Read Online Mended Hearts (New Beginnings Series) by Mandie Tepe - Free Book Online Page B

floor. Or run into the ocean behind the pavilion, which was located at the back side of the beach side park.
    “Gracie!” Jenna stood up and walked over to her. She glanced a round as if looking for someone. Sonny? “Are you here alone?” She glanced in confusion at Gracie’s armful of water bottles.
    “Um . . . I’m here with the band. We’re playing in a few minutes.”
    “Oh! You’re with the band?”
    “Yeah. Sugar Creek.” Gracie didn’t really know what else to say, but it didn’t matter. Jenna took the situation out of her hands and gently, but firmly, guided her over to the table.
    “Here, Gracie . . . I want you to meet some friends of mine . . . and of Sonny’s. This is Trish, Val and Kelli. Trish and Val are married to a couple of Sonny’s teammates. And Kelli is our good friend.” They were all studying her like she was under a microscope.
    Gracie nodded at each one. She recognized the ir names as the women who had called and interrogated Sonny after she’d been seen in his apartment. “Um . . . nice to meet you all.”
    Trish was very elegant in a cotton sundress that showed off her tall willowy figure, her ice blue eyes and corn silk hair. Val was cute and curvy in a denim mini-skirt and tank top. She held a gorgeous, curly-haired, black-eyed toddler , dressed in a hot pink sunsuit—who was solemnly chewing on a cracker. Kelli was a cute, wholesome girl with honey blonde hair and a shy smile. They were all three looking her over and she fought the urge to fidget with her hair.
    Trish broke the silence. “It’s nice to meet you, Gracie. Is Sonny here with you?”
    “No. He might show up later, though.” She mentally kicked herself for saying too much. Obviously these women were trying to figure out their relationship.
    “So you guys have known each other for a long time, huh?” Val asked.
    “Um . . . yeah. We knew each other as kids . . . until Luca and his grandparents moved away when I was about ten, I guess.”
    Trish and Jenna raised their eyebrows at each other when they heard her call Sonny Luca. Gracie wondered, didn’t they know she could see them? Trish continued, “Oh. So it’s been kind of a reunion, then.”
    “Yes. Luca and my brother have been lifelong friends and when Mathias told him I’d recently moved to town, he decided to check up on me. Make sure I was getting settled okay. He’s been a really good friend .” She was careful to stress the word “friend” hoping to shut down any more speculation. Of course, it didn’t work.
    “Sonny is good to his friends. But they’re usually not as pretty as you are.” Jenna said with amusement.
    Gracie blushed and almost kissed Colby when he walked up—just at that moment—and said, “Gracie, it’s time to start. Are you ready?”
    With great relief, she quickly introduced the ladies to Colby and virtually ran , then jumped up onto the stage after she’d distributed the water bottles to her band mates.
    • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
    They were about fifteen minutes into the set, and Gracie had been successful at putting Luca’s friends out of her mind. She couldn’t let herself get psyched out with nerves by imagining them all sitting there judging her. Of course, they were too nice to do that. She hoped. They were just curious. It was easy for her to throw herself into the music, anyway. She’d always been able to get caught up in the performance and push everything else out of the way.
    Suddenly, though, the air seemed to change and she could feel—before she saw— Sonny making his way into the pavilion. She glanced over toward his friends’ table and, sure enough, they were waving him over. He hobbled over and sat down on the side nearest the stage. He didn’t turn toward the table, but kept his back to it and was watching her. He gave her a little grin. By strength of will, she kept singing The Wreckers’, “There’s nothing you can do or say . . . you’re