Chapter 17 - Take Your Time

Grace read Mary Jane’s note and grimaced. Clay, River, and Trip were coming for dinner while MJ was at choir practice. No mention of Dani. Mary Jane wasn’t the only one unsure about her. They hadn’t seen each other since spending the entire day in bed. Dani had opened a bit emotionally, but the subsequent two-day silent treatment worried Grace. She’d sent a text and left a voice mail message, but finally decided to give her space.

She filled the cooler with beer and ice before darting across the backyard to change into a pair of shorts and a tank top. On her way back to the house, Trip pulled up in her huge vet truck with Clay and River close behind on Clay’s motorcycle. “Perfect timing, as usual. You guys have the best food radar I’ve ever seen.” She pecked Trip and Clay on the cheek and hugged River like a best girly girlfriend.

“I’m starving,” Clay said.

“Got to keep this body in fighting shape.” Trip flexed her arms and then lunged forward into a Superman pose.

“Clay, would you get the burgers and other fixings from the refrigerator? Trip, bring out the buns and cooler while I fire up the grill.”

“You owe me ten dollars, Cahill,” Trip said. “Told you it would be burgers.”

“Jeez, Trip. How did you play college sports without getting sidelined for betting? You’d bet on which way the wind blew a fart,” Grace said.

When she finished laughing, Clay flung the sunroom doors wide, and she and Trip headed toward the kitchen. Dirty Harry greeted them with a squawk. “Pretty boys. Pretty boys.”

“Nice entertainment, Grace,” River said. “I’ve heard about Harry, but we’ve never met.”

“Feel free to introduce yourself while I get the coals going.”

“His vocabulary has certainly improved,” Trip said as she dropped the pack of hamburger buns on the table and placed the cooler in the shade near two wooden lounge chairs.

Grace laughed. “Yeah, your vet tech taught him a few less colorful phrases. He hasn’t been too bad since we moved him over here, seems to have taken to the place nicely. He even lets me near him occasionally without going berserk, though I can never figure out why some times and not others.”

“What’s not to like about this setting?” Clay set the burger plate on the side of the grill, placed the condiments on the table, and stared out at the backyard, her arm looped around River’s waist. “MJ’s flowers are awesome, and the view across the fields is pristine. I should paint this someday.”

“Yes, you should.” River kissed Clay with a tenderness that made Grace ache for Dani.

When they stepped apart, Grace said, “I’d really love to have one of your pieces hanging in the B and B someday.”

Clay’s cheeks tinged with color. “Really?”

“Absolutely and not just because you’re famous, which you totally are.”

Trip handed Clay a beer and Grace and River glasses of wine. “To friends, now and forever. Fast Break, Paint Ball plus the woman who tamed her, and Glitter Girl, the modern day musketeers.” She raised her bottle and the others clinked against it. “So…is anybody else joining us for dinner?”

“You mean like Jamie perhaps?” Grace asked.

“Shouldn’t you know the answer to that question, Trip?” Clay teased her. “You have been spending quite a bit of time together lately.”

“Yeah, but we’re not joined at the hip.”

“Yet.” Clay laughed.

“You mean like you and River?” Trip volleyed back and gave River a wink.

“Exactly. You should be so lucky, dude.” Clay propped against the deck railing. “What about Dani?”

“What about her?” Grace tried for nonchalance but heard the slight uptick in her tone.

“She was in your bed two days ago. Is she still there? Because she hasn’t been at work.” Trip started out teasing but ended on a more concerned note. “She’s back, right?”

“Back from where?” Grace’s stomach churned as she flipped the burgers, turned the foil-wrapped potatoes and onions around on the grill, and avoided Trip’s and Clay’s stares. The initial connection she’d felt with Dani had grown stronger as they lay together after sex, and she’d thought Dani felt it too. They’d talked, and Grace had opened her heart more completely. Maybe she’d chosen poorly again or imagined something more because she wanted it so much. “What do you know, Trip?”

River moved to Grace’s side and rubbed her back soothingly.

Trip took a long pull on her beer. “She called me late Friday and said she had to go out of town, some emergency, but didn’t say where or why. Asked me to cover the clinic on Saturday. I owed her one after my cookout binge. That’s all I know.” Trip shook her head. “You mean she slept with you, said nothing about this, and just left? Un-fucking believable.”

“I would’ve sworn she was totally into you that day at the cottage. She fought for you, Gracie, and the way she looked at you…” Clay’s comment hung in the air along with the strong smell of grilling meat.

The group fell quiet except for the occasional new word from Harry in the sunroom, punctuating the silence. She and Dani had shared some intimate and revealing moments, so Grace understood if she needed time to think, but she could’ve at least told Grace she was going away. Finally, she said, “Dani needs time to figure things out.” She hoped she was right.

Clay and Trip exchanged a look, and River shook her head at them, but no one commented on how lame Grace’s statement sounded.

