Chapter 16
Grace
This morning, I got up before the sun and found Dean already awake and in the kitchen. We had coffee together before heading to the cabins for another project. Turns out, putting up drywall wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Apparently, the pain in the ass part comes in a few days when the seams are dry enough to sand down. After that, we moved to grouting the bathroom. Dean insisted it was a one-man-job, so I spent time working on editing his beard oil video and making a couple of my own for another brand I endorse. After a long day of work, work, work, we went food shopping in town to prepare for his friends to come over and play poker tonight.
Now, here we are, gathered around Dean’s kitchen table with snacks, beer, and poker chips.
“Full house.” Bennet lays his cards down. “Read ‘em and weep.”
“Motherfucker.” Dean throws his cards on the table.
Nick and Taylor folded already.
“Cute, real cute, but...” Conner lays his hand down, displaying four threes. He laughs like an evil villain, reaching gleefully for the pot in the center .
“Whoa there, buddy.” I lay my cards on the table, one-by-one, building the tension and excitement of his ultimate defeat.
Everyone gawks at my straight flush.
Taylor whoops and claps before slapping Conner on the arm. “She totally got you!”
“Bro, that had to hurt,” chimes Nick.
Conner sulks in his seat, burying his head in his hands. “That was cruel. I thought for sure I had you.”
Nick shakes his head. “You didn’t learn your lesson in the last four rounds that she’s got a stone-cold poker face, man?”
Dean’s gaze flicks to mine. He has this adorable smile on his face that makes me feel all warm inside.
“She’s a shark.” Conner turns to Taylor for comfort. “She’s eating me alive.”
“You’ll survive.” She pats him on the head and rolls her eyes at his theatrics. Taylor stopped playing an hour ago and has just been watching us. When she gets up to clear the table of our beer bottles and snacks, I help her.
“Divide the chips up,” I say, shoving all my winnings at Conner.
“What? No way.”
“Yes, way.” I pat his head. “Be a good boy and do what you’re told.”
Nick snarfs his drink, spraying beer all over Dean.
The men all start belly laughing and I bite my bottom lip, grab the remainder of the snack bowls, and carry them into the kitchen.
“I’ve never seen Dean smile this much,” Taylor says as she starts tackling the dishes. “It’s nice. ”
My heart plummets. Is Dean sad a lot? I mean, I’m sad a lot because even after keeping myself busy all day shopping, creating content, clubbing, and dining, I still go home to an empty penthouse and sleep in a cold bed. It sucks. I’m used to being sad. But I don’t want Dean to be that way too.
Ducking to hide my yawn, I look away and catch Dean standing against the entryway, watching us. I shoot him a smile. “Want another beer?”
“Nah.” He strolls over and wraps his hands around my waist before kissing the side of my head. “You ready for bed?”
“I know I am,” Taylor says, drying another glass.
Conner checks the time. “Shit, it’s three in the morning already.”
“Fuuuuck.” Nick scrubs his face. “I have to be at work in two hours.”
“Why the hell are you working on a Saturday?” Dean asks.
“Overtime.”
Everyone packs up and heads out, grumbling about how fast the night flew and that they shouldn’t go this long between hang outs again.
“She’s fucking great, man. No wonder you’ve had that goofy ass look on your face all night.” Bennet squeezes Dean’s cheeks and teases him. “’Bout fucking time.”
“Leave him alone. Grace is probably here against her will,” Conner shoots back. “Grace, blink twice if he’s kidnapped you.”
“Oh, stop it!” Taylor smacks his arm again before pretending to look concerned at me. “He didn’t kidnap you, did he? ”
“Hey!” Dean glowers at them. “How do you know she’s not holding me hostage, huh?”
“Because you got that fresh fucked look on your face, bro. If she’s holding you hostage, you must like it.” Conner laughs at himself. “Seriously though…” He sways a little and clasps his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “You’ve never brought a girl home, right? But look at you now. The ice mountain man is finally thawing.” He ruffles Dean’s hair.
“Okay, buddy. Time to go.” Nick steers him away and shoves him out the front door. “Taylor, come get your boy.”
“He’s not my boy.” Taylor turns to me and rolls her eyes. “But I am his DD tonight. Ugh, the shit I do for my friends.”
“Tayyyyylorrrrrr,” Conner hollers from outside.
“It was lovely meeting you,” she says sweetly, giving me a big hug.
“Same to you. And hey, I mean it. If you ever want to see a Broadway musical, I can get us great seats to literally any show and you can stay with me for the weekend.”
“Sounds good. I’ll call you.”
I know she won’t. It’s not that we didn’t hit it off great tonight, but I recognize her tone because I use the same one when I’m just trying to stay polite.
It’s okay, Grace. You’re not here to make friends, anyway. You’re here to…
To what?
