The next morning when Grace woke she was alone. She looked over at the clock but it wasn't there. The sun shining through her windows told her it was late, maybe even lunch time. She stretched letting all of last night's events run through her mind. Despite it all, she felt lighthearted.
Perhaps it is because you spent the night in the arms of the man you love? She thought.
Realizing she was hungry, she quickly dressed and headed towards lobby.
She was typing a text and was just about to send it when she stepped out of the elevator and saw Brian and Bryce standing together watching something intently.
She followed their gazes and saw Stacy being escorted towards the exit by security. Just as they reached the door Stacy turned and saw Grace. With a look that sent shivers up Grace's spine, she turned, breaking free from the guards, and charged Grace.
"You slut! You have always been a tease, you wait I'm not through with you."
Bryce calmly stepped in front of Grace, taking the attack that was meant for her, barely grabbing Stacy's fist in time to keep it from connecting with his jaw.
"You are through, Ms. Kingston." Bryce held her arm in an uncompromising grasp until security caught up with her.
The manager rushed over to Bryce as the security guards were hauling Stacy away.
"Lord Stevens, I am very sorry-"
"It's not me that needs to be apologized to, it is Dr. Winston." Grace saw the muscle in Bryce's jaw ticking.
Whether it was shock or fear she didn't know, but Bryce's over properness was giving her a case of the giggles.
"Of course, Dr. Winston, we're so sorry for any inconvenience. We'll refund the full amount of your stay." The manger was a small round balding man who was sweating bullets.
Grace peeked around Bryce. "I didn't pay for the room, Brian Alexander did." She motioned to Brian who was watching the scene unfold with a curious look.
The manager's face turned almost ashen as he looked over at Brian. She could see that the thought of another important guest being insulted was too much.
"Oooh, it looks like we missed something?" Mason said, walking up to Brian. Cassie was hot on his heels.
Grace's hands went to Bryce's hips as she buried her head in his back to smother a giggle.
She peeked up at Brian and saw his lips twitch "I don't know, I wasn't accosted like Lord Stevens." Brian rolled out the Lord part obviously far from impressed.
"Lord Stevens was accosted?" Mason asked Cassie in an aside.
"I wasn't here, don't ask me," she hissed.
"My brother was accosted?" Mason asked in his loudest and most dramatic voice.
Bryce shot him a quelling look, and Grace just held onto his sides, keeping her head buried in his back, no longer able to hold back the laughter. After a lengthy silence Grace peeked around at the hotel manager.
She thought he was going to explode. He had gone from pasty grey to bright vivid red. Grace was concerned for his health. She stepped out from behind Bryce. "It's fine, there's no need for any compensation. If it will help ease your mind, the hotel can buy my lunch in the dining room since that was where I was headed."
She immediately saw the redness leave the man's face as he gave a relieved smile. "Certainly, lunch for all of you is on the house."
"Excellent," Mason said. "I'm famished." He started to lead Cassie towards the dining room.
"Lord Steven's, may I see you in my office?" the manager asked and Bryce turned to look at Grace who gave him a warm smile. He nodded and followed the little man.
Grace turned to move to the dining room and caught Brian watching her.
"You look very pleased with yourself," Grace said warily.
"My best friend is in love with a lovely woman that I heartily approve of and who also happens to be in love with him, why wouldn't I be happy?" Brian smiled.
Grace lost all color. "Is it that obvious? For me I mean?" She turned to look over her shoulder to make sure that Bryce couldn't hear. She had been trying to play it so cool.
"Yes."
"Well, you're crazy if you think Bryce is in love with me. He's made it clear from the start that he has no interest in a permanent relationship." Grace couldn't look at him.
Brian just shook his head. "I know my friend well, and he may not know it yet, but he is head over heels in love. I bet if you tell him how you feel and are patient he'll realize it."
Grace was at a loss for words. Hope swelled, could it possibly be true?
"Come on let's eat." He put his arm around her shoulders and led her into the dining room.
*******
The rest of the day was a blur. Grace and Cassie visited Mason on set and then went shopping, where Cassie was on a roll, she even had to buy another suitcase just to fit all of her purchases. That evening they all decided to travel out to the beach for dinner. They ate at a little restaurant right on the ocean that had a great atmosphere.
All of the waitresses, in their tight t-shirts and little shorts, flirted outrageously with the men and Cassie and Grace just watched the show.
Grace was telling Brian a story about a lifeguard she knew as a teenager and how he reminded her of him when Cassie interrupted.
"Oh Grace I was talking to Lizzy today..."
Grace noticed Brian flinch and almost visibly jerk at Cassie's comment. It was odd, maybe the sound of her voice startled him. She glanced over at Cassie her eyes catching Bryce along the way. He was watching Brian very closely.
There was a strained silence as Cassie's attention was diverted by something Mason was whispering in her ear.
"What did Lizzy have to say, Cassie?" Bryce asked, his eyes never leaving Brian. Brian's attention was focused on his beer.
"Oh...um...she wanted Grace to help again with the Fosters benefit."
"Tell her thank you, but no. Lizzy and I have never gotten along." Grace shook her head.
"Now that's not true, Grace. You're being overly sensitive," Cassie insisted.
"I have to agree with Cassie, Grace. Lizzy is just protective, but now that she knows you're not after her big brothers she likes you well enough." Mason popped a French fry in his mouth.
"I'll have her call you," Cassie said before she changed the subject.
