Page 43 of His Saving Grace

Grace held out her hand and Claire took it, apparently oblivious to the tension between them. She gave Grace a luminous smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hey, Gina,” Jake called, pushing up into a sitting position. “You’re just going to walk by without saying hi?”

A leggy, curvy brunette stopped and spun around. A teasing smile spread across her face, and she sauntered back in Jake’s direction, her hips doing a slow, seductive roll. She had warm, bronzed skin and dark eyes. Mason didn’t recognize her, although that wasn’t a huge surprise.

Claire’s face fell, her shoulders drooping even more. It was almost as if the weight of the universe rested on them. Mason knew he couldn’t say anything that would make her feel better, but he had to try. “Claire…”

She gave him a weak smile and stepped away. “It was nice seeing you, Mason.” Her gaze darted back to Jake.

He was now standing, Gina so close there was barely room for the Holy Ghost.

Claire glanced back at Mason, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “We’ll catch up later.” Without waiting for a response, she brushed past him and Grace and disappeared into the crowd.

Grace watched Claire leave, heartbreak for the girl clear in her eyes.

“She’ll be okay,” he said, keeping his voice low. Although why, he had no idea. It wouldn’t hurt his brother to know he was a dipshit.

Grace nodded, but she still looked sad. Enough of that.

He turned his attention back to Jake. “Get lost.”

Jake glanced at him over his shoulder, wagged his eyebrows, and wrapped an arm around Gina’s waist. He bent his head and whispered something in Gina’s ear and she laughed, the sound clear and bright. They strolled away.

Mason indicated the now empty blanket with a wave of his food filled hand. “After you.”

Grace sat on the blanket, tucking her legs underneath her all lady like. The full skirt of her dress billowed around her and she smoothed it down to cover her legs. She placed her plate on the blanket beside her.

Getting down was going to be tricky with both of his hands full, especially if he didn’t want to dump food in his lap. Even though Grace had made it look effortless, he wasn’t about to humiliate himself, so he placed the plates on the ground, and then lowered his body down.

Pain lanced through his bad leg. He winced and let out a sharp breath. The muscles of his hip and thigh began to cramp. Deciding to get it over with, he dropped to his ass with a grunt. Silently cursing at thinking this would work, he shifted, stretching his leg out, trying to find a comfortable position. Nothing helped.

“Here.” Grace’s voice, right next to him, startled him and he looked at her. While he’d been trying to get comfortable, she’d scooted over. “Let me help you.”

She gripped his thigh. He gulped in a quick breath, the heat from her hands bleeding through his jeans. She rubbed and kneaded and manipulated the flesh of his thigh and hip expertly. Within a couple of minutes, the cramping stopped and the pain subsided. The muscles felt loose and languid. His leg hadn’t felt this good since the last time he saw his therapist.

“Thank you.” There was awe in his tone, but he didn’t care. She was a miracle worker.

She looked up, and their gazes collided. The softness had returned to her eyes, the hazel slipping toward green. His heart kicked hard against his ribs, like a bucking bronco. He placed his hand on hers where it rested on his leg. A spark of electricity zipped up his arm and his fingers tingled. Her fingers trembled beneath his.

“You’re welcome,” she said, the words quiet, throaty. She ducked her head, pulled her hand out from under his, and scooted away. Disappointment stabbed him, but he brushed it aside. She was only going back for her food, for God’s sake.

He picked up one of his plates, once again ravenous, and dug in. The food was incredible, and he tried to resist shoving it into his face. Grace ate her dinner with such impeccable manners, he didn’t want to come off as a slob. Even though he was careful and somewhat self-conscious—and had approximately three times the amount of food—he still managed to finish before her.

Finally, his curiosity got the better of him. “So, how did you know how to do that?” He rubbed his thigh.

She kept her eyes locked on the plate in her lap. “It’s just something I picked up along the way.”

Okay, so, she didn’t want to talk about it. Not surprising, since she refused to talk about her past. He’d spent the last two weeks giving everyone in the household the third degree, but she hadn’t told anyone anything other than the bare minimum.

Had Declan found anything yet? He made a mental note to seek his brother out tomorrow and ask.

Wanting her to feel at ease, and not retreat back into her shell, he changed the subject. “Have you ever seen the fireworks before?”

She shook her head, placing the paper plate next to her. She’d only eaten about half her food. He hoped it wasn’t because he’d upset her.

“It’s the largest fireworks display in Northern California.” And now he was blabbering. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen them, but I remember them being quite spectacular.”

“I’m looking forward to them, then.” She gave him another shy smile, the kind that had a tendency to knock the breath right out of his lungs.