Grace After the Storm

by Sandy Sinnett

  The grand re-opening event was that weekend and everyone’s emotions were running high – especially Hannah’s – wanting everything to be perfect. Before the accident, she had one speed… fast. Since then, she wasn’t quite back to her regular pace, which frustrated her beyond belief. Brad, however, was taking matters into his own hands and called for reinforcements, unbeknownst to her.

  *****

  “So, you’re all set for tomorrow right? Everyone is packed and ready?” Brad asked Mitch, stressing out about the weekend ahead.

  “We fly out at seven a.m. our time, and by the time we land, rent a car and drive there, we should arrive by early afternoon. You’re cooking lunch, right?” Mitch asked.

  “You know it, brother. Just get here! Jules is stressing out and she needs all the support she can get right now. Are you certain Laci is up for the trip?”

  “Laci is fine. She’s five months along and everything is going great. I promise. I wouldn’t bring her out there if I wasn’t sure. Besides, my life would be the one in danger if we didn’t come, trust me.”

  “Alright, I trust you.”

  “Do you think Hannah has any idea about the surprise you have in store for her?” Mitch asked.

  Brad laughed. “I don’t think so. I’d be shocked if she did. She’s been so distracted with her recovery that she’s not been able to do much else, which is how I wanted it. She feels better though, she’s even starting to meddle in the event planning and freaking out about all the little details. I need Laci here like yesterday, brother.” Brad heard Hannah call out to him from the kitchen. “Hey Mitch, Jules just yelled for me so I’d better go check on things. One quick favor though?”

  “Anything, what is it?”

  “I need you to go to my house and look for a small box sitting in that big chair in my bedroom. It says ‘Jules’ right on top. I need you to bring the letters that are inside. They are rubber banded together, and the one on top is dated this past March. Can you please bring them? And please don’t open any of them,” Brad pleaded.

  “I’ll find them, and I won’t open even one….promise,” Mitch replied. “But I am curious. Who are the letters from?”

  “They’re from me. I will explain when you get here. Thanks, Mitch. This means a lot. I’ll see you soon!”

  Brad hung up the phone and ran into the kitchen to find Hannah drying dishes. Her hair was pulled up in a clippie, and a few red ringlets hung down the sides of her face, softly brushing against her cheeks. She looked at him and smiled, blowing a strand from her face. God if you only knew how beautiful you truly are, Jules. You don’t though, and that makes you even more beautiful. He thought to himself. “Everything okay? Is it that darn garbage disposal again? I swear I fixed it, Jules!”

  Hannah laughed. “No silly, I just need you.” She tossed her dish towel on the counter and reached out, pulling him into her arms. “Kiss me, you big Putz,” she giggled.

  “Well, well, well… now that would be my sincere pleasure, Red.” He took her sweet face in his hands and stroked her soft cheeks, lightly brushing her lips with his.

  Hannah felt all of his love in that kiss, and it sent her to a place that she wanted to stay forever. He’s mine again… she thought.

  Brad pulled away slowly. “So, are you sure everything is okay?” he asked, sensing an underlying story to her spontaneous kiss.

  “I’m good, honest. I’ll admit to being a little stressed about the event, but that’s only because I want it to be perfect.”

  “Look, I told you to leave all the details to me, or most of them anyway. The chef has everything planned, we have wine for every course, the guests are all confirmed, the patio is beautiful and it’s going to be amazing. Trust me, will ya?”

  “You sound pretty confident. I guess I’ll have to,” she winked.

  “Exactly,” he smiled, then kissed her again, drinking in the sweetness of her lips. “Look, I’d love to stay here and kiss you all day, but I have got to run into town. Can you handle things while I’m gone? Clare is outside stocking wine and her walkie-talkie is on if you need her.”

  “Will you ever stop worrying about me? I’m fine! It’s been over a month since I came home and I haven’t had one problem. Now go, do what you need to do. I’ve got this. What are you doing anyway?” she asked.

