Chapter 15 - Take Your Time

Grace woke the next morning to the taste of stale burgers and greasy fries. She reached for water on the nightstand, but a weight across her body stopped her. Dani. And she was still sound asleep, with one arm and one leg thrown over Grace. Their cocoon was cozy, intimate, and perfect. How they’d gotten in this position was still fuzzy, but she liked it and wasn’t in a hurry to move.

She and Dani had been up and down since they met, but her drugging had shifted their relationship in a new direction. But it could just be the chemical effects still in her system. She owed it to herself and Dani to find out when her head was clearer.

“I care about you, Grace. Really care.” How had she not seen it before? Dani needed to be needed, to feel she made a difference. She’d admitted as much when she talked about her grandmother and her collection of stray animals. Grace had needed her desperately at the club, and she’d come through. Dani had probably always craved the personal connections she’d missed as a child but didn’t know how to truly engage when the opportunity came along.

Beating on the front door brought Grace back to the present. Heavy pounding before breakfast usually equaled trouble in her line of work. The station could’ve been calling, but she had no idea if her cell was on or even where to locate it.

“Grace, you in there?” Trip’s voice was loud and urgent.

“Come on, Gracie, stop fooling around and open up.” Clay sounded scared.

“Grace, open the door or we’re coming in.” Mary Jane joined the chorus of concerned voices. “I left plarn weaving to check on you, so let us in.”

She didn’t understand the urgency, but something had upset her friends. “Dani?” She committed Dani’s sleeping form to memory—innocent expression, mouth partially open revealing the tiny gap between her front teeth, ebony hair flattened on the sides and standing up on top, the musculature of her chest and her strong arm across Grace’s body. She could look at her all day, but a stirring in her center said that would never be enough.

“Gracie, honey, this is your last warning,” Mary Jane said.

Grace placed light kisses on Dani’s forehead and on her lips. “Dani?”

“Uh-huh.” She snuggled closer and sought Grace’s mouth.

“We need to get up. The cavalry is here.”

“Send them away and kiss me again.”

“So not a good idea. Bad burger mouth.”

Dani pulled her closer. “Don’t care. Please.”

Everything else vanished except Dani’s soft plea and the gentle glide of their lips. Grace wanted to stay here all day exploring and talking, but this wasn’t the time. She gave Dani a light kiss and started to get up.

“Well, I’m pretty sure what’s going on right now, but are you okay, Gracie?” Mary Jane stood at the foot of the bed with her hands on the foot board, eyes searching the ceiling, flanked by Clay and Trip. None of them looked happy.

Grace pulled the blanket tighter around her and Dani. “What are y’all doing here? It’s early and I’m…we’re busy.”

“We’ve been calling your cell and no one in town has seen you since Wednesday,” Mary Jane said. “What else could we do but launch a full-on search?”

“What’s up, Grace?” Trip glared.

“Seriously, dude?” Clay shook her head at Dani and her expression darkened.

Dani jumped up and stood in front of everyone in her boxers and sports bra. “I don’t know what you think is happening, but I’m pretty sure you’re wrong.”

“And I’m pretty sure I’m smart enough to figure out what’s going on, and I don’t like it, not one little bit, sport.” Clay eyed Dani hard.

“Trip, Clay—”

“Hold on, Grace,” Clay said, stalking toward Dani like a hunter on safari. “Did you or did you not haul Grace out of the bar Wednesday night over your shoulder?”

“Well, I—”

“Just answer the question,” Clay said, moving closer. She and Trip backed Dani into a corner of the bedroom, blocking any escape route.

“Yes, but—” Dani raised her hands in surrender.

Trip shook her head, a look of disbelief on her face. “We spent the whole day together yesterday, and you didn’t say one word about…this.” She motioned toward Grace.

Mary Jane’s hand came to her chest. “I never pictured you as that type, Dani.”

“Stop it!” Grace screamed from the bed, and everyone turned toward her. “I never figured y’all as the lynching type either. Get away from her.” No one moved, staring at her like she was a mad woman. “I mean it. Move. Now.” She tried to stand but slumped back on the bed, clutching her head and the edge of a blanket for cover. “Oh crap.”

