Another side effect of insomnia, her usual bulletproof ability to not cry went out the window.
Kira hurried over to her and took her hands, studying Grace’s face until Grace looked away.
“Honey,” Kira squeezed her hands, “when was the last time you slept?”
“I look that bad, huh?” Grace said.
“No,” Kira said. “But you do look tired and I know you, Gracie. I can tell when you aren’t sleeping. Have you talked to your doctor? This bout of insomnia has lasted a long time.”
“I’m okay.” Grace pulled her hands free. “It’s been a rough few days, but I’ll sleep tonight.”
“Will you?” Kira said. “When was the last time you slept? I want an exact date, Gracie.”
Grace swallowed her irritation. Kira meant well but Grace didn’t want to talk about her inability to sleep. When it was this bad, even talking about her lack of sleep made her want to weep like an overtired toddler.
“Honey?” Connor, Kira’s boyfriend and Grace’s boss, walked into the kitchen. His right arm was in a cast and a sling held the cast against his chest. “Any word from your brother? Everything is ready to go.”
“He’ll be here any minute. He had to work a bit late and then stop and pick up Tank from doggy daycare.”
The front door opened and there was the clatter of nails on the hardwood floor.
“Incoming,” Kira said.
The fawn coloured Great Dane bounded into the kitchen. Tail wagging madly, he skidded to a stop next to Grace and immediately leaned against her.
She’d already braced her body for his greeting, and she patted his side as he nudged her with his big head. She petted his head and grabbed his collar when he started to move toward Connor.
“Tank, sit.”
He sat obediently and leaned his head against her hip as she stroked the length of his neck.
“I swear, after Gideon, Tank listens to you best,” Kira said. “When I tell him to sit, he doesn’t pay any attention.”
“You’re not stern enough with him.”
Gideon’s low voice sent shivers down Grace’s spine. Her body tensed, and Tank cocked his head to stare up at her. Could the dog feel her tension? Probably.
“I’m plenty stern with him,” Kira said.
Connor grinned at her. “Tank outweighs you by sixty pounds. Of course he isn’t going to listen to you.”
“Cork it, Dr. MacMillan,” Kira said.
“How’s the hand?” Gideon had moved up on her left, but Grace kept her gaze on Tank. She didn’t need to look at Gideon, she knew what he looked like.
Connor made a face. “Not healing fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.”
“It’s only been two and a half weeks,” Kira said. “You need to give it time, honey.”
“I guess. Food’s ready to go,” Connor said. “We need some napkins though.”
“Top cupboard on the left,” Kira said.
“I’ll get them.” Grace hurried forward and opened the cupboard before Connor could. She snagged the package of napkins and smiled at Connor. “I’ll carry them outside for you.”
He grimaced. “I can carry napkins, Grace.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’ll give me a chance to tell you all the juicy gossip you’ve missed at work.”
Still ignoring Gideon, she skirted around Tank and left the kitchen. Connor caught up to her in the hallway and they walked into the sunroom. “So, what’s this juicy gossip?”
She hesitated at the patio doors. “Um…”
“I knew it,” Connor said. “We work at a dental clinic, there’s no juicy gossip in a dental clinic.”
She laughed. “Dude, I work at the dental clinic. You own the dental clinic.”
He stared at his cast. “Want to hear something really pathetic? I miss the clinic. I’d kill to fill a cavity or pull a tooth. Being a dentist with just one working hand is annoying as hell.”
She squeezed his good arm. “We miss you too. Graham said he was going to talk to you about coming back part time at least. Did he?”
Connor nodded. “Yes. It’ll be all admin stuff, obviously, but at least it gives me something to do. I’m going stir-crazy at home.”
He glanced at his cast again, the regret written all over his face. Grace gave his arm another squeeze. “Hey, people make mistakes, right?”
“Yeah, but smashing my fist into Daniel’s face in a fit of jealous rage has got to be in my top three too-stupid-to-live moments.”
“Is he here tonight?” Grace scanned the yard through the patio doors but didn’t see the firefighter.
“Kira didn’t invite him.”
“Have you seen him since the fight?”
Connor shook his head. “Not really. He’s texted Kira a couple of times and called her once when he was drunk, but she’s pretty firm with him that she doesn’t want to be his friend right now.”
“He had his chance,” Grace said dismissively. “Kira had a crush on him for years and he took advantage of that. He deserves to suffer a little now. Besides, you and Kira are the perfect couple, and everyone can see how happy you make each other.”
“Speaking of crushes – there seemed to be some tension between you and Gideon,” Connor said.
She glanced at the open doorway to the sunroom. “No more than usual.”
“You sure about that?”
“I’m sure.” She wasn’t regretting confessing her crush on Gideon to Connor a few months ago – she considered him not just her boss but a friend as well – but she didn’t want to talk to him about it right now. Not with Gideon and Kira possibly overhearing, and not when she was so damn exhausted.
“Hey, you haven’t, um, mentioned my crush to Kira, right?” she said.
Connor shook his head immediately. “No. You told me that in confidence, Grace, and I won’t betray your trust. I haven’t told Kira and I’m not going to.”
“Okay. Sorry, I know you wouldn’t do that. I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said.
“Are you okay?” Connor said. “You look…”
“Awful?”
“Tired.”
“I’m good.” She opened the patio doors. “C’mon, let’s get this barbeque started.”
Chapter Two
“Okay, wait… let me see if I have this straight.” Lucas was sitting next to Kira in a purple striped lawn chair, a beer in one hand and an empty paper plate in the other.
“You and Gideon are brother and sister. Gideon is the sheriff of this second-best town. Your best friend is Grace.” Lucas winked at Grace and Gideon had to control the urge to curl his lip at the man. “Grace works as a hygienist at Connor’s dental clinic. So far so good?”
“Yep,” Kira took a swig of her cooler. “Keep going. You’re doing great.”
“Thanks. The giant scary guy with the tattoos,” Lucas pointed his beer bottle at Preacher who was sitting next to Gideon, “is Preacher. However, he is not, in fact, a man of God as his name would suggest, but a tattoo artist.”