Page 90 of Slash & Burn

Grady’s nightmares had several triggers, but anxiety was one of them, and I could see the lines around his eyes. He wasn’t unaffected by all this.

He gave me a tired smile, gratitude in his gaze that made my chest tight. “I’ve been better. A little trouble sleeping, but not as bad as before.” His shoulders lifted in a sort of lame shrug, like we both knew that there wasn’t much else to be done but to ride it out.

“You talking to anyone?” One of the sports newscasters had mentioned that the team was providing counseling to the players and staff to help them deal with the tragedy. I’d thought it was a really smart move, but before he even answered, I knew Grady hadn’t gone to see them.

“Not yet. I might, though,” he said, collecting the empty containers now that all of the plants had their new homes. “Sorry this took so long,” he said, standing up and brushing his hands off.

“I could have put them in.”

“Nope.” He stepped past the flower bed toward me, leaning down to kiss me soft and sweet, lingering just a second longer like he needed an extra shot of something good. “I got them for you, I wanted to put them in.”

I smiled down at his work. “Well, they look great already.”

“Got a favorite yet?”

My laughter seemed out of place in the still quiet morning. “No. Not in the five minutes since they’ve been here.”

He dropped a quick kiss to the top of my head. “Well, get picking. A man needs to know these things.” After tossing the pots in the recycling he turned back. “Can I wash up and change and then we can get on the road?”

“Yep,” I said, leading us inside. “I’ll finish getting dressed and be ready in ten.”

When we’d started the reading program it felt like it was going to last forever. And be a miserable experience the whole way through. But as we got on the road for our last event, it all felt like a dream. Like a montage of moments going by way too fast.

“So, did you go see the store?” Grady asked as we pulled out.

“Not yet.” I fidgeted in my seat because we both knew I was stalling and that if I didn’t go soon it would probably get rented by someone else and I’d lose my chance.

“You want me to come with you?” He glanced over at me, his expression harder to read than the normal enthusiasm I was used to seeing when he got on this topic.

“No,” I paused, thinking about it. “I guess maybe? If you wanted to?”

“Of course. Just let me know when.”

Having Grady there would be a comfort, I thought, as I stared out the window watching the muggy August morning go by. It was far from the start of fall, but the shift was already in the air. The freshness of the summer, the crisp promise of long days and heat waves, had already passed. Now we were in the crunchy sunburnt remnants, like the kinky ends of your hair after you’ve kept the straightener on too long—dried out and brittle.

“You don’t have anything planned after we’re done today, do you?” His question wasn’t laced with humor and it didn’t feel flirty, only adding to my unease.

“No, nothing.”

“Will you come with me someplace? I want to show you something.”

He had to have known there was no way I’d turn him down, but I put my hand on his thigh and smiled when I nodded. “I’d love to.”

Considering how well we’d mastered the flow of our program, it was little shock the last one went off without a hitch. We had a great crowd and a few of the little girls had made Grady and I friendship bracelets as a thank you. Seeing his tan, muscled forearm stacked with white and pink beads with messages of “good luck” and “hockey hero” was enough to melt me into a puddle by the time we left. Grady didn’t just accept all their adoration; he reflected it back at them in a way I’d never understood until now. Maybe being one of his fans wasn’t so lame after all.

The ride back to Holden Cove was just as quiet, the late afternoon sun shining in our eyes as we drove west. Once we dipped down into the valley leading to the lake I started to wonder where he was taking me. But the answer became clear as we turned down the road that led to the town park. The last time we were there we’d started this whole thing, this summer relationship—whatever you call it. It made my chest ache that we were back there again for likely the opposite reason.

“I hope you don’t mind, I snagged your suit this morning.” Grady reached into the back seat, dropping my bikini in my lap with a hopeful grin.

“Grady, what are we doing here?” I asked, fingering the fabric of my suit as I scanned the handful of cars still parked in the lot.

“I told you. I want to show you something.”

When he fished his own suit from behind my seat I felt my pulse skitter a little faster. Last time we were here he’d been practically unable tolookat the water, let alone get in it.

“Go get changed, meet you down there.” He pushed his door open and walked into the mens’ side of the beach house.

With a mix of reluctance and curiosity I did as he asked, and when I stopped by the pile of towels at his feet near the water’s edge, he looked over at me with emotion swirling in his eyes.

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