The Grace Series (Book 3): Dark Grace Read Free Page A

Nate?” asked Jane.
    “Yeah, Bug?”
    She giggled at the nickname.  “Can you look for candy tomorrow?”
    He chuckled.  “I’ll try, but no promises.”
    She smiled up at him.
    “Ok, girls, time to hit the hay,” said Gus.
    “ Aww,” whined Abbey.  “Can’t we tell stories?”
    “Tomorrow, Abs,” said Nathan quietly.  “Tomorrow.”
    “I’m heading to bed too,” said Boggs as he stood. 
    I looked at him.
    “Ok.  I’ll be there in a little while.”  He nodded in acknowledgement. 
    “Boggs, mind if I head over with you and the girls?” asked Emilie.
    “Sure, no problem.”
    “Abbey, mind bunking with me?” asked Em.
    “Sure,” said Abbey.
    “I’ll get Jane settled,” offered Susan.  “Nate when you come to bed, don’t squish us.”
    Nathan winked at her.  “I’ll be there soon.”
    Gus, Nathan, and I stayed near the fire.  Nate was the only one who knew that Gus and I had explored our feelings for each other, but I don’t think he knew how far we had gone.  The shelter we had made was several yards away, and I looked back to see everyone settling in under the blue tarp as the last bits of light faded for the day.
    “If I hit the hay, you two promise to behave?” asked Nathan.
    “I’ll be right there, Nate,” I said. 
    He looked thoughtful for a moment, nodded once, and then stood and walked away.
    “Are you sure you don’t want to go with tomorrow?” I asked Gus.
    “Someone needs to stay here with you little girls,” he said, teasing me.
    I rolled my eyes.  “Oh please.  You sound like a nasty old man.”
    “Maybe I am one,” he chuckled.  “You look tired, Zoe.”
    “Ya, I am.”
    “That’s to be expected.  Morning sickness still bad?”  He spit on the ground again.  I hadn’t seen him put a new pinch of chew in his mouth.
    “Not as bad.  You know, that’s really gross.”
    “Sorry,” he said and spat again.  He seemed distant, as if conversation was somewhat forced.
    “Are you mad at me?” I asked.
    He laughed.  “Why would you ask that?
    I shrugged.  “You just seem distant.”
    “It’s just kind of hard, Zoe.”
    “What is?”
    He sighed deeply, spit the wad of chew out, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.  “Staying away, I suppose.”
    The heat ran out of my face.
    “I didn’t mean to make you feel like I was mad, though,” he continued.
    I pouted a little.
    “Maybe we should talk about it tomorrow?” he asked.
    I shrugged again.  “We’ll see.”
    “You should go to bed,” he said.
    “See, you don’t even want to be around me.”  I was starting to feel depressed.
    The fire was starting to die down, so Gus stood and added a chunk of wood to it.  We had been gathering loose pieces of fallen trees for days and had built up a pretty good supply.  When he was satisfied that it would catch easily, he walked over and sat beside me on the log, side straddling it.  We were facing the shelter.
    “Zoe,” he whispered.  “You have no idea just how much I want to be around you.”  I could feel his body heat radiating toward me. 
    The fire crackled, shooting an ember into the air just to my left.  I jumped, not expecting the tiny explosion.  Gus wrapped his arm around me and gave me a small squeeze.
    “Don’t,” I whispered.  I leaned forward, arms on my own legs, and hung my head. 
    He took his arm away, but kept his hand on my back.  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
    I wasn't sure what his apology was for exactly, and I didn’t want to ask. It hadn’t sounded like it was for placing his arm around me.  I stood and walked to the edge of the firelight, facing away from him.  I wrapped my arms around myself and looked up at the night sky.  The stars were out, shining brilliantly.  Along with the end of civilization had come an end to pollution, leaving nights like these especially crisp and clear. 
    I heard Gus step up behind me, but refused to turn to look at him.
    “Zoe , please don’t shut me out