Page 64 of Forbidden Kisses
“How long have you been sneaking around?”
Jack started to tell him they weren’t sneaking around, but that’s exactly what they’d been doing. “Grace didn’t want to tell you. She wanted to wait until after the tournament.”
Noah looked at him, anger still lighting his features. “The tournament?”
“This thing means a lot to her.”
“You kept a secret like this from me because of a stupid tournament?”
“She was afraid you wouldn’t do it, and we need you, bro. You’re one of the best.”
Noah started laughing. “Well, guess what? You just lost me.” He started his truck’s engine, reached past Jack for the door’s handle, and pulled.
Jack stepped away. “You don’t mean that,” he said before the door slammed—pretty much in his face. Realizing that Noah was just angry enough to maybe run him over, too, he stepped out of the way as Noah’s truck reared back, then shot forward. “Damn it.”
Grace was waiting at the door when he reentered the office. She looked broken. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her.
“It’ll be okay.”
“Really?” she asked, hope sparking in her brown eyes. He didn’t want to crush it. Hope was a fragile thing. He knew that from experience. When he’d discovered that Chris had fallen overboard in the spring, he’d held out hope that his friend was still out there. Chris was a tough guy. He didn’t give up. A little water would never hold him down.
“Really,” Jack said, quietly pulling Grace to him. She wrapped her arms around him, softening into him. He’d make this okay. Brotherhood was a bond not easily broken. Jack just worried about the bond Noah and Grace had reforged. Maybe that one wasn’t so resilient.
Chapter 17
Krista plopped down in front of Grace at their regular table at the café the next morning. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot, and there was one loose hair hanging down from her standard low-hanging ponytail.
“You look like maybe your night was worse than mine,” Grace said, only half joking. There was no way Krista’s night had been worse than hers.
Krista submitted to a yawn and reached for her cup of coffee. “I binge-watch Meg Ryan romantic comedies when I’m upset. Last night wasYou’ve Got Mail.”
“I loveSleepless in Seattle,” Grace said.
“AndFrench Kiss.”
Grace sipped from her own coffee.“When Harry Met Sally.”
“Yesssssss!” Krista said, perking up. Then she slammed her hands down on the table and threw her head back, re-creating one of the movie’s most famous scenes. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
Grace covered a laugh and looked around the room. Good thing no one was seated nearby right now. It was still early. The fishermen came much earlier than this and the businessmen and -women came much later.
Krista giggled and took a healthy bite out of her cream cheese bagel. She’d told Grace that she was attempting to eat healthier by getting this instead of the muffin. Being a nurse, Krista knew that was BS. She worked long hours on her feet all day, though. She could eat as many calories as she wanted and still be thin. “So tell me, why was your night so long?”
The memories landed a blow to Grace’s chest. They’d briefly left her as she’d laughed with her friend. Now they were back in full force. “Noah is mad at me.”
“What a coincidence. I’m mad at him,” Krista said, eyes darkening.
“You’re always mad at him. I’m serious. He’s really mad at me.” Grace swallowed and set her muffin down. She wasn’t hungry anymore. Her stomach grew bitter.
“What’d you do?” Krista asked.
“Jack.” Despite herself, a little smile curved on Grace’s mouth.
“I’m sorry. You did Jack?…Ohhhhhhh. You did Jack?”
Grace pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “And Noah kind of overheard us.”
Krista’s eyes rounded.
