Page 162 of Eight Years Gone

She’d done her best to take care of most things before she and Jagger were supposed to have left for Montana, but no matter how much she planned or prepared, it never took her long to find herself on the verge of being behind.

Simplicity’s newest part-time hire started this week. Amanda needed to be trained for the seasonal Saturday afternoon shifts. Inventory needed to be taken, and orders would inevitably have to be made. Confirming upcoming holiday promotions was also a must.

She slowed in the hallway when she realized the light was on in the office. Peeking her head in the doorway, she watched as Colton picked up the different picture frames that had been tucked aside after her and Jagger’s trip to Wakeview.

Nibbling her lip, she hesitated, then stepped into the room. Colton had been in Preston Valley for three full days—and he’d spent most of them in his new room.

Colton turned with a start. “Shit.”

Grace winced, forever trying to find her footing with the stranger that was her brother. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I was just looking,” he said as he held up the Sports Illustrated picture of Jagger and Logan.

She smiled. “That’s okay.”

He studied the photo again. “Three perfect seasons is impressive.”

She nodded, smiling again, slightly shocked that he was initiating a conversation. More often than not, he answered hers or Jagger’s questions but didn’t say much else. But she considered it a small victory that he’d been mostly polite since his trip to Wakeview with Jagger. “It was a pretty big deal. They were unstoppable.”

“And neither of them played in college?”

Grace shook her head. “Logan got hurt in the championship game, and Jagger wasn’t interested in playing college sports. Sports Illustrated actually took that picture a couple of days before the big game, which is a good thing since Logan ended up having surgery the morning after he separated his shoulder.”

Colton nodded as he picked up the picture of herself, Jagger, and Logan with their arms wrapped around each other’s shoulders in front of Aunt Maggie’s house. “We look alike. Logan and me.”

She swallowed, not exactly sure what to say, wanting to keep the mood light when everything about the current topic was heavy. “Yes. Quite a bit alike.”

Colton met her gaze. “We look like him.”

She nodded again, not missing the hints of displeasure in his tone.

His eyes wandered back to the picture. “So, Jagger lived with you guys, and you dated. Wasn’t that like dating your brother or something?”

Grace laughed, recognizing that Colton was changing the subject. “It’s safe to say that I’ve never had brotherly feelings toward Jagger. I had a crush from the first moment I saw him.”

“If you guys have been together this whole time, why aren’t you married or whatever?”

“Because we haven’t been together. Jagger’s only been home for a couple of months.”

Colton frowned. “Where was he?”

“Overseas. He was gone for a long time. We hadn’t spoken for eight years.” She adjusted the laundry basket as she moved to lean her butt against the desk, eager to continue their conversation. Colton was curious, and she planned to answer any questions he had. “The night Logan died, my dad—our dad—blamed it all on Jagger.”

Colton’s brow creased again. “Why?”

“Because Jagger’s brother, Levi, supplied Logan with pills and whatever else he was addicted to. After Dad kicked Logan out, Logan moved in with Levi. They frequently got into trouble together.”

Colton’s frown was back. “But what does that have to do with Jagger?”

She shrugged as she shook her head. “Nothing. But Dad blamed him anyway. He told Jagger that he would cut me off and ruin my internship with National Geographic if Jagger had any further contact with me. Jagger left that night, joined the Army, and became a soldier in Delta Force.”

Colton raised his brow. “Jagger was Delta Force?”

Grace noted the way Colton perked up, recognizing genuine intrigue. “I take it you’ve heard of it?”

Colton nodded. “I did a report on the different military branches in eighth grade. Delta Force is badass.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Jagger’s pretty badass. You can ask him about Delta Force, but he doesn’t say much about it.” She wrinkled her nose at one of her secret frustrations. “He always tells me that what he did was top secret and leaves it at that.”

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