Page 74 of Trusting Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 2)

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Grace had beenquiet since they got home. Well, actually she’d been quieter than she’d been after they left the shelter this morning. She’d barely said two words to him before heading into the bathroom to change.

When they got home from Ava’s his parents were already in bed asleep in his room. He worried that Grace might be upset that he was sharing her bed tonight. He’d offered his parents to take his room since his mom had always wanted to stay here and he’d slept in Grace’s room last night. But that might have been presumptuous on his part.

When Grace came back from the bathroom, he said, “I can sleep downstairs.”

She stared at him for a long beat before asking, “Why?”

“You seem…off. I thought maybe you’d like some time to yourself.”

“Oh,” she shook her head. “No. It’s fine.”

She sat on the side of the bed and shut off the light before sliding beneath the covers.

“Are you okay?” he asked her the same question he’d asked at least a dozen times. He was even annoying himself how much he was asking it.

“I’m fine,” she responded the same way that she had each and every time the question was posed.

He knew that he should just let it go. Maybe she was tired. Maybe she just had a lot on her mind with the show and the house. Maybe she just didn’t feel like talking. Maybe he was just annoying her.

All of those were perfectly reasonable explanations for her behavior. But none of them rang true to him.

He lifted up onto his elbow and turned toward her. She was staring up at the ceiling.

“What’s wrong?”

“Noth—”

“Don’t say nothing. Something is different between us. If I did something to upset you, I’m sorry. But if I don’t know what I did I’ll probably end up doing it again, so it’s in your best interest to just tell me.” He kept his tone teasing and light.

She closed her eyes, and he thought that she was going to ignore him completely and say that she was tired and needed sleep. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she looked at him and asked, “Do you trust me?”

That question was so far out of left field it took his brain a second to catch up with the new turn the conversation had taken. That happened a lot with Grace. “What?”

“Do you trust me?” she repeated.

He had no clue what this was about, but he could see the vulnerability in her eyes shining through and it broke his heart. “Yes,” he answered sincerely.

She didn’t seem at all happy about his answer. Her lips pursed and she nodded her head. That was not at all the response he’d been expecting from her. Again, that happened a lot with Grace.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, wondering if this was one of those situations where someone wanted the person they were asking to ask them the question so they asked it first. Risha used to do that. She’d ask him if he was happy as a way to start the conversation that she wasn’t.

“Yes.” She nodded her head up and down with a tiny range of motion and he saw that tears were forming in her eyes.

She did not look or sound at all happy about her answer either.

“Grace, what’s this about?”

She shut her eyes again and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does. What’s wrong?” He reached out and cupped her face in his hand. His thumb brushing away a tear that had fallen down her cheek.

She leaned into his palm and opened her eyes. Her lips parted and she started to speak when Cleo jumped on the bed and rushed under his arm.

“Cleo, no,” he said firmly, moving the cat off the bed. “Stay.”

Probably sensing just how serious he was, she turned, and her tail flicked back and forth as she hopped up onto the nightstand and perched staring out the window.

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