Chapter 17
Michael
I pushed out the back door of the pub and jogged to my SUV. I texted Grace to let her know I was on my way, then drove carefully out of the lot, mindful of the contents of the box that I’d set in the back a few minutes earlier.
I’d texted with Mercy earlier in the day and everything was ready. Now I just needed to get Grace and myself to Levi’s.
The surprise party for Grace’s birthday, which was the following day, had been my idea, but Mercy was the one who had pulled nearly everything together, from the food, to the cake from Celebration Cakes that I’d just picked up at the pub, to the gift. Although, like the party, Grace’s gift from all of us had been my suggestion, Mercy had made it happen.
I parked in front of Grace’s building, keyed in the code for the front door, then took the steps two at a time up to her apartment. I took a deep breath to settle myself then knocked on her door.
Grace opened it with a beautiful smile on her face, her eyes lit up, and my heart rate bumped right back up again.
She bounced a couple times on her toes and for a minute I let myself imagine that she was as happy to see me as I was to see her.
“Hey,” we said in unison, then both laughed as Grace stepped back and I followed her inside.
She lifted her coat off a hook near the door and I took it from her, holding it for her as she slipped into it. She’d left her hair down and she scooped it free of the coat collar as she picked up her bag.
“Mercy wouldn’t let me bring anything,” Grace told me as we walked down the stairs and out to my car. “Next time I’m going to go rogue and just bring something anyway.”
I laughed as I held her car door for her. “And believe me, whatever it is, it won’t go to waste. Between the four of us, Ace, Levi, Ry and I are almost as bad as the pub’s Friday happy hour crowd.”
I shut her door, walked around to my own side, and climbed in. As I pulled away from the curb, Grace lifted her head a little, sniffing.
“It smells good in here, like icing.”
“Occupational hazard,” I told her with a grin. When she gave me the side-eye, I confessed, “Or maybe it’s the dessert I have stashed in the back.”
She glanced in the back making me glad I’d thought ahead and put the Celebration Cakes box inside a larger one for camouflage.
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“Mm, no. I think I’ll make you wait and see.”
Grace glanced back again then straightened in her seat. “Whatever it is, if you made it, it will be amazing so I’m claiming two big pieces right now. Write that down.”
“Done,” I responded, though I obviously hadn’t written anything, as my chest filled with warmth at her compliment.
It was far from the first time someone had said something similar but coming from Grace it just hit differently.
Of course, I hadn’t made the cake – either Jo or Ellie had – but still, Grace’s compliment stood.
Our conversation turned to a few things Grace was working on with Mercy and soon we were pulling into Levi’s driveway. I let the SUV’s doors slam as first I got out, then got Grace’s door, then lifted the cake from the back, alerting the others that we’d arrived.
I felt a second of panic as Grace and I walked up to the door – what if she hated surprises? I pushed the thought away, knocked, then shoved open the door. I let Grace step in first and followed close behind her.
There was a collective “Happy birthday, Grace!” and Grace reflexively took a step back into me, bumping into my torso as I quickly held the cake box out of the way, balancing it on one hand.
She looked at my family members, then back and up at me, her upper back pressing into my chest.
“You knew about this?”
She wasn’t upset – I could tell that much – but her pretty eyes were unreadable.
“It might have been my idea,” I confessed.
A small smile bloomed on her face even as she shook her head. If we’d been alone, it would have been impossible not to drop my head the few inches required and cover her curving lips with my own.
As it was, Grace stepped away from me as she looked around the room at Mercy, Ace, Levi, and Ry smiling back at her. “You all are too much. You didn’t have to do all this.”
“All this” wasn’t that much...a few balloons, a huge bouquet of bright flowers, and a sparkly plastic crown thing that said “Birthday Girl” across the front. To look at the expression on Grace’s face, you’d have thought we’d gone all out.
As the others pulled Grace into their conversation, I headed to the kitchen to unbox the cake for later. With that done, I rejoined the party in the great room.
Once we’d all talked for a while and stuffed ourselves with the taco bar Levi had set up, Mercy got everyone’s attention.
“We can’t have a birthday party without presents so Grace, here you go.”
Mercy handed Grace a big white envelope. Grace looked up at me where I sat next to her on the couch, and I shrugged, although I knew exactly what her gift was.
All eyes were on Grace as she carefully ripped the end off the envelope and pulled out a printed image of a couch and matching chair.
She looked at Mercy, forehead wrinkled in confusion, then her eyes went wide as Mercy explained.
“We know you need a new couch and chair. We’re all chipping in to get you them for you, but you have to approve the choice, of course.”
