel asked. “Because that has to be discussed.”
Grace couldn’t help the smile that spread across her lips. Really, she couldn’t ask for better friends. They were always just what she needed.
“Oh, jeez,” Harper groaned.
“So when are you two going on a date?” Mel went on. “Is he going to take you out on his big fancy yacht. Seduce you under the light of a full moon.”
“Shut up,” Harper said. “He’s disgusting. He kept leaning into me to talk, breathing on my neck.” Harper shivered. “And he touched me. I’m going to have to burn this dress now.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. I like that dress,” Grace said.
“I did, too,” Harper said sadly.
The car slowed and came to a stop. Grace pulled her head up and saw that they were in front of Rejuvenate Spa and Salon, the other place that Harper worked.
“What are we doing here?” Grace asked as she unbuckled her seat belt.
“We’re about to have a little fun of our own,” Harper said, turning to Grace and grinning over her shoulder. “I asked Celeste and she said we could have free rein.”
“Seriously?” Grace asked.
Rejuvenate was not a cheap place to go. On average they made about one hundred dollars per client.
“Yup.” Harper grinned. “Let’s go.”
All three girls got out of the car.
“And I got some loot,” Harper said, handing a bottle of wine to Mel.
“How did you get that?” Grace asked, unable to keep herself from grinning.
“She flirted with the bartender,” Mel said.
“Never say I didn’t do anything for you,” Harper said as she unlocked the door and pushed it open.
All three girls stepped in and as Harper moved toward the alarm panel, Grace shut the door behind them.
Grace saw it a second before it happened. She turned to her left as a figure moved in the dark. There was a loud bang and someone was screaming as Mel fell to the ground, the wine bottle shattering on the floor.
Chapter Nineteen
One and Only
Jax was rubbing at the label on his beer bottle. Rolling and unrolling the paper as the game played in the background. The Yankees were up in the bottom of the eighth, but Jax just couldn’t seem to care.
When he’d been with Grace, there were rewards for their team winning. She’d bought him a pair of Red Sox boxers and he had to wear them whenever they won. When the Yankees won, she had to wear a navy blue thong with NY embroidered on the front; there’d also been a matching lace bra.
“Why don’t you just call her,” Bennett said from his side of the couch. “I’m sure she’s still up. You can go over and talk to her. Fix things.”
“I don’t know how to fix things,” Jax said, shaking his head.
“Tell her that you messed up, that you love her.”
Jax stopped rubbing the label and looked over at Bennett. Jax had never actually said those words out loud, or admitted it to anyone.
“I’m not an idiot. You loving Grace isn’t a shock to anyone besides you,” Bennett said as he took a drink of his beer.
“Apparently not.”
“Just tell her the truth.”
“That easy?”
“I have no clue.” Bennett shook his head.
Jax’s phone started ringing in his pocket and he pulled it o
ut. It was Baxter. Jax slid his thumb across the screen to accept the call.
“Anderson,” Jax said.
“There was a B and E at Rejuvenate,” Baxter said, getting right to the point. “The suspects have fled but three women walked in and one was shot. I was at the funeral with Preston tonight before I went on duty. I heard Harper tell Mel they were going to go over there with Grace.”
Jax couldn’t breathe. Panic so severe he thought he was going to black out filled his chest, constricting his lungs. Grace was in danger, possibly shot, and he wasn’t there to protect her. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t lose her. He’d just figured out she was it for him. He hadn’t even told her he loved her.
“Is anyone on scene?” He was on his feet and heading toward his bedroom.
“No. I’m the closest and I’m ten minutes away.”
“I’m leaving now,” Jax said as he hung up and stuck the phone in his back pocket.
“What’s going on?” Bennett asked from the other room.
“Someone was shot when they interrupted a burglary. Baxter thinks it was Grace, Mel, and Harper that walked in on it,” Jax called out as he grabbed his gun.
When he walked back out Bennett was already at the door.
“What are you doing?” Jax asked.
“I’m going with you.”
“Bennett you can’t—”
“The hell I’m not,” he snapped out.
Jax wasn’t going to argue. He could barely focus on anything. The only coherent thought going through his brain was that he had to get to Grace. He kept picturing the accident last year. Grace hurt, and crying. This couldn’t be happening again. She just couldn’t be shot. And if it wasn’t her, it was someone she loved deeply. Someone he cared about, too.
He needed to get to her. He had to get to her. He had to save her.
They were out the door and Jax turned on the police radio as he started up his deputy’s truck. He backed out of the driveway and hit the lights and siren the second he got on the road. He tore through the streets of Mirabelle, but he couldn’t drive fast enough.
Undeniable (A Country Roads Novel) Page 27
