You Shouldn't Have Come Here(47)
“Think she was cheating?” Joe asked.
I glanced over my shoulder at them.
Wyatt frowned. “Well, I didn’t think that. But now I do.”
“Why would you say that, Joe?” I shot daggers at my brother for putting that thought in his head.
Joe shrugged. “Girls don’t just go breaking up with guys for no reason.”
I flipped the steaks again, ensuring they had nice grill marks on both sides.
“Enough about C and me before I get weepy. What’s going on with you and Grace?” Wyatt patted my shoulder.
I slid a thumb into the loop of my jeans and rocked back and forth on my heels. “That, I don’t know.”
“You kidding me?” Joe laughed. “I walked in on you two. You were naked.”
Wyatt smirked. “You hound dog.”
I pulled the steaks off and felt my face get warm. I was surely blushing.
My eyes went to the house after I closed up the grill. I couldn’t see Grace, but I knew she was in there—probably heating up her nasty brussels sprouts or helping Betty with the honey cake. She was in my house, and I liked her there. It’s where she belonged no matter what Betty or anyone in this town thought, and I was determined to keep her.
“Look at you. My brother’s falling in love with a city girl.”
“That girl is going to rip your heart out,” Wyatt said. “Trust me. Charlotte did the same to me.”
“I hate to say it, but Wyatt has a point.” Joe lowered his chin. “She’s leaving in four days.”
“Not to sound cliché, but I think I can get her to stay.” I immediately regretted the words as they left my mouth.
Wyatt and Joe glanced at one another and then gave me a puzzled look.
I knew Grace wanted me. And I wanted her. And at the end of the day, there was nothing complicated about that.
“What are you going to do? Lock her in the basement?” Joe chuckled.
“I got an extra set of handcuffs,” Wyatt teased.
Shaking my head, I laughed with them but it was forced because I was dead serious. I swigged my beer, imagining a life with Miss Grace Evans. I hoped I wouldn’t have to imagine it for much longer.
29.
Grace
While Betty sliced her honey cake, she hummed “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” by Tiny Tim; I found it quite unnerving. Charlotte brought the coleslaw, potato salad, and condiments out of the fridge while glancing over at me every twenty seconds as if on cue. I wanted to ask her what she meant by what she said earlier, but not in front of Betty. Betty seemed like a busybody and that was the last thing I needed. I poured the skillet of sizzling brussels sprouts into a large serving bowl. It was the second batch I heated up, and there was far too much for this size of barbecue, especially since Calvin hated them.
“So, Grace . . . do you feel like you got what you were looking for out of this vacation?” Betty slid a knife through her cake. It slapped against the cutting board, punctuating her question that was thinly veiled as innocent but I knew it was anything but.
Charlotte paused and looked to me, waiting for an answer.
“Not yet. Still have lots to do.” I brought the pan to the sink and turned on the faucet. The hot skillet sizzled under the water while a cloud of steam filled the air around me. It felt like I was in some sort of standoff with these two women—like they were Calvin’s protectors. Charlotte, the wannabe lover, and Betty, the stand-in mom. I understood wanting to protect the people you love, but they went beyond that. It had to be because of his parents and ex. Death made people paranoid and cautious—to a fault.
Betty gave a slight nod while Charlotte went back to unsealing the condiment bottles.
I decided this was the time to find out more about Calvin because he hadn’t been exactly forthcoming.
“What happened to Calvin’s parents?” I asked.
Betty squeezed her eyes tight, and Charlotte’s head shook from side to side. I had hit a nerve. Something bad had happened to them—that I was sure of. I could see it in Calvin’s eyes and Joe’s excess drinking.
Betty opened her eyes, flicking them toward me. “That’s not really a topic of conversation I’m interested in discussing.”
I had a feeling she wouldn’t tell me what really happened. These people were full of secrets, and it seemed they intended on keeping it that way. I shut the water off and put the pan in the drying rack.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“No need to apologize. Just know your place,” Betty said matter-of-factly.
The sliding door opened, and Calvin popped in. “Food’s ready, ladies.” He walked to the counter and leaned over the honey cake. “It looks as good as it smells, Betty.”
“Thanks, Calvin. Only the best for the birthday boy.” She smiled.
He strolled to me and slung an arm around my shoulder. “Your dish looks great too,” he whispered, planting a kiss on my forehead. I knew he was lying.
Charlotte’s eyes darkened. “Calvin, can you help carry some of this?” She collected the containers of potato salad and coleslaw.
Her eyes brightened when he glanced in her direction, always changing colors like a mood ring. Calvin couldn’t see it but I could. I knew what she was doing. She was the type of woman who would do whatever it took to get what she wanted. And what she wanted was Calvin. But I was in the way.