Page 12 of She’s a Big Deal

Grace searched inside herself for any hint of emotion at the news that her father had been diagnosed with stomach cancer a month earlier. She was not too surprised not to find any.

“No one knows yet,” Charlie hurried to tell her. “Luckily, the doctors found it early, and he’s responding well to treatment he’s having at a clinic in New York.”

“That’s good.” Still, zero feeling.

“He asked me not to tell anyone. Chloe and the twins don’t know either. Okay?”

“Right.” Meaning she had to keep it to herself. Grace let out a sigh of frustration. “Why does everything always have to be so damn secretive in this family?”

“I struggle with it too, darling.” The strain showed on Charlie’s face. “Your father doesn’t like to show weakness, I suppose. He’s hoping to get better first, then he’ll tell everyone.”

Despite herself, Grace could relate to this way of wanting to deal with the situation. She knew she must owe her lone wolf character to her father’s genes. What had happened in her teens probably just cemented the whole thing for her.

“Now it makes more sense,” she grumbled.

“What does? ”

“Your health issue. You must be stressed out of your mind, worrying about everybody else and their secrets.”

“I’m sorry to unload onto you. I know it’s not fair—"

“Don’t even think that,” Grace interrupted. “Of course, you can unload onto me. Anything, anytime. I’m so grateful for you, Charlie. I swear, the rest of this family are all mad!”

With a chuckle, Charlie stepped forward to embrace her. “I feel even better for your magnificent assessment.”

“I hope that’s true.”

“Totally. But you know, crazy or not, I still wish we could spend Christmas together this year as a family. It’s probably silly to keep hoping that John will reach out to you someday and apologize, but…”

“Are you saying I should make the first move and contact my father?” Grace prompted when she stopped.

“No, honey.” Charlie was firm. “I would never ask that of you. What he did was wrong. And cruel. I wish things could be different, that’s all.”

◆◆◆

Olivia stood in the corner of the big event room, waiting to see if Grace Michaels would make an appearance. The Red Falls and Burlington annual business awards ceremony must be pitiful change compared to the sort she was used to. Still, it mattered to the community, and every local company was represented here tonight. Olivia had spotted Jeremy Michaels, his sister, and her husband wandering around earlier. There was no sign of the other twin, Reece, which was probably a smart move. And…

“Oli!” Olivia turned to see Charlie aiming for her with open arms and a beaming smile. “Congratulations, my darling!”

“Ah, thanks.” Olivia hugged her back, and she laughed. “To be fair, I’m the only wood-sculpting artist based in Red Falls. So, you know…”

“Doesn’t matter,” Charlie stated. “You still won.”

“I sure did. Hey, it’s good to see you. I thought you might not make it tonight.”

“I haven’t missed this event in fifteen years. It’s so fun and exciting! You know I belong to several of the town’s volunteer groups, don’t you?”

“Yes. You guys also received a commendation tonight.”

“That’s right!” Charlie nodded proudly.

“It’s great. Congratulations to you as well.”

“Thank you, my darling. Plus, I am fully recovered.”

“You do look fit and healthy again.” Olivia could not help glancing behind her, and be disappointed that Charlie seemed to be on her own.

“Are you Looking for someone?” her friend prompted with a softly knowing smile. She pointed to the side doors. She went out for a bit of fresh air.”

It briefly occurred to Olivia to ask who ‘She’ might be, but the amused glint in Charlie’s eyes told her it was already too late to play innocent. I am being as subtle as a bull in a china shop here… So, next, she found herself more or less asking for permission.

“Do you mind if I, uh…”

“You go, darling. My Grace will be glad to see you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Olivia raised her eyebrows in anticipation and a touch of wonder. She also noted the affectionate way Charlie referred to her niece. ‘My Grace’. It was sweet.

“Take the woman a drink,” Charlie advised. “Make it a stiff one.” She blew her a kiss on this puzzling comment and floated back to her mingling. “Oh, hello, sweetie! How are you?”

She was obviously one of the most popular residents of Red Falls. Olivia sneaked away unnoticed. She stopped at the bar to order a whisky, double, neat. And a regular one for herself, not as strong and with added ice. Then she made her way to one of the balconies off the busy function room. The woman she was after stood on her own at the far end. Olivia took a moment to observe her. This evening, Grace wore a black pinstriped suit tailored to her slender curves and burgundy heels, which perfectly suited her overall vibe. The effect was one of elegance, affluence, and control. However, the latter came slightly more into question when Olivia realized how tightly she was holding onto the metallic railing. And the hard set of her jaw. Grace seemed a little out of breath, too.

“Ms. Mich… Grace?” Olivia spoke softly as she stepped out of a pool of shadow and toward her. There was a brief moment, as Grace whipped her head around, in which Olivia spotted raw emotion in her fierce blue eyes, and a look of almost pain across her face. “Hey,” she started in alarm. “Are you okay?”

Grace recovered her composure so quickly that it was as if the moment had never happened. But her knuckles, white from her death grip on the railing, still gave her away. Catching Olivia looking, she shoved her hands in her suit pockets and shot her a frosty stare.

“Ms. Bianchi.” The greeting came out a little husky. And, in true character, she also ignored the question. “Congrats on your award.”

“Thanks. Charlie told me I’d find you out here. You must be freezing.”

