“I’mluckierthan I let on. There’s a difference.”
Her stare-down continued, and I was sure I was going to burst into flames at any second.
“Grace?” Both of us looked up. A nurse had walked out to where we were sitting. “It’s time for the blood draw.”
We glanced at each other. The three hours had slipped by. I’d been so lost in the game and her irritated glare that I hadn’t kept track of time. Neither had she, apparently.
“I’ll handle this.” She said it like she knew I was going to offer to follow her. “Thank you for making time fly.”
Any other time, I would have argued, but it felt like a rock had settled in my chest. Some time to myself would be good. AsGrace disappeared into the back, I returned the chair to its original spot.
“She’s one lucky woman,” a woman behind me said. She was older, sitting with her hands crossed and a small smile on her face.
“I think that game proved she’s very unlucky.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
I tensed. I was hoping shewouldn’tgo there. “We’re not like that.”
She slowly nodded. “Interesting.” She went back to her book.
Sitting back down, I thought over everything with Grace. I thought about how she’d warned me this would be boring, yet it wasn’t, simply because she had been here. Instead of me sitting with her awkwardly, waiting for her to be called back, we had connected.
And that was the most dangerous thing that could have happened.
My phone went off, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I cursed when I read the message.
Mom
You said she owned a clothing shop in Strawberry Springs?
What are you planning?
When Mom sent back only a shrugging emoji, I sighed. She wanted to meet Grace and wouldn’t be held back for much longer.
If Mom came into town and saw how I was with Grace, nothing would stop her from trying to get us together, and thatwasn’thappening.
And if the town got a whiff of this? We werefucked.
17
GRACE
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Dale Garrett:Listen, I know everyone is enjoying the early flowers since it’s warmed up so quickly, but there’s this tall one behind my house that’s suspicious. I can’t tell if it’s a hidden camera, but it’s pointed right at my house.
Comments:
Tammy Jane:Who would even spy on you!? You don’t do anything that interesting.
Dale Garrett:HEY!!! I’M INTERESTING.
Marjorie Brown:Not gonna lie, I thought this was from Hugh.
Hu Gh:Even I know they don’t use no damn flowers. They spy on us using these damn phones!!!
Dale Garrett:Oh God, don’t compare me to Hugh again. I was just worried about my privacy!!!