Grace ran a self-conscious hand over her dress. She’d thought she looked good when she left the house, but now… she had no idea how Addie always managed to look so put together, but she envied it.
“Hi, Gracie.” Addie kissed her cheek. “I love your hair today. God, I wish I had your curls.”
Grace laughed. “Trust me, you don’t.”
“I do.” Addison set her purse down on the table. “What should I do to help, Kira?”
“You can open the wine,” Kira said. “It’s so nice out, Connor and I thought we’d eat at the picnic table in the back yard. Grace, why don’t you and Lucas take the dishes outside and set the table.”
“Sure,” Grace said. Her best friend was not in any way subtle. She smiled at Lucas as he handed her a stack of plates. He was handsome and funny and not annoyingly bossy… why the hell couldn’t she muster any interest in him.
You know why.
An image of Gideon flickered into her head and she shut it down immediately. Maybe if she just tried harder, she would be attracted to Lucas. Yes, that’s what she needed to do... try the fuck harder.
* * *
Trying the fuck harder was not working.
Grace drank the last of her beer. Beside her, Lucas was telling everyone a story about the time his mother caught him surfing porn on the internet. She laughed and nodded in all the right places, only part of her brain engaged.
The other part was thinking about Monday and how she’d be spending the entire damn morning with Gideon. She should never have said yes to Wanda, she should have known that Wanda would rope Gideon into volunteering as well. They worked together for God’s sake and Gideon adored her. He’d do anything for her.
“Gracie?” Kira lobbed a balled-up napkin at her. “Hey, pay attention.”
“Sorry,” Grace said. “I was, um, thinking about the fundraiser thing for Wanda.”
“Gideon said he was volunteering for that too,” Kira said.
“Yeah. We’re meeting Monday to solicit donations from local businesses,” Grace said.
“Well, that sounds horrifying,” Connor said.
Grace laughed. “It kind of does.”
Lucas took a drink of beer. “I could ask my boss to make a donation, if you’d like?”
“Seriously? That would be fantastic,” Grace said. “I didn’t realize Mr. Stark was here already.”
“He hasn’t moved here yet,” Lucas said. “But I can text him in the morning. I’m sure he’ll be happy to make a donation.”
“He sent me a list of homes he wants to look at,” Kira said. “I’m going to set up some showings for him hopefully next week. I also looked into some more options for you, Lucas.”
“Perfect,” Lucas said. “Grace, I’m not heading back to New Cassel until tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to have coffee say around eleven tomorrow? I’ll have an answer for you about Stark’s donation.”
Grace glanced at Kira. Her best friend was giving her a, say yes, you dummy, look. Feeling weirdly guilty, Grace nodded. “Sure, that sounds good. Do you know where Grind My Beans is?”
“I don’t,” Lucas said.
“It’s right downtown on main street,” Connor said. “It’s easy to find.”
“Great. I’ll be there at eleven,” Lucas said.
“It’s a date!” Kira clapped her hands before smiling at Connor. “Honey, can you get Grace another beer?”
“I’m good with just the one,” Grace said. “I’m driving, remember?”
“You can stay the night,” Kira said.
“It’s been a long day. In fact, I should get going,” Grace said.
“Oh, but it’s still so early and I thought maybe we’d play cards,” Kira said. “Lucas loves Euchre, just like you do.”
“Thanks, but I’m gonna beg off,” Grace said.
“But who will be Lucas’s partner? Gracie, you have to stay. Just for one game,” Kira said.
“I’ll play a game,” Addison said.
Grace hoped the, you are a goddess and I will love you forever look, she aimed at Addison was clear.
It must have been because Addison winked at Grace before standing. “Lucas, you should know that I am a ruthless Euchre player and I expect nothing but the same from my partner.”
Lucas laughed and stood, holding out his arm for Addison to take. “I will strive not to fail you, my Euchre queen.”
* * *
Grace cursed and yanked viciously at her bra. The wires were poking, and the band was digging into her soft flesh.
“Fuck it!” She was almost home, but she absolutely couldn’t wear this hellish torture device one minute longer. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, she arched her back and stuck her hand down the back of her dress before clawing at the hooks of the bra. The car weaved into the other lane and she cursed again before steering it back to her own lane. The hooks finally released, and she moaned happily when the band loosened.
She pulled the bra straps off her arms, yanked it out from under her dress, and tossed it into the back seat just as a siren went off behind her. She jerked, her hands tightening on the steering wheel as she stared in the rear-view mirror.
“No, no, no,” she said. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
For one crazy moment, she thought about just stomping on the gas before she came to her senses. She turned off the main road onto a quiet side street, parked, and shut off the car. Maybe it wouldn’t be him, maybe it would be Ian.
Either way, get your bra on, dumbass!
It was too late. The door of the police vehicle opened, and the big body of Gideon Walker stepped out. He was wearing a pair of jeans with his shirt and police vest, and the denim clung to his thighs.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she whispered. She stared frantically at herself. The sun had set but it wasn’t very dark yet. There was more than enough light to see the way her heavy breasts pushed at the thin material of her dress. It was obvious that she was braless, and she quickly clamped her arms over her tits as Gideon stopped next to her window and leaned down.
“License and registration.”
“Gideon,” she said. “Seriously?”
He raised one eyebrow at her. “License and registration.”
She sighed in irritation and keeping one arm across her chest, she yanked her wallet from her purse and fumbled it open. She pulled out her license and handed it to him before unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching into the glove box for the registration. He took it from her and perused both as she scowled at him.
“Why did you pull me over?”
He ducked his head into the car, and she had to fight her sudden urge to lick his neck. Being arrested for sexually assaulting the sheriff wasn’t her idea of a good fucking time. He studied the interior of her car before moving back a little.
“Where are you coming from tonight?”
“Your sister’s house.”
“Were you drinking?”
“No,” she said.
He stared at her and she cleared her throat. “I had one beer, Gideon.”
“Just one?”