“I’m so sorry that happened, Jackson, I really am, but I don’t see why you and your father are so against my family. We weren’t the ones storming your place.” We hadn’t done a thing to the two. We took no part in the malice they received.

“Come on, you can’t be that stupid,” he said, seeming somewhat disappointed in my lack of understanding. “We all know who runs this town. Your family are the royals of Chester.”

“So…? They still weren’t the ones attacking you.”

He clasped his hands behind his neck and cocked an eyebrow. “Listen, princess, if your father or mother would’ve stood up in the church and said, ‘Stop,’ it would’ve all come to an end. They could’ve shown compassion for my father, who obviously wasn’t doing well, but they stayed quiet. They never spoke up for him. Or me.”

My stomach ached. “Why don’t you guys just leave? Why stay in a town that makes you feel so unwelcomed?”

He glanced back toward the shop where his father was still wandering around wasted, arguing with Alex and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “We got our reasons, and we ain’t gotta explain shit to no one,” he muttered. “Especially to a Harris.”

“Are you always this hard?”

He shut his eyes, and his bottom lip twitched a bit. “Yes.”

“If I hated this town as much as you two did, I’d move on.”

“To what? This is the only damn home we got.” He shifted his feet around. I saw the debate in him as he battled with himself about whether to open up to me or stay shut down. “I went to her, ya know—your mother,” he told me, his voice cold as stone.

“What?”

“I was sixteen when I went to your house. I remember it like it was yesterday. I knocked on the door and spoke to your mother, asking her for help. It was right after some assholes jumped me and beat the shit out of me as I was going to get groceries.”

“What did my mom say?”

“My dad made his choices; therefore, the townspeople are allowed to make theirs, too. She said she didn’t owe us a thing.”

No…that’s impossible.

“You’re lying. I know my mother can be hard sometimes, but she’s not evil. She wouldn’t say that. She’d never turn her back on someone like that,” I swore to him. “Especially not on a kid.”

“Whatever you say, princess. You keep believing in that precious queen of yours,” he barked. “I shouldn’t have expected you to understand shit, based on the people who raised you.”

“What made you such a jerk?” I snapped his way. His jawline was chiseled, and the intensity in his stare made my body slightly tremble. But then, there was a moment. It was tiny, so tiny that anyone who wasn’t zooming in would’ve missed it, but I noticed. He blinked, and his eyes softened. He stepped back as if my question had stunned him. The corner of his mouth twitched, and I swore I’d never seen a man look so broken.

He knew the answer to my question. He knew exactly what made him the man he was, and that fact truly hurt him to his core.

“Jackson,” I whispered, feeling as if I’d crossed an invisible line.

“Can you do me a favor?” he growled low as his stare once again grew dark. “Can you just leave? Go run off to your mommy. I’m sure she has more lies to feed you,” he breathed out before he turned around and left, leaving chills racing down my spine. He seemed to leave that impression on me every time we went our separate ways.

I walked back through town, and when I heard the high-pitched voice of Charlotte Lawrence calling my name, I began walking faster, pretending not to hear her. Though, she stayed right on my path.

“Grace! Grace! It’s me, Charlotte!” she shouted as I listened to her heels click-clacking against the sidewalk.

With a deep breath, I paused my steps, knowing she would’ve chased me throughout the whole town for as long as it took to get my attention.

I turned around and saw Charlotte in all her glory. She graduated in the same class as Finn and had been in love with my husband for as long as I’d been. Though, she’d deny it forever and always.

She wore a yellow sundress and bright pink five-inch heels, which were her staple. I’d never seen Charlotte in any other type of shoe.

“Oh, hi, Charlotte,” I said, giving her the fakest smile.

She bent over for a minute, catching her breath. “Oh Mylanta, Grace, I didn’t think I’d catch you.”

“Well, you did.”

“I tried talking to you yesterday when I saw you going to the bookshop, but I don’t think you heard me calling your name.”

No, I did.

