Falling for Love by Marie Force Page B

same.” He brushed past her on his way to the stairs. In the second-floor office that used to be his father’s and was now shared by Mac and Luke, he fumbled around in the dark, feeling for the row of hooks that housed a variety of coats and jackets. His hand finally settled on a foul-weather coat that he took downstairs with him.
    Stephanie had donned the yellow coat, which was huge on her, making her look even more waifish than usual.
    “Ready?” Grant asked brusquely.
    She cut the light on the table, plunging them into inky darkness. “Ready.” As she made her way toward him, she stumbled.
    Grant reached out and somehow managed to catch her, stopping her fall.
    Her fingers tightened on his biceps, which sent a charge of desire to his groin.
    He choked back a groan.
Why
did he have to react to her every damned time she came near him?
    “Thanks,” she muttered, moving past him.
    Grant followed her out the door, locked it and nearly had himself back under control by the time he slid into the cab next to her.
     
    All the way to Mac’s, Stephanie berated herself. How could she have been so stupid as to tell Grant the whole ugly story? She never told anyone, so why pour it all out to a guy who infuriated her more than anything else? Maybe it was because sometimes the weight of her burden became too much to bear all by herself. For a brief moment, it had felt good to share it with someone else.
    As the summer drew to a close, she was still a thousand dollars short of the ten thousand she had to pay Charlie’s lawyer to keep the appeal process moving forward, but she’d come up with it somehow.
    Their only remaining hope was a new trial, and the lawyer they’d recently hired was confident they had a shot. Of course they’d heard that before and had learned not to get their hopes up. There were times, especially during the glorious summer on the island, when Stephanie wondered how she managed to find the wherewithal to press on in the midst of such a seemingly hopeless situation. But as long as Charlie was behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, Stephanie would keep up the fight. What right did she have to beautiful sunsets or crisp, clear island days while he rotted in jail?
    Prison had changed him from a sweet, gentle soul to a hardened, bitter man. She’d never rest as long as he continued to pay for trying to help free her from a nightmare.
    “You’re awfully quiet over there,” Grant said, his deep voice puncturing the silent cocoon of the truck’s cab.
    “Just thinking.”
    “About?”
    Even though it was inky dark, she glanced over at him, conjuring the image of his arresting profile. The strong jaw, the perfectly sized nose, the thick hair, those soft lips… “You won’t tell anyone about Charlie. Right?”
    “Of course not.”
    Releasing a deep breath, she said, “Good. Thanks.”
    “Listen, Stephanie—”
    “Please. I can’t talk about it anymore. I appreciate that you want to help, but there’s really nothing you can do.”
    “All I was going to say is that I’m here if you need a friend.”
    She was thankful that the overwhelming darkness hid the tears that immediately flooded her eyes. She’d been so alone with this for so long that he couldn’t know what his offer meant to her. But then she remembered he was in love with someone else, and his every thought was directed toward getting her back. Leaning on a man who wanted to be with someone else was a recipe for disaster, and she’d already had more than her share.
    “I’ve never seen such darkness,” she said, closing her eyes to hold back the tears. The rain had let up a little, but the windshield wipers were still needed to clear the mist.
    “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” He sounded somewhat relieved by the change in subject. “The insane darkness is what I remember most about the time we were without power for ten days when I was a kid.”
    “So what’s your plan for getting Abby’s attention tonight?”
    “I guess