Chapter Forty-ThreeGrace
Chapter Forty-Three
Grace
O pening the oven, I checked the cookies. Today was the first day I’d been home alone all day.
It had been nice to have some time to myself.
Evan had asked me to watch a bunch of videos and Spencer sent me project information to read over.
I’d checked in with Mrs. Beekman, did my assignment for Luc the integration counselor, and then Jett had texted asking me if I’d bake the chocolate crinkle cookies he liked so much.
Still, I’d taken a bubble bath, eaten the takeout Wes had delivered to me as a treat, read one of this world’s romance novels while in the window seat, listened to music, and played the piano.
So nice.
The door to the garage opened. A moment later, Jett came into the kitchen, carrying bags of groceries.
“Need me to get the rest from the car?” I asked as I removed the tray of cookies from the oven.
“No, this is it.” He set the bags on the counter and looked at what I was doing. “Ooh, cookies?”
“As requested. I’ll put the cookies on the racks to cool in a moment. Is the kitchen table a good place?” I had towels and cookie racks all set up.
“Yeah, that’s good. If there are any missing, it wasn’t me.” He laughed as he started taking things out of the bag.
“What cookies? Never saw any,” I joked back. “Need help cooking?” It was nice that a lot of the main things in this world were mostly the same, like food, clothes, languages, and traffic lights.
“Bren's my sous chef, but if you could get the dining room table set? It might need to be cleaned off because Ri likes to use it for projects for her art class.” Jett got things down from the cupboard.
“Sure. How many for dinner?” I hadn’t eaten in the dining room, just in the kitchen or living room.
“Seven. Use the blue plates in the hutch in the dining room and the crystal glasses, but the silverware from here is fine.”
Nodding, I got to work. It was a beautiful space that had big open doorways to the living room and the kitchen, with a glittering chandelier poised over an elegant glass-topped table. There were only six chairs. I’d have to find another.
After putting the cookies on racks to cool, I carefully cleaned off all the paints and brushes from the table. Then I found what he asked for in the hutch, along with placemats, napkins, and even napkin holders along with candlesticks. A lot of the things looked brand new.
Delicious smells filled the air, and the murmur of voices drifted in from the kitchen.
Brennan walked into the dining room, holding a chair. He froze when he saw me. “Um, here. We need one more chair.”
“Thanks.” I folded a napkin to look like a bird and put it on the plate.
“It looks nice. Where did the placemats come from?” He studied my table setting.
“The hutch. I hope it was okay to use them.” My belly twitched a little.
“It’s fine. They’re probably wedding presents we never used and just shoved in there.
” He placed the chair and stared at me. “I… I’m sorry for getting mad at you.
You're right. It wasn’t about the piano.
I really don’t mean to be a dick, Grace.
I… I’m just trying to be cautious. Bringing someone into our home, our pack, is a big deal. ”
Sure, guys like him didn’t mean to be dicks, yet they still were. But he had made up with Evan. Also, he had a point–I was living in their house . I was a stranger.
And he’d said he was sorry.
“I’m glad Evan and the guys mean so much to you. It’s understandable. You don’t know me. But I’m not after your money or power. Promise. I’m totally after Wes, but that’s because of his magic dick.” My cheeks burned. “I can’t believe I said that. Sorry, I’ve been hanging around Evan too much.”
A smile twitched on his lips. “Magic dick?”
“Knots are magic.” I shrugged, busying myself with the napkins.
He chuckled. “I see. Um, I suppose you can play the piano.”
“Thank you.” I folded another. “Back in high school, I used to compete. I know how to treat a nice piano. Promise.”
“Oh, did you want to be a pianist?” His look went thoughtful.
I shook my head. “Not really. But I did want to keep my mother happy. I enjoyed it, and I still do, but back in high school that was a driving force. That and stress relief.”
“I get that. Um, I should go check the food.” He left.
That done, I went upstairs and put on something nicer than Wes’ clothes. When I came back down, Riley was in the dining room.
“That’s where you sit.” Riley pointed to a chair on the far side of the table.
Evan came up behind me and kissed my neck, sending little shivers through me. I tipped my head up. We’d taken a bath together after everyone left, before he went to work. It was fun.
“Finally. Dinner is ready, you assholes,” Brennan said to someone in the kitchen.
“You made me dinner? Wow, you do love me,” Wes joked.
“Go pour the wine.” Brennan sighed.
Wes came in, holding a bottle of wine. He grinned as he looked around the room. “The fam’s all here.”
“Fuck yeah. Family dinner night.” Riley grinned back.
