Sara had the vaguest impression Grant was lying to her, but she couldn’t figure out why on earth he would do so. “Is everything okay, Grant? I know we don’t talk all the time, but if there’s something you need—”
“I don’t need anything.” Grant turned and ripped off some paper towels. He swiped at an invisible spot of dirt on the workbench. “What are you doing here, Sara?”
Her hand tightened on the tarp as a sudden batch of butterflies rocked her stomach. “I-I-I came to ask you for a favor.”
Don’t stutter. She took a deep breath. The rain outside pelted the roof of the garage, making the silence even louder.
“What kind of favor?” Grant asked.
He was still turned away from her, and that was almost as difficult to take as the hardness in his voice. She released her death grip on the tarp and closed the distance between them. Sara leaned on the bench. “I need someone to run the after-school program at the library, and I was hoping you would do it.”
He laughed. “Yeah, right.”
“G-G-Grant, I’m serious.”
His head jerked up, and his eyes widened. Before he could speak, she held up her hands. “Hear me out. The woman I hired quit on me suddenly, and I can’t cancel the program. It would only be temporary until I could find a replacement.”
“Forget it. Sara, I’m trained to handle MR-15s, not a bunch of five-year-olds.”
“But you’re great with kids.” She moved closer. “All of them loved you yesterday at the baseball practice.”
“That was one practice, one time. I already have a job as a SEAL. Find someone else.”
“There is no one else.” She heard the pleading note in her voice but couldn’t manage to prevent it. “Please, Grant. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need the help.”
He closed his eyes and crumpled the paper towels in his hands. Sara had no idea what he was thinking. There had been a time she could read Grant’s expressions like a book, but the military must’ve taught him how to keep his face hard.
Grant sighed. “No, Sara. I’m not the right person to help you.”
Tears pricked the back of her eyes, and Sara bit her lip to keep them back. It was time to swallow her pride. She needed to explain the entire truth, no matter how humiliating it was. Grant didn’t realize how bad the trouble was, nor did he know the library was in danger of being shut down.
“Grant—”
“It’s not going to happen, Sara.” He marched over to the other side of the garage and tossed the paper towels in the trash. “Save your breath. There’s nothing you can say that would convince me.”
His tone was caustic. Sara ducked her head, unable to keep the tears from falling. For the first time in her life, she was grateful for thick, curly hair. It provided a curtain between her and Grant.
She needed to get out of there.
Sara took a step, then another. The walk turned into a run. She raced past Grant into the
cold rain, letting it mingle on her face with her tears.
6 Grant
It took everything inside Grant to let Sara go. His heart thundered in his chest, and his hands were clammy. He wanted to race after her and take every harsh word back.
But he couldn’t. Yesterday, he’d made the vow to keep his distance. Being around Sara and Ben was too difficult and made him want things that weren’t possible. His mission was to come to town, get his mom into treatment, and then return to his SEAL team where he belonged.
Yes, it was better this way. Even if it made him a world-class jerk.
Grant listened past the rain but didn’t hear Sara’s car start. He waited. One minute stretched into three. What was she doing?
Grant spun on his heel. He went over to the standing toolbox and retrieved an umbrella. The downpour was shifting into a drizzle. His boots sloshed through the water running down the driveway to the street.
Sara was sitting in her car. Her arms were crossed over the steering wheel, her head nestled between them. Grant rapped on the window.
She jerked, then lifted her face. Grant’s gut clenched. Oh, man, she’d been crying. He’d made her cry. If Pop were here now, he’d give Grant a stern dressing down. And he’d deserve every word.
Staring out the windshield, her jaw hard, Sara lowered the window a crack. He leaned in closer. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t get my car to start.”
Fan-ta-stic. Grant’s hand tightened on the handle of the umbrella. “Pop the hood.”
Her mouth flattened into a hard line, and a muscle in her jaw clenched, but otherwise Sara didn’t move. Grant sighed. “Do you want to get out of here or not? Pop the hood.”
She reached under the dash, and the hood clicked open. Grant circled the vehicle and did a balancing act to get the hood propped up while holding the umbrella. Rainwater dripped on the back of his shirt as he examined the car.
Sara appeared at his side holding her own umbrella. Her hair was still damp from the rain, and it curled around her beautiful face. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Looks like your water pump is broken. Maybe something else as well, but I can’t be sure without doing a deeper inspection. Either way, the car isn’t going anywhere.” He straightened. “I’ll give you a lift back to the library.”
“I’m not going back to the library. At least, not right away. I have to be at the elementary school in twenty minutes to pick up Ben.” She stomped her foot, and water splashed her ankle. “Ooooo, and my sister is working at the hospital today. This is the worst day ever. Ever.”
He couldn’t agree more. “I’ll take you to pick up Ben and then to the library or anywhere else you need to go.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Why would you want to help me? You made it perfectly clear back there how you feel. In fact, there are a few, not-so-very-nice names I’d
