Page 2 of Holding Grace

Well, for one, he had no idea where I was – I’d made sure of that – and two, he wouldn’t care even if he did, but I wasn’t about to share either of those facts with Travis.

“It’s a long story and really none of your business.” I softened my response with a small smile. Many, many nights Travis literally stood between me and the relative safety of my apartment. I didn’t want to piss him off or make an enemy of him. I just wanted him to leave me alone.

He knew where I lived, obviously, and he knew my schedule. He could easily make trouble for me if he wanted to. I had enough men in my life trying to cause me trouble; the last thing I needed was one more.

Travis took a step back, spitting on the ground as he turned.

“This is a waste of my time.”

He stalked back toward the bar, and I wasted no time making my way to the back corner of the building and the door that opened into the stairway up to my apartment.

I unlocked the door and stepped through, making sure that the door closed fully behind me before climbing the stairs. I repeated the process with my apartment door, feeling a small measure of tension slip away as I closed it and turned the deadbolt. The neighborhood I was in was pretty safe, but I always felt a little better once I was secure inside my own small space.

Feeling too worn down to do much else, I drank a glass of water and ate a granola bar, then headed into my small bathroom to shower.

As I got ready for bed, my thoughts turned to my not-boyfriend Michael. I hated using him to answer unwanted questions and ward off unwelcome attention. I was sure he’d hate it even more if he knew.

If Travis had any idea how I’d reacted to Michael when I’d first met him about a year and half ago, he’d know how ridiculous it was that I was claiming Michael was my boyfriend. Life had taught me to be cautious of men and I’d been so intimidated by Michael at first that I’d barely been able to talk to him. He was a big, fit, devastatingly handsome, unbelievably talented, and, as I’d soon learned, kind man. Slowly, over weeks and months, he’d quietly, subtly gotten past all my defenses. There had even been a few moments when I’d thought...

Well, none of that mattered now. What mattered was that he and his boss, Jamey – who was almost as amazing as Michael – had taken a chance on me, hired me with no references as a cook at by far the nicest place I’d ever worked, and done everything they could to help me feel comfortable and do a good job.

And how had I repaid them?

I’d repaid them by walking out – okay, running out – without a word in the middle of a shift, leaving town, and not looking back. I’d ignored their calls and texts, deleting the texts without reading them, not wanting to see how angry they must be. By the time I’d calmed down and realized I was running for no reason, it had been too late to go back, even though I’d wanted to.

That bridge had been well and truly reduced to ashes.

So, I’d done the only thing I’d known to do. I’d swallowed the regret, reminded myself that dreaming impossible dreams about a sexy man with a heart of gold would get me nowhere, and moved on to the next place I could find a job and settle for a while, before eventually repeating the whole cycle over again.

One part of what I’d told Travis was true. I was tired – emotionally and mentally exhausted – not from my shift at the diner, but from being on my own, always looking over my shoulder, constantly wondering when I’d need to pick up and move again.

All I wanted was to find a safe place to live my life in peace. I was starting to wonder if I’d ever find it.

Chapter 2

Grace

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