48. Ethan
forty-eight
Before I start on the roof, I call Colton’s guy to order some material. I’ll need help to fix the roof, but a couple of guys will be easier to secure than supplies, after the storm that hit the whole state. Then I hoist myself up there and seal the tarp. Once I’m done, I sit on top of the roof, savoring the vision of a work well done, the feeling of accomplishment. My eyes drift to Woodbury Knoll and an idea forms in my mind. By the time Grace comes around to check in on me, I have a whole plan that excites me.
“You sure look happy,” Grace comments.
“Good as new!” I say, motioning to the tarp.
“Come down here. You’re scaring me.”
“Help me out.” I lower the roofing cement to the ground using a spare rope and let Grace catch it, then I put my tools in an empty bucket she catches as well.
When I jump off the ladder next to her, she laces her arms around me. “Do you get a rush from being in danger?” She looks straight into my eyes, the gravity of her gaze unsettling.
Was it fun up there? Yeah—for a minute. “I was just fixing the roof.” Was it dangerous? Maybe a tiny bit risky. “I have no intention of dying.” As the words leave my mouth, I register a tiny narrowing of her pupils, like an assessment. I pull her closer to me. “I was careful, Grace. Trust me. Not many guys go on a roof with a harness.”
She gives me a quick nod. “Okay.” She moves away from me, and I throw an arm around her shoulders as she walks us to the front of the house. Her footsteps are resolute, her body taut. Like she’s weighed the pros and the cons of a situation, and made a choice. Like she knows life is never a given, and shit happens. All the fucking time. She’s been there before. She made plans, she changed her life, and life changed its plans on her.
And it made her so fucking strong.
“Hey.” I stop us on the side of the house. “I’m being careful. On your—” I correct myself “on the roof. On my bike. Everywhere. You think I’m gonna let something happen to me, now that I found you? Not a fucking chance.” And she better believe she’ll have me in her life for the rest of her days. I don’t say as much, but I hope that’s what she hears.
“Okay,” she whispers, lifting her face to meet my lips.
As I take her mouth in mine, snake my tongue to meet hers, feel the little whimper in the back of her throat, anxiety knots itself in my stomach as I think about our future. How the hell are we going to navigate the next few years? We’re only young-ish. How many years until we can start a family? This could turn into a fucking nightmare.
“Come on,” she says, breaking our kiss. “There’s a community meeting at Lazy’s in half an hour. I’ll load this in the Jeep while you shower and change.” She looks me up and down, her tongue darting out like she could lick me up right now, but also—she appraises me and… did she just tell me to shower and change? No woman except my own mother has ever done that, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s the second time in less than twenty-four hours Grace has done that, and it feels… kinda great.
“Are you gonna fix me a PBJ?” I ask on a chuckle.
“Nope,” she answers airily. “There’s a reason community meetings are held at Lazy’s. Justin and Shane provide food. Guarantees optimal attendance, ‘specially days like today.”
“So what’s this meeting for?” I ask once we’re in the Jeep. Grace cleaned the floor mat and cute fabric I all but ruined yesterday, and her car smells like laundry day.
“Assess who needs what. Make teams to help out those in need.” She drives slowly but confidently, swerving through the debris still littering the streets, waving through her open window at people I don’t know anymore. My gaze falls on her soft hands, her short but manicured nails, the thin chain bracelet that jingles softly. It matches her earrings, and I wonder who got her the set.
“What?” she asks with a smile.
“Nothin’.”
She smiles. “Really.”
“Where’d you get the bracelet and earrings?” I ask her, giving into some primal possessiveness. I should know better.
She wiggles her wrist. “Oh! From Gems in town. Aren’t they cute? They were having a Fourth of July sale.”
I trail my hand to her earlobe, run the pad of my thumb over the delicate shape of a sparrow. Something warm grows inside me. I want to give her jewelry. “I like it. That a nice shop?”
She glances at me, amusement in her gaze. “Very nice. They have reasonable prices and also, they do custom requests. Why? You looking for something for your Mom’s birthday?” She giggles.
“Ha-ha.” That is never going away. I laugh with her. “Maybe.”
Grace parallel parks on The Green and we head to Lazy’s. My brother’s pub is packed. There’s a food buffet set on the bar and on a couple of tables in the back, and people are filling plates and soup bowls and huddling together. The chatter is loud yet somber.
Colton walks in right behind us with Dennis and Shannon, so we fill a couple of plates with sandwiches to share and squeeze together around a small table.
Cassandra calls the meeting by standing on a chair and ringing a cowbell. Noah stands next to her and takes notes. They’re tallying up the needs in generators, pumps, furniture, food, clothing. Autumn’s parents write stuff down, and so do Justin and Chris, Lucas and Thalia, and a couple of other people.
“I wish I could donate something,” Grace whispers in my ear, “but mani-pedis and massages aren’t top of list right now.”
I lean into her. “You could donate to those who are donating,” I whisper back.
She elbows me and nods, visibly happy.
“Did you close today?” Shannon asks her.
