“What made you such a jerk?” I snapped his way. His jawline was chiseled, and the intensity in his stare made my body slightly tremble. But then, there was a moment. It was tiny, so tiny that anyone who wasn’t zooming in would’ve missed it, but I noticed. He blinked, and his eyes softened. He stepped back as if my question had stunned him. The corner of his mouth twitched, and I swore I’d never seen a man look so broken.
He knew the answer to my question. He knew exactly what made him the man he was, and that fact truly hurt him to his core.
“Jackson,” I whispered, feeling as if I’d crossed an invisible line.
“Can you do me a favor?” he growled low as his stare once again grew dark. “Can you just leave? Go run off to your mommy. I’m sure she has more lies to feed you,” he breathed out before he turned around and left, leaving chills racing down my spine. He seemed to leave that impression on me every time we went our separate ways.
I walked back through town, and when I heard the high-pitched voice of Charlotte Lawrence calling my name, I began walking faster, pretending not to hear her. Though, she stayed right on my path.
“Grace! Grace! It’s me, Charlotte!” she shouted as I listened to her heels click-clacking against the sidewalk.
With a deep breath, I paused my steps, knowing she would’ve chased me throughout the whole town for as long as it took to get my attention.
I turned around and saw Charlotte in all her glory. She graduated in the same class as Finn and had been in love with my husband for as long as I’d been. Though, she’d deny it forever and always.
She wore a yellow sundress and bright pink five-inch heels, which were her staple. I’d never seen Charlotte in any other type of shoe.
“Oh, hi, Charlotte,” I said, giving her the fakest smile.
She bent over for a minute, catching her breath. “Oh Mylanta, Grace, I didn’t think I’d catch you.”
“Well, you did.”
“I tried talking to you yesterday when I saw you going to the bookshop, but I don’t think you heard me calling your name.”
No, I did.
“Oh? I’m sorry I missed you. I actually better get going, though. I have a lot—”
Charlotte placed her hand on my shoulder, ignoring my words. “You doing okay? You know, I’ve heard some rumors floating around about Finn and you, and—”
“We’re fine,” I lied with a big, bright smile. “Finn and I are fine.” I felt somewhat bad for lying, but the last person I wanted to deal with was Charlotte Lawrence. Charlotte was the editor in chief of Chester’s newspaper and the nosiest woman in town. The newspaper read more so like a gossip column than an actual paper. She lived her life by the theme, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Plus, due to her love for my husband, she was probably doing a praise dance when the rumors started to spread.
“It’s complicated, though, right?” she asked. “People said they saw you two arguing outside Autumn’s house? Is that true?” she queried. “And did you slap him? I heard that, too.”
“Charlotte.” I sighed, my voice low.
She smiled big. “Sorry. You’re right. That’s none of my business. Lord knows marriages are hard work.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Charlotte, you’ve never been married.”
“Yes, but I can only imagine how hard it must be going through a divorce,” she echoed.
“No one said we were going through a divorce.”
“Oh? So…you’re staying together…?” she asked, crossing her arms and zooming in to see my reaction.
“You know, Charlotte, I don’t really feel comfortable talking about this with you right now.”
“Of course, I won’t pressure you to talk. But if you ever need listening ears, I’m always here for you. You know, I always envied Finn’s and your relationship. I always said if I married a man, I’d want him to be just like Finn. He treated you like a queen.”
“Yeah,” I huffed. “Something like that. Okay well, I better get—”
“Oh, Grace! I almost forgot,” she cut in, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Me and a few ladies from town get together at my parents’ house every Friday night for chitchat and empowerment. I wanted to invite you. It’s so important as a woman to feel as if you have a tribe of females behind you to help lift you up. We drink wine, discuss current events, and push one another to be our best. Why, just last week we helped coach Lacey Weeds to apply for a different spot at the newspaper. She wanted more of a role, and us girls helped her realize her worth and gave her that extra push to go after it. Of course, I had to turn down her request when she came to me at work, but at least she tried for it, which was the important part.”