Page 81 of Trusting Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 2)

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Grace saton a sofa sipping her hot cocoa and tried not to show how uncomfortable she was. She felt awkward being at the book club with Lauren who was a judge on the show. Not that she knew which house was hers. The judging was blind. And the experts weren’t voting on who their favorite couple was, only the viewers were doing that. And it’s not like she was the only contestant here. Michelle, who was one half of the power couple from San Francisco, was also in attendance. Grace wasn’t trying to be a bitch, but Michelle looked a little worse for wear than she had four weeks ago, but Grace was sure that she did as well.

As she looked around the room, she noticed Viv was huddled up in the corner with Josh the auto mechanic’s ninety plus year old grandmother. The two looked like they were conspiring about something and Grace could not begin to imagine what that could be.

Then, she remembered Viv had told her that Nonna had texted her and told her about Grace being in town the first day she got there. And when Grace had questioned why the two of them were friends, Viv told her they were working on a project.

Grace didn’t know if it was just old habits dying hard, but she continued to keep a watchful eye on her sister as she took another sip of her hot cocoa. It was something she’d had to do a lot, especially when Viv was a teenager.

After about five minutes or so, Viv and Josh’s grandmother made a heart symbol with their hands and Josh’s grandmother walked across the room. Viv made her way over to Grace, stopping only to grab a slice of pizza, before settling on the couch beside her sister.

“What is going on with you and Josh’s grandmother?” Grace asked as soon as her sister’s butt hit the cushion.

“Nothing,” Viv replied with a mouth full of pizza.

Grace’s eyes narrowed. “Why did you guys make heart signs with your hands?”

“We’re Swifties,” her sister said after she swallowed her bite.

Grace stared at her.

“You know, we both love Taylor Swift.” Viv made the sign again that Taylor Swift had popularized by doing it at all of her concerts and in pictures with her fans.

Grace continued staring at her. It was the same stare she’d given her when she’d gone out and found her mom’s car parked on the front lawn when Viv was fourteen. She knew her sister had driven it and she stared her down until she confessed.

“I told you,” Viv finally said with a sigh. “We’re working on a project.”

“What project?”

Viv smiled. “I wish I could tell you, but I signed an NDA.”

“Josh’s grandma made you sign an NDA?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted to say that, and it really irritated me that you got to before I did.”

“Vivien.” Grace used her sister’s full name, so she’d know she was serious. She rarely did that but she was too tired to listen to her sister’s playful banter. She just wanted to cut through all the crap and find out what was going on.

Viv leaned in closer to her and whispered, “I’ll tell you if you tell me what house is yours.”

Grace sighed. She was exhausted, and tomorrow was the final day that she’d even be working on the house and then Monday was the finale. How much damage could her sister do in a few days? The fact that she was even asking herself that, told her just how tired she was.

Viv’s eyes twinkled. “It’s the A-frame, isn’t it?”

Grace sighed and shut her tired lids.

“I knew it!” Viv shouted.

“Shh,” Grace shushed her. She hadn’t actually told her, but she’d known that if she showed any reaction to her sister’s guess Viv would know she was right. So, she had sort of told her.

“Okay.” Viv’s voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. “Nonna and I are working on a project.” Her sister stopped talking for several beats before saying, “Project Valentine.”

And then she shut up again. Grace waited thinking it was just another dramatic pause but when Viv didn’t continue she asked, “What’s Project Valentine?”

“It is a foolproof plan to get Audrey and Josh to finally admit their feelings for each other, declare their undying love, and be official by Valentine’s Day, which coincidentally is also Ava’s wedding day.”

“You have a foolproof plan?” Grace questioned.

“Yep,” Viv stated confidently. “It has three stages. Each one builds on the other.” Viv stacked her hands, one on top of the other. “I guarantee you that our baby sister will be loved up with the man of her dreams by the time Ava walks down the aisle and says I do.”

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