She shakes her head. “We were going to be open, but everyone canceled.” A worry frown appears between her eyebrows.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her into me, stroking her arm. Then I lean in and kiss her hair. Shit. I wish there was something I could do about that. More importantly, I wish there was something I could do about her losing her lease. I feel her relax under my touch, and right now? That’s all I can ask for, and all I need.
“Why don’t you run a special?” I say under my breath. “Discount your services for the next couple of days. Or the week.”
She nods. “Good idea. I’ll post it on Echoes. Shoulda thought about it myself. I just…”
She’s in panic mode, unable to think clearly. There’s just been too much on her mind lately.
“Just relax. It’ll figure itself out,” Dennis says.
“It will,” I say.
She gives us a small smile, but I know she doesn’t believe it.
Toward the end of the meeting, I get a text message from my C.O. checking in on me.
Me
Everyone safe and sound, but a lot of damage to houses
Wish I could stick around to help out.
That second message was a little ballsy, but hey. You never know until you try.
My phone rings. “King. ’Sup,” my C.O. says.
I excuse myself from the table, step out of the crowd, and tell him the situation.
“Take four extra days. Then pack your shit and get your ass here.” Before hanging up, he adds, “We’ll chalk that up to Air Force community outreach, so do me a favor, wear your fucking Air Force T-shirts, and post some selfies like a true millennial. Brass’ll be happy to know we’re doin’ something to counterbalance the pushback on the F-35.”
Okay then. Paperwork will follow. I know his word is golden, and I don’t need to worry. I just bought myself four more days with Grace.
I get back to Grace right as the meeting ends. She looks at me, a question in her eyes. “Gonna stick around a few more days,” I whisper in her ear, squeezing her against me. “My C.O. cleared me to help out with the recovery effort.” She holds me tighter against her, as we walk through the crowd to find Lucas. “Hey, man. You’re gonna need help. I’m not qualified, but I’m free.”
Lucas gives me a friendly slap on the bicep. “You’re more than qualified. Appreciate it. When you say free…?”
“Available for the next few days and not charging a dime.”
He nods and smiles. “Cool. Come by tomorrow at seven?” He looks at Grace. “How’s the roof?”
She tilts her head to me. “You have to ask him. It’s not leaking anymore, but it has blue plastic on it.”
“It’ll hold for now,” I say, rubbing Grace’s arm to reassure her.
Lucas lifts his chin. “A’right. We’ll get to you eventually.”
“See you tomorrow,” we both say as we part ways with Lucas.
We say goodbye to the Harpers, then stop to catch up with Chris and Alex. Grace tells Skye about her bedroom, and the child listens with wide eyes.
“We’ll be sure to cut some of the trees around the house so this never happens again,” I tell Chris. The thought that Skye could have been asleep in that bedroom and that the tree could have fallen at a different angle is chilling. I can’t imagine what Chris is thinking right now. He nods and pulls Alex into him like I’m holding Grace. In times of trial, the need to feel our loved ones close by is heightened.
I scan the room, see Kiara passing around trays of tiny pastries, and stop Justin as he whisks by me, carrying empty dishes to the kitchen. “D’you see Mom and Dad?”
“In the kitchen,” he says.
Grace leads the way. We find my parents at the dishwashing station, taking sips of wine in between loads. Mom wipes her hands and hugs me, then embraces Grace. Dad wants to know everything about the Harpers’ basement and Grace’s roof, complete with square footage of damage, wattage and power of the underwater pump. I end up putting dishes away with Dad while Grace and Mom load the racks, talking about colors for ceiling paint.
When the crowd thins, and the kitchen looks under control and my parents are gone, Grace wraps her arm around me and says, “Ready to go home?”
It hits me like a bullet. Knocks me out and settles in my chest and hurts real good.
Yeah.
I’m ready to go home.
I love how it kinda fell naturally from her lips, and now here we are, in bed, the jersey flying off her back, our bodies finding each other, playing off of each other in ways both familiar and new, until we climax together and fall asleep in each other’s arms, our breaths and heartbeats seeming to sync.
At some point during the night, we shift, and in the morning, I wake up spooning Grace.
Having her safely nested against me is the absolute fucking best feeling ever. I stay awake for a few moments without moving, savoring the moment, until my dick asks for more, and I slip out of bed to let her sleep.
When I get to Lucas’s, he meets me with a concerned frown. “We need to get to the Richardson’s house first. They lost part of a wall, and his mother lives there right now. That gonna be a problem for you?”
The name doesn’t register right away, but then I get it. He’s Grace’s landlord. The guy who’s selling and doesn’t care that means she might lose her business.
I clench my jaw but shake my head. “You’re the boss.”
As I grab an old Air Force T-shirt from my saddle bag to change into, my fingers touch a glossy stack of brochures. Pulling them out, my eyes fall on A Touch Of Grace.
Perfect. I slide them inside the pocket of my windbreaker and get to work.
The people of Emerald Creek are going to get swift repairs and a not-so-subtle nudge to support local businesses by taking care of themselves. Triple win.
Starting with the unsuspecting asshole’s mother.