Page 24 of Forged in Secrets

Suddenly, Grace stopped short, her near-permanent smile falling away from her face as she glanced out toward the water.

“What’s–” he started to say, following her gaze.

Several huge bonfires dotted the shoreline near a jetty that jutted out into the Gulf of Mexico, filling the air with a smoky smell. The orange flames were bright in the twilight, and somewhere farther up the beach, he could hear the sound of a thumping baseline as the night’s party began.

Grace’s skin looked pale as she stood rooted in place, gripping the hem of her t-shirt with her pale pink fingernails. She hated fire, that much was obvious, but at least she hadn’t collapsed into another full-blown panic attack.

“Are you okay?” he asked, walking closer to her and resting a hand on her shoulder. “We can go back to the hotel if you want, or at least walk up the beach. We have a little more time before we have to meet Jade. I can meet her by myself, if you want.”

She turned to him, the edges of her soft pink lips turning up in a faint smile.

“Actually,” she said, sounding almost apologetic, “can we walk to the jetty?”

Ben’s brow furrowed. To reach it, they’d have to pass between two of the bonfires. They’d be close enough to feel the heat. On top of that, the area was packed with college students. If Grace had another episode, she’d be trapped in the middle of a pressing, bumping crowd.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said, realizing thathe’d already put his body between her and the fires, as though the flames might come rushing up the beach to attack her.

“Ben, I’m not made of glass,” she said, taking a step past him and ducking under his arm. “What happened earlier–I feel so stupid that you even saw that. I really try to keep that part of me under control. I don’t want you to see me differently.”

“I don’t,” he said quickly.

She laughed, though it sounded more bitter than amused. “If I hadn’t had that panic attack, you’d be making fun of me right now. You’d be daring me to walk out on that jetty and jump into the Gulf.”

“Honestly, that sounds more like something Asher would suggest,” he said to her retreating back as she stepped off the boardwalk and into the sand, headed toward the thickening crowd. “Swimming in the dark in shark and jellyfish infested waters is dangerous.”

“You’re missing the point,” she called out over her shoulder.

“Am I?”

She stopped where she was and turned to face him for a moment, one hand resting on her hip. Her cheeks were red, and he could see that she was breathing more heavily than usual.

“I want you and Asher and everyone else to treat me the same as you always have,” she said firmly. “I don’t want what happened this morning to change that.”

He watched as she started off again, her flip-flop clad feet sinking into the sand as her legs began to shake.

She was growing more afraid with each step she took in the direction of the bonfires. He could see that much.

But she was still walking. She didn’t even hesitate.

“Hey, wait up!”

He stepped off the boardwalk and hurried after her, warm sand filling the bottoms of the sport slides he wore as he attempted to jog. A group of giggling girls passed in front of him, obscuring his view of Grace.

His chest felt tight as he rushed through their ranks, not stopping to apologize properly as his elbow connected with someone’s ribs. People were shoving into him on all sides, the smell of fruity mixed drinks and cheap beer filling his nostrils.

At last, he broke through the crowd, emerging at the edge of one of the bonfires where the heat had created a natural clearing.

Finally, he spotted Grace’s blonde waves to his left.

“You scared me,” he snapped, grabbing her hand and pulling her away as a drunken boy stumbled past her. “I thought–”

“I know what you thought. And I’m telling you, I’m not broken,” Grace spat back.

He could see the sparking bonfire reflected in her eyes, and the hardness in her expression to match.

She didn’t let go of his hand, and he didn’t pull away.

“Okay,” she continued a moment later. “I am broken. You’re right. I’m scared, and I could freak out right here and make a fool of myself and you in front of everyone.”

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