  “Oh, just picking up a couple of things for the patio. Nothing big. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I love you.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Do you have any idea how happy you make me feel, Jules? It’s the only word that fits. I know that probably sounds dumb, but it’s true,” he added, gushing with a smile the size of Texas.

  “You’re crazy, but I love you, too. And I feel the same… trust me.” She slapped him playfully on the tush.

  “Wooh! Hey now, don’t get me all excited, Red. I won’t be able to keep my focus.”

  “Oh, get out of here. No excitement until the wedding day, buddy,” she laughed.

  “That’s mean… you know that right? Just flat mean.”

  “What can I say? I have pretty high standards. Let’s hope you can live up to them once the ring is on your finger.”

  “Ouch… you’re tough. I like that in a woman,” he said softly, then pulled her close and kissed her again, lingering on her lips as long as he could. Each kiss held more fire than the last, and he longed for the day when she would be his in every way.

  Breathless, she pulled away. “Yeah, you’d better go run your errands. I… I need some air.” Hannah felt dizzy and off-balance, but in a delightful way.

  That day’s guests hadn’t arrived yet, and after Brad left, the B&B was quiet and peaceful. Hannah went to her room and pulled out the wooden box from her closet. The little blue velvet bag was still inside and drawn tight. She pried it open and emptied the contents into her hand. Her ring – as bright and shiny as the day he’d given it to her. She’d dreamt about it, but never really believed it would be on her finger again someday. After everything she’d been through in her life, it seemed like things were finally coming together – her dreams coming true.

  Holding the ring tight in her hand, Hannah decided it was time to walk down the hill and pay a visit to her parents’ and grandmother’s grave stones. She hadn’t visited since coming home from the hospital, and even though she had somewhat said goodbye, it wasn’t on her own terms. In a sense, it hadn’t become real yet. It was easy to put it off at first during her recovery, but she needed to close the door and make her peace. They had been buried at the base of the estate, on the downward slope of the hill that overlooked the town. She could see everything from there, surrounded by rolling hills, cherry blossom trees, wildflowers, and a few late blooming pink phlox. She sat down, leaning against her grandmother’s headstone, and took in the view.

  “Hey Grams, Mom, Dad. I miss you,” Hannah let out a big sigh, and the tears followed as she continued to talk to the head stones. “It really sucks that you’re not here to watch me marry my soul mate, but hopefully you’re watching from somewhere above. The winery is doing great and I managed to save the estate – with Brad’s help of course. He kind of swooped in and saved the day, which ticked me off at first. I was perfectly happy keeping him in that little box, but nooooo, he just had to ride in on his white horse all sexy-like, and totally stole my heart in the process. You nailed it Grams. You knew from the beginning that he was still the love of my life, and you weren’t going to be happy until we were together again. Nice job!”

  She played with the ring, spinning it around her finger, and the tears continued to fall as her heart gave way to the finality of her words. Her grief and love unfolded, mourning the loss of her grandmother at last. Being physically separated from Lois during her final days on earth was the worst part – let alone experiencing what could have been her own last days at the same exact moment. Thinking back, she recalled her last moment with Lois and the words she shared, how life was all about timing, and timing is everything. Hannah doubted her words then, but after everything that had
happened… those words never rang more true. She closed her eyes and let the memory movies of her grandma play through her mind, everything from their shopping sprees to her make-up tutorials. Each one brought a smile to Hannah’s face, and slowly, her tears ran dry.

  “Thanks for stopping in to say goodbye while I was ‘out’… literally,” she giggled at her own pun. “It was good to see all of you again. Weird, but good. I still think I’m a little nuts. It felt so real though, like you were right there with me. Oh, and you’ll be happy to know that Brad has finally grown up, Mom. You always said that he would figure it out some day, but I didn’t believe you,” she stood up and kissed the top of the stones. “Goodbye, Grandma, Mom, Daddy. I’d better get back to work. We have guests coming in and wine to pour. I love you all so much… thanks for watching over me.” Hannah stood up, wiping the last tear from her eye, and ran her hand across the top of the stones as she walked away.

