correct her that I’m English. “Only if you’ll join me.”
She holds up a pair of precision medical scissors in one hand and tweezers in the other. “No can do. I’m working and driving. Plus it’s your gift basket from Addy, and after everything you’ve been through, you deserve every drop of it. Next time.”
I put my hand on her arm and give it a squeeze. “Thank you. I grew up with brothers, work in a man’s world, and have lived in a country where other women don’t know what to think of me. Besides my mum, I’ve never gotten on with females well. I’m not used to women being kind without wanting anything in return or gossiping about me behind my back.”
Her smile is small and I’m afraid it’s not a happy one, but rather one that says she pities me. “I’m moving to Virginia. It’s all set. Noah and I went to Columbus and cleaned out my apartment.”
“I’m happy for you, Gracie.”
Her smile turns mischievous. “I’m just saying, I could be your first friend here in the U.S. There’s no bullshit when it comes to you. I like that.”
“No, I definitely don’t bullshit anyone.”
Her focus returns to my fresh scar. “And I like to listen to you talk. You sound fancy and there’s nothing fancy about me.”
“Hmm, if you saw how I live, you’d rethink that.”
“Noah told me you tried to kick his ass.”
“No, I would have kicked his arse had he not been Crew’s man. I went easy on him.”
She laughs.
“I’m serious, Gracie.”
“If you say so. Now, I want to know everything about you and Cole. And why you want to leave.”
I look down at her. “I’m afraid I need another favor.”
At first I thought she was going to demand I tell her everything in exchange. But instead, without even thinking, she agrees without knowing what she’s agreeing to. “Sure. Anything.”
“I need a dress.”
She looks up again. “A dress?”
“Yes,” I confirm and then add, “a formal one—classy, but flashy. I need to be seen, Gracie. Shoes, jewelry, and a thin handbag—not smaller than twenty-one centimeters in length and bejeweled like a firecracker. And a wig. The darker the better. I need to look like I’ve been dipped in money.”
Her eyes widen and she doesn’t say anything for a few ticks. Finally, her brow puckers and she bites her bottom lip. “Your new best friend only works in inches. I’m going to have to look up what twenty-one centimeters is. I can’t remember that from elementary school.”
“I’ll pay you back,” I promise.
She gives her head a tiny shake and finds my hand for a squeeze. “Noah would never allow it. When do you need this getup?”
“By the end of next week. Can you help me?”
She rolls her eyes. “Easy. I can have it by the end of tomorrow.”
I exhale, feeling lighter than I have in days, and it has nothing to do with the wine. One less thing to think about. “Thank you.”
“Girl, I’ve got your back.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what it’s for?”
“No, even though I’m nosy as fuck. I’ll be your shopper, your nurse, and your wine delivery girl. You had Noah’s back and I’ve got yours—forever. No questions asked, no matter how much I want to know.”
She goes back to my stitches.
Snip.
Tug.
And she doesn’t ask me another thing.
Silence settles over us so heavy, the snip of the scissors scream as they fill the space.
I’m not sure if it’s the wine or Gracie Cain or lying in Cole’s bed where he’s fused himself to me every night yet still hasn’t kissed me once. Whatever it is, I’m moved to do something I’ve never done before.
I share a bit of me.
“Cole was my first.”
Gracie stops mid-tug.
“And he’s still my only,” I add.
She sits up. “Wow.”
I nod. “As I said, we’re complicated.”
“I’ll say.”
“He has Abbott and she needs a mother-figure. I’m not ready to stop working and I don’t do anything I can’t give myself to one-hundred percent.”
I get a sympathetic smile. “That’s understandable. And honorable.”
I tell her the truth. “Abbott is smart and beautiful and favors Cole. After meeting her, I’m questioning everything. Now that I’m here, it doesn’t feel honorable—it feels selfish.”
She sighs and tucks a foot under her where she’s perched next to me on the bed. “I don’t know everything so I can’t offer any advice. But I can say from my own personal experience, there’s more than one way to be happy. It took me a long time to learn. Search every road, Bella.