Best Friend's Ex Box Set

"Grace!" Honor shouted as she hopped up from the table and ran toward me. "You're home!"

"What's going on?" I asked hugging my sister as I tried to maintain a calm outward appearance. I could feel Adam staring at me, but I avoided his gaze as I smiled at my family.

"Adam bought Verity an iPad so that she could stay in contact with us when we go back to the city," Honor said. "He's trying to show her how to use it, but she's a little behind the tech curve."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Verity laughed as she looked down at the screen and timidly tapped something. "I'm new to the tech world, give me a little bit of a break."

"What's this ‘we’ business?" I said looking down at Honor.

"I want to go with you, Grace," she whispered. "I can't stay here. Please?"

"We'll discuss it," I said, kissing her forehead before turning my attention to Adam. "So, you brought technology to the Amish, did you?"

"I just thought it was a good idea to give her a way to communicate with you, if she needed to," Adam said looking at me and then quickly turning his attention back to the tablet. "She can keep it tucked away for emergencies."

"Aren't you the great, white savior from the big city?" I said trying not to sound bitter, but failing miserably.

"Grace, are you okay?" Verity said looking up from the tablet. "You sound mad."

"Mad? Oh no, why would I be mad?" I asked. "What reason on earth would I have to be mad?"

"Grace?" Danny signed with a concerned look on his face. Everyone in the room went silent and all eyes were on me.

"You want to tell them or should I?" I asked looking straight at Adam.

"They already know," he said quietly.

"Oh, nice, you tell my whole family what's going on before you tell me?" I shouted. "You're a real piece of work, Adam Wallace!"

"Grace, let me explain—" Adam began.

"No! I don't care what your reason is!" I shouted knowing that I was being unreasonable, but powerless to stop the flow of hurt and rage that spilled over. "You lied to me and you humiliated me! You made me think you cared about me and then you...you...how could you?"

The dam broke and I began sobbing. All the pain from the past month bubbled to the surface as I sunk to the floor and cried like a child. Verity rose from the table and came and sat with me on the floor wrapping her arms around me and rocking me as she rested her chin on the top of my head.

"There, there, it's okay, Gracie," she whispered as she stroked my hair and hummed softly. "We've all been there. You've just been so busy being strong that you didn't get your turn to grieve. It's your turn now."

Her words cut the last thread of control I'd been holding onto and I began keening as Verity rocked me gently back and forth, back and forth. No one moved a muscle as I purged my grief.

"Gone...can't believe...nothing's the same...alone," I choked out as I cried into my sister's shoulder wailing, "I want them back!"

"We all do, Gracie," Verity murmured. "We all do, but they're not coming back, so we have to make do with what we have."

"I'm so sorry," I sobbed. "I was supposed to fix everything and it's all a mess now."

"It's not nearly as much of a mess as you think it is," Verity said rubbing my back. "Adam and I have figured out a way to take care of the store and get the turbines into the community."

"What? How?" I said looking up at her through teary eyes and wiped my nose with the back of my hand.

"Eeew, Grace! That's so gross!" Honor protested as she grabbed a dishtowel from the sink and threw it at me.

"And a dish towel is less gross?" I laughed weakly as I wiped my face with the towel and blew my nose into it.

"We can bleach it or turn it into a cleaning cloth," Honor said grinning.

"Grace, we've got a plan for the store, but you're going to have to forgive Adam for his mistakes if we're going to make this work," Verity said as she patted my shoulder and stood up offering me her hand. She pulled me up off the floor and pointed to a chair as she moved to the counter and fixed me a plate of leftovers.

"What do you know about his mistakes?" I grumbled still not looking at Adam.