Page 87 of Grace on the Rocks

“And passion?”

“Like no other,” she answered sarcastically. “It’sso important, you know?Keepingthe wheels ofBigInsurancechugging along.”Aftera moment, though, she sighed heavily. “Mydream was to be an interior designer.Especiallyset design.”

Bryan sobered. “Was?”

She shook her head. “Igave up on it.Gaveup on myself.”Shepointed to her eyes. “Iwent through some shit, and at the timeIdidn’t see the value in doing somethingIloved for a little while ifImight not be able to do it forever.”

“It’s not too late, is it?”Bryanasked.Afterall, she was young still, and he’d read enough about her condition to know she should retain some amount of vision even if it was mostly peripheral.

Wes turned to him like she was prepared to argue, but then she smiled. “No.You’reliving proof it’s not too late.”

“It’s true.I’mancient.IfIcan do it…”

She laughed and shook her head. “Ionly meant this trip has made me reassess some things.”

Bryan raised his glass to that, and she raised the bottle in salute.

“How do you saycheershere?”

“Slàinte.”

“Slàinte,” she replied, and they each took another drink. “Ilove how much daylight there is,”Wesmurmured, looking out to sea.

“Aye?”

“I have a tendency to always feel likeI’mrunning out of time, soIrush and rush constantly.”

“That’s fair.”

“But here… it’s almost like there’s an abundance of time.Ifeel likeIcan finally slow down and take a breath.”

“Don’t visit in winter, then,” he said.

“Are the winters hard?” she asked.

Bryan shrugged. “Canbe.Everyseason has its own trials as well as magic.”

“Well, the changes to your house will go a long way to making winter more tolerable.”

“Is that your professional opinion?”

“From an insurance perspective, the increased warmth and sunlight inside the house will elevate serotonin…”

He burst out laughing, surprising himself, andWessmiled.

“It may be hard for untrained eyes to see in its present state, but your vision is clear.Iagree with every wordGraysaid tonight, by the way.You’vean eye for aesthetic and you’re bringing it to life.”

Maybe it was a sign of too much whisky or simply the reminder ofGrace, but his throat felt thick as he nodded his thanks and raised his glass to her once again.

“CanIask you something?”Shenodded, so he took a breath and pressed on. “Haveyou andRiosheard…Idunno… rumors about me?” he asked.

Wes grew very serious. “Oh.Yeah,ImeanIthought you knew.Everyone’ssaying you’re in league with theBigBadWolfto blow down their houses and force them to live off the grid.”

Bryan huffed. “Asidefrom that.”

“I mean that’s pretty much the hottest goss on the island.IguessIdid hear this one rumor that you’re pretty great at karaoke, but sinceIdon’t pay any attention to rumors”—she leaned forward, setting the bottle of whisky on the ground at his feet—“IthinkI’mgoing to have to see that again for myself.”

“What, right now?”

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