Page 14 of Crossroads of Betrayal
White, take-out containers cluttered the top of the table Grace shared with Brooke. Wade had sent over one of his servers to bring them food, and the majority of what was left could feed half the retreat. Grace pushed back her plate and rested a palm on her stomach. “I can’t believe I ate so much.”
“Wade’s chicken always does the trick.” Brooke glanced past her and winced. “Zeke doesn’t look like he ate much. Maybe we can share some of our leftovers? Unless you want to take them with you?”
She looked over her shoulder, and her heart sank. Zeke hunched over the table, his focus on the mostly filled plate in front of him. A part of her wanted to say no, to refuse to give him anything. But that wasn’t fair to Zeke who’d done nothing wrong and found himself in the middle of a shitstorm.
A shitstorm that some of the guests thought he’d started.
“We can share. I’ll ask him to join us.”
Brooke raised her brows. “You sure you’re okay with that?”
Grace let out a long sigh as she rose. “I’m not sure about a damn thing.”
Ignoring the concern pouring from Brooke’s puckered brow, she trudged toward Zeke’s table. Her legs moved as if filled with molasses. At least no one else was in the room. Having Brooke witness her uncomfortable interaction with the man who’d once been her entire world was embarrassing enough. She didn’t need more of an audience.
She stopped beside his table and cleared her throat. “Hey.”
His head shot up, eyes wide. “Hi.”
“Umm, Brooke and I have a ton of food left.” She hooked a thumb behind her then clasped her hand around her wrist as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Chet’s a great cook, but no one holds a candle to Wade’s fried chicken. You’re welcome to have some.”
He shoved his fork through the roast beef on his plate. “With all the stress piling up, I hardly tasted my meal, but I can’t deny how good that chicken smells.”
“Join us.”
He frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“No,” she said, unable to hide a small smile. “But come anyway.”
Without waiting for his response, she turned and walked back to her table. His earlier words about doing something that scared him came back to her, and she had no doubt he’d join her and Brooke. Whether he wanted to or not.
Sliding onto her chair, she opened the containers and scooped the contents on an empty plate Brooke had set on the table.
Zeke nodded a greeting to Brooke before taking a seat between the two of them. “Thanks for this.”
“No problem,” Brooke said. “You’ve had a hell of a couple days here. I hate to see you sitting alone. Especially after what we walked in on earlier.”
Red invaded Grace’s vision at the mention of walking in on Darrin accusing Zeke of being responsible for Tessa’s death. She might have divorced him and ran away without looking back, but that was because of her own flaws. Not his. Never his. He was kind and sincere, giving and compassionate. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a life partner, and she’d thrown caution to the wind the second he’d asked her to marry him.
“Are you feeling okay?” Brooke asked, breaking into her thoughts.
Heat scorched her cheeks. “Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking about that idiot Darrin and what he said to Zeke. I’m sorry you’ve gotten caught up in the middle of all this.”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry Tessa is dead. That’s the real tragedy. I can handle Darrin.”
“Have you managed to do anything today to aid in your recovery?” Brooke asked, smoothly changing the subject.
“Not yet.” He took a bite of chicken and released a throaty moan that curled Grace’s toes. “I was a little preoccupied today.”
“Understandably. You’re off to a rough start, to say the least, but don’t forget why you’re here. We have a whole host of services, some we already discussed on the phone, and others that you might not have even considered. Like I told you, I never imagined yoga would be the thing I latched onto for my shoulder, but now I’m hooked. Zoe offers classes here in the mornings. You really should give it a try.”
His grimace had Grace choking back a laugh. “Sorry. I just can’t imagine Zeke doing yoga.”
“Hey now, I might be the best yogi you’ve ever seen. Time can change a lot.”
His answer sobered her. “Very true.”
“Well, if yoga isn’t your thing, I’m sure we have something that’ll work for you,” Brooke said, quickly steering the conversation back on the rails. “I can give you a tour if you’d like or have someone else show you what we have to offer.”
