Grace inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t mentioned that kiss Jackson had forced on her to anyone and she didn’t want to see him again.
It turned out Hannah had lots of dresses in her closet, most of them low cut, which would show her scar. After looking through them all she decided on a long silky green one with a high neckline. She tried it on in Hannah’s bathroom and liked it. It reached her ankles and it fit well. Hannah agreed and lent her some heels to go with it. She showed Grace the dress she was wearing, a pretty pale pink silk dress with a flare at the bottom.
When Hannah was taking her home they were outside and it was getting late. Grace bumped into a rock-hard body and screamed with fright, almost dropping the dress and shoes she had in her hands.
“It’s me, Jackson,” a harsh voice said in the darkness as he steadied her by grabbing her shoulders so she wouldn’t fall. His hands were warm upon her skin and for some crazy reason she wanted to lean into him. “Jeez, are you always this jumpy, girl?” he grumbled, breaking the spell.
“Sorry,” Grace said, feeling silly. Why did she always act this way around Jackson? “I didn’t know anyone was out here.”
“I’m taking Grace home.” Hannah spoke up, opening the driver side door of her truck so the light could shine into the darkness. “I lent her a dress for this weekend’s dance. You’d better show up, too, Jack, and sober.”
“I will,” her brother promised, letting go of Grace so quickly she almost fell again. He looked at her irritably but Grace hurriedly got into the truck and closed the door before he could yell at her again. She was not in the mood for another confrontation with this man. He scared her but at the same time she was attracted to him. How crazy was that? Maybe she should see a counselor because she couldn’t even understand herself.
Chapter 4
Grace felt uneasy about the date even though she was going along with Hannah and her date, Todd. She looked in the mirror one more time. Hannah’s long emerald-green silk gown looked good on her. Her hair was behaving for once so she left it down and had applied light makeup. Flo and Bill thought it was a good idea for her to get out and meet more of Bear Creek’s residents. Grace knew they were looking at this as a sign that she was getting better. Grace wasn’t so sure about that. Why did she feel so apprehensive? They would be there, too, they assured her, along with Ida and other friends from their bingo club.
Todd and Hannah picked her up in Todd’s car and introduced Grace to his cousin, Nathan. Nathan was a handsome man in his late twenties with a friendly smile and brown hair and eyes. He opened the door for Grace to climb in the back with him and they talked casually as Todd drove to the country club.
The country club where the dance was being held stood elegantly against a backdrop of trees and green grass fields where the patrons played golf. It had a beautiful brick archway at the entrance with white lights outlining it. Hannah told them excitedly that a live band was playing after dinner. She had worked hard putting this fundraiser together and worried that it wouldn’t be successful.
They were seated at a table which had two empty seats. “My brother is supposed to be here but who knows if he’ll keep his word or not,” Hannah explained to them, sitting down next to Todd and taking a look around at all the people arriving. “I am so glad so many people are showing up. This will really help the shelter out.”
Suddenly Hannah got an angry look on her face and Grace turned to see who she was looking at. “I can’t belie
ve Kelly had the nerve to show up with Eddie. Now I hope Jackson skips out on tonight. He doesn’t need to see that scheming witch and her boyfriend.”
Kelly was walking in on the arm of Eddie Lewis. She was dressed in a short, tight black dress that looked like it had been painted on her. She scowled at Grace and Hannah as she walked by. Hannah gave Kelly a dirty look back and Grace just ignored her.
Grace felt her stomach tighten up at the thought of Jackson showing up. He made her feel so jumpy. A few minutes later he showed up with his date. He looked very handsome in his dark black suit and black cowboy hat. Grace tried not to look into his eyes. It hurt to see his disapproval of her in his eyes. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t like her or why she even cared.
“Hello, everyone, sorry I am late.” Jackson’s deep voice startled her out of her thoughts of him. He was standing by the table with a tall, thin blonde woman dressed in a red evening gown clinging to his arm. “This is my date, Nancy Peters. Nancy this is my sister, Hannah, and her friends, Todd, Grace, and Nathan.”
They sat down and dinner started. It was a buffet-style dinner from a popular restaurant, but Grace only picked at her dinner. Her stomach was tied in knots from tension. Grace felt awkward and tongue tied but she did her best not to pay attention to Jackson. Hannah and Todd sat close together, talking softly with each other. Grace was glad Hannah seemed to be hitting it off with Todd but she wished she hadn’t come tonight. Grace turned toward Nathan and asked him about his job, trying her best to ignore Jackson’s glares. Why wasn’t he paying attention to his date instead of glaring at her?
After dinner was over, the band began to play and drinks were served. The lights were dimmed low and the dancing started. Grace didn’t drink but Nathan was, which made her feel nervous. The smell of liquor reminded her of James breathing in her face as he attacked her. Grace excused herself for a moment and sat with Flo and Bill at their table. She said hello to Ida and met some of their other friends from bingo, chatting with them. When everyone started for the dance floor, she got up reluctantly to go back to her table.
Hannah and Todd were on the dance floor dancing and having a good time. Jackson was standing at the bar arguing loudly with Kelly. She wondered where Kelly’s boyfriend Eddie was. She wanted to be nowhere near those two so she went back to the table where Nathan and Jackson’s date were sitting quietly and looking bored.
“Let’s dance,” Nathan said, pulling her by the hand before she could sit down and leading her out to the dance floor. She had no choice but to go with him or look rude.
She danced with Nathan but she wasn’t enjoying herself. Every time he leaned toward her she could smell the liquor on his breath. As soon as the song ended she excused herself. She went outside to get some fresh air. The hot stuffy air of the ballroom was giving her a headache and she wished she hadn’t come tonight. Dating again was obviously going to be harder than she thought.
Grace hadn’t realized that Nathan had followed her. She was startled when Nathan put his hand on her shoulder and she turned toward him with a surprised look on her face.
“Did I tell you how good you look?” he asked, slurring his words and smiling at her.
Grace nodded. He had already told her that on the dance floor. “I need a moment alone, Nathan.” Why hadn’t she gone to the ladies’ room instead?
He ignored her and leaned in and tried to kiss her. Grace panicked and pushed him away.
“Stop it, Nathan,” she pleaded with him. “I barely know you and I am not interested in kissing you.”
“Well, let’s fix that,” he said, grabbing her by the arms and leaning toward her, despite her trying to pull away from him.
* * * *
Jackson was outside alone, leaning on the wall and trying to calm down after his bitter argument with Kelly. She had the nerve to tell him she would dump Eddie if he took her back. Apparently, Eddie boy wasn’t as free with his money as Jackson had been. How could he have been so blinded by a pretty face?