“Have you done anything about that guy from the club?” Trip asked.

She drew a heavy breath to calm her emotions and keep her voice even. “Sort of. I can’t launch an official investigation since I didn’t file a complaint, but I’ve contacted a cop friend in Savannah who’s working a couple of similar cases. She’s sending a photographic lineup of possible suspects. We’ll see where it leads.”

“From the way Dani described him, he’s probably some pervert who doesn’t have a pot to piss in and gets his rocks off drugging and raping women. Creep.” Trip tapped her beer bottle in the wet circle on top of the picnic table.

“Speaking of Dani, do you think she’ll cooperate, look at the photos?” Clay asked.

River hooked her arm through Clay’s. “Of course she will, love.”

“Sure. Why wouldn’t she?” Grace had asked herself the same question. Would Dani want to get more involved in Grace’s life or in Pine Cone?

* * *

Dani cut her car engine and coasted into the B and B driveway, hoping to arrive unnoticed. The cozy setting with Grace’s cottage tucked back in the tree line was an oasis after the hectic interstate traffic and the frenetic activity of the city. When had that happened? The city had always been her go-to place to relax and lose herself in the hubbub, but this trip had been different. She’d been on edge and felt herself retreating into her shell but shook it off as just homecoming nerves. Now she wasn’t so sure.

For two days, she’d effectively avoided Grace and her protective friends, but she’d also missed Grace terribly, which had been unexpected. She and Grace had connected and it scared the hell out of her. She wasn’t ready to face an interrogation about her feelings for or intentions toward Grace, especially not today. The past two nights in her hotel room after the interviews had been quite enough soul searching. She grabbed her overnight bag and crept up on the large wraparound porch, carefully turned the doorknob, and opened the door.

“Trying to sneak in?” Trip sat at the foot of the stairs leading up to the guestrooms. “What’s going on, Dani?”

“I told you I needed a couple of days off.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t tell Grace anything. You should explain this to her and soon. In the meantime, we need to talk about something else.”

Dani tried to squeeze past her on the stairs, but she blocked her. “Trip, I just want to go to my room and be left alone.”

Clay stepped from around the corner. “And we’d really like to talk to you for a second, on the back deck. Grace is grilling burgers.”

She wanted to go to Grace and tell her things—she was a fool for leaving without a word; she missed her; and the city hadn’t been as welcoming as she remembered—but not in front of an audience. But how would Grace react? Was she hurt by Dani’s absence? Glad she’d gotten rid of an emotional liability? Her mind was spinning, and Clay and Trip were waiting for an answer. “I’m not sure what you want.”

Clay stared at Trip as if trying to get her to speak, but when she just glared back, Clay said, “Give us a few minutes?” She turned toward the back of the house and pulled Trip from the stairs behind her. “We’ll see you outside and don’t try to slip out. It’s important.”

Dani gave a half nod and bolted up the stairs. Grace had told them what an emotional cripple Dani was, and they were going to not so politely ask her to get lost. Or worse, Grace was having second thoughts, which was probably just as well under the circumstances. She took a quick shower, changed clothes, and decided on her way downstairs that she’d just play dumb. Try levity, and then wait and see what happened.

“I knew this was going to be a strange evening when a van passed me with a cow on the roof. I stopped on Main Street for a double take. A cow’s head drooped over the windshield, legs dangled over both sides, and pink udders down the back window like she’d dropped out of the sky. And just when I thought Pine Cone couldn’t get any weirder.”

The quartet standing around the grill turned from what appeared to be a serious conversation, and Grace was the first to respond. The sound of her laughter cut into Dani and melted everything inside. Her gaze urged Dani forward like a beacon in a sea of uncertainty and made her feel everything would be all right.

“That was the delivery truck for Seward’s Butchery. Totally just as you described it.” She walked to Dani and placed a light kiss on her cheek. “Nice to see you. Are you okay?”

Dani nodded. Grace’s tone was light and non-judgmental, her words sincere, and the touch of her lips warm and welcoming. Dani couldn’t wait to get her alone, to tell her what had happened, and to ask…to ask what? Dani’s happy image dissolved.

“Have you met Chucky Seward?” Trip asked, grabbing her breasts. “Man boobs for days. I think he might give those udders a run for their money.”

Dani relaxed a bit. Nobody questioned her about her absence, a little weird, but welcome. Grace seemed happy to see her, and neither Clay nor Trip had jumped her yet. River Hemsworth, obviously now with Clay, gave her an encouraging smile. Dani tried to play it cool, but curiosity won out. “So, what do we need to talk about?”

Trip looked at Grace and waited for a nod before saying, “A friend of Grace’s in Savannah has been tracking the guy who drugged her, and she’s come up with some possible suspects. If you’re willing, she’d like you to look at a photo lineup.” Trip took a sip of her beer and moved closer to Dani. “Hey, I’m sorry Clay and I gave you a hard time the other day. You did Grace a real service, and I’m grateful. No hard feelings?” She stuck out her hand. “Anybody who risks her neck for a friend is all right with me.”

