Page 91 of Falling for Grace

She shrugs. “It’s no big deal.”

But I don’t think she realises just how big a deal this all was.

“So where do you think I will find him?” I ask the following morning as I watch Ava pull together some breakfast for her niece, who is propped up on the breakfast bar swinging her legs and drinking orange juice. She has her auntie’s blonde hair, but where Ava’s eyes are blue as the ocean, Lucy’s are a rich hazel colour, warm. Her face is small, her large eyes the key feature. Her mother, Ava’s sister, must have been equally as beautiful.

“We will head to his place first. Although I don’t expect him to answer. He’s changed all the codes. I haven’t been able to get in,” she replies, pouring some cereal into a bowl.

“His friend Blake and I, we’ve been there most days. Sometimes he’s in and just ignores us, others he’s out on a bender. I need to manage your expectations, Grace. He probably won’t answer, which means we’ll need to wait for the buzz of social media to tell us where he is.” She continues adding the milk. “Lucy, come on, move your butt. You can’t eat it up here.”

Lucy jumps down and walks over to the bar stools on the other side of the enormous island in the middle of the kitchen.

“I’ll drop you off on the way to the school and come back after. You’ll most likely be sitting on your ass waiting for me.”

“Ava,” Lucy says, pointing her spoon at her aunt. “What have I told you about swearing?”

Ava turns and smiles at her niece, but then looks at me, rolling her eyes. “Twelve going on 20, that one.”

I smile back and drink some of my orange juice.

“Okay, I can do this. When was the last time you spoke to him?” I want to get as much information as I can before I face him.

“Over two weeks ago, and he wasn’t exactly coherent. I’ve tried calling him since but his phone is now off, and Blake his friend hasn’t had much luck either.”

I nod.

“I haven’t been able to get hold of him either,” I add, looking down at my phone on the off chance that he has reached out, which he apparently hasn’t because that would be too easy.

“Here’s my number.” She scribbles on a piece of paper and slides it across the counter to me. “Put it in your phone. If you need someone to get you sooner, I’ll send a car. But I’m hoping you’ll be able to get in.”

I gulp. She is putting way too much faith in me, but I have to try, right?

“Do you know what you’re planning to do when you see him?”

I shrug, because in all honestly, I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to do when I see him. I’m hoping that an epiphany will hit me square in the face when I look into those mesmerising green eyes of his.

“Remember, Grace, you're in L.A. now. The paparazzi will hound him if you’re out in public, and as soon as they realise you're the girl from the picture, the mysterious Brit, they will jump on that story like wildfire. You’ll be all over the papers, all over the internet. They’ll watch your every move. My advice, keep it private if you do manage to find him. Get in his house or bring him back here.”

“I need to take him home,” I say resolutely as I let the realisation of me becoming the next Hollywood gossip sink in. I’m a no one. A nobody. Fear creeps up my spine at the thought of them uncovering our past. My face is one thing, but my story, that is a whole different matter. I don’t want the world to know about our hurtful past.

“That’s a good idea, he needs family.”

“Can you help me arrange that?”

She pauses and nods. “Of course.”

Lucy comes back into the main kitchen with her now empty bowl, placing it on the counter.

“Seriously, Lucy. The dishwasher is right there. It’s like three extra actions. Open–” Ava opens it “–stack it–” she stacks it “–and close it.”

Lucy rolls her eyes again and hops back onto the countertop.

“Who are you talking about?” she asks, swinging her legs back and forth.

“Go and get your shoes on, or we’re going to be late…again.”

“Hey, don’t blame me for being late last week. You were the one who was taking ages getting ready,” she says, wiggling her fingers at Ava.

“Go get your butt ready.”

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