The Stand

by Lila Kane

  She swallowed and crossed her legs. When she looked up, she smiled again. “I’m surprised he came back. I thought…well, after all these years, he deserved to know about you, Grace. But I didn’t think he’d come back and say anything. I hope he didn’t bother you.”

  “He did bother her,” Riley said. “And he bothered some of my friends.”

  Marlene looked shocked. “That pretty little wife of yours?”

  Riley stood straighter, eyes darkening. “Excuse me?”

  “I heard you got married,” she said, smiling again at Grace. Keeping her eyes diverted from Riley as much as possible. “I stopped by that coffee shop. Oh, she’s just darling. I wish I could have been there for the wedding–”

  “You left when I was ten. You could have come back any time you wanted, and you chose not to.” Riley gestured to Grace, clearly fighting to keep his temper even. “Grace barely even knows you. We would have invited you to the wedding if you’d been around. If it seemed like you wanted to be here for either of us at all.”

  Marlene rose, shaking her head. “Honey, I know. I wasn’t here for either of you.” She turned and appealed to Grace. “It was hard back then and I…I couldn’t be the kind of parent you needed. But now I’d like to try again. Maybe we can spend some time together.”

  Grace looked to Riley, saw anger and uncertainty there. “I don’t know…” She started to stand again.

  “Oh, don’t get up. You rest that foot of yours,” Marlene said. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “She doesn’t need your help,” Riley said.

  Grace looked at him. “Riley–”

  “I understand.” Marlene nodded. “You’re angry. I would be, too.”

  “It might be best if you left now.”

  Her eyes grew soft. “If you want me to leave, I will.”

  “You don’t have to go,” Grace began. She struggled to her feet and reached for her crutches.

  “Oh, let me get them, sweetie.”

  Marlene reached for them as Riley’s hands went to his hips, eyes clouding further. Grace watched him bite back a handful of responses before the crutches were securely under her arms again.

  “I’d really like to meet her,” Marlene said with a sweet smile. “Your sister-in-law. Oh, just think, one day you’ll be an aunt and I’ll be a grandmother.”

  Grace’s eyes widened. Riley stepped forward with a swift shake of his head. “Time to go.”

  “Okay.” Marlene reached out, almost as if to give Grace a hug, then changed her mind. “I’ll let you get back to your afternoon.”

  Riley followed her closely as she stepped down the stairs.

  “’Bye Gracie. I’m staying at that cute little B&B over on Lincoln if you want to stop by to talk. Or I can come visit you at your house. Where–”

  “Goodbye, Marlene,” Riley said, following her down the stairs.

  “Okay.” She flashed another flustered smile that wobbled at the end. “Okay, goodbye.”

  Grace watched her hop in the car, felt a surprising jolt of longing as her mother waved through the window. And then she was gone.

  Riley came back up the steps. “Are you okay?”

  “Shit. Riley…” She looked up at him and released a deep breath. “Why did you do that?”

  “Make her leave?”

  “Yes.”

  He touched her shoulder. “Grace, you don’t know why she was here.”

  “She said she wanted to try to be a part of our lives now.”

  His brow furrowed. “And you believe her?”

  “I don’t know. I thought…”

  “What about what Lewis said? About her needing money because of the gambling?”

  Grace shook her head and turned, leaning against the rail. “She didn’t ask for money, she just wanted to talk.”

  “I don’t want her to know anything about our family. Not yet. Especially about the baby.”

  She nodded immediately. “I agree, Riley. And I don’t want her to bother Maddy. Trust me.”

  “I do.”

  “But…”

  His jaw clenched, and she forced herself to remember the promise she’d made. That she’d try not to argue with Riley. That she’d try not to argue with Nathan. That she’d try to listen to her friends because they were looking out for her. She felt like Riley was being reasonable from his point of view. He remembered a lot more about their mother than she did. But from her point of view, mostly all she remembered was a mother who left. And now, she saw a mother who wanted to come back.

  Grace found herself longing for that mother figure. For someone to turn to when times got rough.

  Riley pulled her close, rubbing a hand down her back. “Grace, I’m sorry. I don’t want to take this opportunity away from you but…But the timing is terrible. I’m worried she’s going to make it harder.”

  “Finding the star?”

  “Doing anything right now. You’re hurt, you’re dealing with a lot. You don’t need this on top of it.”

  Grace straightened. “Riley, I’m not a little kid anymore.”

  He gave her a gentle smile and nestled her head against his shoulder again. “But you’re still my little sister. And it’s my job to take care of you. So please, please, let me do my job.”

