27. Gracelyn
CHAPTER 27
GRACELYN
“T insley! So glad you’re here. I was hoping you’d make it. Thought you might change your mind and go to the Maldives with your parents.” Emma Kate bounces off the couch, embracing Tinsley in a warm hug.
I don’t remember Mack ever mentioning a Tinsley. Maybe a cousin or something? I sit quietly, waiting to be introduced.
“Oh no, never! A week on an island with my parents? No, thank you.” Tinsley flips her chestnut hair over her shoulder, then sidles over to the table. “Hey, y’all. Thanks so much for the invitation. I’m happy to be here.” She glances at Mack’s parents, then turns her attention to Mack.
“Hello.”
An easy, simple greeting. Yet something feels off, the word heavy and loaded with an emotion I can’t quite pinpoint. That and the way she’s looking at him, as if she’s staring straight into his soul.
“Hello.” Mack’s tone is flat and, unlike his sister, he doesn’t jump up to hug her. In fact, he’s rather cold and distant. I’m thinking not a cousin.
Who is this girl and why is Mack acting all weird?
A twinge of jealousy zips through me, but I work hard to ignore it.
“Tinsley, this is my girlfriend, Gracelyn.”
Tinsley’s glossy lips twitch, the corners barely tipping up into a smile. “Well, hello. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” I nod at her, trying my best to seem friendly.
“Tinsley, dear, take a seat, have some tea.” Mack’s mom interrupts the introduction, pouring her a cup of tea without waiting for a response.
Tinsley doesn’t seem to mind, graciously accepting the tea and dropping two cubes of sugar into the cup. She stirs the hot beverage with a tiny spoon, the soft clinking on the cup jangling my nerves.
She doesn’t sit at the table. Instead, she takes a seat next to Emma Kate on the couch and sips her tea.
“Mrs. McIntire, delicious as always.” Tinsley beams at Mack’s mom and I swear the woman preens, glowing.
“Thank you, dear. All credit goes to the chef.”
“Nonsense.” Tinsley waves her hand, brushing aside the show of humility. “How long are y’all in town for? The whole weekend?” She aims the question at me, but I hesitate, waiting for Mack to take the lead.
He doesn’t let me down.
“That’s the plan.” He takes another drink, the dainty cup doll-sized in his large hand. It’s odd, seeing him in this environment. He’s always been so tough and burly. This is an entirely different Mack than I’m used to.
“You ladies coming to dinner tonight?” Mack’s dad directs the question at Emma Kate and Tinsley.
Emma Kate nods. “Yes, sir.”
“Alright then. Excuse me while I call the club and change the reservation. And golf tomorrow?”
“Sounds great!” Tinsley claps her hands, and my stomach sinks. I’m the odd one out here. Maybe I can stay behind and illicitly watch daytime television.
Doubtful.
Mack’s dad excuses himself, pouring another shot of bourbon on the way out of the room. Emma Kate and Tinsley talk with each other on the couch, not loud enough for us to hear. Mack’s mom sips her tea and Mack and I sit in silence, his fingers tapping the table in a quick rhythm. Mack should probably stick to decaf the rest of the weekend.
“What time’s dinner, Mother?” he asks.
“Six pm. Happy hour will begin at half past five.”
“Okay. We’re going go to our rooms and freshen up, get ready for dinner.”
Rooms? I’m going to be alone in this giant house?
Mack stands and I follow suit, happy for an escape.
“Actually, Ulysses. Now that Tinsley’s here, I’m rethinking the room situation. I believe Gracelyn will be more comfortable in the guest house. Have Bobby move her luggage, then Tinsley can take the white room.”
Mack stiffens beside me. “Gracelyn will be fine in the main house.”
His mom waves her hand through the air, dismissing Mack’s protest. “Nonsense. The guest house is spacious and offers the best views of the grounds. She should stay there.”
She shoots me a tight smile and I force a quick smile back, trying my hardest to be friendly and cooperative. Inside, I’m panicking.
Mack’s shoulders sag a fraction, a tiny sigh escaping his lips.
“Mother, as lovely as the views are from the guesthouse, I’m sure Gracelyn prefers to stay in the main house. With me.”
“Ulysses, the matter’s settled.” Mack’s mother clasps her hands together, her bony knuckles turning white. Mack sighs and gives up the fight, his lips pressed in a thin, tight line.
Together, we leave the afternoon tea party behind. His hand at my low back is the only thing keeping me moving forward right now. Chest tight, I feel like I might cry. Nothing’s going as planned and we’ve barely been here an hour.
