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“Why do I sense a but coming?”
“It’s nothing.” She focused on what she was doing and Beth didn’t pry. Thing was, Grace wanted to talk to someone about what she was feeling and her options were limited. There was no way she could tell her sister, and Alexander wasn’t an option either. Not about this. She needed someone that was unbiased but who understood. At least in part. “Do you think it’s too soon?”
Beth carried on as if there hadn’t been a break in the conversation. “Too soon for what?”
This was the hard part. Finding the words to explain. “Alexander. He’s... he’s more than—” She searched for the right words. “What I feel...”
Beth placed a bowl in the large industrial sink and selected two clean ones from the shelf. “You’re falling for him.”
Direct and to the point. In some ways Beth was a lot like Grace’s sister. But Beth seemed to pick her words a little more carefully.
“Shouldn’t it be too soon?” It was an honest question and one she’d been struggling with for a while. With every passing day her feelings for Alexander grew. He’d become important to her.
Beth eyes softened as she met Grace’s gaze. “Only you can answer that. Do you think it’s too soon?”
“My sister doesn’t think so.”
“That’s not what I asked.” The Domme in Beth was coming out a little and hit its mark.
“I don’t know. A part of me says it is, but then when I’m with him I just...”
“Forget about everything else but him?”
Grace nodded. “Yeah.”
Beth grinned. “Then I think you have your answer.”
“I know Kurt wants me to move on.”
It was said more to herself than to Beth, but her boss heard it nonetheless. “He wants you to move on?”
“What?” Grace asked, confused.
“You said Kurt wants you to move on. Not that you know he’d want you to move on.” Beth paused. “You can tell me to butt out if it’s none of my business.”
Right then Grace made a decision. If it was anyone else, she would probably have made something up or said she’d said it wrong, but she didn’t think Beth would judge her. Or Kurt.
She took a deep breath and released it. “Kurt wrote me a letter. Before he died. He asked Alexander to deliver it to me if anything happened to him.”
“I see.” Beth said, wiping her hands on a nearby towel. “So this letter...”
“Kurt said he wanted me to move on. To find another Dom.”
Beth took Grace’s hand and squeezed, offering her a bit of comfort. She knew this wasn’t easy for Grace to talk about. “That’s why you came to the club.”
“Yes.” Grace used the back of her free hand to wipe the moisture from her eyes. “Kurt had done some research and found out about the club and Katrina. He’d... he’d known I would come back to St. Louis to be near my mom and sister.”
“Sounds like he was a good husband and master. Very prepared.”
Grace smiled despite the heaviness in her heart. “He was.”
“And now you seem to have found another man who wants that place in your life.” It wasn’t a question and Grace had to wonder how much Beth had picked up on in the little time she’d seen Alexander and her together.
“He wants a relationship. Outside of play.” They were slow at the moment, the morning rush over. Otherwise there was no way they’d be able to have so much uninterrupted time to talk. Grace was actually surprised Tommy hadn’t burst through the double doors yet.
Beth propped her hip against the counter. “And that’s not what you want?”
The way she said it gave Grace the impression that Beth didn’t believe that for a second. Considering the smile she’d strolled in with that morning, it was the obvious conclusion. “I do.”