I feel like I’ve completely lost track of what the hell I came here for.
“TAAAYYYYYLOOORRRRRR! ”
“I’m coming, you asshat!” she yells back and then gives out hugs to the other guys.
Everyone leaves in a rush of laughter and howls.
“Sorry about that,” Dean says once he shuts the door, and it’s just the two of us.
“What are you apologizing for?”
“Everything, I guess.” He leans against the counter and sighs. “My friends talk too much.”
Is he referring to what Conner just said? There was definitely a shift in the rest of them when he made that comment about Dean finally thawing. Am I really the first woman he’s brought to his house?
That doesn’t seem likely.
Another yawn tears out of me, which I don’t hide this time.
“Come on. It’s been a long day.” Dean tips his head, urging me to move, and I head out of the kitchen first. Shit, which room should I go to? His, or mine?
Last night I slept in his bed, but he’s escorting me to the stairs now. I don’t want to come of as a complete nymphomaniac, so I don’t mention where I’d rather be tonight.
“Good night, Grace.”
“Good night, Dean.” I glide up the steps as fast as I can, so I don’t throw a temper tantrum because he’s not carrying me to his bedroom to fuck me senseless.
Chill out, Grace. He’s not rejecting you. He’s respecting you and giving you space.
Or maybe he’s giving himself space.
Conner definitely struck a nerve with him tonight. The thing is, I don’t see the big deal. So what if Dean’s secluded? If I people too hard, I crave solitude too. And as for being the only woman he’s brought here, even if that is true, he didn’t do it because he wants me close. He’s doing it because I negotiated my long stay here and this was the only way he’d allow me to get my way.
It's for my safety. That’s all.
He doesn’t really want you here, Grace. You’ve just bulldozed your way into getting what you want, like you always do.
My stubbornness is good business practice. I don’t get big deals by taking the first offer. And I always go in knowing my worth.
This is the same. I’m bringing a lot to the table because I will see Dean’s financial success soar before I leave in the spring. Come hell or high water, Bear Creek Cabins will be booked out for a solid year, no matter what I have to do to make it happen.
Dean loves this place, and I want him to succeed.
My phone dings with a text from a number I don’t recognize. It’s got a photo of Conner passed out in the passenger seat with his mouth hanging open and a message that says, “Wish me luck getting this one inside.”
I save Taylor’s contact info and respond.
Grace : Roll him onto a trash bag and drag him across the lawn.
Taylor : Serial killer style. I like it!
Earlier tonight we bonded over my favorite podcast that she’s also a big fan of. When we got to the discussion of the Face-lift Fuckboy episode, I had to hold back from spoiling it because she hadn’t listened to that one yet. I gave her my cell so she could let me know when she finished it .
My heart is a little lighter from this interaction. Maybe Taylor and I will stay friends after tonight or this winter or whenever I leave here. I think she’d get along great with my bestie, Nicole too. Speaking of which…
Grace : You up?
I put the cell phone down long enough to strip out of my clothes and wash my face. Slipping under the covers naked, I check to see if she’s responded.
Nicole : I am now. Are you okay?
Grace : I’m fine.
Now I feel bad for waking her up. I just miss her right now.
Grace : How are the boys?
Nicole sends me a flurry of fire emojis.
I send her a heart.
Nicole : Having fun skiing? Please tell me you found some hot, big-dicked ski instructor to keep you warm at night.
Grace : Not exactly.
Nicole : Boo. Try harder.
I bite my lip, debating on how much to even say. Then my FaceTime rings and it’s her.
“I’m too tired to text.” Her hair’s an absolute mess on her head and she’s in bed, her eyes puffy and sleepy. “What kind of room is that? Where are you?”
“At a cabin.”
“A cabin in the mountains?”
“No, a cabin on Mars.”
She laughs, and I hear one of her guys mumble something. A large, veiny forearm shows up on the screen. “Who’s that?” they ask, and I recognize the voice as Landon’s.
“It’s Gracie, go back to sleep. ”
I hold my breath, hoping she doesn’t tell them anything that could get back to Mason. Landon and Kerrington are his best friends and they’re all protective of me. It’s like I have an army of cockblockers with only Nicole on my side when I’m trying to get some action.
“Hey, Grace.”
“Hi, Landon.”
“Let me see her.” Kerrington takes the phone. He swipes a hand down his face and groans from being woken up. “You okay, babe?”
“Yes. I just wanted to talk to Nicole.”
“This late at night?” He squints at me. “Where even are you?”
“Don’t worry about it, give the phone back to Nicole.”
He hands it over and she climbs out of bed. “I’ll be right back,” she tells them. The screen jiggles as she walks out of their bedroom and into the kitchen. “Okay. It’s just me now.”
