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"Aw, honey, you don’t Let’s get out of here and get a bottle of wine and talk, all right?" She sounded almost as baffled as Grace felt and leaned in closer "Once we talk it out, you’ll see He did a stupid thing, but he was telling the truth about the important part He does care about you"

Grace opened herthe words together Sure In theory, Trick had proven in the past that he cared for her, but that didn’ther People hurt people they cared about every day Who knehat his thought process was or why he’dwas that choices ca to have to live with those consequences

And so was she

Hoas she going to be okay without hi a best friend and a lover fiveit against her tears, and she willed herself to relax before she worked herself into aher hand "He told me he wanted you to see hiive hiet past the fact that he was a player when you firstto do ho he is now"

The ice that seemed to cover her whole heart started to thaith the welcoer that cae my opinion of him was to seduce me at a party, lie to et me into bed?"

Serena winced at her quietly spoken words and shrugged "Sure Nohen you say it like that, I can see how that would be ill-advised, but I don’t think that was how he saw it"

"Most people who do so shitty to someone else don’t see it, Serena Guys who cheat always blah attention Women who beat their kids say they do it because they push their buttons It’s called rationalizing"

Unfortunately for Grace, the thawing around her heart continued thefierce She blinked back the tears clouding her vision, trying not to think about what a fool she felt like The s she’d done

It had been Trick all along Her face burned

She shoved back her chair and leaped to her feet "I’ve got to get out of here," shecompletely apart

"You can’t drive all upset like this Let rabbed her shoulder but Grace shook her off

"I can’t be around you right now I need…some time"

She bee-lined for the office and scooped up her purse with Serena hot on her heels

"Lock up I won’t be back today" She all but ran out the door, covering her

"Grace!" Serena called after her, but Grace was in flats and was in her car before Serena even

How could Trick have deceived her that way? It was so hu, but that wasn’t even the worst of it He’d betrayed her trust The one man she was so sure had her back actually didn’t, and now she didn’t have anyone She’d lost Catly lie, and now she was all alone again

Maybe that was the way she was meant to be

Noould just be her and Gandalf--the one friend ould never lie to her The one friend she could rely on

…

Trick stood on the porch with his cup of coffee watching Gandalf chase a squirrel in the rain, and he grinned That da was so slow, unless the squirrel lost use of both back legs in so stood zero chance of catching hi of coffee in his hands and glanced at his watch Grace’s note had said that she had aat work, but she’d only be a couple of hours Still, tireen sap since he’d heard the door shut earlier thather the truth before they even touched last night But then she’d co so soft and pretty, and his brain had short-circuited Then afterward, when she was lying in his arms, cheeks pink with happiness as they shared an o at I Love Lucy reruns, he couldn’t bring himself to be the one to wipe that smile off her face He h the night and, in the , as soon as they woke up, he’d sit her down and explain But she was gone