Most days she wasn’t even lonely.
The bell at the door jingled and Willow’s voice filled the shop “Grace! We have arrived.”
Although the next silent book club would be held at the Palmetto Perk, Willow’s newly renovated coffee shop, most of the reading group was here for an informal styling session for the upcoming kick-off party.
Grace had hidden away the lace, saving it to surprise Willow with later, and came around the counter to greet her friends.
“Oh.” Willow, in the lead, stopped short. “You look upset. Why didn’t you call me?” she demanded in a whisper.
Grace waved off her friend’s concern. She couldn’t do this now, not with everyone here for better reasons. “Processing, that’s all.” Her smile felt brittle. “I’m fine.”
Charity held a flowing emerald maxi dress to her, assessing the length. “That’s not the word on the street.” She returned the dress to the rack with a sigh. “You might as well consider this an intervention.”
Tears stung the back of her nose, but Grace refused to cry. Not in the store when anyone might walk in. “I’m just stressed about the festival. I stayed up running numbers and drafting the messages about the new vendor rates. The committee meeting was... intense.”
The party on the ferry was likely to be more of the same. Especially if Cal kept pushing. She had to find a way to be okay with it. His involvement on the committee meant she couldn’t just avoid him. Maybe she should have dinner with him so they could set clear boundaries.
“Intense? Is that some new code word for your hot new tenant?” Scarlett asked. “Because Hazel saw you two at Benny’s yesterday.”
“I did,” Hazel admitted. “The tension was thick enough to spread on a cracker.”
Grace stifled a groan. A denial would be pointless. She’dknownsomeone must’ve spotted them. Grace felt heat rising in her cheeks. In Brookwell, privacy was a myth. Thank goodness it was a friend who’d caught her rather than someone who loved to feed the gossip grapevine.
“Yes, we kissed. But Calvin isn’t here for me,” Grace said, aiming a pointed look at Willow. “He’s here to support the next Palmetto Perk launch and Levi’s investment in the music festival this year.” Grace fiddled with a display of headbands that were in perfect order. “Seeing him again is just a coincidence.”
“A coincidental kiss?” Charity bobbed her eyebrows. “I could go for that.”
“Coincidence?” Willow gaped at her. “Why do you say things like that?”
Grace refused to spend any more time on the topic. “Because it’s true.” She wasn’t ready to share that he’d claimed otherwise. Not until she believed him. “At this point, we’re professional rivals. That’s all.”
“Do you want to rekindle things?” Camille asked. “Assuming the kiss was as awesome as described.”
The kiss had been better than awesome, but that wasn’t the point. “No.” Grace squared her shoulders. “Keeping it professional is for the best.” Expecting more from him was courting disappointment and another heartache.
Willow’s mouth dropped open in shock. Her best friend clearly wanted to argue. And with good reason. Years ago, Grace had shared her fantasy of building a happy ever after with Cal.“Grace, we’re your friends,” Willow reminded her. “You don’t have to hide anything from us.”
Grace sighed, resisting the urge to run away. Willow was right. These were the women who had supported her through her darkest days. They’d seen her through her mother’s funeral, kept her sane as she navigated all the details of settling the estate while keeping the business going and helped her clean and stage the apartment.
“He’s different now,” Grace admitted, her voice low. “We both are. He’s successful and wealthy.” And those weren’t the true reasons she was having second thoughts. She chewed on her lip, gathering her thoughts. “He talks about ‘scaling’ and ‘demographics’ like they’re the only things that matter. I look at him and I see a man who belongs in a penthouse, not someone who stops by a boutique in Brookwell on his lunch break to see how my day is going.” She took a breath. “We aren’t those carefree kids anymore. It would be irresponsible to have a fling when I know he’s just going to leave again when the festival is over.”
“Because you want more?” Hazel asked in her quiet way.
“Yes.” Grace swore. “Unfortunately.” She couldn’t pin all her romantic hopes on Cal. He had dreams and goals that were meant for bigger markets than Brookwell.
“And if he stayed?” Camille asked. “You broke up because of distance and circumstance, not because your relationship was fatally flawed. Grief sucks. Maybe he is here for you now because he realized he’s been building the right life in the wrong place.”
“He’s Levi’s right-hand man,” Charity added.
“And Levi is staying,” Willow stated. “Maybe Calvin is looking for a reason to stay, too.”
Grace shook her head. “Maybe.” She couldn’t afford to believe it. “Right now, we have some fashion to attend to.” Sheretreated to the back room for the rack of clothing she’d pulled for them. “Come take a look.”
“You’re really not going to discuss this further?” Scarlett pressed.
“Not today,” Grace replied firmly.
“Well, when you’re ready, we should be the first to know,” Scarlett said. “Some of us need to live vicariously.”
