So I smiled back, tangled my hands in her silky-smooth hair, and did just that.
Chapter 41
Grace
There were no cars out front, but Ev and I drove past my house and parked around the corner. I didn’t know when James would be home—hopefully not anytime soon—but if my parents beat him back, the Subaru couldn’t be in the driveway. After all, it had been his for the day. I texted him that I was leaving the key fob in the wheel well since he’d misplaced the spare one. “If he loses this,” I told Ev, unhooking it from my key ring, “I’m never letting him drive again.”
“Definitely not,” Ev agreed as I tucked the fob on top of the wheel, out of sight. “Especially becauseneitherof you will be able to drive with no keys.”
I sighed. “Fair point. I’ll just have to hitch a ride with Boyfriend.”
Ev raised an eyebrow. “Boyfriend?”
“I’m trying things out,” I explained, rising up from my crouch. “I wouldn’t want toembarrassyou at school with a nickname I haven’t workshopped.”
Ev flushed. “I don’t mind you embarrassing me.”
I smiled and shook my head. He was ridiculous. “Ready?” I nodded back toward my house.
We raced those couple blocks home, but I skidded to a stop in the driveway. “Oh no,” I said upon seeing the front porch. “No, no—you can freaking forget it!”
In addition to our latest Amazon deliveries, three not-messing-around Realtor signs were leaning against the door.FOR SALE,the top one read in elegant gold script, an illustration of a barn underneath.The Cheval Collective.
A box of gourmet chocolates and a note had been left along with them, a cream-colored piece of cardstock that readFROM THE DESK OF HARRY MICHAELSacross thetop:
Scott & Kim,
I apologize for the delay; it seems my assistant accidentally delivered the original batch to the wrong address (though the error did score us a new client). Text me if you need anything else. Here’s hoping Grace feels better soon. The chocolates are for her!
Best,
HM
“I wonder if he’s ever heard of the Hashtag SavingGrace movement,” Ev said drily, but my heart warmed. Those tributes on Instagram were amazing if not drastically over the top, but honestly…
What was it Mrs.Adler said? When she’d called while we were wolfing down cheesesteaks? “You’re so very loved, Grace,” she’d told me. “It’s wonderful how your classmates and the community have rallied together today.”
Why my absence from school had sent so many people into a tizzy, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t wait to thank everyone for their kindness. Mrs.Adler was right; I was loved, and it felt so good. “We need to nix these signs,” I said to Ev. “ASAP.”
Conveniently, the Vermont People were gutting their new-but-not-new-enough kitchen so they had a dumpster in their otherwise empty driveway.
After the deed was done, I unlocked our front door and pushed through to see our boxer-bloodhound mix sitting in the foyer. “Rooney!” I cooed while he snuggled up against my legs. “Have you been a good guard dog today?”
He let out a low woof at Ev, who’d just relocked the door.
“I don’t understand why he doesn’t like you,” I said. “You’ve spent plenty of time here. He should be used to you by now.”
Ev didn’t say anything. He just tracked Rooney with his eyes. “I think heisused to me,” he said. “But he’s chosen not totrustme.”
“Well, we’ll change his mind,” I said, then looked at my dog. “Rooney, this behavior is unacceptable—”
Ev took my hand and tugged it. Together we took the stairstwo at a time, leaving Rooney alone to man the foyer again. “Faster!” Ev joked. “Before he follows!”
We ignored my Do Not Disturb sign, bursting into my room. Most of my precautions were still in place. The Percy Jackson audiobook had apparently run out of steam, but my fan still whooshed. All in all, they’d done their job, thwarting my mom from checking on me at lunchtime.
“This is much nicer than a janitor’s closet,” Ev said once I’d turned it off and closed my door. “No mops, no vacuums, no stockpile of toilet paper”—he looked at the disaster on my rug, the brown sludge now turning gray—“although we probably could use some heavy-duty cleaning solution.”
I kissed him. “Let’s change the subject,” I said afterward, slinging my arms around his neck. “We aren’t here to discuss the state of my room.”
