She stopped when her eyes met Sal's. He must have looked as miserable as he felt because her hard expression changed immediately to commiseration. Sal let his head hang back and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes when he felt her lips on his forehead. "It's gonna be okay, Sal. Something tells me Grace will somehow find it in her heart to forgive you." Before he could retort she added. "If, in fact, there is anything to forgythgood olive." She straightened up and pulled her purse over her shoulder. "And if it does turn out Melissa made this whole thing up, that sorry bitch is gonna have a lot answer to."

If it wasn't for his heart feeling the weight of the world crushing it, Sal might've laughed. His brothers and sister were always so ready to kick some ass. If only that could fix everything, his siblings would rule the world.

Once left alone, the dread really sunk in. He leaned his face into his clasped hands like a man praying for a miracle as visions of Gracie's anguished expression assaulted him. He'd done that to her. And if he could never forgive himself, how could he ever expect her to? It was over.

It took a few minutes after opening her eyes for Grace to realize she was in Joey and Taylor's bed. But it took less than a few seconds to remember why. She closed her eyes again, wishing to God she hadn't remembered.

Joey lay next to her fully clothed. He hadn't even taken off his shoes. The poor guy must've fallen asleep trying to console her. He'd cried almost as much as she had. She scooted off the bed slowly, careful not to wake him. It was still light out. She remembered Taylor giving her a pill to take to calm her. He said it was harmless but might make her drowsy. Well, it sure had knocked her out. She wondered now if he'd slipped Joey one, too.

She'd just stepped out of the restroom when Taylor and Rose walked in the front door. As soon as Rose saw her she rushed to Grace and hugged her hard. The emotion overtook Grace and once again she was crying. "I'll stop talking to Vincent if you want. Once you're over Sal I don't want anything to remind you of him and make you sad."

Grace took a deep breath, shaking her head and struggled to get the words out. She cleared her throat. "No, you don't have to." She tried pulling away but Rose wouldn't let go.

"Grace." It was only then that Grace realized Rose was crying, too. "I hate that you're so sad. When Taylor told me how much you were hurting it ripped my heart out."

Immediately Grace went into big sister mode. She smoothed Rose's hair and sucked it up. "I'm gonna be fine, Rose. I promise."

Up until that moment she had no idea how she'd get through this. She'd felt like her entire world had come crashing down on her. Now she realized, just like in the past she had to get through this. Not just for herself but for Rose. She couldn't let even this get in the way of her dream of moving her and Rose out.

"I hate him for doing this to you. I'd never seen you so happy and now..."

Grace fought the knot that began to form in her throat now that she refused to cry. "He's not the only man in the world." It hurt to even say the words, because she knew without a doubt she'd never love another man like she did Sal. "I'll get over him."

She glanced up at Taylor whose smile didn't even begin to hide the sorrow in his eyes. Though he hadn't wept for her like Joey did, she'd felt the emotion in his touch when she'd sobbed so hopelessly in his arms. She took another long and determined breath. Just like she had when she was younger s wa, she'd save her sobbing from here on for the shower or when she knew none of them were around. Just because Sal had shredded her heart didn't mean they all had to suffer with her.

"That's enough, Rose." She pulled away gently then wiped the tears from Rose's face. "This is just another turning point in my life. One I wanna move on from as quickly as possible. We're not going to stand around and cry about this for weeks or even days. Okay?" She gulped hard, trying to focus on something-anything else. "I need to find a job." She turned to Taylor. "That's what I'll pour my energy into from here on."

He nodded just as Joey walked in the front room from the hallway still looking very somber. "We're moving on, Joey," Taylor informed him with a look. "Gracie is gonna focus on getting a job."

Joey seemed confused at first but when Taylor gave him another warning look he nodded. Grace could see he couldn't even muster up a smile but silently agreed.

"Rose brought you a change of clothes, Grace," Taylor said, pulling out a frying pan from the cabinet. "In case you wanna shower and get out of those clothes. I'm gonna make us dinner." He turned to Joey. "I bought stuff so you could make something for desert. I think we can all use a good dose of chocolate tonight."

Rose handed Grace the small bag of clothes. None of them mentioned it but it had just dawned on Grace that she was still wearing the polo with the restaurant's logo on it. She gulped, trying not to think about how she'd never step foot in that restaurant again. In fact if she hadn't just promised she was moving on, she'd suggest they all take a drive to the beach and burn the damn polo in a bonfire.

With a small smile she took the clothes. "Thanks, I think I will take a shower if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Joey said. "There's a brand new loofah under the sink, if you wanna use it."

He snuck in a quick hug as she walked by him before Taylor called him off. "Joey."

He pulled his arms away quickly. "Okay, okay."

