abrupt stop. She wore red scrubs, which made her skin look all the more pale. Her eyes were very brown and very large.
Those eyes slid between Edward and me. “I’ll come back.” She turned.
Tossing People aside, I rushed over at the same time that Edward said, “Stay.” While I wrapped my arms around her, he moved behind us to close the door.
“In print all over the country,” she breathed in horror and drew back.
“We knew it was coming.”
“But those photos are so clear. How’d they do that?” Her voice remained high, but had a confidential edge, like I was the only one who should hear. “What kind of phone takes pictures like that? Someone there had a real camera, Maggie, a real one, and if I’d have known there would be those inside the courthouse, even a chance of it, I’d have kept my hood up, but I thought they couldn’t. I thought it was against the rules to take pictures inside. Can I sue them for that?”
“You could,” Edward put in gently, “and maybe whoever took these would have to pay a fine, but this article would still be out there, and all you’d do is keep the story alive. Sue People, and you open the door to more pictures.”
She looked like she wanted to argue. More, though, she looked confused. Again, her eyes moved between Edward’s face and mine. She might not have seen him kiss me, but she was wondering why he was here. Which wasn’t terrible. Which was actually part of Edward and my agreeing to date. It was only my guilt at hiding the truth from her that made me think she suspected the truth. More likely, she knew we were talking about her and wasn’t sure if Edward was turning me against her.
Wanting to reassure her, I put both hands on her shoulders. They felt frail, not a good thing for a massage therapist. “He’s right,” I said, trying to sound convinced when a small part of me was chanting, Fight, fight, fight. I knew the anger. I knew the sense of violation. I also knew the futility of going against a Goliath. “Life isn’t fair, Gracie. Things happen. People say things, and even when you want to hit back, it’s sometimes best to just let it pass.”
“But these go all over the country,” she cried, hands together now, picking at her thumb. “Everyone sees them. Everywhere.” She was thinking of her ex-husband.
I grasped her hand to stop the picking. “Your hair is different. You were smart about that. The hair in these shots is chestnut and curly. You’re a smooth-haired brunette now.”
“But the face is the same. I mean, sure, fine, great, you change your name and have plastic surgery—” She stopped short. She didn’t look back at Edward, but I sensed only sheer force of will kept her from it. I hadn’t known about the name change, but I did know that she was afraid of her ex, so it wasn’t a total surprise.
Our eyes held. I gave a tiny headshake to indicate that Edward knew nothing.
But he had certainly heard what she just said. I wasn’t sure whether he was making the connection between Grace’s experience and mine, whether he understood Grace because he understood me. But he approached us and said with quiet confidence, “You’re safe here, Grace. The Inn protects its own.”
Again, she looked from me to him and back. “Okay,” she said and pulled away. “Gotta go. I have a client.”
“We can get someone to cover,” Edward tried as she made for the door.
“No need.” She didn’t look back. “Thanks, though. I’m good.” Opening the door, she slipped out and was gone.
In her wake came a brief silence, the exchange of nervous looks, then Edward’s whispered, “Name change?”
“I didn’t know,” I said, only then seeing that People hadn’t been the only thing under his arm. A newspaper was there, trifolded in a familiar Thursday way. “Is that The Times?”
“Devon. Yes.” Something about the way he said it put me on the alert. “Luckily, People will overshadow it.”
I held out my hand. “What’s there?”
“A profile.”
“Of Grace?”
“Of me.”
I stared at him for a minute. Slowly, the meaning of his alert sank in. Unfolding the paper, I scanned the front page. There on the lower half, relatively small but still front-page visible, was a photo of Edward in his office. He was standing at his desk, seeming to be studying papers there. The fact that it was a profile shot taken