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“I wouldn’t say that,” she murmured.

“You’re a fighter. That makes you a winner in my book.”

“That’s an interesting way of looking at things.”

I kissed her forehead and then her temple. “You’re very strong, Grace, and I admire that about you. But we don’t have to go out to the festival if you don’t want to.”

“No! I refuse to cower and not do the things I enjoy just because someone could decide to walk up to me and be rude. I can handle anyone.” Her shoulders slumped. “I wish my parents would understand that as well. They keep to themselves.”

I frowned. “But you said your father reimbursed people.”

“He did. I thought that once that happened, the family would be in the clear. If not forgiven, at least no longer shunned. But I think some people just feel angry because they were fooled by my brothers.”

“Then let’s not waste any more time talking about that. I think it’s just going to take some time until wounds heal in the city, Grace. That’s all.”

I admired this woman with every fiber of my being: her fight, her optimism. Everything about her simply mesmerized me.

Since I never went to the festival, I didn’t know where it was, but Grace knew where everything was throughout the city.

“I actually found out because I saw some posters about it right here in the warehouse district,” she said. “Why don’t we just stay in the area?”

“Whatever makes you happy, Grace.”

Her eyes widened. “You really mean that?”

“Fuck yes. Of course I mean that. If staying in the area makes you happy, then that’s what we’ll do. If you want us to head to one of the other locations, then we can.”

She stepped in front of me, putting her arms on my shoulders. “You’re charming me more every day.”

“That’s exactly my plan,” I whispered in her ear.

She shuddered. “Oh, it’s an actual plan, huh?”

“Not really. And if we don’t get going, it’s going to end up with us in bed again.”

Grace laughed, but then we did leave her apartment. Two blocks away from her building, there was an entire street closed off to traffic for the day. It was filled with all sorts of stands that sold cheese and wine mostly, but there was plenty of other food, too—specifically seafood.

She was grinning, glancing around at every stand.

“I like how happy this place makes you.”

She looked over her shoulder. “I missed these kinds of events when I was married. My ex absolutely abhorred everything that was public. He thought it was beneath him. Then again, so did my brothers and a lot of people I went to school with.”

“Most of the people I went to school with had that exact same attitude to festivals.”

I liked that we were both different from the people we grew up with. Both our families were. Being affluent financially didn’t mean you had to be an asshole.

“All right. Well, I’m actually still full of food,” Grace said, and she actually sounded regretful.

I started to laugh.

She raised a brow. “You’re mocking me?”

“No, you’re adorable,” I told her and meant it.

“I would like to try some of that wine.” She pointed to a selection of reds at the cart in front of us.

“Want us to work our way from the lightest to the strongest one?”