Grace smiled but hurried to the restroom, locking the door and turning on the shower as quickly as possible. She was only in there for a minute before she buried her face in one of the towels, praying it would muffle her crying. How in the world would she ever survive this? The deafening pain she felt when Sal confirmed he had slept with Melissa was back and she could barely catch her breath again.

Get over him? Move on? Impossible.

A week later Sal dropped by his parent's house for lunch. His dad said he wanted to talk to him. He hadn't heard a thing from Melissa since the day he called her and he was still numb from the damage she'd caused to his life. He'd hardly slept or eaten that entire week and he wondered if maybe Alex had told his parents. Just the other day Alex sympathetically let Sal know he looked like shit.

To his surprise Alex was at his parent's when he got there, looking just as unaware as Sal was about why they'd been asked to coen height=me over. Then his dad dropped an unexpected and unpleasant surprise on them both. Their uncle had asked him for a favor and he had agreed. Their cousin Vincent would be staying with his parents over the summer and he'd be working at the restaurant.

Both Sal and Alex had protested that Vincent couldn't be trusted, to which their dad informed them he'd already warned their uncle. "First sign of trouble, he's gone."

That conversation had been a few days ago. Now Sal sat in the back office, adding Vincent to the payroll and the schedule. He'd be there today and even though Sal wasn't looking forward to it, they could use the extra help. Alex was still only coming in part-time. He had school and the babies were a handful.

Something this simple Sal usually got done within minutes but he'd been at it for over a half hour now. His mind constantly wanderrf off into thoughts of Grace and how his heart ached to be with her. A few days ago he'd lost the ability to even listen to her voicemail message once she changed her number. She'd completely cut him off now.

He'd tried once again out of sheer desperation stopping by Joey and Taylor's to beg Grace for forgiveness but she hadn't even come to the door. Taylor had stepped outside to let him know it was best if he just stayed away. Grace had made her decision and it was final. He said if Sal really cared about her he'd make it easier on her by not coming around anymore.

As an adult, Sal couldn't even remember going through motions of crying but the pain he'd been feeling all week and hearing Taylor so grimly inform him of Grace's decision, had finally done him in. Of course he'd waited until he was home alone, and ever since he'd been dead inside.

The knocking pulled him out of his painful thoughts. He'd spaced out again. Vincent stood by the door. "Hey, Sal. Here I am. Reporting for duty."

Sal had already decided he was just going to have to make the best of this. He stood up and shook his hand. "Welcome aboard."

Sofia walked in behind him. "I already set him straight on the ride over here. He's gonna behave. Although," she turned and gave Vincent a look. "I don't know how much he heard of it, since his attention was mostly on his phone the whole time. That's gotta be a girl right? Your girlfriend?"

"Not yet," Vincent smirked.

Sal remembered Grace telling him about her sister and Vincent texting all the time now. He had a sudden suspicion about Vince's motivation to come stay with his parents. Sal eyed him. "What does that mean?"

"Means not yet, but I'm working on it."

Sofia pulled two aprons out of the cabinet and tossed one at Vincent. "That's gonna be a little hard now that you'll be here all summer, won't it?"

Another sly smirk swept across Vincent's lips. "Not really. She lives out this way."

Sal stared at him now. "You're not talking about Rose are you?" His tone was a reflection of how he'd felt all week.

"Relax," Vincent laughed. "She won't even be around for a while." He worked on getting the apron on then rolled his eyes. "Just when I finally get the okay to come out here, her mother and sister decide to take a trip to Laughlin and take her with them."

Sal had stopped looking at him for a second to check his phone that buzzed on his desk but just the mention of Rose's sister and then Laughlin made him freeze. He brought his attention back to Vincent. "Laughlin?"

"Yeah, and she doesn't even know how long they're going to be out there."

Trying not to be too obvious, Sal sat down slowly on the chair and glanced back down at his phone nonchalantly, his racing heart didn't make easy. "Is it a vacation?"

He gulped, picking up a pen on the desk, trying to rid the image of the guy with the roses outside of the restaurant and the disappointment on his face when Sal informed him he couldn't see Grace anymore.

"I think she said it was kind of a spur of the moment thing." Vincent paused before adding, "I heard about you and Grace breaking up. I'm sorry to hear it, man."

Nothing could hide the pain Sal felt just hearing her name. He couldn't even think of any other way to respond to that other than nodding. Sofia must've sensed the need to change the subject because she jumped in. "All right, Vinnie. Ready to be trained?"

Vincent smiled. "Ready when you are.

"Let's go then." She gestured to the door and Vincent walked out.

Sofia turned, giving Sal a small smile before walking out. He could only hope this was the worst pain he'd ever had to endure in his life because he couldn't think of anything more excruciating. Somehow he thought time would make things better, but it only seemed to get worse with each passing day. Knowing she'd gone to Laughlin, no doubt her mother's idea, now topped that agony with a blinding rage.

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 no> 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 n gnt wasalone 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.