“We aren’t. It was just fucking.” Grace grimaced. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Kira’s at home,” Connor said. “You should talk to her, Gracie.”
“I know.” Grace rubbed at the dull pain developing in her temples. “I’ll stop by after work.”
“You should go now. In fact, I’ve already talked to Grant and let him know that you’re taking a few personal days. I’ve arranged to have your shifts covered until Tuesday.”
“I don’t need to take a few days off,” Grace said. “I’m fine, Connor. I don’t want to sit in Addison’s empty apartment just thinking about how screwed up my life is.”
“I get that, but your head isn’t in the game right now. You’re our best hygienist and the cleanings you did this morning were half-assed at best. Go and see Kira. Both of you will feel better if you talk.”
She didn’t want to admit it, but Connor was right. She didn’t want to sit at home alone, but she also didn’t want to be at work forcing herself to make small talk and acting cheerful while her heart was shattered.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Don’t be. Both Grant and I understand. Go see Kira. Okay?”
“Okay. Thanks, Connor.”
* * *
“Grace?”
She stood up, smiling at the tall silver-haired vet tech standing in front of her. “Hi, Hal. How are you?”
“Good, thanks. You’re here to see Tank?”
“Yes, if I can,” she said. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s better. His heart went back into normal rhythm about two hours ago.”
“Thank God.” She took a deep breath, the relief making her jittery.
“Come on back. You can sit with him for a few minutes.”
She followed Hal through the door that led to the back of the clinic.
“You just missed the sheriff,” Hal said. “He’s been here three times already to see him.”
She didn’t reply and Hal led her into a large room. One side of the room housed smaller kennels and the other side had large runs. Tank was stretched out on a pile of blankets in one of the runs, an IV catheter still in one paw and a large white cone around his neck.
He whined happily and his tail thumped against the blankets when he saw Grace. Hank opened the door to the run. “Go on in and sit with him for a bit. Just lift this part here to undo the latch when you want to leave.”
“Thank you, Hal.” Grace sank onto her butt next to Tank. He lifted his head and she leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Hi, big guy.”
Tank’s tail thumped again, and he rested his head on her lap. The edges of the cone dug into her stomach, but she didn’t care. She rubbed the sides of his face and behind his ears as Hal left the room.
“You scared us so bad, buddy,” she said. “Don’t ever do that again.”
He snorted, and she scratched behind his ears again. “I’m not going to see much of you anymore, but it’s not because I don’t love you. I screwed up with your dad and…”
A tear fell on Tank’s cone and she wiped it away before drying her face with her sleeve. “I have to go see your Auntie Kira and try to fix what I’ve broken with her. I love you, buddy. Be good for your dad and don’t scare him like this ever again, okay?”
Thump, thump, thump.
She leaned against the wall of the kennel and placed her hand on Tank’s side just behind his front leg. The beat of his heart was slow and steady against her palm and she closed her eyes and let the tears fall.
* * *
“Hi.” Grace sat down in one of the rocking chairs on Kira’s front porch.
Kira was sitting in the other one and she reached out and took Grace’s hand. “I’m sorry, Gracie.”
Grace squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“Yeah, I do.” Kira stared at the street in front of them. “I said terrible things to you and Gideon, and I regret it. I was… surprised and angry and I said some stupid things that I didn’t mean.”
“I know,” Grace said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how I really felt about Gideon, but I was worried that…”
“That I would react like a spoiled brat?” Kira huffed out a laugh. “I certainly fulfilled that prophecy, didn’t I?”
“You were taken off guard and -”
“Don’t,” Kira said. “Don’t make excuses for my behaviour. I’m not. I was a total bitch and I’m sorry and I love you.”
“I love you too, Kira.” Grace took the tissue Kira handed to her and wiped at her streaming eyes.
“Seeing you cry is awful,” Kira said with a heavy sigh. “You never cry and now I’m making you cry and I’m the worst fucking friend in the world.”
“You’re not, honey.”
“Just to be clear,” Kira shifted in her chair until she was facing Grace, “I don’t think what you’re doing is wrong. I was surprised because I honestly believed you thought of each other like siblings, but I reacted with anger because I was hurt that you guys kept your feelings for each other a secret from me.”
“So, why aren’t you still angry?” Grace said. “What changed?”
Kira pushed on the porch with her toe, setting her rocking chair in motion. “I got home last night, and I was super pissed. I told Connor what happened, and he told me that he knew about your crush on Gideon. Which,” she laughed, “just made me pissier. But I stormed around for a bit and ranted and raved and when I was done, Connor asked me to do one thing for him.”
“What was that?”
“He asked me to think back on the last couple of weeks. To specifically focus on you and Gideon and how you acted and behaved.”
Grace stared at their clasped hands as Kira said, “I did what he asked, and do you know what I realized?”
Grace shook her head, her throat tight and her stomach so tense her ab muscles were aching.
“You were happy,” Kira said. “Gideon was happy. Both of you were more content and relaxed then I’d seen you in… forever. You were happy because you were together.”
She squeezed Grace’s hand. “Look at me, honey.”
When Grace raised her head, Kira smiled at her. “You make each other happy and that’s all I care about. You love him and he loves you and you should be together. I’m glad you’re together. I mean that.”
“Thanks, Kira. Have you talked to Gideon?”
“No. He’s not returning my texts or my calls. He’s avoiding me and I don’t blame him. I was awful to you guys last night. I called the clinic and they said Tank was doing much better. They wouldn’t give me any details, just that he was better.”
“He is. His heart rate is back to normal and he’s doing well after the surgery. They said he’ll probably go home tomorrow night. I stopped at the clinic before I came here and sat with him for a while.”
“Thank God,” Kira said. “I’m going to go over in a bit and see him. Why aren’t you at work?”