Marked for Grace by K.C. Harper

Author:K.C. Harper
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781648982996
Publisher: City Owl Press

Chapter 18

Grace

Grace was dying, she was sure of it. She pulled the hair back from her shoulders to expose the skin of her neck as she tried to cool herself. The fact that Kyle’s oven was on, coupled with the number of people crammed around his dining room table meant his place was downright sweltering.

She’d worn deep burgundy dress pants paired with an ivory camisole and cardigan, and she practically tore off the latter to help. It didn’t.

“We should open the window,” Tara complained.

“Yes,” Charlotte seconded.

Grace threw her hand in the air. “I third that motion.”

Jake rose, crossed the room, and popped open said window. There was a collective sigh as the wintry air hit them. A chill chased across Grace’s sweat-slicked skin, one she welcomed because it cooled her quickly. Too quickly. She replaced her cardigan.

Ivan took a swig of his drink. “Is that a thing? To third a motion?”

She was assaulted by the savory scent of meat and spices as she chomped down on a piece of broccoli. Its buttered flavor made her mouth water as she pointed the remainder of its gnawed stem at him. “Of course, it is.”

“You can’t make it a thing just because you proclaim it’s a thing.”

“I certainly can, Singh!” God, it was nice to be surrounded by people she knew. People she didn’t have to question. To be distracted from the chaos happening in the rest of her lif—

“How are things at the hospital?” Jake asked as he strode back to his seat.

Well, crap.

“The outbreak’s gotta be making it difficult there,” Charlotte said.

Grace twisted her face in answer. How the hell else was she supposed to address that?

Tara leaned back in her chair. “The media are turning it into a firestorm.”

“They have a tendency to do that,” Grace grumbled as she twisted the rim of her drink. The condensation rolled down its side where it pooled against the wooden top of Kyle’s live edge table.

“Gracie was quarantined herself,” Noah put in. Everyone’s forks froze mid-way to their mouths. The silence that followed was deafening.

She scowled at him before releasing an awkward-as-all-get-out laugh. The last thing she wanted was her friends running for the hills. She needed everyone she had. “It was just a precaution. I’ve been cleared.” Not that she was even confident there’d been anything to clear her of.

They resumed eating.

“I’m surprised the hospital’s not calling all hands-on deck,” Ivan said.

She rolled her fork between her fingers and was about to answer, but Jake beat her to it.

“The staff need their rest, too, otherwise, mistakes are made, and this gets a whole lot worse.”

Seeing as her mouth was full, she raised her glass in agreement.

“Marshall has whatever it is,” Tara stated. “He dropped when we were on scene at a fatal cycling accident yesterday.”

“Shit,” Ivan replied.

Grace’s stomach rolled, and she leaned back in her seat. Please, don’t let it be the one I saw. “I think I drove by that,” she said, testing the waters. “Was it a woman?”

Tara nodded. “That’s the one.

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