Page 8 of Beautiful Mess

Who Grace is today is eons away from the sad, pissed off girl in my truck that night. After she told me to fuck off and all but ran into her parents’ house, I didn’t see her again for a while. When she graduated from college and moved back to Blossom Beach, she had a new boyfriend, who eventually became her husband. I also got married. We both had kids. Life moved on, but that kiss has always been a constant presence between us. Any time we’ve run into each other around town or at school functions, or when our kids play together, I remember it, like I’m remembering it now. Except this time, I’m wondering what it would be like to kiss the sass right out of her. That would be satisfying, in more ways than one.

It would also never, ever happen, but it’s a nice fantasy.

Three

Grace

“Can you fucking believe that?” I scoff after replaying what transpired with Conway in the school parking lot earlier. After I got in my car and sped away, I drove straight to my oldest sister, Georgia’s, house for our weekly watch party forThe Bachelor. It’s something me, her, our other sister, Gemma, and our bestie, Charley, have done for years.

“Which part?” Georgia muses, taking a long sip from her wine. “The fact that you were late or that the Wicked Witch paired you up with Daddy Levine?”

“Fuck off. It wasn’t my fault I was late.” Huffing out a breath, I pour myself a generous refill on the wine. “Also gross, Georg. Don’t call him that.”

“Why not?” Arching an eyebrow, she says, “He’d probably be into it.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t give a shit what he’s into.”

“Mmhmm, sure you don’t, Gracey-poo.”

Rolling my eyes, I earn a laugh from Georgia. She’s called me that for as long as I can remember, and I’ve hated it for just as long. I’ve always been “Gracey-poo”and my twin brother, Graham, has always been “Grahamy-wammy.” Why Gemma wasn’t awarded a horrific nickname by Georgia is beyond me.

Speaking of Gemma, she waltzes back into the living room, setting down the bowl of popcorn she just finished popping. “This is exactly why I don’t do any of that PTA crap.”

“I actually enjoy it,” I murmur with a shrug. “Aside from Maggie freaking Ulrich, and now my new, and hopefully short-lived, partnership with Conway.”

“Maggie has always been a miserable bitch,” Gemma adds. “That’s never changing, nor do I see her ever stepping down from her prestigious role as PTA president. That’s sacred to her.”

Huffing out a breath, I mumble, “Don’t I know it.”

“And I’m sure working with Conway isn’t going to bethatbad.”

“Gem, the assignment is for the entire year.”

“Still, you’ll probably only have to actually work together a handful of times. And planning parties is like your bread and butter.”

She’s not wrong. Every year, I go all out for my kids’ birthdays, and my family’s too when they let me. But this is different.

“What’s your big issue with Conway anyway?” Charley asks, popping a buttery kernel in her mouth. “I mean, I know you haven’t liked the guy for years, but I guess I don’t know why it’sstillbothering you. You aren’t exactly the type to hold a grudge or hate anyone.” She snorts before adding, “Well, except the Wicked Witch.”

“Oh, buckle up,” Georgia quips, tossing me a teasing smile and a wink. For as much shit as she gives me, she’ll have my back no matter what with anything. Georgia is the sister I would call if I needed an alibi. Hell, she’d help me bury the body. She puts up this hard front and teasing is practically her love language, but I know it’s all in good fun.

“Charley, I thought I was going to marry Cole,” I say, setting my wine down on the coffee table. “I had our wedding planned out since I was, like, sixteen. All I wanted from a young age was to get married to a handsome man, have beautiful children, and open a bakery. When I walked in on him cheating on me, itwreckedme. Every plan I had was ripped to shreds.”

“Of course,” Charley mutters. “That would mess anybody up, and I totally get that, and can relate to it. You holding on to that grudge makes sense, but why his dad?”

“Because he knew,” I bite out. “He knew his son was a slimy cheater and said nothing.”

“What? He told you that?”

“Not in so many words, but he didn’t have to.”

“That’s not the only reason why, though, Grace,” Gemma chimes in, her tone teasing as she quirks an eyebrow. “Tell her what else happened.”

“Yeah,Grace,” Charley urges, mouth curved into a grin. “How about you finally fill me in on this juicy story that everybody but me knows.”

“Not everybody knows.” My lip twitches. “Only Gemma and Georgia.”

My family has known Charley and her parents since we were toddlers. Our dads golf together every week, and they have for as long as I can remember. They met in high school and became the best of friends. It’s the cutest decades long bromance I’ve ever seen. Charley’s a few years older than me, so we didn’t become close until I was in high school, but the four of us have been tight knit for a long while. I don’t really know why I’ve never told her this story. Probably because it’s embarrassing. Heck, I probably wouldn’t have told my sisters either if they hadn’t gotten me drunk the following weekend to get my mind off Cole and the break-up.

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