CHAPTER 29

After fighting the grief for days it began to take a physical toll on Grace. Days of nonstop job searching on little to no sleep and even less food finally did her in. The few times Joey and Rose persuaded her to eat she’d been violently ill. Then her body let her know it was done trying to keep up on so little rest and nourishment. She crashed down with the worst flu she could remember having.

She cried for days beside herself, assuring Rose and her two best friends that it had nothing to do with Sal. It was the frustration of not being able to fend off the illness that rendered her completely exhausted and helpless. She was dehydrated from throwing up and her fever raged because of it. It was a vicious cycle the more she tried to eat and take liquids in to hydrate herself the more she threw up.

Without insurance she couldn’t even see a doctor, unless she was willing to pay through the nose. Technically her insurance from Moreno’s was still active and she was sure Alex wouldn’t have a problem with her using it but she refused to have any kind of connection with that family ever again.

Finally an entire miserable week later of being so sick, Rose mentioned to Joey and Taylor about her mom’s insistence of taking a vacation to Laughlin. She even told them how it would be free.

Joey who was convinced that her illness had been brought on by the heartache over Sal and was also terribly worried about her, said a vacation was exactly what Grace needed. Rose and Taylor agreed. Her mother needed nothing more than for Rose to point this out and she got the ball rolling.

Even though her mom had been disappointed when she heard about Grace and Sal’s breakup it was almost as if she expected it. For once Grace had seen in her mom what only a lifetime of experience could teach you. Everyone else had been so sure she and Sal were right for each other. Even Grace had finally began to believe it with every ounce of her being. Yet her mom had shrugged it off as it she’d known all along it was only a matter of time. Grace had no place in a man like Sal’s life.

“Mija,” she’d said as she cheerfully helped Grace pack. “This is going to be good for you. We’ll go out there, eat at nice restaurants, gamble a little, do some swimming. Frank even said he’ll take us to the river and we could rent some jet skis. You and Rose will have a blast. By the time we get back you’ll be ready to move on.” Then she winked. “And if we play our cards right, maybe ready to start looking for a place to lease for your new restaurant. Frank is very interested in investing in something out here in California. This is gonna be perfect. You’ll see.”

Her mother seemed almost giddy about the fact that Ruben would be working and not able to go with them. Grace had sat on her bed, feeling the hollow inside her deepen. Not even her dream of having her own restaurant was enough to snap her out of it. But she’d taken the trip anyway. She needed to get out of her room, needed to feel normal again. If only it didn’t feel like an impossibility. She’d never be normal again.

The answer to the age old question, was it better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, if anyone asked Grace, was a resounding no! Even as beautiful as her time with Sal had been, and as happy as she’d been with him, she truly wished now she’d never been lifted so high. The drop was so profoundly bottomless, the climb back up would be brutal, if at all possible.

She tried her best to at least appear to be having a good time in Laughlin but she got the feeling Rose wasn’t buying it. Though she had moments where she thought she might be relapsing into her fits of nausea and even thought she felt a little feverish, she was able to function better than that first horrendous week after breaking up with Sal.

Her mother tried relentlessly to get her and Frank alone. She was determined to arrange a business partnership between the two of them. Grace had only agreed to be out there for a few days. By her third day her mother succeeded in getting her alone with Frank.

To her surprise, Frank had been more than modest when describing his hotel. It was far more fancier than he’d made it out to be. He had even reserved private huts by the pool for them for the entire week. Not that Grace planned on staying out there that long.

When he stepped in their hut that evening to say hello and ask if they needed anything, Grace’s mother invited him in to join them. As soon as he took a seat next to Grace, her mother excused herself and Rose, saying they needed to go grab a few things from their room. Grace started to get up to go with them but her mother immediately rebuffed the idea saying she should stay and keep Frank company until they got back.

Frank ordered them both drinks. “Your mother tells me you’re looking for a possible partner to help you get your restaurant going.” He crossed his leg over his knee and sat back. “Did she mention I’m looking for projects to invest in? I think a restaurant would be a great investment.”

Grace sat up straight. “My ultimate dream is to have my own restaurant. But I’m not sure if I’m up for it right now.” That was putting it lightly. Just getting out of bed without falling apart was a struggle for her right now.

“Oh, I think you have it in you and your mom says your talent in the kitchen is something you were born with. A gift like that shouldn’t be wasted.”

Their drinks arrived. He’d taken the liberty to order her their signature specialty drink. Carrot cake martini. Grace had never been into the milky drinks but she wouldn’t insult him by refusing it. She reached for it off the waiter’s tray with a smile. The smell alone caused something in her stomach to stir .

“Your mom also told me about your falling out with your boyfriend. I’m sorry you’re hurt, but I can’t say I’m sorry to hear it, for personal reasons.”

Thoughts of Sal weren’t just painful, they literally sucked the air out of her. She closed her eyes desperate to will away the emotion even the mention of him brought her, then took a sip of the drink. Cinnamon overpowered the drink. The entire blend of milky sweetness, cinnamon and alcohol, along with the sudden heartache that stabbed at her made her stomach turn and she nearly gagged. Pulling her legs over the side of the ottoman, she stood up in a panic.

