Free Long Way Home by Helenkay Dimon Page A

whispering long enough to raise their heads and wave at her before going back to studying whatever they were reading together.
    There were shelves lined with books and all sorts of art supplies. Down the center was a long table, and at its head stood Mallory. Much like the last time Grace had seen her, she wore black tights and a black skirt, only this time with a deep red sweater that highlighted her pale skin. She rummaged through two white bags before declaring chips a necessary side dish with sandwiches. Grace happened to agree with that rule.
    She couldn’t see the other woman at the table very clearly. She was dressed for work in what looked like the kind of navy pantsuit Grace would find in her own closet, or would have a year ago. With her head down, the woman played on her phone as her strawberry blonde hair fell over her shoulder.
    Grace remembered Mallory talking about Leah—Declan’s girlfriend and the woman who lived in the house with Callen. Not knowing what she’d been told put Grace on edge. Her defenses rose and her back stayed tight against the shop’s front door in case she needed to make a speedy exit.
    Just then Mallory’s head snapped up, and she smiled. “Here she is.”
    “Yeah, that doesn’t sound ominous.” Leah looked over, and her eyes went wide. “Wow.”
    Grace’s defenses dropped, and dread set in. She had to fight the urge to hold her bag in front of her stomach. Though it could be too late for that. “What?”
    “Apparently she doesn’t own a mirror.” Mallory sighed as she waved for Grace to come inside. “We don’t bite. Come on in.”
    “Promise?”
    Leah burst out laughing. “Do you think we’re going to interrogate you?”
    “Or stone me.” Grace walked over and plunked her purse on the table across from Leah. Ignoring the quick up-and-down look from the other woman, Grace sat down.
    “Clearly you’ve talked with Callen and are a little twitchy.” Leah reached across the table, stopping just short of touching Grace’s hand. “We’re not Callen.”
    Grace traced her finger over the seam of her bag. When she realized she was using the thing as a shield and half blocking her view of Leah, she set it on the floor. “He’s pretty ticked off.”
    “Do you always talk in grave understatements?” Mallory asked.
    “I’m trying to be optimistic that he’ll come around.” Grace turned when she heard the bell over the door. She didn’t remember it ringing when she came in, but it must have. This time it ushered in a woman who sat down with the other two and immediately joined in their whispering. “What are they doing?”
    Grace had lowered her voice but Mallory didn’t bother to. “Reading a dirty book but pretending to be studying knitting instructions.”
    Grace wasn’t sure what to say to that, but it did make her smile. She swallowed it when one of the ladies glared at Mallory.
    “Yeah, you heard me. There is no shame here. Read whatever you want and celebrate it.” Mallory finally lowered her voice as she sat down. “That’s why people come here.”
    “For the berating?” Leah asked under her breath.
    “The hospitality.” Mallory tossed bags of chips in front of each one of them, letting them land with a crunch. “You lived with Callen. I’m trying to image that. You seem normal enough.”
    “Uh, okay.” The conversation swirling around Grace left her a little dizzy. The two women had an easy camaraderie, and Mallory came off as the same straight shooter Grace met in the diner.
    “For the record, I’m Leah Baron, Mallory’s best friend and Declan’s better half.” Her smile was open, without a hint of Callen’s skepticism.
    “I met Declan.” A little shorter and more muscular than Callen with blue eyes, instead of Callen’s intense green ones, but they had a shared look, all strong and in charge, that had to have kept their mother jumping over the years.
    Leah’s smile fell. “Did he act like an ass? You can tell me.”
    For some