Page 41 of The Fangirl and the Grump

“Sorry about that,” I say. “I had to cancel my date.”

“A date? What?” she says quickly. “Oh, no, Keegan. I’m so sorry. My timing is apparently terrible.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “We rescheduled for tomorrow. Did you bring any luggage with you?”

She nods slowly. “I didn’t want to assume, but I brought a few things on the off chance you decided to forgive me. I finally told Madison to go fuck herself and quit my job at the boutique, so I don’t have anywhere to be for a while.”

“You did what?” I ask, my eyes wide.

I honestly don’t know what shocks me more––Pressley quitting her job or actually standing up to Madison and cussing her out.

“It felt so good,” she says on a rough exhale, and I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of anyone in my life.

I jerk my head toward the door. “Go get your things. You can stay here as long as you want.”

Pressley leaps to her feet and rushes toward me. I woof as she slams into me, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. Wrapping my arms around her, I hold onto her tightly as she starts to sob again, her tears soaking my t-shirt.

“Sorry,” she says on a laugh when she finally pulls away. Taking my hands into hers, she squeezes them and says, “Thank you for giving me another chance. I’ve been so heartsick over this whole thing and my part in it. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” I say, my own eyes stinging with emotion.

I jerk her back in for another hug, and we stay that way until both of us are cried out. Pressley finally goes out to get her suitcase, and I grab some ice cream I stashed in the back of the freezer for emergency purposes.

She changes into some comfy clothes, and we sit on the couch together, eating ice cream and talking until all the hurt is gone and there’s nothing left but love and friendship. It’s like a missing piece inside me snaps back into place, making me feel a little more whole.

And fuck, it feels good.

ChapterEighteen

Trace

“And so we spent the whole night just hanging out and getting reacquainted without the dark clouds of Madison and Sloan hanging over us. It was really…nice.”

Taking my eyes off the road for the hundredth time since I picked Keegan up, I look over at her. She’s staring through the windshield with a soft smile on her lips, and I try to swallow around the lump in my throat. Again.

I can’t help it. She looks even more beautiful tonight than she usually does, her hair falling in fat curls down her back, her blue eyes popping from between dark lashes, and her lips glossed in shiny pink.

Her dress matches her lips, the low-cut neckline showing off more cleavage than I’ve seen from her before. I fight the urge to dip my eyes to it and instead look back at the road.

“That’s really great,” I say. “I’m glad you two cleared the air. She sounds like she’d be a good friend.”

I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m hoping it is. If this is some trick those women planned to somehow suck Keegan back into their orbit, I don’t know what I might do. And that scares me, a little.

I’ve never felt protective of a woman like this, except of course, where Willow is concerned. But she’s my sister. Protecting her is a given.

But Keegan? I don’t know when it happened. I honestly think I might completely lose my shit if anyone were to deliberately try to deceive or hurt her in any way.

“She is one of the good ones,” Keegan says, and I see her turn toward me in my periphery. “She’s always been too easily manipulated, though. She has these massive people-pleaser tendencies, and people like Madison tend to use it against her. If nothing else, this whole ordeal has taught her to stand her ground when it’s really important.”

“And her friendship with you is important to her,” I reply, then look over to see her nod.

“I think it is,” she says. “And hers is important to me. She’s going to stay with me at the lodge for a while. She needs a break from the city, and since she quit her job, nothing is holding her there.”

“Sounds like you’re finally getting the friend-vacation you expected when you came to Evening Shade.”

“I guess I am,” she says, and when I glance over, her smile is as bright as the sun.

I smile back at her, and when my traitorous gaze drops to her chest, I clear my throat and snap my eyes back to the road. I think I hear her chuckle, but the sound is mostly drowned out by the rev of the engine and the soft music playing through the speakers.

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