Wes gave Evan and me each a kiss, and Riley a hug, then poured the wine. Brennan and Jett put dishes of delicious-looking food on the table. Spencer came in with serving utensils.
We all sat down, me taking the spot Riley indicated. Brennan was at one end, Jett on one side, Evan on the other. Spencer sat at the far end, with Riley on one side, me on the other. Wes sat in between me and Evan.
They passed around plates of food. There were roasted vegetables, rice, and some sort of tasty marinated steak.
“First order of business, last night’s gala queen is Grace. Congrats.” Brennan raised his glass to me.
“I think Grace is always going to be gala queen,” Jett laughed. “Please, take the honor.”
“What does that even mean?” I asked. Everyone was laughing, so it couldn’t be too bad.
“The title of gala queen is awarded to whoever in the pack gets the most pictures or mentions after we attend a party. It’s a good thing, as long as it’s not Bren, he gets grumpy.” Evan grinned as he cut his steak.
“I don’t like being the center of attention,” Brennan muttered, taking a bite of vegetables.
“There are pictures of me?” Horror coated me. I didn’t like being photographed.
Brennan’s eyebrows rose. “Of course there were. You went with Spence and wore a dress that’s now going to be copied.”
“Oh.” My shoulders drooped. “Sorry.”
“Brennan, stop,” Spencer scolded. “My good doctor, you did nothing wrong. But yes, if you accompany us to events, you will be photographed. It’s a game we play. Usually, I’m the gala queen. There’s nothing wrong with being chosen. It’s all in good fun.”
“Sorry, I… I guess I assumed you were used to things like this.” Brennan focused on cutting his meat.
“Speaking of dresses.” Brennan took a gulp of wine. “The queen mum is demanding that the entire pack come to the foundation gala. This includes Ri and Grace, and she’s reiterated that everyone needs to be dressed appropriately. Evan, can you make sure they have the right clothes?”
“Are you shitting my dick? I didn’t sign up for that.” Riley made a face.
“I know. I’m so sorry. It’s a school night, so I’ll pay you double the chore rate with a tip for good behavior. One person of your choosing can leave early to take you back to school. Sounds good?” His look went pleading. “You also get an outfit.”
Riley made a show of pondering it. “I guess. We can’t exactly not go if your mom has summoned us. Does Grace get paid?”
“No. Grace is Wes’ mate. All she gets is an outfit and whatever reward Wes chooses to give her for good behavior.” Brennan grinned at Wes.
Wes flipped him off and then kissed me.
What had gotten into Brennan? His behavior was completely opposite from how he’d been the past two weeks. Was this what he was usually like? If so, I could see why Evan and Jett were so into him.
What made him change?
“It will be fine, Ri. I’ll dance with you,” Spencer offered. “Any other edicts from the queen mum?”
Brennan sighed. “Apparently Dependent Services commented on our bathroom cleanliness. My mother has gotten us a housekeeper. I’m so sorry. She’ll be here two days a week. I’m making a list of all the areas we don’t want her to clean. Please let me know whether you want her to clean your bathroom.”
“Bren, if you’re truly unhappy with this, tell your mother no, ” Jett said. “While I understand her wanting us all at the gala, this isn’t her home. We’re not her pack. She can’t dictate our lives. We’ll back you.”
I’m glad someone said it.
“It seems weird to fight about someone cleaning the house,” he said, focusing on his plate. “I guess we give it a shot, and if it doesn’t work for us, we’ll stop. It’s not like we haven’t discussed hiring someone before.”
Evan squeezed his shoulder. “That sounds reasonable.”
“Oh, Evan, I’m so sorry, but she’s derailed your birthday plans for Grace and has made us a reservation at Supressa for Friday.” Brennan looked defeated.
Evan paused, fork in the air. “Supressa. Your mother is demanding that we eat at Supressa? I’m okay with edicts like that.”
“That’s the rotating one, right? I get to come, don’t I? I like to eat food,” Riley said. “The school dance is Saturday, so I’m available on Friday.”
“Yes. While I won’t dictate your wardrobe for a birthday dinner, you might want to glance over the dress code so that they let you in,” Brennan said.
“Grace, I know you were looking forward to a romantic date, but I think you’ll like it.
The view is spectacular, and Supressa is known for their decor.
It’s at the top of the hotel the science dinner was at. ”
Riley grinned at me. “Each Supressa is decorated differently. At my school, eating there is a thing, and people compare which ones they’ve been to.
The one in New York is fairy themed. The one here is themed like a European bistro, with trees and fountains and lots of lights.
It also rotates, and you can see the city. I can’t wait. This will be fun.”