"My stupid car died," she sighed, hugging her aunt again. "And I had no cell service. I thought I was going to end up a headline in the newspaper. California transplant dies of hunger in the backwoods of Tennessee."
Fran laughed and wrapped an arm around her niece's waist, since Angry Girl was a few inches taller. "Oh, Grace, this would only happen to you, wouldn't it?"
Grace.
Those golden eyes flicked in my direction at the admission of her name, and I grinned.
"Now, Tucker Haywood, what got you involved in my beautiful niece's misfortune?" Fran asked.
I slipped my hands into my pockets and shrugged. "I just picked the right time to go for a drive, I guess. Found her on the side of the road by her car."
Fran shook her head. "Well, I don't know how to thank you, Tuck. Though I'm sure Grace already has."
The woman in question set her jaw and gave me a level, warning look.
DON’T YOU DARE, she warned, in all caps.
My grin spread, and I couldn't believe I felt this tempted to pull the tiger's tail, so to speak, after everything I’d already done.
"Of course she did," I said. "She has the manners of an angel."
She narrowed her eyes at me, color popping on her cheeks.
Fran glanced between us with a smile. "An angel, huh?" She nudged Grace. "Now that's a new one for you, sweetie."
"Do you need some help getting the car over to the Winston’s?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it. We'll give the garage a call after her daddy gets off work. He and Robert will get it settled. Thank you, Tuck."
Ahh, the last puzzle piece. Daughter of Glenn, Robert's brother, whose ex-wife and two kids moved off to California years ago. No wonder I didn't know who she was.
In the pocket of my jeans, my phone started buzzing. Not wanting to be rude, I reached in and silenced it. "Well, I'll leave you two to visit." I held Grace's eyes and nodded. "Grace, it sure was a pleasure to meet you."
She pulled in a deep breath, visibly fortifying herself. "Thank you for helping me," she said, and oh, I saw how much it pained her to pull those words out.
I nodded to both of them as I climbed back in my truck. "Welcome to Green Valley, Miss Buchanan."
Her glare made me laugh, and the two women started into the house as I shifted the truck into reverse. My phone started buzzing again, and I pulled it out of my pocket.
Magnolia.
I let out a slow breath before I answered it. "Hey there."
"So I just got the strangest phone call," her sweet voice said. "Daddy heard from Scotia who said you passed her going through town with a strange woman in your truck. She didn't have the faintest idea who it was."
"You checking up on me?" I was smiling, and she must have known it, because she let out a breathy laugh.
"No. Just curious."
"Just helping out Fran and Robert's niece. Her car broke down outside of town and she needed a ride."
"Poor thing. Well, I'm glad you could help. Are you coming over?"
I glanced in my rearview mirror, the house and the angry girl completely out of view.
"Yup. I'm on my way," I told my girlfriend.
Chapter 29 Grace
“Shouldn't we be helping them?" I asked Aunt Fran.
In unison, our heads tilted to the side while Uncle Robert and my cousin Connor unloaded suitcases out of bed of his truck. My car was safely towed to the Winston's Garage, after they'd divested the defunct automobile of all my belongings.
"Yeah," Connor said with a grunt. "Shouldn't you be helping us?"
"Hush," Aunt Fran chimed in. "She had a rough landing. No harm in having some tea and a visit while you two put those God-given muscles to use."
Before he turned back to grab another one from the truck, I caught an eye roll. When he grabbed the handle of the one holding all my books, I couldn't resist. "Lift with your legs, Connor. That's a heavy one."
The jar of tea, loaded with ice and sun-warmed flavor, hid my grin when Connor gave me a dirty look.
"Missed you too, cousin," I called out.
Aunt Fran clucked her tongue when he flipped me his middle finger. The laugh that popped from inside of me felt like it swept away the last of the foul aftertaste from the first part of my day. I shifted in the solid wood Adirondack underneath me, tucking one leg underneath the other while my brain flashed back to my ride into town.
The foul taste was back.
I didn't want to think about Tucker Ames Haywood.
In fact, just thinking his name made my body shudder. A wave of recoil from the bottom of my feet up to the tippy top of my head. But it came off like I was cold, because Aunt Fran turned to me.
"Sweetpea, it's hotter than a grave in hell out here. You're not coming down with something, are you?"
I shook my head. "Just thinking about that rough landing."
Her eyes twinkled, even though she didn't smile. "I'm just glad that Tucker drove past. He's good people."
"Is he?" I mumbled under my breath.
"Grace Bailey," she chided gently. "You weren't with him long enough to not like him. Everybody likes him."
Wanna bet? I thought. But I kept the words locked down in my throat, because the last thing I wanted was to come off as ungrateful. My dad's apartment didn't have near the space for Grady and I to be able to stay with him, even for a single night, and the kindness of people like Aunt Fran and Uncle Robert was the reason I was able to make this transcontinental switch.
Which is why Tucker was the absolute last thing I wanted to talk