Mary Jane ran to Grace’s side and handed her a robe. “Honey, you’re not okay. Let me take you to the doctor.”

“No, MJ. I’m all right.”

“Obviously you’re not,” Mary Jane said as Grace shrugged into the robe and grabbed the headboard for balance. “We’re trying to find out what happened to you Wednesday night. And then we come in and find the two of you like…”

Grace’s face flushed. “I’m fine, MJ. I took a couple of days off work, no big deal. I’m not really sure what happened the other night, but I know Dani is the only reason it wasn’t worse.”

“What?” Clay and Trip said at the same time.

“She basically rescued me from some pervert.”

Dani nodded as if validating Grace’s statement, pulled on her jeans, grabbed her shirt and boots, and started toward the door. “That’s my cue to leave.”

“No way, dude,” Clay said.

“Maybe we should let Dani tell her side,” Trip offered.

“We’re all staying until we get to the bottom of this.” Clay ushered Dani and Trip out of the room and said, “We’ll wait out here until you’re ready. Take care of her, MJ.”

On their way out of the room, Grace heard Trip mumble something to Clay about owing her ten dollars. She felt comforted that during the craziness some things hadn’t changed.

When the bedroom door closed, Mary Jane brushed Grace’s forehead. “Your color is bad. Your eyes are bloodshot. You basically look like death warmed over. Why don’t you take a quick shower and clear your head? I’ll put on some coffee.”

“Thanks. I’ll be out in a few minutes. Don’t let them touch Dani. I mean it.”

The hot water pounded Grace’s back, relieving the tension between her shoulders, and easing her headache, but the memory of the previous two days blurred. Dani’s story about what happened at the club sounded feasible, and Grace really didn’t want to doubt her, but she couldn’t remember. She pulled on a pair of comfy sweats and joined the others in the living room.

Mary Jane handed her a cup of coffee and she sat at the small dining table, four sets of eyes trained on her. “I believe I was drugged at the club two nights ago.”

“Oh, honey.” Mary Jane slapped a hand over her open mouth.

“What the…” Trip grabbed the edge of the table, knuckles bleaching from the force.

“Who’d do something like that?” Clay asked.

“Dani can tell you more.”

Everyone swiveled, and Dani retold the account of what happened exactly as she’d relayed it to Grace originally. “And that’s how I ended up here.”

“And how you ended up in bed with a drugged woman? I can’t believe you’d take advantage of Grace like that. So not cool.” Clay eyed her suspiciously.

Grace placed her hand firmly on Clay’s arm. She appreciated Clay’s protectiveness, which had lingered since their one and only kiss in high school. “I love you for being concerned, but I asked Dani to stay because I didn’t want to be alone.”

“And she just saw an opportunity?” Clay wasn’t convinced. “How do we know she didn’t drug you herself just so she could get you here, like this?” Clay waved back toward the bedroom.

“As if she’d need to drug me. Really, Clay?”

“She makes a good point,” Trip said. “Besides, I don’t think Dani would—”

“Maybe we should get another version of the story,” Clay said, wavering but still not giving up. “Grace went to the club with Jay. Do you think she can verify any of this?”

“Once Cynthia showed up, I’m not sure Jay saw much of anything else. We don’t need to involve her in this fiasco. Dani told me what happened, and I believe her.”

Clay pulled her cell out of her back jeans pocket. “We should ask Jay.” She dialed the number. “Get over to Grace’s cottage ASAP. I know what time it is. Well, that’s great, dude, but we’ll talk about it later. Just get here quick.” Clay ended the call. “Now we wait.”

“Did you get checked out at the hospital and report this, honey?” Mary Jane asked.

Grace shook her head.

Trip eyed Dani hard this time. “Didn’t you think that would’ve been a good idea?”

“Stop it, Trip. She tried to convince me, but I refused.”

“Any idea who this guy was?” Clay tapped her fingers against her thigh.

