The Presence of Grace (Love and Loss Book 2)

“I expect a full report tomorrow. And not just a report about the conversation, although that’s important. I put in my best friend time today, doled out my best advice, and I require compensation in the form of sexy details.”


“Sexy details? What kind of details are you looking for?”

“General girl talk. Length. Girth. Stamina.”

“I’m not talking to you about his girth.” I couldn’t even say the word without blushing.

“Fine. Be that way.”

I sighed, then smiled.

“Thanks for being an awesome friend, Shel.”

“Takes one to know one,” she said, winking, making me smile even wider.




Work was uneventful, but for the first time all summer I found myself irritated with the bar scene. The tips were good and it helped bridge the gap between the end of one school year and the beginning of another, but there were only so many ways you could tell drunken twentysomethings that you weren’t interested in going home with them. Also, the guys who ordered drinks with sexual titles always seemed to think that if you heard them say those words, you would magically fall into bed with them. If I never heard another man order a Sex on the Beach or a Buttery Nipple, it would be too soon.

Halfway through my shift, the bar was packed. The music was loud and the people were rude, and even though it was no different than any other night, it all just rubbed me the wrong way. Next summer I needed to consider finding something different.

A loud crash at the front door caught my attention and I turned to see what was happening, but all I saw was Randy wrestling someone out the door. I shook my head. Randy didn’t have to throw someone out every night, but it happened more often than I’d imagined it would. A woman at the end of my bar caught my attention when she waved at me, signaling she wanted to order a drink. I wiped the bar on my way down to her, and then got back to work.

An hour later, Randy appeared at my bar.

“Hey, Grace. Time for break.”

“Okay,” I said, my head tilting with my confusion. Randy was never the one to send me to break.

“Let me walk you back to the break room.”

Nodding, I followed him down the darkened hallway. When we stepped into the small break room he turned around to face me.

“Earlier I had to throw a guy out of the bar.”

“Yeah, I saw that. Was he causing problems?”

“It was the guy who attacked you out back a few weeks ago.”

His words made all the hair on my arms stand up and my heart plummet to the bottom of my lungs.

“What?”

“Yeah. I saw him a few seconds after he got in, and I grabbed him like that.” He said the words with a snap of his fingers. “I don’t care if you pressed charges or not, he’s not allowed in this bar. But I wanted to let you know he came back. I can’t be sure he would have bothered you, but I wasn’t willing to take the chance.”

“Thanks, Randy. I appreciate it.” My stomach was rolling and I was suddenly queasy.

“Did you end up filing a restraining order?”

I shook my head. “I guess I figured I didn’t need to.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

“Yeah. I think you might be right.”

“You okay to stay and finish your shift? You can leave if you need to.”

“No, I’m all right. I just need a few minutes.”

Randy nodded. “You let me know if you need anything, and I’m walking you out to your car tonight after shift.”

“You always walk me to my car after shift.”

“Damn straight,” he said, giving me a friendly wink.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime, darlin’.”



By the time my shift was over, I was exhausted and just wanted to curl up and go to sleep. But I knew I wanted to curl up and fall asleep with Devon’s arms around me, so I mustered up the courage to drive to his house, even though I knew we’d have to talk about everything roaming around in my head.

As usual, Devon’s door was unlocked so I let myself in quietly, locking it behind me. He always left the light over the stove on for me, but it was still a dark walk back to his bedroom. On the way, I peeked into Jax’s room, noting the nightlight was still on, which was good because if he woke up in the middle of the night and it was off, he’d panic. When I passed Ruby’s door I opened it just a crack and watched her for a moment, looking for the silent rise and fall of her chest.

Convinced both the kids were good for the night, I made my way to the end of the hall where Devon’s door was. When I pushed it open a wave of humidity rolled over me and I saw him sitting on the edge of his bed.

“Kids good?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah.” I returned his smile then placed my purse on the chair by the window. “Why is it so steamy in here?”

“I drew you a bath.”

“You drew me a bath?” I asked, laughing at his choice of words.

“Yeah. It won’t sound so funny when you’re soaking in the hot water with a glass of wine.”

Anie Michaels's books