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A breeze ruffled his hair and tugged at his jacket. “When does it start to warm up out here? It’s March. Doesn’t that mean it’s supposed to get warm and things start growing again?”

She chuckled. “It’s the beginning of March. We’ve got another month and a half at least before the temperatures get into the mid-seventies. Haven’t you ever heard of the phrase ‘in like a lion, out like a lamb’?” Grace peered at him, still enjoying her candy cane.

Riley tilted his head thoughtfully. “Sounds familiar.”

“Well, as the weather starts to warm up, the winds pick up. It’s got something to do with the pressure in the atmosphere. So it’s cold and usually rainy—and almost always blustery. I’m surprised we haven’t had much rain so far. But then I guess if the clouds were to dump anything, it would end up being a mix of snow and rain.” She glanced at him again. “Where you’re from, do you have a longer winter?”

“It’s not much different, I suppose. I’ve just noticed it feels colder because we spend so much time outdoors.” Riley pulled out his fudge from the bag and attempted to tear off a piece which ended up being harder than he thought.

Grace laughed when all he got was the tip of the corner. “I think you’re supposed to use the plastic knife she gave you.”

He frowned. “But I just want a taste.”

She shrugged. “Fine. Do it the hard way. I suppose that’s the way you prefer to do things anyway.”

Riley scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Grace lifted a shoulder, but the hint of a smile touched her lips. “You’re forgetting that I’m trained to notice things about you—learn what makes you tick and how to help you through things when you put up walls. So if I say that you’re doing something the hard way because you’re being stubborn, it would probably be in your best interest to listen to me.”

He stopped walking, forcing her to turn around and look at him. Once again, she made a good point. She hit everything on the nose with her little speech.

Grace frowned. “Great. Did I say something wrong again? I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I used to be so good at being able to phrase something in a way that—”

He closed the distance between them and placed his hand against her upper arm. “No. You didn’t say anything wrong. In fact, you’ve been nothing but honest with me since the moment I got into your truck. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t need that kind of brutal honesty sometimes. I just don’t get that with anyone else.”

“But you need compassion and—”

“No,” he drawled. “I need someone to be straight with me and tell me when I need to redirect my actions in another way.” The way she was looking at him made it clear she didn’t believe a word that had come out of his mouth. His hand squeezed her arm slightly. “I’m not referring to the PTSD. That can be tricky. But I’m dealing with it. The stuff that you’re helping me with—by being blunt—that’s something different. It’s helping me understand why I’ve been sostuck.”

The confusion in her features was adorable. She wasn’t grasping what he was trying to say. He’d been so miserable in his life.

Alone.

Stubborn.

Refusing to let anyone in.

And it had everything to do with the way he judged others or himself before they had a chance to prove he was wrong to do so. He’d been looking for love in all the wrong places. Finding a girl who would be there for him was one thing.

Finding a girl who was willing to put him in his place and point out his flaws was something else entirely.

No wonder he was so drawn to Grace. She was exactly what he’d wanted and everything he didn’t know he needed.

They stood mere inches apart as his head continued putting all the pieces together. The tension continued to grow as they stood outside of the small storefronts on this street. Then Grace looked down where he still held her arm. Before she could pull away, he released her and stepped back. He offered her an apologetic smile. “Maybe we should—”

“Do you want to get some dinner?”

He froze. To assume her offer was anything more than a dinner between friends would be dangerous, but he didn’t care. This could be the door he’d been waiting to open. All he had to do was step through it and find the happiness that waited on the other side. There was only one right answer. “Sure.”

16

Grace

Grace didn’t knowwhat had gotten into her. One second she was feeling guilty for saying the wrong thing.

Again.

The next she felt like she was being pushed by some outside entity, insisting that she needed to do something or she might miss out on something great. It was the strangest sensation.