Chapter Eighteen

Jack

I wanted to believe that everything Grace’s Grandmum said was a lie. But that combined with her tirade to Lacey, that I didn’t hear the beginning of but definitely heard the end with the job offer, and the look on Grace’s face when I left said otherwise.

Grace never wanted to get married. She told me that much. And instead of pulling away, I kept pushing forward.

All of this was a way to get back to her job in London. For me to lose the company.

Sitting in my car, I stared at the front door. She’d tried to explain. I wanted to believe her, but the whole thing about leading me on? I had trouble getting past that. Maybe if she’d told me about the job offer.

Instead of the door opening with Grace bounding toward me, a blonde siren came swishing through the back gate.

Her red nails rapped on the window.

I should have ignored her and just drove away. But I slowly rolled down the window, peering up at her wide eyes and smirk. Guilt roiled deep within my already soured gut.

“Yes?”

“Jack. You and I have history. I was shocked as hell when my cousin informed me she came here with you today. To say I wasn’t surprised when Grandmum dropped that bombshell…well, I’d be lying.”

I glanced at the house. I half expected to see Grace or her Mam in the window, watching us.

“I don’t know what game your family is playing, but I’m not here for anyone and now I’m leaving.”

She licked her lips. “My hotel isn’t far if you’re looking for a place to escape.”

I shook my head. The last thing I needed to stop the pang in my chest was her.

“Not a chance in hell, Lacey.”

She pulled a small white plastic card out of her pocket, putting it on the seat next to me. “I’m staying in the Merrion suite, Georgian Main House. Plenty of room if you want to sit, have a glass of whiskey and talk, or anything else. No strings. Just me and you reconnecting.”

I grabbed the card, holding it out to her. She put her hand on mine, shaking her head.

With Grace, I always felt a warm pulse run through me from a little touch. With Lacey, it was nothing but an icy chill that sent dread further to my gut.

“This isn’t about what happened to us in the past or anyone else. This is about you and me relieving some tension in my hotel room. If afterward you want to talk business, we can.”

I shook my head, looking toward the window instead of her watchful gaze. “So this is about the wine? I’m sorry, but—”

She squeezed my hand, her long nails digging into my palm and forcing me to look up at her. “Not wine. The other business.”

“We don’t have any other business.” I swallowed hard, knowing there was more she wanted to get at. The only reason I was still sitting there and not telling her to feck off was because I was waiting to see if anyone else left that house. Particularly the brunette beauty who I’d been spending most of my time with.

Lacey smiled, her red lips curling like a cartoon villain. “You need a wife and what would make a better story than reconnecting with your old school sweetheart? The board would accept that and probably throw us a wedding shower tomorrow.”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose, glancing behind her at the still shut front door of the house. “What’s in all of this for you?”

“What? Can’t a girl just want to connect with her ex and maybe you can help me out with a nice prenuptial agreement in the end? It would be a win-win for both of us,” she said, her lips growing more menacing the longer I looked at her.

Pulling my hand back, I opened the passenger side window and chucked the hotel key card to the street. Lacey gasped as I turned back to her.

“No. On the wine, the marriage, or anything else.”

She gawked as I rolled the window up then drove off.

I needed whiskey.

…

A half a bottle later, I started to pour myself another glass when there was a knock on my door.

I half expected it to be Grace coming to apologize and my pulse raced at the thought.

Stupid heart.

But it was Sean looking at me with a deep scowl.

“Come on in, the whiskey’s on the rocks,” I slurred, shutting the door before plopping back down on the sofa.

There was nothing warm or inviting about the house I purchased a year ago. The only furniture I had in the living room was the leather sofa that used to be Da’s and a flat screen TV on the wall. Well, that and my bar cart with a few bottles of whiskey and some glasses.

“You look like shite, man. I thought I’d see you in a compromising position with Grace, not knackered and watching the telly,” Sean said. He sat next to me, practically taking up two spots with his tree trunk legs and biceps.

“Well, Grace had other ideas about our relationship, or whatever the hell I thought we had,” I muttered, sipping my drink.

Sean crossed his arms over his chest, turning toward me. “What the feck is that supposed to mean?”

“Hey, she’s one of your best mates, surprised she didn’t tell you that she, her grandmum, and mum planned on me falling for Grace, only for her to take a job in London and leave. No inheritance clause fulfilled.”

Every word dug a knife straight into my gut. I downed the rest of my drink to make the pain go away.

“I don’t believe that bullshite for a second,” he replied, shaking his head.

I stood up, sauntering toward my bar cart. “Believe it, brother, because I just went through the whole ordeal of Granny going on and on about a ruse to get me to fall for Grace, so Seamus gets the company. That was, of course, after Grace so much as bragged about a job offer in London.”

“Nah. You know the old bird has always been out of her mind, hell her crazy hats should say that much,” Sean said. “And a job offer in London? It’s just that. An offer. She hasn’t taken anything.”

My body stilled, thinking of Grace’s eyes when she couldn’t even deny the fact she knew about what her Grandmum was saying. Or that she wasn’t going to take the offer. Was this her plan all along? Whatever she was hiding behind the sadness in those caramel-colored eyes of hers, I couldn’t tell if it was from regret or what. I just knew that I had to get away.

“Grace didn’t deny any of it, either.”

He shook his head. “Yeah like she probably denied she was in love with you and saying she never wanted to get married. We both know that’s a lie. She may have been right pissed when her parents divorced, but that was before she found you.”

“We’re not in love. I wasn’t the one who hurt her, so if you’re thinking about smashing my face, you can save it for the field.”

I grabbed another bottle and Sean immediately took it from me, setting it down.

“What the hell, man? Come into my house to take my whiskey. What’s next? Are you going to tell me how I shouldn’t listen to the ramblings of an old woman? Ignore the girl’s own protests of marriage? How even though Grace may be the best thing that ever happened to me, I’m going to throw it all away in a bottle of whiskey?”

He just stared at me.

“I’m just going to sit here, with or without you and my whiskey, and try and forget this all happened.”

I slumped down against the stiff leather material.

“And what are you going to do when you go into work on Monday to see your lovely assistant?” Sean asked, his arms thrown out to his side.

I frowned, turning the television up to drown out his words and my own thoughts.

I didn’t have an answer. The only thing I could think about was her warm eyes and red lips. And how her smart mouth was one of my favorite things in life.

“I’ll figure it out Monday.”

Sean grabbed the remote out of my hands and turned off the TV before chucking it across the room. Once it hit the wall, it broke into half a dozen pieces.

“What the feck?”

“Don’t give me some bullshite answers.”

I shook my head, my heart beating in my ears. “I’m telling you that I don’t know what the feck I’m supposed to do, okay? For once, I have no idea.”

“Do you love the company?” he asked, point blank.

I scoffed, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “Of course, you know that.”

“Do you love Grace?”

I swallowed hard, still not knowing the answer to that one.

He blew out a breath. “I don’t know how to take your silence, but I will tell you this: if you love the company and if you even remotely care about Grace and the Walsh family, you’ll do the right thing.”

I laughed, shaking my head, but there was absolutely no humor in my voice or thoughts. “And what exactly is the right thing?”

“I guess you’ll know on Monday, won’t you?”