Page 84 of Forbidden Kisses
“Grace?”
She was a few steps beyond room 211, on her way to the elevator, when Jack’s voice caused her to pause. She smoothed her hair back as she turned and gave him a wobbly smile. Her heart skipped at just the sight of him, the way it always had. That would never change.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked, looking between her and Joey. Not that he would ever think she and Joey were a concern.
“I, um, just got discharged.”
“I know. I came to drive you home,” Jack said.
“You don’t have to…How did you know?”
“Not because you told me,” Jack said. “I asked the nurse last night. You were sleeping when I came to visit. The nurse said you were scheduled for discharge this morning. Why didn’t you call me instead of Joey?” He looked beyond her at Krista’s brother.
“Krista asked Joey for me. And I didn’t want to inconvenience you, so…”
Jack pulled out his wallet and handed Joey a twenty. “I got it, man. Thanks for your time.”
Joey frowned. “Grace is a friend, not a client. I don’t charge friends or family.”
Jack continued to hold the money out. “Of course. But you drove all the way here.”
“It’s not a problem. Grace? What do you want me to do?” Joey asked.
Stress pinged between her heart and the spot where Grace had hit her head on the boat. She’d just promised Dr. Paschall she’d avoid stress. “I’ll ride with Jack, Joey. I need to talk to him anyway.”
Joey nodded. “Sure. Call if you need me.”
“I will.”
Joey walked off and took the stairs while Jack and Grace headed for the elevators.
“What was that about?” Jack asked.
Tension pulled between her temples. If she wanted to answer that question honestly, she’d have to tell him everything, right here, right now. She’d have to rip the Band-Aid off.
The elevator doors shut behind them, leaving them alone.
“Jack, we need to talk.” Her body started to shake as she opened the conversation that she’d been dreading.
“Nothing good has ever come from someone saying those four words.”
She swallowed. “You and I can’t continue.”
“What are you talking about?” He tried to pull her to him, but she tugged her body away. She couldn’t be comforted by him. It was too easy to let herself melt into his arms, because that’s the only place she wanted to be. In his arms was the place she felt most at home, and just like when she was fifteen years old, she suddenly felt uprooted, evicted, barred from that place.
“You hate my mother. And like a fool, I thought I could change that. But I was wrong. You both fought like two-year-olds over my bed while I was trying to get better. I mean, that should’ve brought you two closer. If my almost dying didn’t unite you, nothing will.”
Her competing emotions vibrated through her body. She was angry. Frustrated. Sad. Every bad emotion that Dr. Paschall had told her to avoid was funneling into a monster hurricane inside her.
“I have to choose my mother. She needs me right now and…”
Oh, God. Why was this so hard?
Because she loved him. Some part of her had always loved Jack Sawyer.
“Grace, you need to take a couple of deep breaths. You just had a horrible couple days. I get why you’d be upset.”
The elevator door pinged open.
