Chapter 48 Dean
DEAN
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Wren Hackett: Since you all are STILL on this, let’s clear a few things up. If anyone knows Dean’s character more than Grace, it’s me. I’ve worked with him for years, and he’s not the kind of man who cheats on someone. You all are jumping on the new guy in town and I am VERY disappointed in you!!!
Comments:
Mollie Wilson: And let’s not forget, Brooke loves to cause problems! Like, hello???
Kerry Winsor: Oh, sure. But how do you explain that he was out at a bar instead of being with his pregnant girlfriend??? That’s weird!!!
Mollie Wilson: He can still have a life, Kerry.
Mark Bell: I can actually answer that. I called him instead of Grace to come get Brooke, since I didn’t wanna stress her out.
Kerry Winsor: Oh.
Wren Hackett: See??? You guys better hope he never joins this group and sees this.
I wasn’t sure if I was shaking with rage, fear, or misery. Maybe it was all three. I’d never seen Grace go so long without making a single facial expression, but she looked like a ghost of herself.
It killed me.
Our statements were taken by the sheriff, who promised that she would be in jail for the night. Mom drifted between us both, eyes wide with unshed tears and shock before she offered to go get new locks.
Grace went inside to sit on the couch when Mike left, and I followed. I silently sat next to her and pulled her to me.
That was when she lost it. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she fell into me, sobbing hard.
Tears escaped me too. I’d been holding back. I was only thinking of getting to her and explaining. Only thinking of how to make this right.
And then Brooke hit Grace, and I had to hold myself back from getting in trouble myself.
It was all terrifying, and I wasn’t made of stone. I thought it was over. I thought Grace was hurt. And all of my fears were happening tonight.
“I’m so sorry,” Grace said through her sobs.
“Why are you sorry?” I asked. She’d been through just as much, if not more, and that was unacceptable. “She hurt you.”
Grace pulled away and let her cool hand rest on my cheek. “She hurt you too.”
“Who cares about me?”
She frowned. “I do.”
And that was it, wasn’t it? We both cared about each other. This was an equal partnership, where either she or I gave everything without wanting anything in return. We were a team. We loved each other.
And Brooke tried to ruin that.
I tugged Grace back to me, and all we could do was exist in each other’s embrace.
Mom wound up making us some tea before sitting in the extra chair in the living room, giving us space and silence to process. It reminded me of the night after Dad’s funeral, when neither of us knew what to do.
But this time I did.
We would feel sad for a while. We would slowly learn how to feel okay again. And life would go on.
But this moment? It was terrible.
Grace’s phone kept going off, and eventually, she pulled it out.
“Wh-what are they saying?”
“Honey, don’t worry about that,” Mom said. “You barely even like these people.”
I pressed my lips together. Her statement was true, but deep down, I was gutted by the idea of them hating me. I felt like something I’d grown used to was irrevocably changed. It was a different kind of heartbreak, but one I’d felt before.
It was when Shady Acres lost its way.
“You do care, don’t you?” Grace said softly.
I wasn’t going to pretend I didn’t; she would see right through that.
“I do,” I muttered. “I’m not sure when I started to, but . . . it was nice. Being a part of them for a while.”
I’d known how this would end, which was why I tried to keep my distance, to stay in denial about it. Yet here I was, desperately wanting to know how badly this looked on me. Could I salvage this?
I wanted to, and that was terrifying.
“I’m so sorry,” Mom said.
“They should know better,” Grace added. “And they will.”
I saw her go to Facebook before she angled the screen away from me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Saying something that’s on my mind.”
“You don’t have to—”
She leveled me with a flat stare that shut me up. “They know how Brooke is, and by now, they should know you too. Sure, some of them didn’t like you at first, but that doesn’t mean they should take Brooke’s side.”
“So, you’re yelling at them?”
“Exactly.” She typed furiously. “All right, done. They can all have fun with that. I’m turning my phone off.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Do you think they’ll ever trust me again?”
“They might be stupid sometimes, but they see sense when it’s knocked into them. Hopefully what I said did it.”
“Thank you, Grace.” Virginia said it softly. “That was sweet of you.”
Grace stifled a yawn and looked in between us. “So, do we just sit here and process?”
“I think we should sleep,” I said. “If we can.”
“I’m not opposed to that.” She sighed. “But before you do, will you make sure the door’s locked?”
That was her best idea of all. I immediately sprang to my feet. “Gladly.”
Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Grace Day: Hi. I know that the last few hours have been full of drama, but let’s not forget that times with Brooke usually are. I’m aware of what happened. I’m handling it.
I’ll just say this. I’ve listened to you all complain about Brooke for years.
You all know what kind of person she is.
You also know what kind of person Dean is.
Especially the longer he’s been in town.
So why, without any questions or thoughts, did some of you take her side?
Anyone with two brain cells knew she was on a tirade and Dean was trying to stop her.
We’re a community, and I appreciate that you all want to protect me. I’ve taken a lot over the years, especially with Brooke. I don’t need you vetting who I choose to spend my time with. I’m capable of doing that myself.
I’ll pose the real question you should ask yourself. Did you all believe what you heard because it confirmed a predisposed belief you had of Dean? Were you all ready to jump on an outsider again, just like you did with Cain?
Because it seems like you did. Grow up.
As I grow and change, I’ll find people who care about me, and you don’t get to oust who you don’t get a good first impression of.
And by the way, Brooke is no longer allowed in my home. I’m sure you’ll hear she’s spending the night in jail for assaulting Dean AND me. All of your protection didn’t do anything.
Do better.
Comments:
Jade Clark: Holy shit, Grace. This is the most badass thing I’ve ever seen. (And for the rest of you, I fucking knew I was right. I’ll accept apologies in the form of buying candles from the shop.)
Wren Hackett: YES, QUEEN.
Tammy Jane: Heard, Grace. Wren already gave me an earful. I’m gonna do better from now on.
Hu Gh: You all are gullible as hell. You let brOOKE pull the wool over your eyes? Shameful.
Grace’s phone was still off the next day, but mine wasn’t. And that was when the texts came in. I figured I was about to catch all the flak for what had happened.
It wasn’t that.
Cain
Heard about what happened. Pay the town no mind. They’ll get their heads out of their asses eventually. Let me know if you need anything. I’m so sorry for what happened.
Unknown
Hey, kid. It’s Tammy. I was an idiot and believed a punk kid who’s never done any good for this place. You’re good for Grace and I hope this doesn’t scare you off from us. The next few meals are on me at the diner. Get however many burgers you want.
Kerry
I heard about Brooke. I’m SO sorry for believing the wrong thing. I must be losing my touch because I’ve always known that Brooke is such a pain to Grace. You deserve better from us.
“Do I need to make you turn your phone off too?” Grace asked from beside me. She sat up with a wince.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, just some Braxton-Hicks. It’s normal right about now.” I was tempted to ask about it more, but then she glared. “But no changing the subject. What are you on your phone for?”
“I got a few texts overnight. A lot of people are . . . apologizing?”
“Good,” she said. “They finally saw sense. I hoped they would.”
“They listened.” My voice was soft with disbelief.
“We’re not terrible here.” She laughed. “But I’m sure I probably scared some of them. They’ve never heard me talk like that.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s you.” She said it like it was obvious. “Yes, I did.”