CHAPTER FIVE

GRACE

Once Wes leaves, most of my cool deserts me as I grab my phone and send a frantic text to the group chat with Elsie and Avery.

"What a morning, huh, Shadow?" He looks at me with his intelligent golden eyes. The whole time with Wes, he'd been on guard. Not quite threatened but wary of a man in his home. "You did great today."

He listened when I told him to come, using the German command like I was taught, and eased my anxiety with the two men. Not that I feared them, but it's not often that I'm alone and injured with strangers, so it's better to be safe than sorry. I scratch Shadow's pointed ears as I gaze out my front window, recalling the whirlwind morning events.

Wes tearing off his clothes to reveal a tattooed chest sprinkled with wiry hair.

The strength of his muscled body as he hauled me out of Max's truck.

Me insulting his beard and shaggy hair with the ‘mountain man' comment.

"You're lucky you can't say dumb shit like that, Shadow." It was the first thing that came to mind after blurting out the nonsense about a haircut.

Something he doesn't even need.

Because mountain man or grizzly bear like Kayla said, he's hot and rugged, and the combination sends my hormones into a frenzy whenever he's near. A reaction that sucks since it turns me into a stuttering mess who struggles to have a conversation with the man.

There were so many silences today.

First, because I couldn't breathe due to the accident, and then, because any interesting thought I'd ever had evaporated under the heat of his presence.

Did that magically stop me from humiliating myself by insulting him, though? Of course not.

My phone rings with a call from Elsie. Guess my nonchalant text wasn't as casual as I thought. Avery's call probably isn't too far behind.

"Hey…"

"Oh my god, Grace! Are you okay? I'm almost home. The stupid breakfast lasted longer than expected."

"I'm fine. Just a little beat up. Nothing rest won't cure."

"Are you sure you shouldn't go to urgent care or something?"

"Nah, I'm good." I have health insurance now, but after handling every injury on my own for so long, I can't justify a visit to the hospital unless I know I'm not fine. Like on death's doorstep not fine.

This doesn't qualify.

Elsie's sigh could blow over one of the trees lining our street. "So stubborn. I'll be home soon, then I'll judge for myself how good you are. See you in five."

Hanging up, I preemptively call Avery to fill her in as my head sinks into the back of the overstuffed chair.

What a weekend.

The Ole Aces fiasco then the bike run-in this morning.

Maybe I should've been more specific with the universe when I said I wanted change…

***

To continue my campaign of being more social—and to avoid letting the disaster of last weekend scare me off from trying again—I message Susie, the receptionist at Casey & Sons, asking if she wants to hang out at the Apple Fest carnival tonight.

It's short notice, but I'm hoping for the best.

We've chatted a couple of times at work, and she's got a different vibe than Kayla and her group, so my fingers are crossed that I'll have better luck in the friendship department with her.

God, making friends as an adult is hard.

I feel like I'm back in freaking high school, begging for attention from anyone who will notice me.

My phone lights up with a text.

Susie: Sorry, already have plans, but thanks for asking!

Sighing, I put on a brave face and reply.

Me: That's alright! I knew it was late notice but thought I'd check lol. Have fun! :)

There. That didn't sound needy or upset. It's not personal , I tell myself. Her life doesn't revolve around me, and just because this time is a no-go doesn't mean future get-togethers won't happen. No big deal.

"We'll just go by ourselves."

Shadow wags his tail in excitement. Avery, Elsie, and I are going to the carnival next Saturday, but tonight's admission is free with a canned food item since it's a Monday. I figured it'd be the perfect low-risk opportunity for another socializing attempt. "We'll practice enjoying events as a single person, right, boy?"

He yips in agreement, and my mood immediately brightens.

At the carnival, Shadow and I share a funnel cake as we wander through aisles of rides, games, and food trucks. The host, Miss Patty's Orchard, has signage everywhere, and there's an apple-flavored something at all the vendor stalls. Even our funnel cake has spiced apples on top.

At first, I felt a little self-conscious—the lone woman and her dog ambling through families and groups of friends. Then it became obvious that nobody cared. They were too focused on their own enjoyment to notice me, which loosened the chains of anxiety knotted in my chest.