  On her way back to the estate, she poked her head in the winery to check on Clare.

  “Hey girl! You alright in here?” Hannah asked.

  “Me? Oh sure,” she replied, laced with a hint of sarcasm.

  “Hmm. O-k-a-y… what’s up? I know better than that.”

  “It’s just… well, with all the excitement around here and all of us so busy getting things ready, I’m starting to worry about where I’ll fit in after you two love birds get your ‘happily-ever-after’. Are you really going to want an 18 year old hanging around?”

  “How many times are we going to have to have this conversation before you get it through your thick skull? You might be 18 in number, but you act like a toddler sometimes, Clare. Did I ever tell you that I wanted to adopt you a few years ago?”

  “No. Why didn’t you?”

  “Because I was single, and had never been anyone’s mother before. I had no idea how to take care of a teenager on my own, and was struggling to take care of myself frankly. I was scared, and once the estate started going downhill, I couldn’t take on the added responsibility of a kid – even one as great as you. I didn’t want to let you down – that’s the last thing you needed.”

  “You could never let me down, Jules. I love you,” Clare said.

  “I love you too, and that’s why I want you to live here with us at the estate. You’re a legal adult now – you can choose where you want to live, and you are welcome here for as long as you want. I don’t want you to be my ‘little sister’ anymore though. I want you to be my daughter. Brad does too. We’ve already talked about it, and I’ve already contacted your foster parents to talk it over with them. So, take some time and think about it, and…,”

  Clare cut her off – overwhelmed with joy, and grabbed Hannah in a tight hug, nearly knocking her to the ground. “Yes, yes, yes! I want you to be my mom! You already are, don’t you know that? I love you, Jules. Can I… I mean… is it okay if I call you Mom?”

  Hannah’s eyes welled with tears. “Well, that’s a silly question. Of course you can! I guess that settles that, then.”

  “Sweet! Which room do I get?” Clare asked.

  Hannah burst out laughing, “Something tells me you already have one picked out.”

  “Yep! I want the one in the attic – and I want to hang lights and fill it with bookshelves and tons of books.”

  “Books, really? I can’t imagine. It’s only your first love,” Hannah replied.

  “Ha, ha. You’re so funny. I can’t help it. I love them,” Clare looked down and noticed a glare coming from Hannah’s hand. “What’s in your hand?”

  “Oh this?” she smiled. “This… is the engagement ring Brad gave me when he proposed years ago. I wanted to hold it while I visited Gram’s grave.” Hannah’s cheeks turned pink, remembering the day he gave it to her.

  “I can’t believe you kept it all this time. I would have hurled it down a tall elevator shaft or threw it off a cliff or something. Why did you keep it?”

  “I guess part of me always hoped it would bring him back to me. I’m not sure I ever really believed it would work, but I couldn’t bring myself to let it go. It was the only piece of him I had left. I’ve kept it in a wooden box that he made for me, along with his ‘Dear John’ letter. When he showed up here, I pulled the box out of the closet and tucked it under my bed, hoping it would give me the courage to tell him off or something. Obviously you can see how well that turned out. Sounds silly, huh?”

  Clare took the ring from Hannah’s hands and admired it. “It’s not silly at all. It’s beautiful, Jules. He loved you. He never stopped loving you, and you know that now. Did you two set a date yet?”

  Hannah didn’t respond. She simply turned and looked out over the hills behind her, replaying her Grandmother’s words about ‘timing’ in her head. “Not yet, but we will. It’s been a little nuts around here. We’ll figure it out.”

  “Well, life is too short to wait around for the perfect day or time. If he doesn’t set a date soon, he’s really going to earn his nickname of ‘Putz’ in a big way as far as I’m concerned!”

  They laughed together and walked back to the house. Clare put her arm around Hannah, thankful that their journey, although long and sometimes painful, had given her a ‘forever family’ in Hannah, and now Brad.