Frank sat on the edge of his seat. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, holding her hand over her mouth, unable to speak. Shit. It was happening again. Unable to even look at the drink anymore, she set it down on the small table next to the ottoman. “I’ll be back.”

Her stomach roiled and she barely made it to the ladies’ room, before throwing up her entire lunch. Rose rushed in as Grace finished rinsing her face in one of the sinks.

“Grace, I thought you were better.” She walked up to her, placing her hand on Grace’s back.

“I am. It was just the drink that Frank gave me. I’ve never liked those kinds of drinks and it didn’t sit well with my stomach.” She clutched her clammy hands together before Rose could see how they still shook. Rose’s troubled eyed tugged at her heart. She hated for her to be so worried. “I’m fine. I promise.” She smiled, ignoring another wave a nausea. “Lets go sit in the Jacuzzi.”

Finally, Rose’s expression softened a bit. “You sure?”

“Yep.”

One way or another Grace was going to have to snap out of this. It had gone on long enough and she hated what it was doing to Rose. Nothing could be done about the way things had turned out, but she had to find the strength to push past this.

Instead of letting yet another excruciating facet in her life define it, she had to turn it around and somehow make it the new beginning. There was no such thing as the perfect life and she’d been a fool to think she could have it all. But she would certainly make the most of what she could have.

“Let’s ask Frank and mom if they want to join us.” Rose’s scandalized expression made her laugh. “It was a little rude of me to run away and be sick when he was trying to impress me with their signature drink.” She shrugged, taking a deep breath. “Least I can do is offer to spend a little time with the man. He is footing the bill for this entire vacation, Rose.”

Grace smiled big, trying to convince not only Rose but herself that she’d be okay sitting in a Jacuzzi and not thinking about the first time she’d ever sat in one… in Sal’s backyard.

~*~

Sal stared into Melissa’s eyes as the image of her smiling face, lying on the pillow next to his went in and out of focus. “You’re not Grace.”

The smile vanished. “Is that her name?”

Sal thought he nodded but he couldn’t be sure. His entire body felt numb.

Her hand caressed his face. “It’s better this way, Sal. It wasn’t meant to be. Remember that.”

The ceiling fan above his bed came slowly into focus. The memory that had come to Sal in his sleep wasn’t a new one, but the last part was new. He blinked a few times, making sure he was wide awake. Some of the times before when he’d thought he’d woken he’d gone right back into the dream but it didn’t get longer. It only repeated itself.

The last part new of this dream didn’t feel like it was an element of the memory. It almost felt as if it was his self consciousness trying to force him to just accept it. Why would Melissa say that?

He showered and dressed, the dream on his mind the entire time. That night in Vegas would forever haunt him. He’d most likely never recover from it.

The text came just as Sal pulled up to the restaurant. He stared at it with mixed emotions.

I lost the baby. It happened yesterday, so there’s no need now for me to try to prove anything to you. It’s done. I hope you’re happy. I know your pathetic girlfriend will be.

Of course even after all the trouble Melissa had caused she’d have the nerve to try and make him feel guilty, then top it off with an insult. He still wasn’t sure he believed she was ever pregnant but at least now this part of his nightmare was over.

He walked through the motions of opening up the restaurant in the same mechanical way he’d done everything since Grace had left. As much as he wanted to believe that somehow things would go back to the way they once were before she walked into his life. That he could go back to be being fired up about expanding his family’s business. Deep inside he knew it just couldn’t. There would forever be a void in his life. A huge part of him was gone now.

Sofia rushed in the kitchen where Sal made his final walk-through before opening the front doors. “Romero is on his way. He said he has some stuff on Melissa. He hasn’t had any luck with the surveillance tapes but—”

Sofia followed him. “Yes, it does. Because if we can prove she never was then maybe we can prove nothing even happened that night. Think about it. If she’d lie about something this big then—”

“Sweetheart, I appreciate what your trying to do here. But I’m almost certain something did happen. I may not remember all the details but I remember being in bed with her.” He stopped to unlock the front door and turned back to her. “It’s not all clear but the parts I remember are pretty damning.”

She glared at him arms crossed, then looked over his shoulder with a smirk. Sal turned to see Romero standing on the outside of the glass door, grinning.

Sal began walking back towards the bar area, less enthused about what possible information Romero had. It’s not that he didn’t wish more than any of them that this whole situation could somehow be remedied but neither of them had heard or seen Grace the day she found out. Nothing short of a miracle would fix this. The facts still were, he’d been in bed with Melissa and one of the most vivid memories were of her unzipping his pants. It didn’t get any worse than that.

“All right,” Romero started. “So this Melissa bitch is a real whack job and is full of shit about a couple of things.”

“I knew it!” Sofia almost jumped.

“According to all her medical insurance records she hasn’t even made an appointment to see a doctor for any reason in months.”

Romero finally had Sal’s attention. “And this information is as of when?”

“I ran that report last night.”

“So yesterday, she wasn’t in the hospital at all?” Sal felt his insides heat. All this time he’d been so guilt ridden, he hadn’t actually allowed himself to seriously consider that Melissa might actually have faked the pregnancy. If she had, she’d done it for one reason and one reason alone.

