Page 24 of Forbidden Kisses
“Of theSummerly?” Jack asked through an increasingly tighter jaw. “My dad may have taught you a lot of things, but you know nothing about being a captain. And that’s my boat.”
“That you’re going to let some stranger operate for the company,” she pointed out, raising her voice across the table.
Jack raised his to match hers. “A stranger with a résumé.”
“Get a room, you two,” the waitress said, stepping up to the table. She winked and put a plate of chips in the center of the table. She’d been working at Castaways for years, but not long enough to know that Grace had been part of the family once.
Jack noted the blush filling Grace’s cheeks as she retreated back into her chair. Awkward to say the least. And yeah, this tension between them could totally be handled by getting a room.
“I paid the registration fee. I’m part of the crew,” Grace said when the waitress was gone. “And I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Jack sighed. She’d just be filling up space that he could use for someone who could actually help him reel in the fish. It’d always been just him and Chris for the tournament. Two guys drinking beer and baiting hooks, back when life was simpler. “Fine. But I’ll need one more man to help.”
His father was too old for heavy lifting now. Sam would do, but fishing for sport was never his thing. Noah, on the other hand, would be perfect. He loved competition. He was young and strong.
Jack turned to Noah.
“Why are you eying me? I can’t be on the same crew as—”
“As me?” Hurt shone in Grace’s eyes. She pushed away from the table. “If you guys will excuse me, it’s late. I need to get home to my mom.” She kept her gaze down as she stood, grabbed her purse, and waved goodbye.
“All right, jackass,” Jack barked, knocking Noah’s hat from his head.
“Well, it’s true. I can’t be on a boat with her.”
“What her mother did is not her fault,” Jack said for what felt like the millionth time. He had a good mind to slug his brother right about now.
Noah stared into his beer. “It’s just hard being around her, all right? I never had a mom. Tammy was the closest thing to one I’ve ever known. And Grace was my sister. Losing them sucked…I can’t be around her.”
Jack’s fists uncurled under the table. “She lost us, too, Noah. It sucked just as bad for her.” Jack was only talking about Grace. He could care less how bad it’d hurt Tammy. She was the one who’d caused all this pain that was still going on today. He stood. “I’ll see you guys later.”
—
Grace didn’t mean to slam the door to her apartment, but she was like a shaken bottle of soda ready to explode. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before her mother shuffled down the hall to see what was going on. Grace didn’t want to talk about this with her. Her mom had enough on her plate without adding more guilt and regret over the Sawyer family.
Tossing her purse onto a chair in the living room, Grace went to pour herself a glass of water. It was odd that her mother wasn’t coming out of her back bedroom already. “Mom?” Grace called, lifting a glass and turning on the facet. Her anger toward Jack and his brothers shifted to concern. Without taking a sip, she set the glass down and walked down the dark hallway toward her mother’s bedroom and flipped the light. The room was empty. Her mother wasn’t anywhere in sight, and neither were her things. Panic hiccupped through Grace as she stepped inside the room and lifted the handwritten note lying on the bed.
Grace, I’m tired of watching you give up your life for me. I’m fine. I’ve found a place with Mrs. Smith. She needs someone to keep her company now that Lynn has passed. It’s a good arrangement. Now, it’s your turn to go get a life.
I love you. Mom.
Grace sat on the bed and stared at the shaky print. What was her mother thinking? And why of all nights did she have to leave tonight? Grace couldn’t deal with anything else right now.
Someone knocked on the door. Grace lifted her head and realized her vision was blurry from the tears collected in her eyes. On a deep inhale, she got up and started walking. Maybe her mother had changed her mind. Or maybe it was her sleazy landlord—ick. If she had to deal with Jimmy tonight, she just might get herself kicked out on the street. Then she’d be moving in with Mrs. Smith, too.
Grace sniffled and blew out a breath to dry her eyes, then opened the door to neither her mother nor Jimmy. Instead, Jack stood just across the threshold, his blue eyes slanted in concern. He was wearing a T-shirt that hugged his chest perfectly. Everything about the man was pretty much perfect.
Without words, he stepped forward, which prompted her to take a step back. Then he shut the door behind him, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She nodded, suddenly ready to crumble. But she didn’t allow herself to fall to pieces in front of anyone. She tried to keep her feelings locked up tight. “I just needed to clear my head. I wanted to be on your crew for this tournament, but that was apparently a crazy idea and—”
“You’re the captain, right? Of course you’re on the crew.” He took a step closer.
She lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “Captain?”
Jack nodded. “You said you filled out the paperwork already, and that you were down as captain.”
“Right. I did, but—”
