Page 30 of Grace on the Rocks

“You don’t understand,” she moaned. “IfIdon’t hit this deadline,I’mgoing to lose my book deal, my advance—my car.I’llprobably never publish again.”

His frown deepened, the vertical line between his eyebrows practically a chasm now, whichGracewould never be able to climb out of. “When’sit due?”

She sighed in relief.Finally, he was beginning to understand her predicament. “Fourweeks.”Laughableto think she could accomplish anything in such a short amount of time.

He shook his head. “Ionly have three.”

“Three is good.Threewhat?”

“Weeks,” called the teenager who’d sungTaylorSwiftat the pub last night.Heclimbed down, jumping the last foot or so off the ladder.

“Lùcas, meet part one of theAmericanInvasion.Rios, my cousinLùcas.”

“You were at karaoke?” the boy asked, shakingGrace’shand eagerly.

“Guilty.Sorry.”

“Nah, you were grand.”Heturned back to his older cousin with a huge grin. “Peopleweren’t kidding, you do work fast.”

Grace watched the color drain from her host’s face as he shook his head a fraction, but the boy had already turned back to her.

“Was it his accent?Orhis winning personality?”

“If you value your life…” he threatened the boy.

“Oh, no, we didn’t—”Sheshook her own head emphatically, but of course to an outsider it might look like she andWeshad picked the guy up at the bar and gone home with him.Couldthis get any more humiliating?

“Caitriona rented the house toRiosand her friend.”Whenthe boy’s face clouded over, he quickly added, “You’llget your room the minute they leave.”

Lùcas shotGracea look like he now saw her as just as much of an interloper as his cousin did. “Bestget back to those then,” he said, nodding towards a pile of?—

“It’s going to take three weeks to put solar panels on your roof?”

Mr.BeeTattooshook his head. “Thisis only phase one.”

“Phase one?You’regoing to renovate your entire house?Inthree weeks?WhileI’mon a deadline?”

“I didn’t invite you here.”

“You said there’s nowhere else to go!”

“There isn’t.”

“You could always camp,” the boy suggested.

Grace’s breaths were coming short and shallow as she fought back tears for the second time in as many days.Thiswas fine.Itwould be fine.Shemight lose some time this morning, but if she kept her headphones charged, surely it wouldn’t matter if an entire house came down around her.

“I knew this was a mistake,” she whispered to herself, pushing her hair back from her face with both hands and—oh god, she also hadn’t put on a bra under the ridiculousLibrariansdo it in the stackst-shirt she’d slept in.

She crossed her arms over her chest and forced herself to make eye contact, though he seemed determined to stare out at the ocean.

“Look,” he finally said, and she did look, across the sparkling blue vista like he was doing, wishing she had her worry stone in hand. “Myinvestor?Jules?They’llbe here in three weeks to review my work.Asa… proof of concept.Justgive me three weeks and thenI’llclear out.It’llbe all yours.”

It was a generous offer, butGracewas drowning. “Thatleaves me one week to write.Ican’t write a book in one week!”

“Can you write one in four?” he hissed.

Of course not, but she wasn’t about to tell him so because it was hardly the point. “Icame here to write.”

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