“Nah, that report is in real time. Why? Did she say she was?”

Both Romero and Sofia stared at him as he nodded but said nothing, still taking in what Romero had just dropped on him.

“If she’d been in the hospital yesterday it would’ve showed up. Besides I’ve been tracking a few of her credit cards. The girl is a shopper. She was at the courthouse most of yesterday, bought lunch there and a shit load of coffee all day. Then she headed to the mall and dropped some serious loot on clothes and shoes. Which brings me to the next thing she’s full of shit about.” Romero took a seat at the bar.

“Hold that thought,” Sofia said then yelled Romero’s order for the usual breakfast burrito he always had. “Okay. Go on.” She stood across from him on the other side of the bar ready to hang on to his every word again.

Romero smirked, his eyes going from Sofia’s to Sal’s. “She ended her day at DJ’s for a few drinks. I can’t see what kind of drinks she bought but she was only there for an hour and she dropped over fifty bucks. Unless she was drinking some expensive ass non-alcoholic drinks this pregnant woman got a pretty significant buzz last night.”

“I told you! I bet you anything nothing happened that night.” Sofia leaned in and lowered her voice. “Let’s be real here. If you were really that wasted that you don’t even remember anything how likely is it that you’d actually be able to … you know, perform?”

Melissa’s words the morning after, suddenly slammed into Sal. You were amazing. Sofia had a point. How amazing could he have been? Even the few times in the past that he remembered being a little loaded it had somewhat impaired his performance. Not that he hadn’t finished the job but it’d been far from amazing. As pushy as Melissa had been he just never thought that she, that anyone would go to these lengths. Maybe his sister was on to something. “What’s going on with those surveillance tapes?” Allowing an infinitesimal bit of hope creep in, Sal would now be hanging on Romero’s every word, too.

Romero frowned, shaking his head. “I’ve struck out twice now but I have one more guy looking into it. He’s a little more expensive but I think he’s worth it. The problem is,” he paused when the server brought out his burrito and placed it in front of him. “Thanks, man.”

Sofia poured him a soda.

“You see, without a court order,” he continued. “The only way to get a copy of the tape is by breaking into their computer system. These casinos have top notch security. Not only that, they change their security codes all the time. This guy I have looking into it now actually got in, but halfway through searching it knocked him out and the security code was reset. The good thing is this guy is a fucking freak when it comes to his work. He’s taking this as a personal challenge. He won’t stop now until he gets it.”

“I’ll pay whatever it takes.” The wheels were spinning in Sal’s head now. Was it really possible that Melissa had planned the whole damn thing? The panties on the floor came to mind. They were the first thing he saw when he sat up that morning and that was when he was still in a complete hung over daze. How could Melissa have missed them right there in the middle of the room? Then something else came to him. He turned to Sofia. “Do we even serve a drink called Liquid Cocaine?”

Romero nearly spit out the food he was eating. Sal watched him grab for a napkin and wipe his mouth. “What?”

Romero glanced at Sofia, seemed as if he was about to say something, then shook his head. “I’ve never heard of the drink. But it sounds lethal. Is that what you were drinking that night?”

“Yeah, and they were being sent over by Melissa and the group of girls she was with—the bachelorette party. ”

“Oh my God, Sal!” Sofia said completely exasperated. “She totally had this planned. How did you not see it?”

“Sof, she was in my room the next morning and I didn’t remember a damn thing.” He did feel pretty stupid now. “What was I supposed to think? I was in such a panic about the whole thing I never stopped to consider she’d go through all that trouble.”

“I’ll tell you later,” Romero said. “Anyway, out of curiosity I did check out why she made quite a few visits to see a quack a few months ago. This chick is on some heavy meds. I’m surprised she was drinking at all. Most of the shit she’s on you do not mix with alcohol.”

Sal stared at him. “What kind of meds?”

“Xanax and lithium for starters.” Romero shrugged. “I didn’t read through her whole file; it’s a fucking book. Those are the two main whacko meds I remember but there’s more. The other ones just didn’t jump out at me like those two.”

“Well, that explains a lot.” Sofia said, putting her phone down. “And the drink is legal but just a couple are supposed to knock you on your behind. How many did you have?”

He told them about losing count and the fact that the lethal concoctions came after a parade of tequila shots.

“Dude, I’ve been wasted plenty of times and let me tell you,” Romero laughed. “there is no way anything happened that night. You’d have to be a super hero to get any kind of rise. Even a big fat blue pill wouldn’t have helped with getting a wood after all you drank.”

Sal shot him a look and glanced at Sofia. She laughed. “It’s okay Sal, I’m twenty-two now, remember. If my ears didn’t even bleed back when I was your baby sister and you and the other two thought they would if I was exposed to this kind of talk, they certainly won’t now.”

Sal didn’t say all he normally would about her still being his baby sister, only because now his adrenaline was pumping through him so fast he could hardly think straight.

He hadn’t asked Vincent anything about Grace or Rose since his mention of them being in Laughlin. Why torture himself? But in light of that morning’s revelations, he could hardly wait for him to start his shift today.