Allen Gratz Novels & Stories

And anyway, I could tell that this was the kind of battle that I just wouldn’t win. I slipped inside. When Clayton put it in drive, the van lurched, and I winced. It made a terrible sound as it drove through town, and I felt more and more embarrassed. Finally, we came to a sputtering stop outside the bar. People were definitely staring as Annabelle and I got out. I cringed, but I was surprised to see that Annabelle didn’t seem to care about the attention. Instead, she smiled and chatted to a few people she knew, talking about how nice the evening was and how good it was to be done with winter finally.

Adrenaline did the rest. When I stepped outside, Kayla was already waiting, leaning against the wall, one foot tapping. “I’m here,” I said, breathing slightly hard. Her eyes flicked to her watch. “Four minutes?” Her lips twitched. “That’s impressive. Come on. We’ll start with Rita’s, then move on to Sir Henry’s.” “Rita?” I asked, hurrying to keep up. “Which Rita?” “The one with four sons,” she said, like the answer should have been obvious.

The food got cold, and then I saw her with Joshua, walking under the streetlight. She looked at him with a softness and shine I had never seen. There was the watch on Joshua's wrist, as he bragged about it to her. Shirley would not look at me, but she said, "I gave it to Joshua for his birthday a few days ago. Don't jump to conclusions." Even though I was ready to let go, her words still stung.

"Men can be." Grace blurted up, "I know, Mom," unwilling to hear any generalization that might be forthcoming. “I have to leave.” Tomorrow is the deadline. Grace pulled herself from the call and went back to her review with a newfound resolve. She had just finished three paragraphs when Elena texted her on her phone. "How's domestic bliss with Chef Hottie? 😘" Grace gave an eye roll. "We're roommates, not newlyweds." “That does not negate how attractive he is.” "Interesting."

The other employees glanced at them, but they didn't care. The guy was an Athanian. The features on his face were sharp. He was handsome and charming. He leaned over and whispered something in Grace's ear. Grace nodded her head. Charlie was standing at the door of the office. As he looked toward the door, he saw Grace and the guy, the guy's arm on Grace’s shoulder. As the two approached, Charlie strode out. He stared at the Athanian guy with a stern gaze. He stretched out his strong arms and took Grace in his arms.

He had excellent table manners. "Mr. Fulton, I'd like to make a toast to you. Gracie doesn't have a good temper, so please be more understanding of her." Zoey lifted up her glass. She spoke with the confidence of someone who was like family to Grace. "We're friends. You don't need to stand on formalities." Xander lowered his glass and looked at Grace. "She has a pretty good temper." Everyone immediately started teasing them. Grace blushed. "Mr. Fulton moves fast! Somehow, he managed to win our Gracie over. Got any tips?" Emily was on the lookout for gossip.

To him, the world had gone utterly silent—there was only her smile, her fire, her. Jack’s wife practically squealed, “That was badass! She’s incredible!” Liam blinked. “Wait… Grace actually won?” Raphael gave him a look, prompting a hasty correction: “I mean—damn, didn’t know Grace was that good.” Some people turned to comfort Heidi: “You weren’t riding your own horse today. Totally understandable.” But Heidi just said coolly, “A loss is a loss. No excuses.”

, He added in a concerned tone. . “Beautiful woman?”, Grace laughed lightly. “I am not beautiful, Sir. And answering your questions, no, I don’t return home this late. Moreover, no one in this town will try to mess with him after all I am a state level Martial Art Champion.”, She answered and giggled, thinking how anyone could say that she was beautiful. In her eyes, she was nothing but just a plain and simple girl. . “Your smile is pretty!”, Zayden spoke for the first time before he could control his tongue. Grace’s eyes almost popped out at his blunt comment.

At least he thought so. "Are we done here?" Granger used a clear, somewhat arrogant tone. "I hate to admit it, but I think so," Will threw the two cards he still had on the table, showing that he couldn't match Aaron's game. "Too soon, gentlemen," Elena placed the last card she had on Aaron's card, trumping it and becoming the winner of the game. She smiled subtly, just as he had done before. "This bitch is amazing," the brunette said in a loud, almost shouting tone.

CARTER'S POV I saw the photo at eleven at night while scrolling social media in bed. Couldn't sleep, was thinking about the birthday party coming up in ten days, was looking at old photos of August and James trying to memorize their faces. Then my feed refreshed and there it was. Grace at a restaurant with a man I didn't recognize. Both of them dressed up. Both of them smiling. The caption from some business account: "GRACE Founder Grace Monroe discusses potential partnership with Cross Properties CEO Ethan Cross."