“Morning.” It came out awkwardly. I’d never let a woman see me like this, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.
It was too late now.
“Hi.” Grace’s voice was slow and still full of sleep.
I chuckled. “Not a morning person?”
“Not this early.”
The coffee pot beeped as she leaned on a nearby countertop and rubbed her face. I grabbed two mugs for us.
“Oh, you don’t have to?—”
“You made breakfast yesterday,” I reminded. “It’s the least I can do.”
Her lips pressed together the same way they always did when she didn’t want to accept help, but thankfully, she didn’t stop me.
The previous night had been tense and awkward, but when it was just Grace and me, things felt ... natural. Like it was too easy to be around her.
“Why are you awake?” she asked.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
She winced. “Hip pain. I hear it’s pretty normal.”
“Oh,” I said. “Can I help?”
“You already did by starting the coffee pot. Now, are you gonna answer or do you want me to guess?”
That was the last thing I wanted. “It feels weird with Brooke here,” I said. Grace slowly nodded, lips pressing into a thin line. “I’m not complaining or anything. She can stay when she wants.”
“No, it’s okay. I can also admit that it’s not fun.” She shrugged. “She’ll leave after the party, though. I think she just wants to show off.”
I wanted to ask her why she did all of this for her sister, but then I imagined that my only family—Mom—was like Brooke was. Would I have walked away?
In theory, yes. In practice? I wasn’t so sure.
Mom was one of the best people in my life, and while she deserved it, I did feel like I owed her for raising me. We were tied by bonds that I couldn’t have easily shaken.
“You’re wanting to tell me I shouldn’t deal with all of this, aren’t you?” she asked. When I finally looked back at her, I saw her shoulders had crept up near her ears.
“It’s tempting to, but it isn’t that simple, is it? Not when she’s your last family.”
Grace blinked. “You’re exactly right.”
“I don’t like Brooke, and I really don’t like how she treats you. But I get why it’s hard to fully let her go. So, I respect that.”
“That’s really mature of you, Dean.”
“This younger guy can be mature. Who knew?” I shrugged and finished off my coffee. “I’ll see if Mark will have me at the birthday party tonight. I’ll go after work.”
I washed my mug and walked past her to get ready for the day. It was way too early to go to work, but I didn’t want to bearound Brooke more than I had to be. I could easily go hang out at the library when it opened, if need be.
As I did so, Grace’s knowing eyes were on me, and I wondered if she was seeing past all the walls that I’d put up. I should have been terrified of it.
The thought didn’t scare me as much as it should’ve.
It wasn’t hard to find Mark. He was outside of his bar, washing the panes of glass on the door. When he saw me, he immediately told me about his party and asked if I wanted to come. I didn’t even have to bring it up.