Page 40 of Save Me the Trouble
I thought about giving the envelope back, but it wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to reject the offer, I wanted her to know it wasn’t even something to consider. So, instead, I ripped the envelope into several smaller pieces, Diane’s gasp melding with the sound of tearing paper.
“Thank you for the…offer, but this isn’t my dream anymore.” And it had nothing to do with the money or the degree. I still wanted those things for myself, but before, my dream was to get them at any cost—any sacrifice to myself.
Setting the torn pieces on the edge of Diane’s desk, I went and stopped in front of Loretta.
“When I interviewed Killian, I told him my ideal partner was someone who would make me want to risk everything to be with him but also make me feel like there was no risk at all.” I smiled, my chest feeling impossibly light. “This was no risk at all.”
I wasn’t sure how I left the two women in that office—shocked, angry, gaping—but I found I didn’t really care. The only thing I cared about was getting back to Killian. And as it turned out, I didn’t have to go very far to do that.
“Killian.” I stopped just outside the building’s entrance.
My heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, I wondered if I was dreaming that Killian was here and getting out of his car. As soon as he spoke, I knew it wasn’t a dream.
“Grace.” He sounded tortured, and it was my fault.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice. “What are you doing here?”
His gaze softened, and he took a step closer, the distance between us shrinking to mere inches. “I came for you.”
“I’m sorry for leaving this morning.” I swallowed hard, and then the space was gone, his hands framing the side of my face with their warmth.
“What did you do?”
My tongue slid over my lips. “I quit. Or maybe I was fired. I’m not really sure who technically ended things.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded, his jaw hard as his eyes roamed my face.
“I just…I had to do this on my own.”
He blew out a slow breath, about to say something when he stilled, and I realized we were no longer alone.
“Grandma,” Killian greeted, uncertainty settling in his gaze.
“Killian.”
I turned as Loretta approached, not even realizing just how much I needed his support until I felt Killian’s arm slide around my waist.
“What are you doing here?”
She layered her hands in front of her and looked from Killian to me. “I came here to meet Grace.”
“Grandma.” He didn’t growl; he respected his grandmother too much to growl at her, but he certainly came close. “I told you I would introduce you to her.”
I inhaled sharply. “You told her about me?”
Killian looked at me and nodded. “Last night when I left the gallery, I called her and told her the profile was done, the dating schemes were done. I told her I’d found the woman I wanted to marry.”
My throat tightened. He’d said he was ending the contract with Embers. I hadn’t realized he’d gone so far as to tell his grandmother about it on his way to me. Loretta must’ve been the one to alert Diane.
Killian pulled me tighter and turned back to his grandmother. “So, what did you come here for?”
“I wanted to meet the woman who stole your heart.” Loretta took a step closer. “And I wanted to make sure she deserved it.”
Killian’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
“I offered her everything she wanted. Money. Her degree. Her freedom.” Loretta’s eyes slipped to mine. “And she turned me down.”
It wasn’t an offer, it was a?—
