Grace parked at a meter just a bit down the road and across the street from The Inn on Main Street. She idled there with the heat warming her hands and feet while people streamed into the banquet hall for Mr. Landry's wake. She waited until the limo arrived and Jack's family disappeared into the building before she shut off the engine and anxiously crossed the street. She didn't want to be caught by Jack in the lobby if they entered at the same time.
Once inside, Grace made a beeline for the elevator. It was on the opposite side of the lobby from the banquet hall entrance. She hit the button for the third floor and listened to the sound of soft instrumental music and murmured voices that filtered out from the wake as she waited with a knot in her stomach. The elevator was taking forever so she went to look for the stairs. The longer she stood in the lobby the better the chance Jack would find her there. As far as Grace was concerned, she'd never been there and she would never tell Jack about her whirlwind trip across the country to his hometown and back in the same day. Grace was already mentally and physically exhausted but she could sleep during the five and half hour flight that would take her home, if her mind would stop spinning, that is.
Grace saw the sign for the stairs and relief loosened the coil in her gut. The door adjacent to the stairwell opened and she nearly turned and ran the other way. Grace found herself face to face with Victor of the soulful eyes and warm skin. She wasn't sure if Victor was Hispanic or possibly American Indian. What she did know was that he was an incredibly handsome, perfectly formed man.
Victor was leaving the restroom when he saw her. Grace's steps stuttered but she kept moving past the handsome man with long lashes and dark eyes that seemed to see too much. Victor didn't know her and she was happy to keep it that way. Pretending to be just another guest at the inn, Grace turned her gaze back to her goal and kept moving.
She was glad she hadn't had time to unpack anything but her funeral dress. It only took about fifteen minutes for Grace to gather up her things, stuff them back into her carry on and get back down to the lobby. After quickly checking out at the front desk Grace strode out as swiftly as possible without drawing any attention. The rain had stopped so there were a few smokers lingering on the sidewalk outside, but thankfully there was no sign of Jack.
Grace thought she was in the clear until her nemesis stepped into her path. Grace halted just before slamming into the man. That was unfair, she chided herself. Victor hadn't wronged her. She was envious of him. That didn't make him a bad guy.
"Hello, Ms. Yates," Victor said politely. Obviously Grace had been incorrect in her assumption that Victor didn't know her. Her chances of Jack never knowing she'd been there were quickly dwindling. There was no sense in pretending she didn't know exactly who he was now. Grace nodded and returned the greeting.
"Hello, Victor." She didn't know his last name so he was at a slight advantage. He'd obviously done some research.
"You look lovely." He looked her over from the French twist in her hair down to her black wrap dress and on to the length of her legs with interest.
"Uh, thank you," she replied, at a loss for what else to say to the man who had the right to stand by Jack's side.
"So tell me, did you really think you were special because Jack bent you over his car?" he sneered at her. Grace gasped.
"Excuse me?" She couldn't have heard him correctly.
"I asked if you truly believed that sweet little snatch of yours was so special that it could change a man?" he asked with no effort to keep his voice down.
"Look, I don't know what you think happened between Jack and me, but this isn't the time or place to discuss it. I came here to be a friend in his time of sorrow. Nothing more." She tried to walk around Victor. She was mortified. It was obvious that Jack had told Victor about her, though it wasn't true that he'd bent her over anything. Victor grabbed her arm and held on tight.
"He occasionally gets a taste for pussy." Victor shrugged and the vulgar word was particularly harsh coming from such beautiful mouth. "So do I, it's no big deal. I just thought you should know." He leaned over and sniffed her hair. "Maybe I should fuck you and see what the fuss is about. Would you let me fuck you over my car, sweet little Grace?"
Grace was doing her best to not a make scene but she really wanted to blast this asshole. How could he be such a crude and selfish jerk at a time like this? Grace revised her thoughts on Victor. It seemed he actually was the enemy. She would give him one more chance to act like a gentleman and let her leave quietly.
"I'm not doing this with you, Victor. Let me go. You have no reason to be jealous," she told him calmly. Sadly, it was the truth. Grace was no threat to Victor's relationship with Jack. This trip was all the solid proof she needed.
"Jealous?" Victor barked out a laugh. "Jealousy has nothing to do with it. I was trying to help you out, honey. I've seen too many girls set their heart on my Jack just to have it broken when he's done with playing with them. I have nothing to be jealous of. He always comes back to me."
"Let me go, Victor," she ordered and pulled to get free. They'd drawn the attention of the smokers and people milling about on their phones.
"Is there a problem here?" A man asked from behind them and Victor stiffened. Grace peered around Victor and had the breath knocked out of her. For a split second she thought it was Jack. Then the man's military cut hair, slightly larger build, and dress uniform sank into her brain. At the funeral she'd only seen Jack's brother, Everett, from behind. Now the resemblance between the brothers struck her momentarily speechless.
"No problem," Victor told Everett and turned his back on the man, dismissing him. Victor tugged on her arm. "I'm just escorting Ms. Yates to her car."
"I don't think the lady needs or wants your assistance, Victor." The warning was clear in Everett's tone. Victor stopped and let her go. Grace kept walking.
"Just remember, honey, one fuck means nothing." Victor fired one more shot at her back. Grace spun around and glared at him.
"Go to hell," Grace wanted to shout, but what she had to say would be best delivered calmly and without any additional drama. "Let's get a few things straight, honey," she mocked him and stepped closer so the whole street wouldn't hear her. "First off, Jack didn't bend me over his car. He held me to his chest and loved me hard, on his car." Victor's eyes widened. Maybe he didn't have the whole story after all. "Secondly, that wasn't the only time we were together." That deflated Victor's bravado a bit.
"I'm not here to have a bitch fight with you. I'm here because Jack came to me distraught over the loss of his father. I love him, Victor." Victor's mouth fell open. Everett's eyebrows rose sharply. Fuck! Why had she said that out loud? Verbalizing her feelings gave them so much more weight.
"I love him enough to put aside my own hurt feelings and drag my sorry ass across the country to be here today, even if he really didn't need me. And clearly he didn't. You have the situation well in hand. So I'm just going to leave now." Tears filled Grace's eyes. Her composure crumbled there on the sidewalk. "I'm sorry I came, because Jack deserves better than this." She sniffed and gestured between them.
Grace turned and hurried down the sidewalk toward her rental. Everett caught up with her and lifted her bag from the ground as they crossed the street and she let him do it. After opening the door she took the bag back from Everett and stuffed it in the back seat. Everett was watching her the whole time but she couldn't return his gaze. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She felt horrible for causing a scene, even if she hadn't instigated it. She slammed the back door of the compact car and opened the driver door.
This was a nightmare. Jack had been concerned about a confrontation over his sexuality. Grace had made his fears a reality. It was no wonder Everett felt the need to escort her away from the inn. The only thing she was grateful for was that Jack hadn't seen her or heard anything that transpired. She hopped in the driver's seat, turned the engine over, and rolled down the window. Everett was still standing by Grace's car watching her carefully.
"Thank you for walking me to my car," she told him and made brief eye contact. "I'm terribly sorry for what happened over there." She cleared her throat. Swallowing shame over the scene with Victor and sadness because she knew everything Victor had said was painfully true. "You won't see me again," she promised.
"Well, that's a damn shame," Everett replied. What had that meant? She looked up at Everett. He was about to say something when he was cut off.