I felt Grace stiffen and saw the sheen of moisture in her eyes as she shook her head quickly.
“It’s too much. Thank you but I can’t accept.”
“It’s probably not as much as you think, Grace,” Levi inserted gently from his chair on the other side of Grace. “Mercy has contacts who give her deals no one else gets. It doesn’t make sense for you to spend three times as much for the same thing somewhere else. We’d all like to do this for you, and I swear you’re not breaking the bank or stretching anyone’s budget here, but we won’t if you really don’t want us to.”
Grace dipped her head and swallowed, then took a breath and raised her chin again. “You make it hard to say no.”
“Levi’s good at that. It’s an oldest sibling ‘I know best’ thing, I think,” Ace said with a grin as Levi flipped him off.
After a few seconds, Grace gave in gracefully with a watery laugh. “Alright. If you really want to, I’ll let you buy me a couch and chair. And you have to promise to let me host you all at my apartment so you can try them out.”
We all promised, and the conversation picked up again. I kept an eye on Grace to make sure she really was okay, and she seemed to be.
Even when I was convinced she was alright, I continued to watch her because I had no choice. If Grace was in the room, my focus was on her.
The longer I knew her, the more wrapped up in her I was. I knew she was naturally shy and reserved – I remembered what a scared little mouse she’d been when she’d started at the pub – but here, with my family, she was warm and funny, still quiet in her own way, but joining in. She just fit, both here and with me.
I went into the kitchen to grab a drink and Levi followed me in to do the same.
“I like her,” he told me seriously. “I like her a lot.”
“Mine,” I returned mildly, and he laughed.
“No doubt about that,” he said. “No doubt at all.”
He went back into the great room and I went the other direction, through the French doors out on to the deck. It was my favorite spot in Levi’s house, nearly always quiet with an incredible view.
I drank my beer and let my mind go where it wanted to, so of course it circled around and around Grace.
It was no surprise when Mercy joined me a few minutes later. I kept my eyes on the view as she came to stand next to me.
Just like her presence, her words weren’t a surprise either.
“You’re in love with her.”
I drew in a breath, then let it out slowly.
“I’m in love with her.” I’d felt it for a while. It felt good to say it.
“Do you think maybe you should tell her?”
I huffed out a short laugh. That was Mercy – right to the point. I glanced over at her. “We haven’t even dated. She’d think I’m crazy.”
Mercy turned to face me, resting her hip against the railing, arms crossed over her chest.
“You two text or talk every day. You spend time together when your schedule isn’t insane. What do you call that?”
I turned to mirror her position. “Friendship?”
“No doubt, you two are friends. But I guarantee she’d be open to more.”
There was something about the way Mercy said that...
“Has Grace said something?” Did she say she liked me?
And why did I suddenly feel like I was in sixth grade, asking about the cute girl I had a crush on?
“If she did, I wouldn’t tell you, because that would be between me and her, but she lights up when you’re around. I can tell you that. And not in an ‘oh, Michael’s such a good friend’ way.”
Was Mercy right?
Grace had let me kiss her. She’d kissed me back.
She texted or called me first sometimes, and always, without fail, answered when I texted or called her.
She’d bought pillows and sat next to me on the floor rather than sitting in her comfortable chair alone, away from me.
She’d held my hand.
Maybe she was ready for something more.
Ace stuck his head out the door and looked around Levi’s deck. “Are we moving the party out here?”
“No.” I straightened as Mercy did the same. “Just talking about the mysteries of the universe.”
“Right.” Ace clapped me on the shoulder as I strolled past, falling into step with me. “The mysteries of something anyway. Women are way more complicated than the universe.”
Mercy poked him in the stomach as we stepped back to let her go through the door first. “Just because you can’t figure out women doesn’t mean Michael can’t.”
Ace grinned and gave her hair a tug as she went past. “Oh, I figure them out, little sister. I figure them out just fine.”
“Gross.” Mercy screwed her face up as if she’d tasted something bad. “Please do not talk to me about you and women and sex.”
Rycker, Levi, and Grace turned to look at us as we joined them in the great room.
“Who’s talking about sex?” Ry asked, looking from one of us to the other.
Ace pointed at Mercy. “She is. Michael and I were talking about the universe and suddenly Mercy’s talking about sex.”
Mercy narrowed her eyes and shot Ace a look as the rest of us laughed.
“It feels like there’s more to this story,” Levi said.
“Nope.” Mercy shook her hair back and headed for the kitchen. “No more story. Let’s have cake.”