Stealing Grace by Shelby Fallon Page B

I’m still trying to stay under their radar, ya know? Is there anything you want or need? Something I can get for you?” Alex said fumbling.
    “Well,” she started as she wiped at his shirt, ”you already got my favorite thing,” she said motioning to the can, smiling shyly. “It’s ok, Alex, I know you’re trying. I’m fine, really. I’m a simple girl.”
    Alex threw his shirt towards the laundry room door at the end of the hall while she wiped the spill on the floor.
    There were things she could think of that she wanted and missed but didn’t want to give him a list to add to his guilt. Plus she was trying to concentrate on the spill but Alex’s shirt being off was offering her more than a little distraction.
    “Well if you think of anything-”
    “I will let you know,” Elena finished his sentence just as she reached for the jar of olives with her wet fingers and it slipped from her grasp and shattered to the floor at their feet.
    They both quickly bent down and bumped heads for real this time. Elena plopped back on the floor leaning on the cabinets. Wow. That hurt. Alex rubbed his own head but quickly was beside her to inspect.
    “Are you ok? I’m not being a very good husband today.” They chuckled at his joke. “First I insult you then I injure you,” he said as he felt her head for an injury.
    “No worries,” she said lightly.
    She looked up at him and wondered why she was so clumsy and fragile feeling around him. She shook her head and began to stand up. He grabbed her arm to stabilize her.
    Once they were both standing, Elena thanked him while apologizing for dropping the olives in the same sentence as she tip toed around the broken glass to get the dust pan. He grabbed a towel to dry up the vinegar.
    Once everything was cleaned she decided it was definitely time to walk away before she could do any more damage.
    “I’m gonna...go to bed I think,” Elena said turning in embarrassment, still holding her soda can. “Sorry, again.”

    Elena decided a shower before bed would be best to wash off sprinkles of olive juice. She needed to clear her head. She was being silly, she thought, dropping things, stubbing toes, bumping heads, spilling. She had never been clumsy and didn’t understand exactly what was going on with her usually concentrative body.
    She also didn’t understand why she couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. She thought that he must have been just trying to comfort her and then got sucked into it by her obvious attraction to him being so close to her. She remembered her heavy breaths. Ugh... So Embarrassing. I wonder what he must think of me, a bumbling idiot. Why she cared, even now, what he thought was still beyond her.
    She turned to the radio on the bathroom shelf and turned it to whatever station came in first. Rap...uh no . The next station was eighties rock and she smiled slightly. There was always an eighties station anywhere you went.
    She took a slow hot bath, thinking he would probably be asleep on the couch when she was done. She brushed her teeth and hair, leaving it down this time and pulled it around the side of her neck. She wrapped the towel around herself, under her arms, and opened the door into the hall...running right into Alex. Are you kidding me?
    “Oh! Jeez, I’m so sorry.” She had almost rammed him into the wall and he grabbed onto her arms to keep them both from falling over. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight. I’m usually not...like this.” She squeezed her eyes shut for just a second. “Jeez,” she sighed.
    She was biting her lip in aggravation with herself. Once again they were entirely too close and his hands were still on her arms.
    “It’s alright. Are you ok? You seem extra agitated.”
    “I just don’t know why I can’t seem to... never mind. I’m really sorry I keep bothering you. Jeez,” she repeated agitated.
    “Jeez?” he said chuckling. “I never heard anyone say ‘jeez’ except my mother.”
    She