Page 82 of Trusting Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 2)

Grace considered what her sister had said. If there was anyone else making that claim, she would have her doubts. But if there was one person on this earth who could actually make that happen, it was Viv. And Viv wasn’t alone. Viv had teamed up with Nonna, who from what Grace had seen was a force of nature herself. Yeah, she didn’t think Josh or Audrey stood a chance.

Viv must have seen on Grace’s face that she thought her sister could actually pull it off because she smiled widely and made the heart symbol again as she mouthed, “Project Valentine.”

Grace chuckled until she saw Viv’s expression change. Her sister pasted a fake smile on her face and without moving her lips said, “Don’t look now but the competition is coming this way.”

Grace, of course, looked up just in time to see Michelle walking by. The two women smiled and said hi to one another.

When Michelle was out of earshot, Grace told Viv, “I know it’s weird, but I feel like I’m really just in competition against myself.”

Viv stared at her for a moment before lifting her hand to her head and pressing the back of it to her forehead.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking to see if you have a fever.”

Grace rolled her eyes and swatted her sister’s hand away. She knew her sister was joking, but the truth was she wasn’t feeling that great. This schedule was catching up to her. She’d been sleeping about three hours a night and hadn’t had a day off since the day after Thanksgiving.

The only reason she wasn’t at the house working tonight was because the paint was wet, and she couldn’t stage anything until it dried. She thought a night away might give her a fresh perspective. Tomorrow would be a race to the finish line, but she knew she’d get there.

They were in the home stretch. In less than twenty-four hours they had to hand over their keys to production. And then it would be over. This past six weeks had gone by in a blur, and she had no idea what the outcome was going to be, but she was just glad that it was behind her.

“I don’t have a fever.”

“If you’re not having some sort of fevered dream, then The Hottie Lama is rubbing off on you in more ways than one.” Viv wagged her brows.

“The Hottie Lama?” Grace repeated as her face scrunched making it clear she was not a fan of the moniker.

Viv was known for her creative nicknames, but Grace hoped this one wouldn’t catch on.

“His name is Easton Bishop, you try and come up with a better one,” Viv retorted.

“Fair enough.”

“My point is, you’ve changed. In a good way.”

“Because I said that I feel like I’m in competition with myself?” Grace thought that was a stretch.

“No.” Viv’s eyes narrowed. “You’re…different. Softer. The hard edges are filed off.”

Grace knew that her sister didn’t mean her comment to be an insult, but that’s exactly how it was hitting her.

“Did you ever stop to think that maybe those edges were a necessity to survive.” Grace hadn’t meant to say that. But it seemed the sleep deprivation was catching up to her.

“I’m sure they were. But, I remember fun Grace and I miss her.”

“Well, I had a lot of responsibility on me after Mom—”

“I’m not talking about after Mom got sick. I’m talking about after Dad left.”

Grace shook her head at Viv. The sisters never talked about the man that had contributed half of their DNA. It was an unspoken rule. One that apparently Viv thought she should break.

“You were three. You don’t remember anything.”

“Yes, I do. I remember you loved building forts, and playing Barbies, and school, and beauty shop. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you were always bossy, but you were fun. Then Dad left and you just…stopped playing.”

Had she?

Grace couldn’t remember.

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