Page 26 of Perfect Harmony

“Good,” Addison said. “Gideon and Preacherwere the most popular.”

“Not surprising.” Grace studied the roseon Addison’s forearm. “What’s that?”

“Oh, um, the kids wanted Preacher to tattoome, so he drew it on with a non-permanent pen.”

“It’s pretty,” Grace said. “You ever thinkabout getting one for real?”

Addison laughed. “Harrison would have afit if I came home with a tattoo. He says only women looking for attention andwomen with daddy issues get tattoos.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I thinkHarrison is stuck in the 1950s.”

“You know how Harrison is.” Addie ate a forkfulof rice. “He has old-fashioned ideas sometimes. How are you sleeping, by theway? You look a lot better.”

“Actually, it is better.” Grace could hearthe guilt in her voice. Which was stupid, because did she really need to feelguilty that on Sunday night, after lying awake in her bed for nearly fourhours, she had grabbed Gideon’s shirt from the laundry basket and slipped into it?

She fell asleep only ten minutes later andwhile she knew it was silly and superstitious to think that wearing Gideon’sshirt kept the insomnia monster at bay, it hadn’t stopped her from wearing itto bed Monday night or Tuesday night. Nor would it stop her from doing the samething tonight.

If stealing Gideon’s shirt and wearing it tobed every night helped her sleep… she was never giving his damn shirt back.She’d lie and tell him she didn’t have his shirt if she had to.

“That’s great. I’m so glad you’re sleepingagain.”

“Me too. So, did you get that mix up withthe caterer sorted out?”

Addison set down her fork. “Honey, did youinvite me to dinner to talk about wedding stuff, or did you invite me to dinnerto talk about what I saw in Gideon’s hallway on Sunday?”

Grace drank some water to ease her suddenlydry throat. “What you saw wasn’t, I mean… it wasn’t anything.”

“Oh yeah? Because it looked like Gideonwas about to kiss you.”

Grace pushed at her pasta with her fork.Addison leaned over the table. “I didn’t know you and Gideon liked each other.”

“He doesn’t – we don’t, I mean…”

“Honey.” Addison’s voice was full of warmthand understanding, “I know what I saw.”

“Shit.” Grace dropped her fork and threwher napkin over her plate. “There’s an attraction but we can’t act on it.”

“Why not?”

“A lot of reasons.”

“Tell me,” Addison said.

Grace hesitated and Addie held out herpinky. “This is just between you and me, Gracie. I promise. Pinky swear.”

Grace hooked Addison’s pinky with her own.“Pinky swear.”

Addison leaned back in her chair. “Okay,spill your guts.”

“I’ve had a crush on Gideon since I was,like, sixteen,” Grace said. “It felt really weird at first because he alwaystreated me like a bratty little sister and I never… I mean, I hadn’t felt thatway about him ever. But then I started… I don’t know, just noticing him.”

“I get it,” Addie said.

“He didn’t feel the same way. At all. Hewas living in New Cassel by then and only occasionally coming home on theweekends. I didn’t, like, think about him all the time or anything, but wheneverhe came home, it was there. This stupid crush just looming over me. It wasembarrassing. Over the years, each time he came back to visit, the crush got alittle stronger, took a little longer to disappear after he left. Then theirparents died, and the night of their funeral I was at their house. Kira wasreally upset, and she’d gone to bed early. Gideon… Gideon is so strong, youknow?”

“I know,” Addie said.

“He hadn’t cried at all, he was so focusedon Kira and making sure she was okay. But that night after she’d gone to bed,he looked so lost and alone, Addie. My heart broke for him. He kind of lostit a little, started to cry, and I swear I only meant to comfort him. That’sall I wanted to do, I swear. I just wanted to help him.”

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