Page 69 of Drop the Mitts

Even when Megan drifted over to him. Laughing too hard at his jokes. Reapplying lip gloss like it was prescribed.

Grace hated that she noticed. Then again, she noticedeverythingthat afternoon. It was like her near death experience had transported her to a more vibrant version of reality.

She noticed Kelty sitting stiffly at the edge of the lounger, watching Sean laugh with Tyler and Suraj but never moving to join him. Penny rubbed Brett’s shoulders, whispering something that made him blush. Rhonda didn’t leave her phone for more than a few minutes, grinning every time her fingers tapped over the screen. And Emma didn’t seem to be drinking. Interesting.

Grace stirred the straw in her drink, letting the crushed ice melt a little before taking another sip. With only ten minutes left before they needed to pack up and go, she slid her phone from the pocket of her bag and tapped it awake.

She scrolled through her messages, stopping on one that made her heart stop. Elodie.

I’m so sorry, but it’s a no go. Amey declined to sign the release. If you want more details, we can talk later—but this means you're preparing for court.

Grace didn’t move. Her thumb hovered over the screen, the words burning into her like acid. She read it again. And again. The background noise of the waterpark faded into a cottony buzz.

Amey wasn’t going to talk. Wasn’t going to clarify what had changed. Wasn’t going to give them anything that might stop this before it became a full-blown legal battle.

Court.

Her chest tightened.

“You okay?” Jenna’s voice broke gently through the noise.

Grace didn’t look up at first. Then she passed her phone over. Jenna scanned the message and handed it back. Her mouth tugged into something that wasn’t quite a smile, but wasn’t panic either.

Grace blinked. “You’re not freaking out right now?”

Jenna set the phone down on the edge of her lounge chair and shrugged, her gaze drifting toward the wave pool where Country was relaxing with Hope in a yellow float shaped like a duck. “Kind of got that out of my system already.”

Grace sat up straighter. “Is that something you get out of your system?”

She shrugged. “Maybe?”

“We’re going to court.”

Jenna sighed. “Yeah.”

Grace dropped her phone into her bag. “I should’ve done more. Found another angle. Talked to Elodie sooner. I was so sure I could control this if I just?—”

“That’s the thing.” Jenna turned toward her. “You can’t. I used to believe the same thing. That if I just worked hard enough, worried hard enough, ran all the scenarios—maybe I could stop bad things from happening. Maybe I could keep myself and those I loved from hurting.”

Grace’s throat tightened. “And?”

“And I lost ten good years trying.” Jenna smiled faintly, watching Country paddle their float around in circles. “I was so scared of losing him that I never really let myselfhavehim. And now?” She looked back at Grace. “I’m done living like that. I don’t need to add pain to pain. I don’t need to create pain out of nothing. If we lose Hope, we lose Hope. But I’m not going to miss the time I have with her now just because I’m scared.”

Grace sat very still. There was that word again. “I wanted to protect you from this.”

Jenna put a hand over hers. “I know. But you can’t. And that’s okay.”

They sat there for a long moment. Then Jenna gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m going to go float with Country. Last chance.”

Grace nodded and watched her friend walk barefoot toward the pool, her laughter rising as she strode toward the man she loved and the daughter they might not get to keep.

Chapter

Twenty-Three

André

They were tied.Five-five. Third period, under a minute to go.

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