Page 161 of Return To You

Several people agree, one person even hoots. I put my hands up. “I didn’t do anything.” I really didn’t. “Collective effort,” I concede.

“Hear there’s grandbabies on the way for Dennis?” someone else calls out.

I have to laugh at that. And maybe blush a bit. I raise my hands. “Not that I know of.”

“Yet!” someone else hollers.

“Give the guy a break!” a third person cries out.

Millie hands me a large, heavy bag. “On the house today. Tell them congrats. I have everyone’s favorite with their name on it, and some specials for whoever else I forgot. Did you bring one of Grace’s mugs?”

“I forgot,” I confess. “Didn’t plan this.”

“Good,” she beams. “Now go.”

I don’t have time to ask her what’s good about that. I rush back to the spa. Chris is there with Alex and Skye, delivering breakfast for everyone. “Oh look, there’s even a hot chocolate for you!” I tell Skye as I’m unpacking Millie’s order.

“Thank you, Ethan. Millie makes the best hot cho-colate. She adds ci-na-mum to it.”

“Oh yeah?” I store that info for when Skye will come over. She likes cinnamon. I pull out a pink and gold mug with A Touch Of Grace engraved on it. “Oh my god, that’s beautiful,” Grace gushes. “Did you order this?” Her eyes shine even brighter.

“I wish, but no. It’s from Millie.” Shit, Millie did good. Real good. Even I can tell the mug looks awesome, and if I couldn’t, all I would need would be to look at Grace’s reaction.

Alex glances at me. “Millie’s smart,” she says under her breath. “These would look awesome in those display cases. I wonder how long it’s gonna take Grace to—”

“We should totally sell these!” Grace shrieks. “D’you think she’d be offended if I ask her to bulk order some for the spa?”

Alex smiles. “I don’t think she’ll be offended,” she tells Grace. “That may have been her idea all along.”

Grace’s eyes widen. “We should do a joint mug! An Easy Monday Starts With A Touch Of Grace. Something along those lines.”

“I love it,” several people exclaim.

Chris sidles up next to me. “You think you’re ever gonna be able to leave?”

I peel my eyes from the group to look at him. He has a content smile, watching Alex and Skye chat and twirl around with Fabrizio and Shanice, who are still going to the beat. “Fuck, it’s gonna be hard.” I look back at Grace, who’s across the room, her dreamy smile on me.

I can’t believe how lucky I am. My heart shatters at the idea of leaving all this in maybe just a few hours.

That evening, when my phone chimes and it’s my C.O., I put the phone back in my pocket. I know what’s on the text. It’s time to go.

But Grace just got back home, and I’m not ruining this moment just yet. We get in the shower together, and after some sexy lathering that I’m going to fucking miss like hell when I’m gone, she tells me all about the new mugs she and Millie will be designing. They’re even going to sell them at the general store, and Noah is going to contact other businesses to come up with other designs and tag lines.

“What’s up with the bookstore name? The Shy Rabit with one b?”

“It’s ‘Shy Rabit’, no ‘The,’ and it’s anyone’s guess why it’s misspelled.”

“Really.”

“Yup, really.”

She tells me all this while we’re toweling off and putting on minimal clothing to just hang out on the deck with our drinks. “Selzer and lime, honey. Too much has been happening lately. My liver can’t handle all the excitement. Dad is better, by the way. The hospital confirmed he’s being discharged tomorrow.”

I swung by the hospital today to say goodbye to Dennis, on my way back from the farm where I hung out with Dad. And I finally got to visit with Coach Randall. Funny, he hasn’t changed a bit. He actually looked younger to me. “You’re just getting older, while he’s stuck in time,” Colton and Justin pointed out when I grabbed what might be the last beer in months with them.

Grace and I sit on the deck, and she pulls her phone out. “I’ll post an update on Echoes about Dad. People have been asking.” Her thumbs fly across the screen.

“What’s that Echoes everyone keeps talking about?” I pull her feet on my lap so I can give her a foot massage.

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