I gnaw my bottom lip as we move wordlessly back through the long hallway, passing room after empty room. Finally, we’re back in the foyer. I desperately wish I could climb into Mack’s truck and head straight home, but that’s not really an option.
“Sir.” Bobby appears from I don’t know where, tipping his head at Mack.
“My mother requested Gracelyn’s luggage be moved to the guesthouse and Tinsley’s stuff moved to the white room.” Mack scrubs a hand over the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze. “Please transfer my suitcase along with Gracelyn’s. I’ll be staying in the guesthouse as well.”
“As you wish, sir.” Bobby hurries up the stairs to fetch my suitcase and a cool wave of relief rushes over me.
“You’re staying in the guesthouse with me? Without the consent of your mother?”
“I’m forty years old, Gracelyn. I don’t need my mother’s permission to do anything anymore. And I don’t want you to be out there all alone.”
Wow. I can’t believe Mack would stand up for me like this.
“Won’t she be angry?” I bite my lower lip, gnawing at the flesh.
Mack steps closer to me, taking both my hands in his giant ones.
“With all due respect, Gracelyn, I don’t really give a fuck. I’m here out of duty. And I brought you as my guest. I want to be with you. If she doesn’t like that, too damn bad.”
I’ve never seen Mack so serious, so resolute, before. But I like it.
Bobby’s back downstairs, both suitcases in hand. We follow him down the hallway, this time on the left side of the house. More impeccably decorated rooms, none of them currently in use. Finally, we come to a glass door at the end of the hallway. Bobby holds the door for us and we exit the main house, making a left down a pebble walkway. We walk down the path, through the gardens with a stone fountain spouting water in the center.
Sure enough, past the gardens is a beautiful pool and a guesthouse, a miniature version of the main house. Bobby unlocks the door, then hands the key to me.
“Here you go, miss. Should you require anything, please ring the main house and I’ll be happy to be of service.” He gives me a curt nod, then spins and heads back to the main house.
Mack shuts the door behind us, sighing. “Sorry about all this. I had no idea Tinsley would be here.”
He loops his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I inhale his familiar woodsy scent, reveling in the safety and comfort of his embrace. Still, that nagging feeling pulls at my gut.
Who is this Tinsley girl and why’s Mack apologizing?
Mack’s hand drifts down to my ass, squeezing, then he drops his mouth to mine. He tastes sweet from the tea as his tongue swirls in my mouth. The tension loosens, anxiety melting away as we kiss.
It doesn’t matter. We’re fine.
After a long while, I pull away, unable to resist the urge to dig. “By the way, who’s Tinsley to y’all? A family friend?”
Obviously she’s tight with the family, popping by and spending the Thanksgiving holiday with them.
Mack bristles and that tiny bit of worry ratchets up, amplifying.
“Sort of. She’s good friends with Emma Kate.”
“I figured as much. Childhood friends? College besties?”
“Both.” He clears his throat, his eyes flicking to the ground. “Also my ex.”
“Excuse me?” I shove away from him, shocked. “What do you mean, your ex? Like, y’all casually dated? Or was it a long-term thing? When?”
“Gracelyn…”
“Mack. Or should I call you Ulysses?” I pop my hand on my hip, fiery anger bubbling inside me. It’s a strong reaction, I know, but so much has been thrown at me in such a short time. Big, important things that Mack should have told me about before we got here.
“Don’t, please.” He steps forward and I take a step back.
“You should have prepared me for this.”
“For what?” Mack raises a brow.
I throw my arms out wide. “This. All of it. The fact that you live in a Bridgerton mansion, you have a staff, you belong to multiple clubs. Your ex-girlfriend is a close family friend.” I spit out the last part, the words stinging my throat. “I don’t know anything about you.”
“That’s not true. You know me, Gracelyn. The real me. None of that stuff is mine. Not the house, or the staff, or the memberships. And I had no clue Tinsley was coming. We’re done, Gracelyn. You have to believe me.”
I fold my arms across my chest, heart racing. “I don’t know what to believe, Mack.”
All I do know for sure is my heart hurts right now—but I’m not about to admit that. It feels too real, too vulnerable, like picking at an open scab.
“Babe…” He reaches out, stroking my cheek with the rough pad of his thumb, and I waver under his touch. I concentrate on his movements, up and down, up and down.
I consciously make a decision to not hold the Tinsley thing against him. He did look shocked to see her, like it was a real jump scare.
“Fine.” I open my eyes, locking gazes with him. “But is there anything else I should know? Tell me now, before dinner.”
Mack swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Tinsley and I broke up a long time ago.”
He pauses and I instantly know there’s more to the story.
“And?” I press, his heart racing beneath my palm resting on his chest.
“We were engaged.”