I nodded once. I wasn’t going to give her any more information than necessary.
“She has a brownstone that she can’t step foot in because she seriously believes she’s the reason her sister is dead. It seemed everybody in her life cemented her feelings,” I deadpanned. My eyes glared straight into hers; I was unafraid but not unfazed.
“Is that why she doesn’t want to go back to the brownstone and is selling it?” she asked. She shook her head incredulously then admitted, “I thought she was trying to get her father to buy her something bigger and better. I didn’t think it was really about Julia. I figured she was using it as an excuse.”
“With all due respect, I don’t think you know your daughter very well,” I ground out, shaking my head. “You sure weren’t there for her either.”
Jacqueline’s shock from my truth bombs wore off and she breathed out, “I think I know her just fine. She needs what she knows, what’s comfortable. Back in our world with the best of the best available to her. The boring and mundane trials and tribulations of small-town life will eventually bore her, and she will leave you and your daughter in the dust. Grace lives for thethrill. She will not end up with some guy when she can end up with somebody like Grant Abernathy. It’s meant to be. If you want what’s best for Grace, you’ll let her go. Caging her will only cause her to run. Trust me.”
I listened, absorbing everything before shaking my head. I wasn’t about to show her mother any of my doubts. Jacqueline adjusted the strap of her bag and eyed the check on the bar. “Consider my offer.”
I grabbed the check and ripped it into a bunch of pieces, letting them fall in front of her. There was no question. I never wanted Grace for her money. I only wanted her.
She muttered something too low for me to hear. “Did you know Grace got arrested in Spain for dancing topless on tables? Or about how she got kicked out of boarding school for sneaking that Grant boy in when she was drunk or high at a party? Julia gave me a run for my money, but Grace isn’t the saint you think she is,” Jacqueline challenged then laughed, but there was no humor to it. It was almost sinister. She turned her back to me, heading for the door. “She might have you believing she’s changed, but it will only go so far. You can’t change who you are. And I can’t lose her. I’ve already lost one daughter. I can’t lose her too.”
And with that, she was gone.
“Holy fuck! What a woman,” Dirty Al mumbled, leaning back in his spot. “I need a double.” He tapped his empty glass. I took it and made him another drink.
Dirty Al couldn’t stop talking about how he loved how strong and brazen Jacqueline was. She didn’t back down against me. I wanted to backhand him, but he was one of my best customers, so I refrained.
Max finally made his way back and handed me a sandwich. Too bad I had no appetite. Dirty Al kept talking about Jacqueline. I walked into the kitchen, needing time to clearmy head before Grace came in. I wasn’t looking forward to explaining any of this to my girlfriend.
“I wonder what she looks like,” I heard Max ponder, but I had no idea what the context was as my mind was elsewhere.
When I came out of the kitchen, Max was sitting next to Dirty Al, showing him photos of something. I hoped he wasn’t showing him porn again.
I tuned them out for a few minutes before I heard Grace’s name and then Max said, “Come check this out, Caleb. Did you know Grace was on a yacht topless? Or did coke in the bathroom at some fashion show? Oh, or that she used to date a guy named Grant?”
“What the fuck are you doing? Did you google my girlfriend?”
I was surrounded by a bunch of fucking gossips.
CHAPTER 34
Grace
“Hey, Grace,”Jena greeted me when I was a block away from the bar. I adjusted the belt on my coat. I felt sweaty and slightly disheveled after helping Fiona lift furniture to the curb and pack away other knickknacks she was willing to part with. We were refreshing The Grand B&B. I was honored that she trusted me enough to help her with these big changes. Fiona had taken a shine to me and we’d formed an unlikely friendship. I couldn’t wait to put the finishing touches on the place that had become an oasis for me.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked, giving her a half hug. I was grateful for all my friends. While she could be meddling and nosy, I secretly loved her passion toward life and how she truly loved people of all kinds.
I hadn’t visited the coffee shop in a few days, which was a new record. I was coffee addicted—nuts about coffee, if you will.
“Mom made some new pastries you’re going to want to try,” Jena teased. My weakness for sweet treats wasn’t a secret, especially when Ms. Kenzie was the one making them. “Come in tomorrow. We can catch up.”
I nodded and said my goodbyes before making my way to the bar. A black town car passed me on the cobblestone street—like the ones my mom’s car service used. You didn’t see one of those every day in this small town.
Opening the door to the dimly lit bar, I heard raised voices and someone yelling. God, I hoped Dirty Al wasn’t getting rowdy this early.
My stomach churned uneasily, sensing something wasn’t right. Max was hunched over his phone at the bar. I shook my head at him, hoping he didn’t get caught looking at porn again. As I walked behind the bar, I glanced between Max, Dirty Al, and a pissed-off looking Caleb, confused as to what was going on. But my heart stopped when I leaned over Max’s shoulder and I did a double take when I saw a familiar photo on the screen. They weren’t photos of naked girls—they were photos of me. Paparazzi photos.
“You didn’t,” I gasped, my head snapping between Max and Caleb, my voice cracking as I was on the verge of tears. “You googled me?” My question lingered in the air as Caleb walked into my line of sight. Max jumped as Caleb walked by him. Caleb yanked the phone from Max’s hands and tossed it onto the bar, his expression etched with guilt.
“No, Grace,” Caleb interjected quickly, stepping forward and grabbing my shoulders, his eyes filled with urgency. “Max was just being an ass.”
“But you were looking. You saw!” I accused, my voice low and shaky. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. Fuck!
Caleb’s grip loosened slightly, and uncertainty clouded his features. “I’m all messed up,” he finally admitted. “Between Noelle, this shit, and your mother stopping by today.”
