38. Grady
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Grady
At the restaurant, Luke seats us near the front window—a corner away from the crowd at the bar but still front and center to the place. We can see the foot traffic outside, the lights twinkling from the courtyard, and the stage, where instruments sit listlessly, waiting for action to come later this evening.
Even so, this place is alive, and, for the first time in ages, I don’t mind being here. It feels right to smile, talk, and be with her here, where anyone can see us.
Of course, as soon as that thought clicks in my mind, the universe shits all over it. The door swings open, and the host says, “Sullivan, party of four.”
We glance up simultaneously to see Cora, Wes, Ashe, and some bouncy blonde in a low-cut top stroll in. She hangs on his arm, two-handed, like a leech, not that he minds the attention. I meet Marina’s eyes, and she smiles, returning to the menu like she’s completely unaffected.
I hope that’s true.
Cora notices us and, taking in the nearly full restaurant, sees that the crowd notices too—the Sullivans, Marina, and me in the same place. Smugly, she strolls over, and the others hover behind her, unsurely.
“Marnie,” she coos, “how nice to see you.”
“Nice to see you, too. Hey, Ashe, Elise, Wes.” She offers them a chipper wave and her usual bright smile.
Before anyone can respond, Cora cuts in. “Hear you’re cashiering at the G&G. My, what an interesting choice.”
“I’m managing, not cashiering, and giving the place a makeover. It looks amazing. You should all come and see it sometime.”
Cora scoffs. “With all the horror stories I’ve heard? No, thanks. Most people wouldn’t set foot in it, but I’m glad you found something that suits you. I’m just surprised it’s trailers, cigarettes, old men, and a swamp.”
Her entourage looks confused by her antagonism, especially Ashe. He tugs on his mom’s sleeve like a child. “Our table’s ready.”
“Definitely better than the funeral home you tried hiding me in,” Marina adds. “Or moving, like you wanted.”
Wes and Ashe turn toward Cora, surprised.
Marina takes a deep breath, grinning. “The G&G’s rustic, broken, homey, and beautifully genuine. There, I’m valued exactly as I am and credited for what I do. That has made all the difference. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Cora offers a satisfied humph before tapping her fingernail on the table. “Really? Not even the fact that Guilt-Trip-Tripp here is funding this awful experiment? You know he pays your salary, right?”
She points to me, and Marina freezes.
Cora chuckles while Wes moves beside her. “Honey, the table.”
She waves him off. “Oh, dearest. You didn’t know? You should’ve taken my advice about relocating. It would’ve saved you so much trouble. You still could. Plenty of towns need cashiers. You finally cashed our check. I bet you’re grateful for that Sunny’s severance now, huh?”
Her dark eyes cut to me when she says it, and there’s that us and them mentality again. Fucking Cora. I’m bombarded with anger and questions. Cora tried to get Marina to leave? Severance? She could’ve left? And she stayed, anyway?
“Mom!” Ashe protests. “That’s enough.”
“Ashe, it’s okay. Marnie needs to know—everyone else does,” Cora coos. “She should be let in on the G&G joke. I’m doing what’s best for her.”
“It’d be best for you to carry your ass away from this fucking table. Now.” I keep my voice down but say it sternly, ready to bulldoze them out of here if need be.
Cora laughs, putting her hands up defensively. “You really should’ve let us sue him, Marnie. I only speak the truth.”
“Truth, huh?” Steeling herself with a deep breath and her forced smile, Marina locks eyes with Cora. “It’s a family business. He’s a Tripp. They’re all funding me. That’s the truth.”
“It’s a farce, regardless.”
“No, it’s competition,” Marina quips confidently. “This little engagement reminds me of that time you got defensive when one of our best vendors threatened to leave—Cora the Conquerer came out in full force. You have no reason to antagonize me now, unless…”
Marina giggles, slapping her hand on the table.
“… Oh, my goodness! I see right through you. You’re worried.”
“Ridiculous!”
“No, you are. Look at your little forehead lines,” Marina coos. “Has the G&G dented your profits already?”
Cora gapes, silent for once. Wes and Ashe share a bothered look. Holy shit, Marina’s right.
Marina shrugs and shakes her head. “No wonder you still want me to skedaddle out of town. Well, sorry-not-sorry. I’m staying. Now that that’s settled, I suggest going to your table because you’re making your guest uncomfortable, and, you know, optics .”
The word breaks out of Marina like a trapped animal, pissed and hungry. Fuck, even I have chills. Cora shudders, taking in the room again and stepping away.
Then, Marina says, casually glancing from Cora to Ashe, “I write my own narrative now. I wish you’d do the same.”
Ashe looks puzzled before he drapes an arm over his mom’s shoulder and pulls her away.
“Have a nice dinner,” Marina tacks on like a champ. “Oh, and Elise, good to see you. Hope you’re enjoying that promotion.”
