"That sounds better than creatures." She chuckled again. "But you still didn't answer my question. Did youaskyour mom to visit my mom today?" Her gaze again narrowed on his face, and Damon resisted the urge to squirm.
"Yes, but it was her idea to make the soup."
He wasn't sure how he expected her to react, but the tears that flooded her eyes before she ducked her head surprised him.
"Thank you." She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin before she raised her head. "My mom is very friendly, but she'snota social butterfly like your mom and aunts. So I was worried about her leaving the few close friends she had in Richmond. I appreciate that everyone is so welcoming even though my mom won't be around..."
Damon reached across the table and covered Grace's hand with his. "They're doing it for you too, Grace. Hopefully, you'll be around for a long time."
Her eyes jumped to his, as though searching for a double meaning behind his words.
He hadn't meant anything by them, but if she read a deeper meaning in them, so be it. He didn't want to scare Grace away, but he was having a hard time fighting his growing feelings for her. He only hoped she didn't go into full-on retreat when she figured out how he felt.
She gave him a watery smile. "So, who are you going to get to babysit my mom tomorrow night?"
CHAPTER 8
"And this was Grace at her first dance recital." Marisol pointed to a picture of five-year-old Grace.
Damon grinned. "With the way she has her hip cocked out, I can see she was full of sass even then."
"Oh, yes." Marisol laughed. "She's never been afraid to speak her mind."
"I like that about her."
Marisol's gaze shifted to his face. "I suspect you like a lot of things about my daughter, since you've been spending so much time with her."
Damon decided to squeeze in a visit to Marisol to see if she needed anything while Grace was at work. He'd been talking to Grace's mother for over an hour and had enjoyed every minute. He'd anticipated their easy conversation to turn serious, and now that it had, he still wasn't sure how to respond.
Just be honest.
"I do. I like her a lot." Warmth crept up his neck as he met Marisol's gaze. "I know it sounds crazy since we only just met a few days ago." He shook his head and grimaced. "But she's not interested in anything more than friendship."
"Why do you think that?"
"Every time our conversations turn serious, she seems to pull away."
Sadness flitted through Marisol's eyes before she looked away. "Has she told you much about past?"
"Only that she doesn't have any cousins, and her father walked out when she was fourteen."
"But she hasn't told you anything after that?"
"She mentioned that she went through a rebellious stage and hit rock bottom before turning her life around. She said you had breast cancer at that time."
"She told you about that?" Marisol's eyebrows arched upward. "But she didn't tell you what caused her to hit rock bottom?"
"No."
"I wouldn't wish what happened to Grace that year on anyone." Marisol let out a heavy sigh as she closed the scrapbook and ran her hand over the worn cover. "It changed her. In some ways for the better, but not without a lot of pain. Even now, eleven years later, she still finds it difficult to trust herself and others."
Heaviness filled Damon's chest. What on earth happened to Grace to make her so reserved?
Damon fidgeted. Curiosity, mingled with the desire to unravel the mystery that was Grace. "What happened?"
She gave him a sad smile. "It's not my place to say, but if you want to win Grace's heart, you need to be patient and steady. Don't let her push you away." Marisol pointed a finger at him. "And she will try, because she wants to protect her heart from being broken again."
"Again?"
