Page 53 of Dream Girl
“Grace?” Riley gave me a look as she held up a black crop top with a rose on it. “Rose, this is you.”
“So cute. We’re getting some things for Grace, too.” Rose did a happy dance and took the crop top from her.
“Maybe a cute math-themed shirt? Some comfortable dresses? Basics?” I worked on a home store delivery on my phone. I had no idea what Grace liked to wear.
Riley stood at my elbow. “Doctor Grace?”
“Yep.” I putstand mixerin the search for funsies. Oh, that’s what it was. Some of them were cute. I ordered one. Jett made a bunch of complicated things, he’d probably use it, too.
“Wanna tell me who she actually is?” My sister went through a rack of dresses.
“She’s nunya.” I grinned, as I added a blanket in the living room colors, some throw pillows to add to Wes’ room, and curtains and cushions for the window seat in the room we’d make into hers.
If we were getting a home inspection, Grace needed a room of her own.
Riley flipped me off. “Fuck you very much.”
“You rarely want to know much about them.” I shrugged. It was safer that way.
She held up a strappy dress. “This could be cute for the dance. You didn’t add Wes as her mate right. I fixed it for you. You’re getting reinforcements?”
Usually, she made the base, and the Omega Protection Program made it real.
“Yes.” I’d need to pull in all the favors to make sure Grace’s record was perfect. I wanted to keep her safe. Keep her here.
“Is she actually Wes’ mate?” She added a sparkly dress to her pile.
“She is. Not telling you the story because it’s not mine to tell.” I wasn’t sure if my sister would believe that Grace traveled from a parallel world.
“Wow. Okay. Are you good with him having another mate?” she asked me. “Will I like her? Do you like her? Does she have a cool job?”
“I like her a lot. She’s a theoretical mathematician.” I kept close to Rose, whose pile was very floral. Yeah, I hoped Grace stayed with us. Sure, this wasn’t her world, but she belonged with her mate.
Riley whistled as she looked through another rack. “Smarticle. What does Spencer think?”
“He wants to hire her.” I added more towels and another robe to my online cart. I was glad he was on our side.
Riley started laughing. Then she stopped. “Youareokay with it though? If you’re not, I’m happy to fuck some shit up.”
I loved her protectiveness.
“I’m good. Grace is very sweet. But I do need everyone to stop asking me if I’m okay,” I huffed. “Can you come over tonight and help me do some stuff around the house? I’ll pay you?”
Her eyes rolled. “The chore rate? Do you know what my savings look like?”
I did. Her overseas bank account, too. I wasn’t her only client. Now that she was at a fancy high school her racket now was more fake IDs for clubs and altering grades for the rich kids at school. She’d promised my sisters that when she moved to Rockland she’d stop hacking for money–which hadn’t happened, the projects had just changed.
“I’m supposed to spend the night; we have a day off tomorrow. We’re going to the movies. Did you forget again?” She held up jeans that were more hole than fabric. “For the doctor?”
“Maybe this?” I pointed to a T-shirt dress, as I added paint, hardware, and some stick-on wallpaper border to my online cart. “Did I really? It’s not on my calendar.” Today had been, but I’d lost track of the days of the week.
She grinned. “I do have the day off tomorrow. I was supposed to go to the movies with Marcos, but he’s being a little bitch. You can keep me, pay me, and take me to the movies.”
“I have to work tomorrow, but we’ll go to a movie on Saturday afternoon. We can even go to the dine-in theater,” I promised, looking over at Rose thoughtfully going through some racks.
“Deal.” Riley peered at my phone. “That wallpaper is stupid. Get the other.”
“Okay.” I sent the order off. Going to another shop, I ordered Grace a phone, then focused on those two as we made our way through the store and paid for our purchases.
