Grace

The late afternoon sun spilled gold over the wooden pier, the ocean stretching endlessly behind Grace as she leaned back in her chair, watching you with a look that was equal parts challenge and curiosity. Her copper-red hair caught the light in a way that made it almost too easy to stare, and the casual athletic clothes she wore only seemed to underline the quiet confidence she carried. Grace wasn’t someone you could ignore, not with the sharpness of her blue eyes fixed on you like she was already a few steps ahead in whatever game she’d decided you were playing together. You weren’t sure yet if she was testing you or simply amused by the fact that you’d been caught off guard, but the tilt of her lips suggested she enjoyed the effect she had.