There was no awkwardness, no embarrassment, no forced smiles.
Instead, there was the quiet bravery of the shared moment and the sense that something profound had happened between them, something that could never be undone.
The silence spun on for a few moments longer before Grace spoke.
“Ryan, that’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard in my life,” she said, her voice soft and filled with tenderness. “I already loved the music you played before. But the lyrics… they’re incredible.”
“I wrote them for you,” Ryan said. “Those lyrics are about how you make me feel. I thought it would be hard to do this, to play this song for you, tosingthis song for you. But it wasn’t. It turns out it was the easiest thing in the world.”
Her eyes glistened with emotion. “I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless.”
“Listen, I don’t want you to feel like this is some huge declaration you need to respond to,” Ryan said, setting aside his guitar. “I shared the song I wrote with no strings attached and no expectations. Grace, I know you have big opportunities ahead in your life, and I know this job opening in York might mean you decide to leave Hamblehurst. I don’t want you to think I played that song to sway any decision you make. I played it because I want you to know how much you’ve come to mean to me.”
Grace studied his face for a long beat. Rising from the sofa, she crossed to where he was and sat down beside him. She ran her hand along the line of his jaw and looked into his eyes before leaning close and kissing him.
The kiss started slow and sweet, but was swiftly filled with passion and longing. When they parted at last, Ryan could barely breathe thanks to the emotions she’d unleashed inside him. His heart hammered against his chest as he ran his fingers through her tumbling hair and inhaled the soft scent of her skin. He trailed another lingering kiss across her mouth and her cheek before lifting their joined hands and kissing her fingers.
When he looked up at last, Grace’s expression was bewitching, a mixture of passionate dishevelment and something else more subtle that he couldn’t quite pin down.
“Ever since we met, you’ve come to mean so much to me too, Ryan,” she said. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much for someone so quickly. And after only knowing one another for a few days, I’m not about to start second-guessing what mighthappen in the future between us, because I’m having too much fun right now to worry about that. But I do know one thing.”
Ryan searched her gaze, wondering what was coming next.
“I know Idon’twant to move to York, or anywhere else for that matter,” Grace said, an amused smile now lifting her mouth.
The unexpected comment had Ryan’s eyebrows shooting up his forehead. “You don’t?”
“No, I don’t. A couple of weeks ago, I might have chased after that job opportunity and thrown myself into doing everything possible to get further up the career ladder, especially after the disappointment of the promotion setback where I work right now. But this last week has changed everything. It’s changedme. And I don’t want to change back to who I was before.”
She squeezed his hand, dropping her gaze to their entwined fingers before continuing.
“For so long, the only thing that mattered in my life was work and my career and getting ahead,” she said. “All I wanted was job security because I wanted to feel safe, and so I poured everything into work. I thought I could worry about friends and family and a social life and a love life once I got to where I wanted in my career.”
Grace shook her head, her expression troubled. “Now I realise I wasn’t living a full life, not even close. You helped me realise that. Spending time with you has changed everything.Youchanged everything.”
If the lyrics Ryan had written for Grace had left her speechless, then her words now had the same effect on him.
“Being with you makes me happy, Ryan,” Grace said. “I didn’t realise until I met you that I hadn’t been happy before. Not even close.”
The smile she gave him was like sunshine on a summer’s day.
“And I should be honest and admit that your grandmother played a part in all this too,” she said, her expression nowfilled with gentle amusement. “All these day trips I’ve been on with the two of you, they’ve been wonderful. Pottering around in the countryside, lingering over endless cups of tea and coffee in pretty cafes, enjoying late lunches and lazy dinners, talking and laughing andjust having fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve done those things. When I’m not working at the hotel, I’m engrossed in my studies and learning and swatting up on the hospitality industry, and while I still love my job and will always love the career I have, wherever it takes me, I’d lost sight of the fact that there is far more to life than work. Spending this time in your grandmother’s company reminded me of that.”
“Grandma does know how to enjoy herself,” Ryan said with a grin.
“She has spirit. She has a passion for life. She has friends and family all over the place, and so many people who love her. She came through illness and grief in order to keep living and keep experiencing the world. Even when she felt tired after our outings, she simply rested and gathered her strength so she could keep doing what was important to her, and experience the things that brought her joy. Being with her these past few days has shown me how very small my own life is in comparison. It’s time for me to change that.”
Listening to Grace as she talked, it was impossible to miss the light sparking in her eyes. Ryan lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it again.
“I’m glad you won’t be applying for that job in York,” he said. “So very, very glad. But I also know you were upset by the promotion process stalling at work. Are you sure you don’t want to consider your next steps a little more?”
“Ryan, Iloveworking at the Hamblehurst Manor Hotel,” Grace said. “I don’t want to leave. The promotion process is only being paused, and I just need to learn to be patient. Maybe it’s even a blessing in disguise. The next step up the ladder there willinvolve far more responsibility than I have right now. I want to think of this time as a gift, time for me to do more with my life than I’ve been doing with it, and to fill it with more of the things that matter most. Friends. Fun. Romance.”
She grinned at the last word and placed a soft kiss on Ryan’s lips.
“And there’s something else I need to make room for in my life, too,” Grace said, and nodded to where Stanley lay sleeping on his bed. “I can’t let Stanley go. You were right when you said as much a few nights ago, although I wasn’t willing to accept it then. I kept telling myself I was just feeling sorry for the little dog and that once he went back to his rightful owner or went off to be rehomed, I’d be okay with it.”
Grace let out a soft sigh as she continued looking at the sleeping dog.
