Chapter Twenty-Three
Grace
As the next week started, I could still pinch myself just thinking about the weekend. It had been exactly what I’d needed, and I hadn’t even been aware of it. But Zachary had a way of simply guessing what I needed, as if somehow he knew me even better than I knew myself.
Even though Mondays were usually difficult and I had a million to-dos, I was ecstatic today... until the afternoon. My phone beeped with an incoming call from someone I’d hoped to never hear from again: Roger, my ex-husband. My first instinct was to not answer. We’d finished everything between us a long time ago. Why would he even want to talk to me?
But I was no chicken, and there had to be a reason he was contacting me. Ignoring it would only postpone the issue, make me obsess about it. I got up from behind my desk and went to close the door; I didn’t want anyone to witness this. Then I answered the phone as I leaned against the door.
“Grace,” he said instead of hello.
My entire body stiffened. “Why are you calling me?”
“Such a friendly reply.”
“There is no reason for me to be friendly. So, get to the point or I’ll end this conversation right now.”
“You’re dating Zachary LeBlanc,” Roger stated.
His words felt like an electric shock, though I wasn’t sure why.
“Yes.” I cleared my throat and balled my free hand into a fist. “Do you have a problem with that? Is that why you’re calling?”
“Fuck yes, that’s what I’m calling about.”
I unhitched myself from the doorframe of my office.
“How the fuck could you even think about dating a LeBlanc?”
“How is it any of your concern?”
“I bet your family is ashamed of you.”
Now the anger was threatening to spill out of me. “Don’t you dare talk about my family. You know nothing about them. You never bothered to get to know my parents at all.”
“I know your brothers well enough.”
“Because you’re just like them. I wouldn’t brag about that if I were you.”
“Your brothers are on the run because of those damn LeBlancs, and you’re dating one of them. That’s rich, Grace.”
I laughed, but there was no humor. I was seething as I went back to my desk but decided to lean against it instead of sitting in my chair. I was too agitated. “My brothers are on the run because they’re thieves and have no scruples or morals, much like you.”
“Family is family.”
Once again, I wanted to yell at him, but I’d promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t give him that power over me. Nothing he said or did could hurt me, not anymore. He was trying to get a rise out of me, and I wasn’t going to allow it.
“It only applies to my parents in my case.” It wasn’t as if my brothers ever lived by that credo. They were more than happy to let me know that they didn’t want me back in their company once I decided to leave.
“Grace, you can’t be serious. You can date anyone you fucking want in New Orleans, but not a LeBlanc.”
I smiled. Now I was starting to feel a little smug. “Why? You’re pissed off that I found someone who is vastly superior to you?”
He made a sound as if he was drowning in his own words. Hitting his ego was a low blow, but I didn’t really care at this point. I had this innate desire to hurt him as much he’d hurt me. That wasn’t really possible, though, because I didn’t have it in me. But this gave me enough satisfaction.
“If that’s what you need to tell yourself.”
Talking to him now made me wonder what in the ever-loving fuck I ever saw in him.
“I don’t need to tell myself anything,” I replied coolly. “Is there any other reason you’re calling?”
“No, you need to—”
I hung up before he could finish his sentence.
Motherfucker!
I was so pissed, I couldn’t even believe it. I rose from my desk and paced my office once again. I was mad at him, but mostly at myself.
Oh, come on, Grace. You’ve done therapy. You’ve gotten so much better at not letting his words hurt you. Why do you care what he says?
I didn’t, but for some insane reason, I still couldn’t cool off. I bit the inside of my cheek, putting my hands on my hips as I glanced at my computer screen from afar. No, work wasn’t going to cut it. I needed something else to take my mind off this.
And I knew exactly what that was.
On a whim, I called Felicia, keeping my fingers crossed. She answered quickly.
“Hi, Grace, darling.” I loved her voice. It was always warm—just like her.
“Hey, Felicia. I was wondering if you’d mind if I dropped by the ranch this afternoon.”
“Sure, sure. We’d love to see you.”
“I just want to hang out with the horses for a while,” I said because I couldn’t think of a single other reason. Why pretend? And I didn’t want to put any pressure on them about the ranch.
“That’s what they’re here for, whenever anyone needs them. And I’ll prep you a good hearty dinner.”
“There’s no need,” I replied, feeling guilty already.
“Nonsense, darling. I cook for myself and Gaston anyway. We don’t mind sharing and would love the conversation.”
“If it’s not too much trouble.” It was two o’clock now. “I should be there around five thirty or so.”
“That’s perfect! We can have dinner around six thirty or seven, then,” she said.
I smiled to myself, already feeling calmer. Felicia had that effect on me. “Thanks. See you in a bit.”
After hanging up, I immediately left the office so I wouldn’t change my mind. My team was a bit surprised that I took off in the middle of the day without much of an explanation, but they didn’t prod, and I was grateful for that.
I thought I might cool off on the way, but no such thing happened. In fact, I only seemed to truly calm down once I was in the stable with Starlight. I liked the other horses, too, but he and I had a special bond, so I decided to take him out for a walk.
“Oh, Starlight. You’re the only one I can talk to,” I said once we returned to the stable. I’d talked the poor horse’s ear off, but I was feeling far more relaxed now as I started to brush his mane. His breathing was steady, and it was soothing me. Why couldn’t I shake off my ex’s words? Who cared what he thought?
But as I took out the last knot in Starlight’s mane, it finally dawned on me. Roger’s comment about my parents was rubbing me the wrong way. They certainly didn’t seem to mind who I was dating, but what if they really did and never told me?
As I stared at Starlight’s mane, I decided to call my parents. They’d never be coy with me if I outright asked them something.
