I side-eye Marco. “The crust tastes the same as the rest of it.”
He grimaces in distaste. “It does not. It’s inherently wrong, and everyone knows it. And I’ll tell you something else.” He points a finger at me. “Anyone who eats the crusts of their sandwich is part psychopath.”
Asher rolls his eyes as Gracie whispers in my ear, “42 percent.”
I flick her a dirty look as I reach forward, snagging a couple of slices. I offer one to her, and she takes it, sinking back into the couch, her hand landing on my knee. I watch her nibbling delicately at her greasy pizza, unable to stop the smile curving my mouth.
Ryan looks away from the game, asking, “How’ve you been anyway, Gracie? Haven’t seen you around lately.”
“Maryann’s still on her honeymoon,” she tells him. She leans heavily into my side, but I don’t mind the lack of space, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Apparently, a six-day week is just not my jam.”
“Fair enough.” Ryan chuckles. “Although it might make a nice change from all the shifts we do here.”
Gracie hums an acknowledgment. “How’s Ben doing?”
Ryan’s mouth twists to the side. “Better, I think. Haven’t seen him since he got home, but he needed time to recoup.”
“When’s he back to work?”
“Monday,” I tell her. “If all goes according to plan.”
Theo’s expression flattens. “As long as he doesn’t push himself too hard or too fast. The last thing he or Holly needs is him getting sick again.” We all murmur an agreement. Ben and Holly have two young girls. I can’t imagine the kind of hell the last couple of weeks have been for their family.
“I’m going to need to do an extra workout tomorrow,” Marco mumbles around a piece of garlic bread.
“I don’t think I even ate this much on Thanksgiving.” Ryan hums in agreement, patting his flat stomach. “Worth it, though.”
“I’ve always preferred savory over sweet,” Theo adds, reaching for another slice of pizza, and I pause, my own piece halfway to my mouth, realizing this is the moment I come clean to Gracie.
I didn’t invite Paisley here today. I didn’t ask her to come around with food, and, really, she wasn’t even actually visitingme. She was bringing over food that was meant for Nick. But that won’t matter to Gracie. Not with how she’s feeling about Paisley.
Guilt swims through my veins, and my stomach churns until I put the pizza down, appetite gone.
I wrap my arm around Gracie, pulling her tighter into my side, like that might be enough to keep her, even when, deep down, I know it’s not.
“Did I say thank you?” I murmur into her ear, and she shivers. I tip my head to all the food. “For bringing us dinner? For coming to see me?”
Gracie swipes her tongue over her lips, eyes filling with heat. “No, but maybe you can show me how grateful you are.”
My eyebrows lift at her suggestive tone. “Sounds like you have an idea, Rumpel.”
“Stay with me tomorrow night, and you’ll find out.”
I chuckle, fingers pulsing against her arm. “An offer I can’t possibly refuse,” I tease. “It’s a date, baby.”
CHAPTER 12
Braxton
“Why don’t I drive to Ashland and meet you?” Gracie’s voice is soft, like she’s worried that I’m about to jump off a cliff. I clench my jaw, molars almost cracking. “It’s too late for me to come to your appointment with you, but we could go to dinner or something.”
I lean back against the headrest, my stare on the building in front of me.Ashland Wellness Center.The place is gray and dreary, and there is absolutely nothing in me that wants to walk through the front doors.
“I love you, Rumpel, but I’d rather just come home and have a quiet dinner with you.” I release a muted sigh, knowing I can’t keep putting this off. “Anyway, you’re working.”
There’s a rustle on her end, a thud. “Yeah.” Her voice is so full of reluctant agreement, it drips down the line. Gracie knows something bad happened, but she’s respectful of the fact that I’m not ready to talk about it. I appreciate her even more when she changes the subject. “Maryann came in this morning. She’s still jet-lagged, so she didn’t stay long. She’s coming back tomorrow for ahalf-day to get the lay of the land, but she wants me to take three days off over the weekend.”
“That’s good, isn’t it? It’s been weeks since you’ve had two days off in a row, let alone three.”