After dinner they decided that a walk on the pier would be the perfect way to end the evening. They had reached the end of the pier and were watching the night fishermen trying to catch something. Eventually, something was caught and there was a burst of activity that Mason had to be in the middle of while photos were taken by Cassie.
Brian pulled Grace aside. "I have to leave tomorrow with Bryce. There's something that we need to handle in New York."
Grace smiled up at him. "No worries, I'll hang around another day and visit some of my old haunts. Lord knows there are plenty of them."
Brian held her arms and looked into her eyes. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"So Bryce told you about last night? And you're worried because he won't be here to protect me?" Grace smiled.
Brian looked into her eyes. "Grace about what I said earlier today..."
"About Bryce being in love with me but not knowing it?" She felt her smile slip.
"Yes." Brian gave a heavy sigh.
"For once I was right?" Grace felt her heart sink, any hope she had felt left her in that moment. "It's a little high schoolish, isn't it? 'Hey Brian go ask Bryce if he likes me so that I can ask him to the dance.' You said more than you should have to both of us Brian. We had a status-quo, an understanding..."
"That I have now ruined." He nodded.
Brian grabbed her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. It took Grace by such surprise that she gasped and he deepened the kiss. When he pulled away he rested his head against hers. "It's a shame really, maybe we would have helped each other."
Grace gave a strangled laugh. She knew he had been testing, but it wasn't there. There was no spark, it was a nice enough kiss, and if she hadn't of known Bryce it probably would have been more than nice.
"Once you have had it all it is hard to settle for less. It just reminds you of all that you're missing." Cassie confirmed.
He nodded, his head rubbing against hers.
"Hey you two get, a room!" Mason hollered over his shoulder with a smirk.
Grace could feel Bryce's gaze boring into her, but she couldn't look at him as they slowly started back towards the car and then their hotel.
That was it. She, Grace Winston, was destined to be alone if a man like Brian Alexander couldn't stir her.
"Can I get a ride back with you to New York tomorrow?" There was no joy left to be had in Savannah.
Brian put his arm around her shoulders. "Sure."
*******
Grace was sitting on her bed in the oversize robe the hotel provided brushing her hair thinking about just how bleak her future looked. Maybe she should look elsewhere for a job, Los Angeles or maybe another job abroad. Clive had hinted at her returning, but would that be far enough away?
She had decided that this was the best course of action when there was a knock at the door. Startled, she debated about opening it then realizing that it was probably nothing she rose and moved to the door looking out the peephole. It was Bryce and he looked like thunder. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Bryce," she greeted.
"Where is he?" Bryce pushed past her.
"Who?"
"Brian?" Bryce walked into the bathroom.
"I assume he's in his room but I really don't know." Grace frowned.
Bryce stormed up to her grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a punishing kiss. Even with this fierceness and anger her knees went weak. This is what having the 'everything' that she and Brian had talked about was like. She gave a little sigh and leaned into him as he backed her towards the bed.
"I thought you didn't like games Grace?" It was as if he poured a bucket of ice water on her.
Grace froze, going limp. That's what he thought. She felt herself turn red, first with mortification and then with anger. Maybe she needed to make them both so mad that there was nothing but hate between them, maybe that would make it loosing him easier to bear.
"Why, did Brian's kiss make you jealous?" Grace gave him a cold smile.
"So much for just friends, Grace. How easily you lie. You've fooled everyone." Bryce's words were like bullets.
"But not you Bryce, you caught on from the beginning. You and now Brian, it doesn't matter just as long as it is a powerful and rich man. Of course faking the whole innocent thing was hard but..." she shrugged. "Brian prefers a more direct approach."
"Stacy Kingston was right, you are a slut."
Grace couldn't help the flinch, but she quickly masked it with a cold smile. "Oh come on, Bryce, let's have one more kiss for old time's sake."
She pressed her body against his as she kissed him. She felt him responding but then just as quickly as he had grabbed her he pushed her away and she landed sprawled on the bed.
"Fool you once shame on me, fool you twice shame on you," she said softly. She was about to lose it. If this is who he wanted her to be then this is who she would be, especially if it made him stop feeling guilty, and she knew he felt guilty for not being able to love her like she wanted him too. She would rather have his disdain and hate than his guilt.
Grace turned back into herself and turned off all of her emotions as she watched him fight his own emotions, his hands were clenched into fists in an attempt to keep from touching her. She watched in fascination as his face, which was normally void of emotion, had anger, desire, confusion and despair chase across it.
"What have I done?" he sounded as if the question was torn from his gut.
His guilt was back, she had to get back to the anger, the anger was better it made her cold.
"Well, if you don't want to," Grace shrugged, getting up from the bed and picking up her phone, "I'll just have to give Brian a call. He told me to if I needed anything, and I think I need something."
She started to type a message when the phone was knocked from her hand.
"Fine Grace, you win, against my better judgment..." and he pulled her into an angry and almost painful kiss as he pushed her back towards the bed.
Grace didn't fight him, she welcomed him, his anger, it spurred hers and together they rode it until all emotion was drained from both of them.
"Much better than-"
"Don't say it, Grace." He cut her off mid-sentence. "I got the point, whoever is available, right?"
"Something like that," she whispered, looking away from him.
He dressed quickly and left her room, slamming the door on the way out. She couldn't even cry there was nothing left, just a big hole where her heart had been. She crossed the room and dug his picture, the one Rainer had given her, out of her luggage and set it on the bedside table.
He had been hers, it had only been for a few days, but he had been hers.