I pressed my mom’s number, but she didn’t answer, which was par for the course. My mom always forgot her phone somewhere around the house. Then I tried Dad. As he picked up, I turned on FaceTime.
“Grace, where are you?” He frowned. This probably looked weird to him. There was a feeding station behind me, indicating I was in a barn.
“I’m at a ranch, in the stables.”
“Oh, right. Okay. So, is there anything we can help you with?” He may have realized this wasn’t just a checkup call, since we usually did those when I was relaxing at home.
“Um, is Mom around?”
“No, she’s out with a friend and forgot her phone at home.”
I laughed. “Of course.”
“There’s something on your mind,” Dad stated.
I nodded, leaning against the wall of the stall. “Yes. So, you know I’ve been dating Zachary.”
“Is he treating you right?” His voice was harsh.
“Yes. He’s wonderful, actually.”
My dad smiled from ear to ear. “Really?”
I nodded. “We’ve never openly discussed this, but do you mind that I’m dating a LeBlanc?”
He frowned. “You know, several of our friends have actually asked us this.”
“Dad! You didn’t say—”
“I told them that I don’t care who my daughter dates as long as she’s happy.” His eyes turned even softer. “And by the looks of you, you are.”
“I am.”
“And I also told everyone that I have no beef with the LeBlancs. My sons brought this upon themselves with their own criminal actions. The LeBlancs merely brought it all to light. If Xander hadn’t, it would’ve been much worse for us all. The legal ramifications would’ve been never-ending.”
I swallowed hard. “That’s exactly how I see it. I just didn’t know how you truly felt. You’d tell me if something was weighing on you, right?” I asked.
“Of course. I made myself a promise after your divorce that I’d never hold back my opinion. Listen, if I’d caught my sons with what they were doing, I would’ve given them the boot myself.”
His words chilled me. I knew they were 100 percent true.
“I would’ve handled everything behind closed doors,” he continued, “then made them make amends with everyone they swindled. Again, I bear no resentment toward the LeBlancs, and I’m more than happy that things are going well between you and Zachary.”
“Thanks, Dad. That means the world to me.” I checked the clock and gasped. “Oh, goodness, I have to go.” Felicia said dinner would be ready at six thirty, and it was twenty after already. I didn’t like to be late.
“Of course.”
“Thanks a lot, Dad.”
“Always, my girl. I’m here for you, no matter what you need.”
During my marriage, I’d grown a bit distant from my parents. I didn’t want them to have a front-row seat for the shit show that was my life. Even during the divorce, I sort of kept them at arm’s length. But I was feeling closer to them than ever right now.
After wrapping up, I patted Starlight again before hurrying to the main house. I felt as if a weight had dropped from my shoulders, and I was smiling from ear to ear when I joined Felicia and Gaston in the kitchen. She’d made coq au vin, by the smell of it. It was my favorite type of stew, typically made with chicken.
“You truly are a whiz in the kitchen,” I told Felicia.
“Oh, that’s what all our guests say.”
She and Gaston exchanged glances, and then he looked at me.
“We meant to ask you, did you reconsider the idea of going into this together with Zachary?”
My heart somersaulted at his question. Did they discuss this with him?
I bit the inside of my cheek. Had I reconsidered it? I mean, things between Zachary and me were wonderful, but it was one thing to spend time together and have fun and something else entirely to go into business together. What if things fell apart between us further down the road?
Gaston and Felicia must have interpreted my silence as a negative because Gaston said, “Forget we asked. This isn’t about business. You came here today because you needed the ranch.”
“I did,” I replied, thankful they weren’t prodding more. I truly didn’t have an answer for them. This was something I’d discuss with Zachary first before telling them.
But the idea was taking root in my mind. So much so that, as I said my goodbyes later that evening, I wondered if I should bring it up to Zachary. I took out my phone, then decided that I couldn’t just corner him with this on a call.
However, I did want to check on my man. Holy shit, I was already thinking of him as my man. But it didn’t scare me.
Climbing into the car, I set my purse down and then texted him.
Grace: How did your week start?
I grinned when the little dots appeared, showing he was typing. I truly loved that he didn’t make me wait—unless he was busy, of course. But other than that, he wasn’t playing hard to get.
Zachary: After the weekend I had, fucking fantastic. Nothing could bring me down. Yours?
I grinned even wider as I replied.
Grace: The same. I’m over the moon.
Zachary: That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I’m patting myself on the back right now.
I laughed.
Grace: You should.
Zachary: By the way, I can’t wait for you to meet my family.
While I’d been a bit worried when he first told me about it, now I was looking forward to it.
I decided to send him one last text before starting the drive back to the city.
Grace: I can’t wait to meet them either. If they’re anything like your grandmothers, I know I’ll love them.
Zachary: No one can top my grandmothers, but I will say that they’re a likable bunch. Can I call you?
I sighed.
Grace: Actually, I’m heading back from the ranch. I went to check on Starlight. I’d better focus on the road.
Zachary: SO YOU’RE TEXTING INSTEAD? Do not text me back.
I was tempted to message one last time, just so I could see his reaction, but then decided to text someone else entirely before starting the engine.
My ex.
Grace: Don’t you ever dare contact me again! I’m blocking your number.
The second I sent the message, I went ahead and did it. Why hadn’t I blocked him in the first place? Probably because our last interactions had been through lawyers, so he hadn’t called me in a long time.
I felt a cathartic release in that moment. Hell yes. This chapter in my life was more than closed. I wasn’t going to let the cloud of my failed marriage hang over me, not anymore. I had a bright future ahead of me.
And I was certain that Zachary LeBlanc was going to be part of it.