Pausing between two stalls for a breather from the crowds, I tell Shadow, "Last one," and toss a piece of dough into his waiting mouth before throwing the paper plate in the bin behind me.

We're about to step back into the fray when a familiar high-pitched voice drifts over the buzz of laughter and conversation surrounding us. Peering around the corner of a tent, I see Kayla, her girls, and Susie, giggling as they get in line for the Tilt-a-Whirl.

A sledgehammer demolishes the bit of confidence tonight had given me. Why is Susie here after refusing my carnival offer? Why didn't she invite me along? It's not like I'm a stranger to Kayla and her friends.

My mind races with excuses.

Maybe she wanted a girls' night without me, the new girl, especially since I spent Friday night with Kayla, Lindsey, and Brittany. Maybe her original plans fell through, and this was a last-minute decision. I can't exactly blame her for forgetting me—we haven't known each other for that long, right?

Still, feelings of rejection slick my gut.

This really is like high school again.

I never had close friends since my family moved around so much, but there would always be a couple of girls I connected with wherever we were.

One time at my second high school, we agreed to meet up at the ice rink. After waiting alone at the rink for thirty minutes, I decided it wouldn't seem too desperate to call and see where everyone was. That first conversation made it clear that no one was coming. They didn't think we'd made ‘concrete plans,' so the hang out was completely forgotten.

Humiliation had washed over me after the conversation ended, and I had to call my parents to come pick me up, playing things off like everything was fine—like my poor sixteen-year-old heart wasn't aching.

Susie shifts, putting me directly in her line of sight. Afraid of being spotted, I retreat further between the stalls as Shadow whines and licks my hand. He knows something is wrong, but how to explain to a dog that the person he thinks is amazing doesn't measure up in the eyes of humans.

"Grace, is that you?"

Fuck my life.

Why does it have to be Wes catching me at such a vulnerable moment?

I inhale a deep breath to compose myself before easing out of the shadows.

"Hey…"

"Is something wrong?" His bearded jaw tightens as he searches the shadowy space over my shoulder for the reason why I'm cowering in the dark.

"I'm fine. Why?" Light and chipper. That's what I'm going to be. He doesn't need to know the sad state of my mind right now.

"You look like you're about to cry. Are you here with someone? Did he do something?" The intensity in Wes's features is bewildering. Why does he care so much? I've done nothing but lob insults or push him away because my attraction to him makes me nervous.

"No one did anything to me." At that moment, Susie and the other women come into view. Panicking because I don't want them to see me, I scramble closer to Wes, using his large body as a shield.

His hands eclipse my wrists. "Then what the hell is going on?"

Sighing, my chin drops to my chest to avoid his gaze. "I'm avoiding Kayla and her gang. I asked Susie to hang out, she said she couldn't, now she's here with them. End of story." Once the women disappear, I try slipping away from him, but his grip remains firm. Gentle, but unyielding.

"You shouldn't hide from those bitches. You need to show them they can't fuck with you."

A bubble of slightly unhinged laughter bursts free. I've never been one to incite confrontation or get revenge. Too messy for an anxious little mouse like me. "And how exactly do I do that?"

"Come on." His hold shifts to encapsulate my hand then he tugs me in the direction of the group.

"I don't think…"

"Don't think— do ." With that nugget of wisdom, we walk until we reach the end of a food line, mere feet behind Kayla.

"This won't help my cause."

"Why not? You're out here, doing fine without them."

"Yeah, but I'm with you," I blurt out. Crap! There I go again, lobbing freaking insults. What is wrong with me? "Sorry… It's just that they really don't like you."

"The feeling is mutual. But I'm more concerned with your feelings. Do you want me to leave?" His dark eyes bore into mine.

"Aren't your friends wondering where you are?"

"I do what I want," he says simply. "Answer the question. Do you want me to leave?"

I don't know how I feel about Wes ditching his friends so cavalierly, but the tingle in my belly confirms that I'm glad he's with me. "You can stay."

I can't bring myself to meet his eyes. It's embarrassing enough admitting that I don't want to be alone, especially when I'm trying to avoid sounding needy or desperate.

But there's no denying I'm hungry for more of Wes's attention—no matter what type of woman that makes me.