  How could she argue with that? She couldn’t tell him it wasn’t his responsibility. He’d been taking care of her their whole lives. She only nodded. “I’m trying.”

  The same words she’d used with Nathan almost a week ago. But it was true. She was trying. And for her…it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.

  ~ ~ ~

  He clicked his mouse and waited for five pages to slide through the printer. Nathan checked his watch. Early still. Too early for dinner. But not too early to give Grace a call. See how her day was going. Make sure she still planned on having dinner with him.

  It had been a long week. Long because he’d had to catch up on all the work he’d gotten behind on and long because he’d hadn’t been able to see Grace. He wanted to pick her up now. Wanted to spend the entire evening with her simply being together. Simply showing her that he could be the kind of person she needed. That she could trust him.

  For now, he’d have to settle for calling her.

  Nathan dialed Riley’s house. It rang twice before he heard Riley’s voice.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey. It’s Nathan.”

  He heard movement on the other end of the phone. “Hold on.”

  The sound of footsteps came through the phone as well as the sound of a door opening and closing. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just figured I’d go back in so Grace doesn’t have to hear me talking about her.”

  Nathan frowned. “Something happen?”

  He heard a quiet laugh on the other end and it sounded like his friend was trying to release some stress. “Yeah, something happened.”

  He squeezed the pen he held in his hand and tried to sit still. “What?”

  “Marlene stopped by. Our mother.”

  Nathan stood and tossed the pen on the desk. “What happened?”

  “She said she wanted to be part of our lives now. She worked at charming Grace and I think Grace half fell for it, probably because Marlene is so good at manipulating people.” Nathan heard another sigh. “She knew about Maddy.”

  “The baby?”

  “No, just that we got married. But she talked about babies and all the sorts of things grandmothers talk about.” Riley made a disgusted sound in his throat. “Like she actually has some sort of right to be involved in our family.”

  “How did she know about Maddy?”

  “I don’t know. But she said she went to the coffee shop. That she saw her.”

  Nathan paced toward the window. “It’s fine, Riley. Elliot’s there. Probably Kara, too. She might not have even gone inside.”

  “I don’t like her being there anyway.”

  “I don’t blame you.” Nathan turned to the desk, eyed th
e papers in the printer tray, then moved back toward the window. “Did she say anything else?”

  “Not much. I made her leave. But she kept saying she wants to talk to Grace.”

  He sighed and watched a bird fly over the trees. “Is Grace okay?”

  “Actually…I think she’s doing better than I am.”

  Nathan smiled at that. “Can I talk to her?”

  “Sure.”

  He heard the sound of footsteps again, the squeak of a screen door and the shuffle of the phone. Riley murmured a few muffled words Nathan couldn’t make out and then he heard Grace’s voice. The soft and simple “Hi, Nathan” was enough to make him turn and drop to his seat again, feeling a sharp pang of longing in his heart.

  “Riley told me about your mom. Are you okay?”

  “I haven’t had a mother or a father almost my entire life. Now, in less than a month, I have both. It’s weird.”

  “Do you remember her?”

  “She looks…like me.” He heard a quiet laugh. “I remember her a little. I remember her smile.” There was a long moment of silence. “She was nice.”

  Nathan retrieved his pen, tapping it softly. Wondering about the difference between what Grace said and what Riley had said about the same woman.

  “Riley was pissed she was here,” she continued when he didn’t say anything. “He made her leave. I…”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I wish you here, Nathan.”

  The ache in her voice made him shift in his seat. “I can come now. I’m finished here. I’ll come get you and we’ll go to dinner early.”

  She chuckled. The sound reassured him. “Maddy and Kara are coming soon. They said we have some serious girl stuff to do.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked, intrigued. He settled back into his seat. “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know exactly. Mostly I think they’re just trying to make it sound less like they’re babysitting me and more like we’re spending time together as friends.”

  “You are friends. They’re not babysitting you. They just care about you. We all do.”

  She sighed. “I know. You’re right.”

  “Try to relax,” he suggested. “I’ll come pick you up in a few hours.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do. See you soon.”

  “’Bye, Nathan.”

  “Goodbye. Grace,” he murmured, and listened for the click before he hung up the phone. Nathan swiveled toward the window, looking for the bird again. Searching for a distraction from his thoughts. He wanted to drive over Riley’s right now and tell Grace how he felt about her. Tell her that he loved her. Probably not the best idea.

  So he searched for the bird and planned the evening in his mind.

  Chapter 23

  “Pink,” Maddy said, pulling the colored lacquer out of a bag.