The bouncy blonde isn’t so happy as she moves away from the table.
“Damn, that was some badass pirate shit,” I tell her.
She grins. “It’s hard not to scream and jump up and down, knowing that the G&G is making them nervous. Can you believe it?”
“You can do anything. Of course, I believe it.”
She blushes and tuts, staring at her menu. “I trained Elise at the same time as Wren. Now, she has my old job, a different title, of course, and my old boyfriend. Creepy.”
I don’t know what to say—that Cora’s dropped my secret and Marina isn’t storming out of here should mean it’s okay. Cora tried to use it against us and failed.
But her smile wanes.
I breathe out a heavy sigh. “Are you mad? Is this you not letting them break you?”
Her eyes bounce up to mine. “I don’t break. I bend. They don’t have that kind of power anymore, regardless. Wade, Roy, and Christie, bless their souls, can’t keep a secret to save their lives, especially not with me. They let that bomb drop weeks ago. I already knew.”
“If you knew, then why did you stay?”
Her shoulders slump as she drops the menu and stares at me like I should know. “You needed me to be okay. I stayed for you .”
My mouth drops, bringing with it what’s left of my barriers. She saved me. All this time, I thought I was the hero—helping her, protecting her, giving her chances. But the Queen of Lost Causes and Second Chances rescued me .
“I don’t know what to say. But I think I’m in love with you.”
She smirks, her eyes perked but fixed on her menu. “Well, let me know when you’re sure.”
“I can’t believe you aren’t mad at me.”
“You’d do anything for me. How can I be mad?” She meets my eyes, smiles, and returns to her menu. “I’m peeved at Cora—the nerve of her, huh? Wade will have to afford me if he wants to keep me. I never cashed his or, um, your checks. I shouldn’t have let it go on for as long as I did, but I was having so much fun, and you seemed less shadowy,” she giggles, using Marigold’s term. “Things must change, though … But that’s a problem for tomorrow. Don’t you think?”
“Tomorrow, definitely.” I smile, relaxing into her more than I thought possible. This woman unraveled me even before I let her—how is that possible?
It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. That she’s unraveled me means I’m free to wrap myself completely around her.
“You were right. I dodged a bullet. Marrying into that family would’ve been a disaster.” She scoffs, shaking her head. “It’s more proof that I never belonged with him. I always knew it, too. In the back of my mind. I never relaxed with him or told him things. Never felt I could fully trust him. Ha, I even doubled up on protection.”
“With Ashe?” I say, a little surprised at the subject.
She nods. “With him. With the two boyfriends I had before him. I refused to be my mother’s daughter.”
A beat passes before she meets my eyes again. “What about you?”
“Me?” It slowly dawns on me—the conversation we’re having.
“Any partners since Emma?”
“No. And only a few before her. I was always safe.”
She nods, smiling softly. “Good. Then we don’t have to be. If that’s okay with you.”
“Um, okay. That’s—good thinking. I’m good with that.”
She giggles as I stumble over my words. She stands and moves to my side of the table, slipping her arm over my shoulder. She drops a quick kiss on my forehead and says, “Relax, Grady. Order me a fun drink and a burger. I’ll be back.”
Then, she heads toward the bathrooms in the rear of the restaurant, leaving me with my imagination. I can’t wait to get her alone.
Luke comes over, notepad in hand, and I give him our order. Over his shoulder, I spot the Sullivan’s table. Ashe and Cora exchange words, occasionally glancing our way, while the blonde and Wes look more uncomfortable than usual.
Still irritated with them and overrun with affection for Marina, I tell him, “I want to do the thing.”
“ The thing?” he gawks, blue eyes going wide. He braces himself against the table, showcasing his muscled arms covered in tattoos, some of which we got together. “Seriously?”
“Can we?”
He glances around the restaurant, scraping his hand down his impressive beard. “Fuck yes.”
He whistles loud enough for all eyes to meet his. He snaps his fingers at the guy behind the bar. “Jake, the thing. Now.”
The glass Jake holds falls to the floor, shattering. When he realizes it’s happening, he rushes to the stage, taking his place on the drums, nearly knocking them over in his excitement to get there. The Thing has become somewhat of a legend around here since high school, especially among fellow musicians.
I stand, stretching and cracking my knuckles as Luke and I confer, remembering our thing with surprising accuracy. High school was the last time we did it successfully. We tried reprising it for Luke’s wedding last year, but we were too drunk to take it seriously—that’s the last time I touched keys.
Luke flips the white towel from his shoulder, tossing it to the bar.
“You lead. We’ll follow,” he says, leading me to the stage.
“Yep.”
“Same start?”
“Slight diversion. But yep.”
“You good?” He eyes me before we take our positions. “You sure?”
My crooked smile grows. “Never been better.”
Jake cracks his sticks together. Luke strums his guitar. And I start to play.