Page 85 of Trusting Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings 2)

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Grace openedher eyes and immediately shut them again. There was a buzzing sound that wouldn’t stop but it hurt too much to do anything about it. If she could just ignore it then maybe it would go away on its own.

It didn’t.

She felt like something was weighing her down, but she didn’t know what it was. All she wanted to do was drift back into unconsciousness, but the sound…that sound wouldn’t let her.

Using all the strength and determination she could muster, she pried her lids open once again, and this time her brain joined the party. It informed her that she had to get up because today was staging day.

A short burst of adrenaline shot through her, enough that she lifted her arm. Well, she tried. It felt heavy like it was dipped in cement, and it hurt. She slowly came to the awareness that her entire body ached, but it was different than the muscle soreness she’d now grown accustomed to.

This was a bone deep ache that was radiating through her from head to toe.

No, no, no!She could not be sick. Not now. Not today.

She was just going to have to push through it. Suck it up. Soldier on. There was no crying in baseball and there were no sick days in home renovation competition shows.

Her breaths were shallow as she rolled to her side to turn off her alarm. Before she was able to reach it, there was a light knock on the door.

She opened her mouth to say come in, but closed it again when it proved to be too difficult. Just the attempt seemed to sap energy from her, so she closed her eyes. When she opened them again Easton was hovering above her and thankfully the buzzing had stopped.

“Hey,” he said softly as he looked down at her, concern etched in his perfectly chiseled features.

“Hey,” Grace managed to breathe out. That was a good sign. She’d said hey!

“I came in to check on you because your alarm has been going off for a few minutes.”

She nodded. Or at least, she thought she nodded. She might just have closed her eyes again. It was hard to tell.

The next thing she knew she felt something cold on her forehead. She opened her eyes again and realized just like Viv had the night before, the back of Easton’s hand was pressed against her forehead.

“You’re burning up. I’m calling a doctor.”

“No!” she protested as panic rushed through her. She didn’t need to see a doctor. A doctor would tell her that she couldn’t go stage today. “I’m fine. I just need to take some Theraflu or something…” She forced herself to push up to a sitting position and when she did the entire room was spinning.

“You need to see a doctor.”

“I will. Tomorrow. I just…need to get…through today.” She felt winded just trying to string that sentence together.

“You need to stay in bed.” Easton’s tone was firm and authoritative, which usually she was a fan of but not today.

Grace Wells did not quit things. Ever. She needed to finish this and not even a fever and a sexy authoritative man telling her to stay in bed was going to stop her. All she had to do was get out of bed, go to the bathroom, splash some water on her face, and then take some strong, very strong cold and flu medication.

Go team, Grace!

When she turned her head to the side, she saw that Easton was standing so close to the side of the bed he was blocking her from getting up.

“Move,” she snapped at him.

He stared at her for a second, but then took two steps back.

When he did, Grace took a deep breath and summoned every ounce of strength she had to swing her legs over the side of the bed and push up to a standing position in one swift movement.

That turned out to be a mistake.

The soles of her feet were on the floor, but the rest of her body was spinning. Or at least her head was. Or maybe it was the room around her. She couldn’t quite be sure.

The next thing she knew, she felt Easton’s strong arms around her, and he was gently laying her back down in bed. The bed she’d worked so hard at getting out of.

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