The Rhythm of My Heart (15 page)

“Good evening, everyone.”

“Shit,” Cole mutters under his breath.

I turn in time to see long blonde hair and a fake-ass smile enter the room. When Miranda’s gaze meets mine, her eyes subtly widen and her smile becomes somewhat devious.
What the hell is she doing here?

“Olivia. April. How lovely to see you. It’s been such a long time.”

“Not long enough,” April mumbles, in a barely audible voice.

“Hello, Miranda.” Olivia greets her, and then sends a scathing look at her husband, while Miranda turns to Cole and Sam.

“It’s so good to catch up outside hospital, don’t you think? We haven’t done that in a while.”

“Why are you here, Miranda?” Cole snaps.

“I invited her, Cole,” his father interrupts. “So you’ll be polite to our guest.”

While Cole and April look like their mother, the resemblance to his father is strong as well. It’s there in the chiseled jaw line, the strong shoulders, the tall, slim, build and the air of confidence they carry. The Tierney family has exceptional genes in the looks department.

Taking his wife in his arms with a look that says she means everything to him, Mr. Tierney kisses her sweetly. He then kisses April and man hugs both Cole and Sam. Mr. Tierney turns to me, hand extended. “Now, you must be Grace. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I reach out and shake his hand somewhat awkwardly. “Nice to meet you too, Dr. Tierney. Thank you for having me in your home.”

“Please call me John,” he smiles.

“John,” I repeat.

A strange silence descends over the room. My eyes are flitting around at all the faces with their emotions on display; Cole looks annoyed, as do Sam and April. John seems oblivious to the tension. Olivia is glaring at her husband, and Miranda, the bitch that she is, has a huge, smug grin on her face.

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve attended a Tierney family dinner,” she announces while looking directly at me.
What the hell does that mean?

Ignoring Miranda, Olivia starts giving out directions. “April please set another place for Miranda; the rest of you can go take a seat.” Just as she’s about to walk away, Olivia turns. “John… You can help bring the food to the table.”
I think Dr. Tierney is about to find himself in a big pile of trouble.

Ushering me into the dining room, Cole pulls out my chair and places a kiss on my head, and then takes the seat beside me. Sam sits across from Cole while Miranda stands waiting behind her seat. “Well… Did you boys forget your manners?” she purrs.

“Nope. We’re good.” Sam snidely replies, and I hold back a chuckle as Miranda huffs and pulls out her own chair across from me. Olivia and John enter the dining room followed by April, and they set all the dishes on the table. I haven’t known Olivia Tierney long but I can tell she isn’t impressed by the unexpected dinner guest.

The food looks amazing and the aroma has my mouth watering in anticipation. “It smells incredible, Mom,” Cole praises.

“Thank you, darling.”

The dishes start being passed around the table with soft mutterings from everyone and then John speaks, “So Grace, what do you do for a living, again?”

Spooning some green beans on to my plate, I reply, “I’m the office manager for my father’s auto repair shop and my best friend’s florist shop.”

“Cole said that you also care for your niece a few days a week,” Olivia puts in.

I nod. “Yes, that’s right. I watch Ruby two days a week and work at the garage three days.” Cole places his hand on my knee and squeezes it under the table. When I glance at him, he smiles in reassurance.

“So you don’t have a full-time job?” Miranda snottily asks.

I lift my eyes from my plate and stare at her for a second. “Between both businesses, yes, I do work full-time.”

“But it’s not a real job,” she retorts.

“Jesus. Here we go.” I hear from Sam’s direction.

“How is it not a real job?” I enquire. The table is fairly quiet.

“Well, I mean it’s not like it would be hard to manage a little repair shop. I’m sure if you went to college, you’d be able to improve yourself a bit and find a career with meaning.”

“Miranda,” April snaps.

My mouth drops open in utter disbelief. I take a breath and try to calm my rising anger.

“Grace actually went to Berkley with a full scholarship, Dad. She majored in finance. From what her father tells me, since Grace took over the garage’s management, the place is almost tripled its profitability and is booked out weeks in advance,” Cole states, while looking at me with an emotion in the depths of his eyes that I can’t quite name.

“Well, that’s impressive, Grace. Berkley is a damn fine school. Did you not want to pursue a career in the finance sector?” John enquires.

“My family needed me after I graduated so that was the path I followed.”

“What a waste.” Miranda shakes head disdainfully. “Someone who actually had some goals and wanted that scholarship could have put it to good use, instead of you flippantly disregarding it.”

My cutlery drops to my plate with a deafening clang. “Let me fill you in on a few facts, princess,” I spit. Sam and April chuckle across the table. With piercing eyes glaring at Miranda, I continue. “Yes, I received a full scholarship to Berkley. I also graduated magna cum laude and received countless job offers from some of the biggest firms in New York. I turned them all down because my family needed me. It was my choice because if the people I loved weren’t happy and were experiencing the greatest challenges of their lives, then fancy titles and tons of money would mean absolutely nothing. Again, it was my choice. My. Choice. It doesn’t affect you in any way; so keep your snotty damn opinions to yourself.”

There’s complete silence at the table. I don’t think anyone is actually even breathing. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and when I open them again, everyone is staring at me. I’ve made an utter fool of myself and I’m completely ashamed of my behavior. I’ve probably embarrassed Cole as well. I can’t look at him. I can’t look at anyone.

Placing my napkin on the table, I push my chair back and stand, still refusing to make eye contact with anyone. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Tierney. I sincerely apologize for my outburst. It was truly a pleasure to meet you… I… I’m sorry.” I leave the table. Opening the front door and step outside taking an unsteady gulp of fresh air. I’m shaking. I certainly won’t be going anywhere right now in this state, so I sit on the front step and try to calm myself.