For some reason, I want to cry. I shouldn’t have bugged her like this, but she’s the only friend I have who understands the life I’m trapped in. She got her happy ever after and… I have no idea what it’s going to take to find mine.
“I’m just lonely,” I say, my voice cracking.
There’s a shuffling sound on the other side of my door, out in the hall. Figuring it’s Oscar coming up, I ignore it. If she wants in, all she has to do is nudge the door open. I haven’t closed it completely.
“Aw, babe. Come stay with us for a while.”
“No, I’m not leaving where I am. I just…” Attempting to pull myself together, I blow out a big sigh. “I’m just sad for no good reason. And I’m tired. ”
“I thought the mountains helped you with that.”
“Usually yes, but this time not so much.” I want to tell her that I’m crazy over a man I just met. That I’m temporarily living with him and secretly hope I never leave because the thought of being anywhere else sucks. I want to tell her that I feel rejected for no good goddamn reason because spoiled Grace Finch isn’t rolling in bed, getting sweaty with the lumberjack of her dreams, downstairs. To admit any of this will have her worried for my safety and sanity and she’ll be on a private plane to get to me… likely with Landon, Kerrington, and even Mason in tow.
I can’t let that happen.
Tears fall down my cheeks and I quickly swipe them away.
The sounds of the cabin don’t help my mood. Not only is Oscar moving around, but the wind has kicked up, so everything sounds strange to me. Dean has more trees on this side of the stream than there were around my rental cabin. It’s creaky and grindy and fucking with my head.
“I saw a bear today,” I say, changing the subject so I don’t crack.
“A bear-bear?”
“He was so fluffy and fat.”
“Aww. Floof!”
See? She gets me.
“It was terrifying at first, but Dean—” Shit .
Nicole cocks her brow. “Go on.” Her shit-eating grin makes me squirm. Well, if you can’t tell your bestie what’s going on, then who can you tell, right?
“Dean put himself between me and the bear. Not that the bear even really noticed us.”
“Dean, huh? And how did you two meet? ”
Leaving out the shit about Bryson Clyde-Smith, I proceed to go into this long saga about how the past week has been for me with Dean between my legs and how talented his tongue skills are. “So yeah. I’m here for the winter. And I swear, if you tell Mason, I’ll never forgive you.”
“I won’t. If he found out you’ve done this, he’d go ballistic.”
“Which means you can’t tell Kerrington and Landon either. You know how they get.”
I’m the little Finch sister everyone keeps tabs on and won’t let out of their sight. Does it matter that I’m twenty-six? Nope.
“I’ll divert them,” Nicole says with an evil grin and brow waggle.
I cackle laugh much louder than I should. “Take one for the team, girl.”
“I’ll be taking two .”
That’s right, because my bestie is in madly love with two of the richest, hottest guys on the planet. “Your sacrifice is noted.”
“You really like this guy, huh?” She knows I don’t get attached to men.
“He’s so different from what we’re used to. He even has huge callouses on his hands.”
Nicole groans. “I bet they feel rough and amazing on your thighs.”
“They’re amazing everywhere .”
We both giggle again and I feel a world better.
“Your mother will have a coronary if she finds out, Gracie.”
“I know.”
“I kind of want to tell her, just to see her head explode. ”
Harsh, but not uncalled for. My mother put Nicole and Mason in a very hard place once and the damage was catastrophic for Nicole. “Can you imagine what family dinner would look like if he came with me?”
“In a flannel shirt, I’d hope.”
“Dirty boots too.”
We giggle again and there’s a louder thump from somewhere outside my room. I hold my breath and wait to hear if there’s any more noise. There isn’t. Dean’s downstairs, on the other side of the cabin, so I don’t think I’m loud enough to wake him up, but maybe I should drop to a whisper, just in case.
“He sounds hotter by the minute.” Nicole sighs. “Maybe I should see if Landon will dress as a lumberjack for me.”
Oh, he would. That man will do anything Nicole asks. Same for Kerrington.
“Dean’s so sweet. You’d really love him.”
“If you do, then you know I will.”
My smile falls.
She cocks her brow at me again. “Girl, don’t even play. You’re so in love right now.”
“No, I’m not.” Wait. Am I? “That’s not going to happen.”
“Mmkay.”
She doesn’t believe me. “Nicole, I’m not in love with him.”
“If you say so.”
“This is just a business arrangement.”
“Big Dick business. Got it. Negotiate hard, Gracie. Really hard.”
Ugh, she’s worse than a teenager sometimes. “I’m going to bed. ”
“I bet you are. Tell Daddy Lumbersnack I said hi.” She waves goodbye and I hang up.
As mad as I want to be that she’d even suggest I’m in love with a man I just met… there’s a little part of me that won’t argue with it.
I’m so fucking screwed.