  *****

  “Hurry up, Laci! Our flight leaves in three hours,” Mitch shouted, coming down the hall at the crack of dawn.

  “I know when our flight leaves, Darlin’,” she mumbled to herself sarcastically, but Mitch entered the bedroom just in time to hear her reply.

  “Hey now, no need to get all sassy on me,” he smiled.

  “Really? I thought you liked it when I got sassy?”

  “That depends… is it ‘fun’ sassy, or ‘I’m-in-trouble’ sassy?”

  “Yeah… probably not the fun sassy this early of a morning,” Laci giggled, then heard her cell phone ring.

  “Who’s calling at this hour?” She looked at her phone and saw it was Evan. “Oh, it’s Evan! Uh, oh. I hope everything is okay.”

  “Well why don’t you answer the phone and find out?” Mitch shook his head at her. Laci stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Hey Buddy. What’s up?” she said as she answered the phone.

  “Hi, Mom. Do you have a sec?” Evan asked.

  “Sure, Sweetie. I have more than a few for you. Everything okay?”

  “Well, I wanted to catch you before you all left. I… I’d like to move back home, if that’s okay.”

  Laci’s mouth fell open and she sat down on the edge of the bed. Mitch looked at her with worry in his face, mouthing the words ‘what’s wrong’ to her. She waved him off.

  “Okay. Did something happen? I thought you were going to stay and work there this summer?”

  “I was, but I’ve decided to drop out of school too,” he stated.

  Laci was silent, not even sure how to reply at first. “I’m sorry. Did I hear you right? Did you just say you’re dropping out of school? What about your degree, Evan? You only have one more year to go!”

  “Don’t freak out, Mom. I’ll finish online, I’m not stupid. I just can’t be here anymore. I want to be there with you and help run the winery… if Mitch will let me that is.”

  Laci looked up at Mitch with a little smile on her face.

  “What is going on?” Mitch whispered – hands in the air.

  Laci shushed him, and he rolled his eyes. “Why do I even bother?” he added, talking to himself.

  “Did something happen to prompt this? You’re not coming home because of me and the baby are you? I don’t want you to worry – I’m fine.”

  “No, that’s not it. I mean, I want to be there, but it’s more than that. After I almost lost you to cancer, and then you marrying Mitch and moving, nothing has felt right. I feel so disconnected from everything – and I hate school, Mom. Believe it or not, the short time I was able to help Mitch at the winery last year was the happiest I have been in a long time. I loved it – everything about it!” The excitement in Evan’s voice
was evident.

  “Wow. I’m just surprised, that’s all. Happy, of course, but surprised. Honey, you can always come home. We have plenty of room!”

  After hearing that little tidbit, Mitch stopped in his tracks and stared at Laci, his arms crossed and the ‘I need an update’ look on his face. Laci laughed.

  “Hold on a sec, Ev,” Laci said, then pressed mute and held the phone down on her lap.

  “He wants to come home – for good. He wants to run the winery with you! Isn’t that great? Especially with Caleb going off to school in the fall!” Laci’s eyes widened with her big, cheesy smile.

  Mitch nodded with a smile, seeming agreeable to the news. Mostly, he enjoyed how the news made Laci’s face light up. The love of his life was happy, and seeing her happy meant everything to him. He gave her a thumbs up. “Sounds good to me! Fill me in later.”

  She unmuted the phone. “Okay Sweetie, I’m back. Mitch gave me the thumbs up, so if you want to move home, then we’re good with that. It’s your life, honey. You have to choose what’s right for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom. Tell Mitch thanks too. I’ll let you go – I know you are leaving soon.”

  “Wait a minute though. What about Sarah? Aren’t you two getting pretty serious?”

  “Umm… yeah we were, but she doesn’t want to move. We’re just on different paths, so we broke up a few days ago. It’s been coming for a while now. That’s not why I’m doing this.”