Strange Attractions

Chapter 30

The next morning, I called Grace and she said she would come over after dropping off Meera at work.

I felt foolish for being vulnerable with him, but I pushed those thoughts aside to focus on what would happen next.

I also called my grandma to tell her the news, and it was comforting to hear her voice with a renewed sense of hope. She was still a bit distant towards me, but at least we were speaking again. It was ironic that the friend who set up the disastrous meeting was nowhere to be found, and I took all the blame in my grandma's eyes.

I debated sending Leo a message asking him to put us in touch with someone else when Grace knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in", I said as I opened the door to her beaming smile. But then her expression turned into a frown.

"What's wrong? What hurdles have we hit already?" she asked. "Should we just give up and burn the place down, run away with insurance money, create new identities, and live like the queens we are?"

"Grace, you need to stop binging those crime shows. There are no more problems, nothing bad".

"Then why do you look like you're about to burst into tears?"

I turned to the mirror behind me and checked my reflection. I looked as miserable as I felt.

"I didn't get much sleep", I lied.

"Okay", she said, sitting down and still eyeing me suspiciously. I couldn't tell if she believed my excuse.

"I was researching defence strategies and I think we should sell everything. Something called 'Crown' or something like that".

"I like that you're taking initiative, but isn't that what Vincent wants? He's not buying Crystal Clear; he's planning on changing the whole shop. Our stock will just be an inconvenience for him", she reminded me.

"Oh, right. Sorry, forget I mentioned it".

"Is there something else going on that you're not telling me?"

I got up and headed for the kitchen while she continued to stare at me.

"I'm just a little tired. I was looking up all sorts of things last night. Want some tea?"

"Yes please." The suspicion in her voice had dissipated and I felt relieved that she seemed to believe my lies.

"I actually have some news".

"You're getting engaged?" I joked.

"Easy, it's only been a few weeks", she laughed as she took her mug from me.

I retreated to the kitchen.

"What is it then?"

She could barely contain her excitement "well I was filling Meera in on everything just expecting her to give a sympathetic ear, but she did one better than that".

"Yeah? And?"

"I need a drumroll please".

I indulged her and reluctantly tapped the kitchen counter.

Her uncle is a very successful businessman, Bella. He's loaded. She asked him for help - 'White Knight Defence,' as she called it. His company is interested in buying Crystal Clear for a fair price before Vincent and his hounds of hell tear it apart".

I could feel that fuzzy feeling that starts in your nose and rises to your eyes when you're about to cry.

Grace's worried voice reverberated through the room as she got up from her seat and hurried over to me. My body shook with emotion and I could only nod, unable to find words as a few stray tears escaped my eyes. They were happy tears. Someone had thrown us a lifeline and I was going to make sure I held on tight.

After I'd calmed down, we talked it through, our excitement growing with each passing minute. I couldn't wait to kiss Meera myself, to celebrate together and bask in this newfound hope. The wine flowed freely, laughter echoed throughout the cottage, and the night seemed endless. Eventually, we decided it was getting late and Meera came to pick up Grace.

As they drove off into the night, I chuckled to myself, feeling slightly tipsy from one too many glasses of Merlot. And then it hit me - the first person I wanted to share this good news with was Leo.

"It's a bad idea... do it. Call him," my inner thoughts taunted me.

I cackled loudly at my own drunken musings before grabbing the nearly empty bottle of wine and finishing it off in one gulp. As things started to blur around me, I fumbled for my phone and clumsily pressed away.

A loud knock on the door jolted me back to reality. Assuming it was Grace who had forgotten something, I swung open the door without thinking.

"Good evening" Beau slurred, leaning against the door frame for support.

"What are you doing here, Beau?" I asked, struggling to steady myself.

His face was tinged with red, and he stuttered as he spoke. "I just... had to see you", the smell of alcohol heavy on his breath.

"Well, you've seen me", I replied, hiccupping.

"Where's your townie boyfriend?" he said dismissively, brushing past me.

"Leo is not my boyfriend", I said feeling impatient. "I don't even know if he's a friend at this point. Now shut up, Beau, and get out".

"I've missed that mouth of yours", he chuckled.

He closed the distance between us in a flash, catching me off guard. My back collided with the couch, and I instinctively pushed my arm against his chest to keep him at bay. But he only pulled me closer, one hand gently guiding me upright while the other wrapped around my waist.

A voice inside my head told me to push him away, to tell him to leave.

But before I could act on that thought, Beau's lips crashed onto mine with an intensity that took my breath away.