“It’s okay.” The woman answered with a stubborn shrug as if conceding that thirty-three degrees was cold might be a sign of intolerable weakness.

“Are you alright?” Olivia insisted.

“Sure. Fine.” She sounded impatient and irritated. And at first, it looked like she may leave it at that. Then, surprisingly, she added, “A lot of people here tonight I used to know when I lived in Red Falls.”

Olivia gathered it was not a pleasant thing for her.

“A blast from the past...” She nodded in sympathy. “These aren’t always fun.”

“Never for me.” Grace exhaled, seeming to relax a bit more at this shared understanding. “You got us drinks.”

“Yes.”

Olivia handed her the stiff double and a gentle smile to go with it. She was no expert, but it occurred to her that Grace may have been fighting a rush of anxiety out there, all alone, before she joined her. It might be why Charlie had sent her after her... Or something else. Grace’s startling admission that she struggled with reminders of her past also felt like tremendous progress in their fledgling relationship. Not that she viewed the woman as a challenge to be cracked, but Olivia meant what she had told Dana: she burned to know the real Grace Michaels. The woman of flesh, blood, and emotion behind her solid protective shield. And now… Was this tantalizing brush of the fingers intentional when Grace took the drink?

“Thanks, Olivia.”

Olivia held back on a foolish grin. “You’re welcome.”

“I hope you didn’t skip dinner tonight.”

“No, I learned my lesson.”

“Good.” A healthy sip of the whisky brought color rushing back into Grace’s pale cheeks, and Olivia warmed up under her typically assessing gaze. “Hmm. You look good in these clothes.”

Right. Okay! Forget acting all cool and unaffected, as Olivia hoped to appear during this encounter. The genuine, unexpected compliment made her cough a little as she swallowed her own drink.

“Ah… I’m glad you think so.”

Shopping ranked top three on her list of things she hated doing. As well as filing her tax report and getting out of bed early in the winter. But she had done that too and braved the pre-Christmas rush to find herself a new outfit for the occasion. And put a lot of care into it, so it was great that Grace noticed. Olivia wore black ankle boots, polished to a high gloss, with a silver buckle on the side. Dark-fitted trousers with shimmering shades of dark red and purple along the thighs. And a charcoal V-neck t-shirt under a classic biker leather jacket that she hoped made her look tough. All vegan wear, of course. The new clothes had cost a small fortune, but it was worth every penny to now see such an approving and appreciative look on Grace’s face. It would be hard to impress her, Olivia knew. And she wanted to. Very much.

“Dressed up for the award, did you?”

“Yes and no, actually.” Olivia added a casual shrug, not to look too eager, even as she admitted the truth. “I wanted to look good in case I ran into you.”

Grace stared impassively, long enough to make her squirm on the inside. But then, Olivia found herself on the receiving end of one of her blazing smiles. These were both rare and gorgeous enough to make her heart skip a beat.

“You’re shaking. Is that because I complimented you?”

Olivia snorted, for added effect, even as she denied it. Grace was not that far off... “I’m shaking because it’s freezing cold out here.” Obviously!

“Ah.” Smiling still, with a hint of challenge now, Grace took a step closer. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Olivia stuck to her guns, even if her core temperature shot up one or two degrees at the nearness of her. She could smell her perfume again, more intoxicating than expensive whisky. They were alone on the balcony. And Grace had that irresistible look in her blue eyes. Smug, playful. Hot. Olivia badly wanted to kiss her. Surely, it would go a long way to destroying the woman’s silly preconceived ideas about her. Baby butch dyke, my ass. Olivia stared at her full red lips. Hmm… So bloody tempting to lean in and do it. Should I? Her pulse began to race at the thought of going for broke with the ever-aloof and cool Grace Michaels. But then… Yeah, I really should.

◆◆◆

Grace told herself not to encourage this sort of behavior. It was foolish. Doomed to fail. And yet… Olivia’s admission that she had dressed with her in mind had been touching; probably because it was so honest and unpretentious. It hit the mark with Grace, where more sophisticated attempts at seducing her would have been unsuccessful. Not that she was seduced, of course. But all the same, something about the woman was a little hard to ignore. She was too young; Grace admonished herself. Too butch. Definitely too sweet. But the intent look in her eyes right now also hinted at something more. Despite her claim that she was freezing cold, her smoldering brown eyes reflected plenty of heat. Olivia Bianchi always looked at her with a hint of fascination, admiration, and sizzling hunger. Without the latter, Grace would not still be standing there, tempted to engage. Hero wo rship, she could do without. But curiosity, respect, the push and pull of opposites as they slowly took the measure of each other, was difficult not to enjoy. She noticed Olivia staring at her mouth and the way she unconsciously moistened her lips. When she met her gaze and shifted slightly, Grace stared right back at her with a provoking smile. Would Olivia give in to the impulse she felt, which was easy to guess? Grace found herself wishing that she would. She was well aware that if the evening had not been so taxing for her, bringing too much of the past back into focus, she would never have sought refuge outside. When Olivia showed up on the balcony, she’d just managed to subdue a rising tide of anxiety. Now adrenalin still flooded her system. Add to that a few sips of fiery whisky and Olivia’s new look, which brought out a more mature, mysterious, and sexual side to her, and Grace could not quite remember why this might be a bad idea.