Grace note a cake series.., p.36
Grace Note: A Cake Series Novel, page 36
“You know, Grace,” I said, standing up and making my way down to join her, “your compassion is one of the things I love most about you.”
She smiled. “Well, excuse me if I don’t want your sister blowing onto my salad. Now hurry. The car is coming to pick us up in forty-five minutes. Go hop in the shower. We don’t want Nikki coming with us.”
The ribbon extended across two posts in front of the entrance to the newly renovated apartment complex. Once a run-down eyesore a few blocks from Camden Place, this was its sister complex, set to house foster kids who’d aged out of the system. The three buildings formed a U-shape and opened out into a large interior green space where we were gathered today. And we’d do it again in about a year’s time when another complex, currently under construction, opened down the street. Once completed, the three complexes would serve upwards of a thousand displaced and aged-out foster kids, offering them the support they needed to rise from the ashes of a life that had never been their choosing.
Although I’d donated to the cause, it wasn’t my victory we’d come to celebrate. It was Michelle’s. She’d been working tirelessly with community leaders and other volunteers to raise money for the renovations, her son being one of the project’s biggest donors. But what was special about this place for me was that it had been inspired by my struggles in the system. This project had begun six years ago, not long after my disappearance. Her concern for me had prompted Michelle to spearhead the efforts that eventually led to this ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Grace beamed up at me with that freshness I’d always loved. She looked stunning in her light-yellow gown, her hair curled and swept back on one side with a sparkly clip. She was radiant. So polished and perfect. I’d once thought I wasn’t worthy of her, but she’d made me. She’d filled my broken shell full and made me worthy.
I bent down and whispered in her ear, “This is all because of you.”
“Me?” She laughed. “My monetary contribution might’ve bought that tree over there.”
“This is more than donations, Grace. You were the spark that started this whole thing. If you hadn’t stopped and talked to me on the street that night, hadn’t tried to save me, hadn’t planted the seed in your mother to start her music program for foster kids, none of us would be standing here today.”
“Let’s be honest. Altruism had nothing to do with it. I was a teenage girl; you were hot. And then there was the towel hut. End of story.”
I shook my head, smiling. “Maybe don’t share your version of events with the donors at dinner.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m going to be beating all those rich ladies off you tonight.” An idea came to her in that moment. She grabbed my face, placing a lipstick kiss to my cheek. “There, now you’re mine.”
“I’ve always been yours.”
Quinn groaned. “You two are irritating the shit out of me. And I swear to god, I better never know what happened in that towel hut.”
I looked down the line of McKallisters and their significant others who’d come to support Michelle in her worthy cause. Every member of Sketch Monsters was also here, as well as Tucker and Bodhi Beckett and RJ Contreras, former members of the boy band AnyDayNow that he’d managed before us. The star power had come out in force tonight, with one notable exception. But based on the cheers and screams coming from out on the street, he’d just arrived.
Jake and Casey walked across the grass, managing to drop the jaws of even the most seasoned of millionaire donors. His fame brought an authenticity to the proceedings, a reason to pull out the checkbook and keep on giving. As he approached our lineup, he dropped Casey’s hand and wrapped his arms around me, slapping a hug onto my back.
“You sure know how to bring it on,” he said, the inside joke meant for my ears only.
He moved on from me, slipping into our line beside Scott and Michelle before bending down and kissing his mother on the cheek.
“Proud of you, Mom,” I heard him whisper.
The mayor stepped forward and said a few words about the project before instructing those of us with scissors to step up to the ribbon, which was pretty much anyone who was famous or had been a major donor. Michelle stood on one side of me, Jake on the other. We cut the ribbon, allowing the wrap over the sign to fall away, revealing the name of the building complex that would support former foster kids like me for years to come.
The Phoenix.
“Are we there yet?” Grace asked for the hundredth time.
“No. Almost.”
“You said that the last time,” she protested.
“I know, but then we got stuck in traffic. Now we are almost there for real.”
She propped open one eye. “I think maybe you’re trying to be romantic, but you’re being the opposite. Like, I actually want to hurt you.”
“I know.” I laughed. “Thank you for your restraint. Now close your eyes.”
But instead of obeying, her other eye joined the mutiny, and she used them both to glare at me. “If there isn’t a room with puppies or a wading pool full of skin care products, then you will have failed to impress me.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, reaching over and closing her eyes myself. “The driver is pulling in now. Keep them shut.”
Damn, her impatience had no limits. I’d been battling her from the start of this surprise trip. Just getting her out of the donor’s dinner early had been a chore, making me wonder if I’d miscalculated and this whole thing was a giant mistake. It was a grand gesture, for sure. Grace and I had never been big on over-the-top displays of love. We showed our affection for each other in different ways: the disco ball that still hung from my drum kit; the texts we had sitting right beside one another; the single she’d written for Sketch Monsters, “House of Cards,” that shot all the way to the top of the charts.
But this wasn’t just a grand gesture; it was an unrealized promise.
“Pull in here,” I said to the driver. “All the way to the front.”
Coordinating these two major events had not been not easy. I’d had to share my idea with Michelle early on so she could plan the ribbon cutting around it. It was the only way I could think of to get Grace all fancied up without giving it all away.
The car came to a stop. The noise of the crowds outside drew her attention.
“Now?” she asked.
“No.”
The driver got out and walked around the car and opened the door. The whoosh of air prompted another impatient question.
“Now?”