Dani felt something shift between them. She’d developed great respect for Trip’s professional abilities, but always felt like an outsider, until now. Trip had been a loyal friend to Grace and was now woman enough to admit she might’ve been wrong about Dani. Would she feel the same way when Dani told her news? She took Trip’s hand. “No hard feelings at all. I’d have done the same thing you and Clay did to protect a friend.”

Clay slapped her on the back, and then Grace nudged between them. “Okay, give the woman some room.” She tucked her arm in Dani’s and handed her a cold beer from the cooler. “How do you like your burgers? Wait. Let me guess. Medium rare?”

“Exactly. So, did you decide to report what happened?” Dani asked.

Grace shook her head. “I just asked a few questions. My friend was already working a couple of similar cases. I used the confidential informant angle on my end.”

“You being the informant?”

“Right. So, you don’t mind looking at the photos?”

“Of course not.” She wasn’t sure if this development would interfere with her new plans, but she owed Grace this much. Dani joined Clay, River, and Trip at the picnic table sipping drinks while she watched Grace flip burgers and something wrapped in foil.

Grace said, “Don’t feel like you have to do this. You’ve already literally given your pound of flesh for the creep.”

“I’ve got this.” Grace continued to surprise her. She’d forgo finding the man who drugged her for Dani’s comfort. Where she came from people, not even family, sacrificed for others, but somehow she’d done it for Grace the night she was drugged and felt more herself because of it. And now Grace was willing to do the same for her. The give and take of relationships? Not so bad.

“Okay, burgers up,” Grace said. “Help yourselves.”

Dani spread Duke’s mayonnaise, which she’d developed an affinity for, on both sides of her bun, added lettuce, tomato, and a burger, then filled the other side of her plate with grilled onions and potatoes. Everything looked delicious and she was suddenly starving. The last two days had been frantic and she’d eaten and rested poorly. She bit into her burger and moaned with appreciation. “Thanks. I needed this.”

The others fixed their plates, and everyone ate quietly. Dani’s comfort with the group waned as the silence stretched, and the unspoken hung awkwardly between them. She had to clear the air.

“Sorry I haven’t been around the last couple of days. Hope I didn’t leave you in trouble at the clinic, Trip.” Everybody looked at her, but Grace’s stare, full of happiness and hope, squeezed Dani’s heart like a fist. “I had business back in Baltimore.”

Grace glanced down at her food, but not before Dani saw the spark fade from her eyes. She should’ve discussed this privately with Grace, not blurted it in front of everyone. She’d hoped by being open, she might gain more of their confidence and trust, but her instincts had been off, again. Would she ever learn the nuances and subtle cues of relationships?

“Job offer?” For all her bravado, Trip was also refreshingly straightforward.

Dani nodded, her throat suddenly too tight for speech. For the past six months, she’d waited for her dream job offer and the chance to return to the familiarity of city life with lots of options and diversions. Now her news had shattered the only real, true thing she’d ever known—Grace.

“I apologize for my delivery.” She reached for Grace’s hand, but she pulled away.

“Your delivery?” Grace’s tone was incredulous. “Not for vanishing without mentioning why? Not for leaving your employer in a lurch? To say nothing of practically jumping from my bed and into your car without a word. That was the phone call you got while we were—” Grace rose from the table but stopped beside Dani. “You really are something, Dani Wingate.”

Grace’s eyes shone with tears and a deep, unbearable agony Dani had seen often in her parents. And she’d caused it. “Grace, can we talk about this privately, please?” She glanced toward the others hoping Grace would understand.

Grace studied her for several long seconds as if trying to divine her motivation before finally answering. “I don’t think that’s necessary. I heard you perfectly the first time. Congratulations on getting what you wanted. I’m sorry for my outburst.”

Dani listened for any parting comments as Grace brushed by, but all she heard was a clipped exchange between her and Harry as Grace passed through the sunroom.

Trip eyed Dani hard, grabbed her plate, still heaping with food, and tossed it in the garbage. “I took a chance on you, Wingate, and you pull this crap.”

“I can work a notice, if you need me.”

“Probably best for Grace if you leave right now, but I need your ass at the clinic to handle treatments this afternoon. We’ll be busy taking care of our friend.” Without another word, Trip followed Grace into the house.

Clay rose slowly from the table, River at her side. “I’m sorry, Dani, for all of us, but mostly for you. You could’ve had something special.” She picked up her half-eaten hamburger in a napkin, disposed of the rest, and fell in behind Trip.

Dani forked a mouthful of potatoes and onions, but her stomach wretched. Some friends. They should be happy for her. She’d been honest about her intentions when she landed in Pine Cone. Why were they surprised? The job offer was a good one with potential for advancement. So why did she feel so awful?