“Oh? I’m sorry I missed you. I actually better get going, though. I have a lot—”

Charlotte placed her hand on my shoulder, ignoring my words. “You doing okay? You know, I’ve heard some rumors floating around about Finn and you, and—”

“We’re fine,” I lied with a big, bright smile. “Finn and I are fine.” I felt somewhat bad for lying, but the last person I wanted to deal with was Charlotte Lawrence. Charlotte was the editor in chief of Chester’s newspaper and the nosiest woman in town. The newspaper read more so like a gossip column than an actual paper. She lived her life by the theme, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Plus, due to her love for my husband, she was probably doing a praise dance when the rumors started to spread.

“It’s complicated, though, right?” she asked. “People said they saw you two arguing outside Autumn’s house? Is that true?” she queried. “And did you slap him? I heard that, too.”

“Charlotte.” I sighed, my voice low.

She smiled big. “Sorry. You’re right. That’s none of my business. Lord knows marriages are hard work.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Charlotte, you’ve never been married.”

“Yes, but I can only imagine how hard it must be going through a divorce,” she echoed.

“No one said we were going through a divorce.”

“Oh? So…you’re staying together…?” she asked, crossing her arms and zooming in to see my reaction.

“You know, Charlotte, I don’t really feel comfortable talking about this with you right now.”

“Of course, I won’t pressure you to talk. But if you ever need listening ears, I’m always here for you. You know, I always envied Finn’s and your relationship. I always said if I married a man, I’d want him to be just like Finn. He treated you like a queen.”

“Yeah,” I huffed. “Something like that. Okay well, I better get—”

“Oh, Grace! I almost forgot,” she cut in, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Me and a few ladies from town get together at my parents’ house every Friday night for chitchat and empowerment. I wanted to invite you. It’s so important as a woman to feel as if you have a tribe of females behind you to help lift you up. We drink wine, discuss current events, and push one another to be our best. Why, just last week we helped coach Lacey Weeds to apply for a different spot at the newspaper. She wanted more of a role, and us girls helped her realize her worth and gave her that extra push to go after it. Of course, I had to turn down her request when she came to me at work, but at least she tried for it, which was the important part.”

“You told her to go for a job position, and then told her she couldn’t have it when she came to you?”

Charlotte pursed her lips together. “Yes, bless her heart, she just wasn’t a right fit. But now she can try again next year.” Wow. What a gem Charlotte was. “Anyway, I’m sure we could help you, and we’d love your help inspiring each other.”

“I’m actually busy that day, and—”

“Really? Because your mom said you were free and you’d definitely be there. It’s at seven p.m., and I put you down for a dessert. I hope that’s fine. Okay, Grace, I gotta run! See you Friday!” She blew kisses my way and hurried away before I could even disagree.

I guessed I needed to find a brownie recipe sooner than later.

11

Jackson

Grace gave her time and energy to any and everyone in town without any thought to it. I’d seen different nosy individuals who thought it was their job to butt into her personal life stopping her all the time. Yet instead of telling them to fuck off as she should’ve, she smiled, stood tall, and responded to their questions with such elegance.

It was sickening to watch.

They were emotionally draining her, and she was giving herself to them as if she hadn’t even cared a bit for their bluntness and disrespect.

“Well, bless your heart, Gracelyn Mae. I don’t even know what I’d do if my marriage was on the rocks. But you’re strong. I’m sure you’ll make it through. Plus, you’re not that old, so maybe you’ll find someone else. Or maybe Finn will take you back. Otherwise, there are always cats. I’m praying for you, sweetheart,” an old woman told Grace in the marketplace while Grace was simply trying to buy flowers. She’d been standing there for over ten minutes, trying to check out, but people kept butting into her time and space as though they didn’t give a damn about her feelings at all.

Once the old hag walked away, I grumbled as I brushed past Grace. “You just allow anyone to treat you like crap, huh?” I asked her.

She turned my way, and goddamn, her eyes were still beautiful. I wondered when that would go away.

She blinked once. “What are you talking about?”