Grace shook her head again, but Dani said, “I’d know him if I saw him again. He was manhandling Grace, so I won’t forget his face. And I might’ve broken his nose.” She raised her right hand, and her knuckles were skinned, bruised, and still a bit swollen.

“What?” Grace stared at her, shaking her head. “You didn’t tell me you hit the guy.”

“He was trying to drag you out of the club. What was I supposed to do?”

Grace glared at Trip and Clay with her best see-there expression. “Let me get you some ice for the swelling.”

“I iced it pretty well after we got home. I’ll be fine.”

Mary Jane patted Dani’s arm. “Well, that’s something, honey. You may be able to clear up this whole mess.”

“Do you remember what the guy was wearing, Dani?” Clay asked, her tone a bit mellower than before.

“Not specifically, but he wasn’t trendy or anything.”

“So, fashion fail. Makes sense for someone who’d do something like this.”

A knock sounded at the cottage door, Clay opened it, and Jay strolled in. Her satisfied grin vanished when her eyes focused on Clay’s tense expression. “What’s going on, guys?”

Clay motioned for her to pull up a chair at the kitchen table, and Mary Jane poured her a cup of coffee. The room was quiet for several seconds before Clay spoke. “You took Grace to the club Wednesday night.”

Jay scanned the faces around the table, and Grace could almost hear her wheels turning trying to decide what they wanted her to say. If she were a suspect in a crime, she’d fold like a cheap chair. “Yeah…so?”

“Stop hemming and hawing and tell us what happened, Jay.” Mary Jane rolled her hand.

“Yeah, Grace and I went dancing, as friends. When Cynthia showed up, Grace told me she’d get a ride home. You guys know how jealous Cyn can be. We started dancing, and one thing led to another. Before you know it, we were in the back room grop—”

“We get the idea.” Grace shook her head and glanced toward Mary Jane. She didn’t need to hear what happened in the back rooms of clubs.

“She was all over me.” Jay’s eyes sparkled and her grin widened. She was back in that room, having Cynthia again for the first time in months. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t complaining, but she gets so hor—”

“For the love of Christmas,” Mary Jane said. “We get it. You screwed like wild rabbits in a public place with no sense of decorum. Stay focused, woman.”

Jay’s face flushed bright red and she nodded.

“Hey,” Trip encouraged her, “Did you see what happened to Grace later?”

Jay tilted her head to the side. “I saw her go to the bar and order a drink after Cyn interrupted our dance.”

“Did you see her leave?” Clay asked.

“I thought I saw somebody carrying her out later, after Cyn and I…you know.”

“And you didn’t think that was a bit unusual?” Trip gave her a hard stare.

“Maybe, but—”

Clay shook her head. “You beat all, you know that? Who was carrying Grace out? Damn it, think woman. This is important.”

“’Fraid not, Clay.” She looked around the room and stopped at Dani. “Could’ve been her, but I can’t be sure. Did something bad happen?”

“No, Jay.” Grace took her hand and walked her back to the door. She didn’t want another tongue wagging about her Savannah nightmare. “Sorry for the inconvenience. I’m sure Cynthia wasn’t happy either. Please don’t use my name when you explain why you had to jump out of bed so early this morning.”

“Don’t worry, Grace. She saw Clay’s ID on my phone and knows I’d never be—”

“Whatever.” Trip waved her off. “The next time you take a woman out, make sure she gets home safely. Butch rule number—damn it, you should know. Just get out.”

“I’m sorry.” Jay started to hug Grace good-bye but caught Clay’s stare and closed the door behind her.

Grace took a deep breath before facing them. She’d spent enough time reliving a bad dream. “Okay, that’s over. As you can see, I’m fine, and Dani has done nothing wrong. I couldn’t have asked for a more chivalrous, caring, and devoted guardian the last couple of days. I appreciate your concern, but I’d really like you to leave now.”

Dani stood and started toward the door.

Grace shook her head. “Not you.” She waved her finger at the others. “Everybody else.”