Granted Wishes (The Granted Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

vacation. She thanks them for the happy wishes, feeling happier than she’s been in a long time.

Chapter 3
    IT’S BEEN TWENTY MINUTES and Ben and Cassie are nowhere to be found. Her necklace starts digging into her neck. She realizes she hasn’t talked to it in a while. She often talks to her necklace as if it’s her husband and he can understand what she’s saying. While she knows others might think of it as crazy, she thinks of it as being close to the angel who stole her heart. Clasping the beautiful angel, she reads the inscription even though she knows the words by heart.
    “To the love & light of my life. You’re my angel and I love you always! Yours, A.”
    “I love you forever, Angelo. Please be with me on this trip. I love you and miss you so much.” She kisses her necklace and releases it gently to tuck it back between the V in her dress. Just then she sees Ben and Cassie exiting her car in front of the building.
    How did they get my car keys? Exiting the clear glass doors, she approaches them slowly. “Oh God, you didn’t hurt my princess, did you? You know Angelo would haunt you if you dented his princess.” Gracelynn remembered how they’d picked out princess, an orange Hyundai Accent. A color they both loved and a Hyundai, because they last longer.
    Ben laughs, grabs his stomach and snorts. Even Cassie looks at him like he has lost his marbles. “Okay, seriously, Ben what is going on? Do you need to go on this trip more than me?” Gracelynn asks, a trace of sarcasm in her voice.
    Ben now stands up tall, showing off his six foot two body and clears his throat. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a car being called princess and it struck me; you know that I’d never hurt this princess. Before you go, we have a few other things to address with you.” Gracelynn looks confused at his statement. What more could they want to tell her?
    Ben leads Gracelynn towards her car. She smiles as Ben opens her car door for her. When she’s seated, he shuts the door and looks at her, eyes filled with compassion. Cassie comes over to Ben and wraps her arms around his belly. He glances at Cassie and kisses her on the forehead, smiling.
    She winds down the window to hear what they have to say. “Gracelynn, your bags are packed and they’re in the backseat. The address of your vacation is programmed in the GPS.” He stops and gazes down at the macadam for a few seconds. When he turns back to her, his eyes peer into her soul and she’s afraid of what he’ll say next. “There is a package on the passenger seat. Please, please don’t open it until you get to your destination. It would mean a lot to me if you could keep that promise.” Ben can’t stress ‘please’ enough and Gracelynn notices the way he emphasizes it.
    Cassie leans in close to Gracelynn’s window. “Honey, we hope you can follow the wonderful rules Big Ben gave you,” she whispers. Gracelynn gasps, covering her mouth with her hands. Then she starts laughing. Cassie smacks Gracelynn’s arm through the window. “Yes, brat I said Big Ben. You and I will chat when you return. I know, I owe you for not sharing! Drive safe and be sure to text me so I know you arrived safely.”
    Gracelynn nods. “Yes, you owe me big time for keeping the secret of you and Big Ben to yourself. And no, please don’t go crazy on the specifics when we get to chat. I don’t need to know much about my boss’s junk, if you catch my drift.” This makes Cassie giggle.
    She points to Ben, and Cassie moves away from the window. “I heard you’ve been a naughty boss,” Gracelynn snickers while she watches his face turn pale. “Be good to Cassie. She deserves all the happiness in the world. Please make sure you treat her like the princess she is. If not, I’ll have your balls on a platter and you know I mean business.” Ben looks nervous and although he smiles, he obviously doesn’t feel comfortable at the threat. “You know that I’d never hurt you