Who the hell does that woman thinks she is? Someone needs to take out the stick that’s been shoved up her ass, and beat her around the head to knock some sense into her.

Bothering me the most is her comment about it being a long time since she’s been to a Tierney family dinner. I want to know how she fits in with Cole’s family; not that it matters though, I doubt that I’ll ever be welcome back in their home again.
Oh, God, please don’t hate me, Cole.

Chapter 18

Cole….

No one’s moved an inch, no one except Gracie, who has walked away. I can’t believe Miranda acted like that… No, actually, I can. Once a bitch, always a bitch as the saying goes. The front door closing jolts me out of my dumbfounded stupor and I send Miranda a hard glare, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Oh, please. Don’t tell me you believe that rubbish, Cole.”

Sam stands up and throws his napkin down. “Excuse me; I’m done,” he declares and leaves the room.

“Of course I believe her. Gracie is selfless, unlike you who is just plain selfish. You need to leave, Miranda,” I state.

“Your father invited me to dinner Cole, not you,” she says, with her smug smirk.

Raising my eyebrows, I look from my dad to my mom.

“You may be the daughter of my dear friend, Miranda, but you will not be disrespectful to anyone in my home. Like Cole said, you need to leave,” Mom firmly backs me up.

With an indignant huff, Miranda stands. “Thank you for the invitation, John. I’ll see you at work. Olivia. April.” And she leaves with a haughty strut.

Mom turns to me with raised brows. “Are you just going to just sit there? Or are you going to go after that girl and bring her back to my dinner table?”

I abruptly get to my feet and head to the front door, just as I hear my mom say, “John Matthew Tierney, if you ever invite that woman into my house again, you find yourself sleeping on the couch indefinitely. Understood?” April’s chuckle reaches me as I step outside.

Sam is sitting beside Grace on the steps and I can see her shoulders are hunched and her head is hanging low. “She’s a nasty bitch, Grace. Look at the way she just pranced out of here. At least she had the sense to keep her mouth shut as she left. Just don’t let her get to you,” Sam tells her.

“It doesn’t matter, Sam. I’ve just humiliated myself in front of Cole’s parents. Great first impression I made, huh. Cole is probably mortified by my behavior.”

I move toward her. “I couldn’t be prouder of you for sticking up for yourself. She had no right to say those things to you, Gracie.”

“I’ll give you guys some time alone,” Sam says, as he places his hand on Gracie’s shoulder and squeezes it in support.

“Thanks, Sam.” Grace smiles at him and places her hand on top of his.

“Any time, darlin’,” He replies, and makes his way back inside.

I kneel on the step in front of Gracie. “I’m so sorry, Cole. That woman is infuriating. Why was she even here?” Gracie implores with sad eyes.

I sigh and pause for a moment.
How the hell do I explain Miranda?
“She’s a family friend, Gracie. Her parents are friends of my parents and you know she works with my dad.”

“Your mom doesn’t seem too fond of her.”

“She’s not. Miranda and my mom have never gotten along particularly well; however, Mom puts up with her because of her parents and because she works with my dad.”

“Oh,” is Gracie’s only response; her gaze still focused on the steps, not meeting mine.

I put my index finger under her chin to raise her face to me. “Hey, no one thinks any less of you, Gracie. I was ordered to take you back inside,” I chuckle.

“Are you sure?” I can see her anxiety and uncertainty; however, I won’t allow Miranda’s behavior to affect the rest of our dinner. Leaning forward, I cup her face and kiss her tenderly, a soft caress. Grace leans into the kiss and her tongue sweeps across my lips seeking entry, so I oblige and allow our tongues to meet with gentle flicks. Moving my hands from her cheeks down her neck, I give her a few light pecks and pull back.

“I’m absolutely positive. Come on, let’s go eat.”

Standing, I take her hand, and as I lead her back inside, I’m struck again by how fiercely and adamantly Grace protects and defends her family. Her love is profoundly deep, and anyone lucky enough to be on the receiving end has been blessed with an incredible gift.

As soon as we get back to the table, Grace starts to apologize again but mom stops her and gets up to give her a hug. “I’ll hear no more apologies from you Grace. It’s about time someone put Miranda in her place. Now take a seat while I warm your dinner and you can tell us more about that niece of yours.”

A smile appears on Gracie’s face again; she sits back down, takes my hand and squeezes it, so I pull it to my lips and place a soft kiss to her palm. Conversation picks up as if nothing happened and Miranda hadn’t even been here at all. I’m slightly annoyed at my dad for not speaking up about Miranda, but I also understand that working with her on a daily basis puts him in an awkward position.

As my family relaxes into its usual rhythm, I find myself immensely happy with how taken they seem with Grace and how perfectly she fits right in with those I care about the most.

Chapter 19

Ashley….

Spring is my absolute favorite time of year. The variety of colors and flowers available are a florist’s dream and the shop is always busy. With Gracie’s reassurance that we could afford it, I’ve taken on another staff member, so now there are three of us in the shop. Our team consists of me, Mary, who is in her early fifties (and another mother figure), and now Andy, who is a single mom with two kids in school. Andy works during school hours, which suits us both fine. Mary started working full time after her husband passed away several years ago. Then of course, Gracie is always in the background ensuring everything is running smoothly in the finance department.

I never imagined that when I first spoke to Gracie about opening my own store we would be where we are today. Flaunting My Flowers has grown beyond my wildest expectations and has become a highly profitable venture with Gracie and me as partners. Her business and finance knowledge is incredible. What she is doing with not only this shop but the garage as well, is nothing short of amazing. I still sometimes wonder what level of success she would have reached in that big finance firm where she was supposed to work; however, I know she wouldn’t change her life one little bit.