Page 110 of Entranced By the Basilisks

“Grace! It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. Rivera.” Grace holds up a grocery bag and I make out cartons of ice cream and toppings from my spot in the hallway. “I’ve come with all the trappings.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Well, it sounded like you’re having boy trouble.Boys, I mean. And the best medicine for a broken heart is ice cream, according to Hollywood.”

“You didn’t say you were coming over,” I say.

“Maybe because I didn’t want you to tell me not to.”

I blink and Grace’s lower lip trembles.

“I’m glad you could come over to spend time with Emilia since I’m going out,” Ma announces.

“You’re going out? Where?” I ask.

“Eloise is going to introduce me to some of her friends; it would be good for me to have more friends that aren’t just from the hospital. Elliot is chauffeuring us so don’t wait up.” And with that, the door shuts with a click.

“She knew you were coming over,” I say to Grace. They’ve conspired against me.

“Yeah. I thought maybe we should clear the air. I know it’s a bad time, I want to be here for you, but if you don’t want that, I’ll call someone to come pick me up.”

Clear the air?

“Why wouldn’t I want that?” I ask.

Grace shrugs. “Because you haven’t wanted to spend time with me since you found out about all of this. Because you maybe don’t forgive me for lying to you for so long… especially when you’ve found out that someone else you’re close to has lied to you. Maybe you hate me.”

I sniff.

I don’t say it’s okay. I’ve spent the entire time since my abduction saying it’s okay and pushing Grace away at the same time.

“I don’t hate you,” I say. “I’ve just been feeling so… scared and overwhelmed and you’ve been so happy, and I want you to be happy! All of that, along with the fact that you did keep the truth from me, made it hard to reach out. I’m sorry.”

Grace sniffs. “I’m sorry, too. I knew it was wrong to lie to you for so long. I can only promise that I won’t do it again. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Depends. Do you have rocky road?”

Grace arches a brow. “I’m apologizing and wanting to help you feel better, of course I have rocky road.”

My voice is small when I answer. “Then it’s a start.”

* * *

“I feellike I’m just regurgitating the same advice you gave to me,” Grace says, digging into her bowl of mint chocolate chip with extra chocolate syrup on top.

One of Grace’s mates had been less than honest when he started to date Grace, and she had to decide if that dishonesty was something she could forgive or not. The whipped cream on the chocolate nut ice cream helps some of the stinging pain.

“I know I’m probably going to forgive him,” I say for the first time out loud. “I don’t know if that makes me weak—”

“Fuckthat.”

I blink. “Grace Bramblewick, did you just swear?”

Grace blushes, either from me using her mated name or embarrassment. “It gets easier the more I do it.”

“These gargoyles have been a positively heinous influence on you. I approve.”

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