The Rules According to Gracie by Stefanie London Page B

else. What’s the point of that?”
    Des frowned. “Why do you think I need to make up with her?”
    “She hasn’t been here in ages and you’re in a permanent bad mood. I might not be a rocket scientist but I can see the connection there.” Paul elbowed him in the ribs, a sly smile crossing his face. “You could always let me talk to her.”
    “Over my dead body.”
    “That can be arranged.” Paul grinned. “Seriously though, what happened?”
    “I slept with her,” he said, twisting his mouth into a grimace. “She decided it should be a one night only thing.”
    “And that’s a problem?”
    “Yeah. I don’t want one lousy night. I want all the nights, every damn one of them.”
    Paul leaned against the bar and crossed his arms. “Why’d she bail?”
    Des sighed. “Something about her family thinking we wouldn’t be a good match.”
    “Ah.” Paul nodded. He had no snappy comeback or joke this time. “And you had flashbacks.”
    “Yeah.” Des raked a hand through his hair. “That’s what I get for chasing after society princesses.”
    “Gracie’s not just a society princess.”
    “Since when do you take her side?”
    Paul laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m not taking sides. All I’m saying is that you’re putting your baggage on her when maybe there’s more to the story.”
    “What more could there be?”
    “She obviously likes you. I can tell you she never once looked at her dates the way she looked at you.”
    “So?”
    “Did you ever think that maybe her family issues embarrass her?”
    Des blinked. “Uh, no.”
    Paul shrugged. “Maybe she thinks that dragging you into her family drama would be a crime worse than skipping out after sleeping with you.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “Is it? If I remember correctly, she-who-shall-not-be-named was pretty darn tired of being stuck between you and her family.” Paul raised a brow. “And then you dumped her.”
    “I couldn’t take it anymore.”
    “I didn’t say you did the wrong thing. But don’t you think Gracie might be worried that she’ll go out on a limb only for you to bail when it gets too hard.”
    Des could only imagine his face looked like a gaping fish in that moment. His younger brother—lady-killer extraordinaire—had given him a precious insight into Gracie’s mind that he hadn’t even considered.
    “I know you don’t agree with the way I do things, but I’ve learned a thing or two about women. Any time they do something, it’s not for the reason you think.” Paul tilted his chin up and drew his lips into a smug smile. “Their logic is something you can’t even comprehend.”
    Could he be right? Gracie had called a few times since the day he’d ordered her out of his house, and he’d ignored each one. Maybe he should have heard her out, listened to her reasons. Instead he’d been so blinded by desire to avoid the past that he’d assumed the worst.
    “You need to make a decision one way or the other.” Paul started clearing the empty glasses from the bar. “You can’t keep driving everyone crazy by staying in limbo.”
    The thought of letting Gracie go for good made him want to hurl something at the wall. She had a grip on him that he couldn’t shake. The memory of her soft lips and beautiful smile haunted him no matter whether he was waking or sleeping.
    He couldn’t do it.
    “Let go or go for it? Make a decision now before I stage a formal intervention.”
    Des sucked in a breath. Paul was basically asking him whether he wanted to follow his head—the proper one, the logical one—or his heart.
    “Tick tock, Bro.”
    “Going for it.” As he said the words, it was as if something lifted from him—call it a dark cloud, a heavy weight. Whatever.
    He felt free as a goddamn bird.
    “Go.” Paul shoved him towards the door. “Good luck.”
    …
    Should he call? Des sat in the driver’s seat of his car and toyed with his phone. The house in front of him was intimidating in all its