Page 63 of Falling for Grace

I smile politely and put my hand out for her to join me.

“Are you okay?”

“As much as you can be in this situation,” I state flatly.

“It’s a terrible situation,” she says, looking at me. I nod because there isn’t really anything I can say to that.

We sit in silence for a moment, and I try to ignore her presence, but the expensive perfume she’s wearing is leaving a bitter taste on my tongue.

“I was nervous about meeting you.”

I look at her, surprised. I wasn’t expecting her to say that. I mean, look at her.

“Really?”

She nods, smiling, and her perfectly white teeth dazzle me. “Really. I’m not an idiot, Grace. I know I’m not the one for Brandon.”

“Excuse me?”

“But if you think I’m going to roll over and let you or this situation take him away from me, you’re very much mistaken.”

What the… I just gape at her.

“I’ve worked too hard to get to be the one on his arm, and I’m not letting you ruin it for me. This situation, as heartbreaking as it is—don’t think I’m stupid enough not to see what you’re doing.”

I think my eyebrows are now missing, lost in my hairline.

“I know girls like you, Grace. Holding onto something that is well in the past. He didn’t choose you back then, and he’s not going to choose you now, you know how driven he is. So please don’t stand in the way of our happiness. You need to move on.”

Distaste for this women overwhelms me and I stand up. I’m not really one for confrontation. My mother always taught me to be the bigger person and walk away. So that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

“Brandon may be grieving, but don’t think that his stupid brother's suicide will be the thing that brings him back to you.”

“What did you just say?” My voice is barely audible, my jaw hurting as my teeth grind together.

“You heard what I said,” she retorts, although there is a hint of remorse on her face. Her manicured hands rest on her narrow hips as she stands in front of me. I take a step towards her. I’m not exactly menacing to look at, but whatever the look on my face is, it makes the veil of confidence slip from Ava. I step right up in the bitch’s face and give myself an internal high five when she takes a step back.

“You,” I say, pointing at her. Everything about me standing next to her makes me feel like a rusty nail. But I will not let her degrade Danny’s memory on the day of his funeral.

“You disrespectful piece of fucking shit. How dare you talk to me like that? No. No!”

I push her. Her eyes widen as she stumbles back, her heels scuffing against the concrete. “You never speak of Danny in that way. You don’t know him, you don’t know me, and being that you’re standing here threatening me off, you clearly don’t know Brandon. You are not welcome here. I suggest—” I take another step toward her “—you leave now before my fist messes up that collagen-filled face of yours.”

“Grace!”

I whip around, my anger still simmering. Just great. Brandon probably arrived just as I attacked his bitch of a girlfriend. I’m sure I have come across as a bully.

“Keep her the fuck away from me,” I seethe, teeth still gritted as I walk past him.

“Ava?” I hear him say, but I’m too pent up to listen to any more of his drama.

Not today.

As I approach the group, I see Harry off to the side.

“Grace, you did Danny proud in there.” He grabs me into another hug and kisses the top of my head.

“Can you give me a lift?” I ask. The anger is ebbing away, replaced with a deep sadness.

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