“No.” I grabbed her hand. “I’m going to help you out. Keep your eyes shut. I’m going to walk you to your surprise.”
She groaned, but there was a smile on her face. Grace was intrigued. Excited whispers created a buzz in the air as those around us realized who we were and what we were doing here. For security purposes, only staff had been made aware of our attendance tonight, so the surprised reaction of the crowd now was understandable. People called out my name, catching me off guard, though I should have expected it. This was Quinn’s old stomping ground. He was a legend here, and so was Sketch Monsters. Everybody knew my name by association alone.
With a finger pressed to my lips, I pleaded with the onlookers to keep my secret just before stopping in front of the open double doors. Music blared from inside.
“Now?” she tried again.
“Now.”
It took a moment for the significance of it to register, but when it did, she gasped.
The music. The photo booth. The archway made of balloons.
“Grace Note. Will you go to Homecoming with me?”
It was Friday night, and my girl finally got her dance.
The End
For more Grace & Rory ->
MORE GRACE & RORY
Just added… a bonus epilogue. Click here to read.
Is this your first book in the Cake Series? Go all the way back to the start of this bestselling series to meet reserved rockstar Jake and the extroverted bridesmaid he’s paired with for a wedding. For Jake to have a chance at the normal life he’s always craved, he will have to deal with his brutal past. Cake A Love Story
Ten years have passed since Jake survived a stranger abduction.
He now finds himself on top of the world, a singer famous for the music that helped him heal. He thinks he’s put his past behind him. He thinks he’s okay. It isn’t until he meets sweet, quirky Casey at his brother’s wedding that he realizes all he’s been missing out on.
Casey Caldwell has never had grand plans for her life. She’s perfectly happy with the idea of meeting some nice nerdy
guy after college and settling down near her family. But once she meets Jake, she can’t remember why she ever wanted a simple life.
Whisked away into a world of music, riotous fans, tour buses, and movie-worthy shopping sprees, Casey is introduced to a life she could only have dreamed of.
Jake thinks he's put his past behind him. He thinks he's okay. It isn't until he meets Casey that he realizes all he's been missing out on in life.
But every fairytale has a villain … and theirs lives inside Jake’s head.
One click Cake A Love Story NOW!
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THE CAKE SERIES
If this is your first experience with the Cake series, there may be more of the story you missed. The Cake series consists of seven full length novels. Each has its own unique love story and so much more.
Cake A Love Story Meet Jake, a talented musician with a not-so-secret past. Closed off and jaded, Jake’s life is about to change when he’s paired with bubbly college student, Casey, at his brother’s wedding.
In book two, The Theory of Second Best, you will learn what happened the day Jake disappeared and why Kyle harbors such feelings of guilt. You will also get a fun, lively friends-to-lovers story set on an island with a cast of lovable characters.
In book three, Fiercely Emma, you will go back in time to learn what happened to the family during the month Jake went missing. Follow along with the McKallisters as they struggle to help teenage-Jake heal from the crime that nearly ended his life. You will also get a present day opposites-attract love story set at a music festival. Emma just might be the most misunderstood McKallister. This book is her redemption.
Cake: The Newlyweds Jake and Casey are back with new adventures and fresh struggles. As always, their story will be told with love, laughter, and a touch of heartache.
In book five, Rogue Wave, travel all the way back to a time never before explored in the McKallister saga and see what life was like before tragedy took the members of this family out at the knees. You will also get an entertaining opposites attract, second chance love story that spans over a decade.
Next in Line The youngest McKallister boy, Quinn, is all grown up and coming for Jake’s musical throne. Go on a journey with Quinn as he discovers that the past might be the key to his future.
NEW! Grace Note The confident, determined Grace is the beloved baby of the family. A precious stone. She’s always there to offer up a genuine smile, lend a helping hand, or dispense the world’s best cuddle-hugs. But there’s more to her than meets the eye. Secrets she holds. Truths that dare not be told like Rory, the runaway foster kid she meets on the streets of Los Angeles. And then there’s the other secret. Oh no. That one definitely can never be told.
Want more Cake?
Hunker Down, a Cake Series novella. For fans of the Cake series by J. Bengtsson comes a funny, heartwarming companion novella featuring the Cake characters in lockdown. Just like the rest of the world, the McKallisters find themselves struggling to conform to a new way of life after the virus confines them to their homes. These connected short stories give fans a chance to catch up on all of their favorite Cake characters as well as enjoy a bonus epilogue and interviews with the characters.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. (Jill) Bengtsson writes contemporary novels focused on love, humor, passion, and family. Her heroines are strong, nurturing, and quirky while her heroes are what dreams are made of - gorgeous, committed, and in need of a little saving. With her novels, you will rediscover the rush and joy of falling in love.
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ALSO BY J. BENGTSSON
Cake: A Love Story
The Theory Of Second Best
Fiercely Emma
Cake: The Newlyweds
Rogue Wave
Hunker Down
Like The Wind
Next In Line
Ripple Effect
Grace Note
Visit jbengtssonbooks.com for signed paperback copies of the Cake Series
AWARD NOMINATED AUDIOBOOKS
Cake A Love Story
The Theory Of Second Best
Fiercely Emma
Cake: The Newlyweds
Rogue Wave
Hunker Down - Novella
Like The Wind
Next In Line
Ripple Effect
Grace Note
*For extended samples visit
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J. Bengtsson, Grace Note: A Cake Series Novel