  “Red,” Kara countered.

  “Pink.”

  “Red.”

  Grace shifted on the couch and covered her face with her hands. “Please stop or I’m going to change my mind.”

  “Which do you like, Grace?” Maddy asked.

  Grace uncovered her face. Maddy held up two shades of nail polish, the pink one a little higher than the red. “I really don’t need my nails painted.”

  “Yes, you do,” Kara insisted. She stood. “Hold on. Come here, Maddy.”

  Grace made a face and watched them walk together down the hallway and to the back bedroom of the guesthouse. She heard the murmur of voices, a soft laugh and then they both returned.

  “Okay.” Maddy dropped the pink nail polish back into the bag. “Red it is.”

  “What was that all about?”

  Kara smiled at her. “You’ll see. Just let us paint your nails and then we’ll do your hair, too.”

  “It’s just dinner,” Grace reminded them, leaning back against the cushions.

  “Come on, Grace. Humor us.” Maddy reached up to grab a pillow. She stuck it gently under Grace’s foot. “Nathan won’t be here for two hours. We need something to keep us busy.”

  “Besides, he’ll totally appreciate this,” Kara said with a definite nod.

  “Nathan doesn’t care if my toenails are painted or not.”

  Kara looked at her curiously. “I highly doubt that.”

  “Trust me,” Maddy interrupted. “He’ll like it. Your hair, too. The whole thing. So will you.” She stood. “I’ll get some iced tea while Kara does your nails.”

  Grace obligingly held out her right hand. Kara settled it on another pillow and started painting.

  “Riley told us about your mom,” she said quietly, focusing on Grace’s hand.

  “I thought he might have.”

  “What do you think?”

  Grace leaned back and closed her eyes. “I don’t know what to think. It seemed like…like she really wanted to talk. Like she actually wanted to be there. Riley doesn’t agree.”

  She felt the shift of the couch and opened her eyes when Maddy slid a glass of iced tea onto the coffee table. “He’s looking out for you,” she said.

  “I know.”

  “And he remembers her better than you do.”

  “People can change, though. I don’t know if he thinks he could ever forgive her.”

  Maddy tucked her feet underneath her. “At this point, I think he’s too worried to consider the real reason why she’s here–whatever that is. He just wants us to get through the next couple of months.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Kara said, releasing Grace’s hand. “Next one, please.”

  Grace held out her other hand. “Is that what you both think? That I should just forget about her for now? Until all of this is over?”

  “No,” Maddy said, “I think you should do what you think is right.”

  “And keep Riley’s opinion in mind, too,” Kara said with a nod.

  Grace blew out a breath. “Not helpful.”

  “What if she has something to do with the star?” Maddy asked.

  Kara shrugged, dipping the brush in the paint again. “It doesn’t seem like Lewis had anything to do with the star.”

  “It doesn’t seem like it has anything to do with your wish either, Grace,” Maddy said, looking thoughtful. “What do you think?”

  Grace fought back a wince. It actually had a lot to do with her wish. The wish that no one knew.

  “Grace?”

  She looked at her fingernails, red and shiny. She held out both hands as they dried. “I…” She swallowed and pulled her eyes away from her hands. “I didn’t really tell you my whole wish.”

  Kara crouched at her feet. “What do you mean your whole wish?”

  “Okay, I didn’t really tell you my wish at all.”

  “What are you talking about?” Maddy asked, turning to face Grace better.

  Grace breathed in and out, telling herself she needed to tell them the truth. She needed their help finding the star. And she needed to be honest after all this time.

  “I told you guys that I wanted to stay in Serenity Falls and make something of myself. Do some good here,” she said quietly. “Staying here was part of it. I was just…upset because you told us you were leaving, Kara. And Maddy, you were trying to graduate early so you could get out of Serenity Falls. My mother left and as far as I knew my father walked out on us, too. I just wanted…someone to stay.”

  Maddy stretched an arm around her shoulders. “Grace.”

  “I felt like everyone was always trying to leave. And”–she took a sharp breath–“I don’t know what’s wrong with Serenity Falls. I liked it so much, I wanted to stay. But no one else did. So…I wished that I wouldn’t ever be hurt again by someone leaving.”

  Kara’s hand tightened on her uninjured ankle. “Grace, I promise I’m not mad, but why the hell didn’t you tell us this?”

  Grace averted her eyes. “I couldn’t. It’s stupid–I was just angry.”

  “But it might have helped with the star. We thought it had something to do with the ant
ique store or the youth center. But…maybe it does have something to do with your mom.”

  Maddy nodded. “It definitely could. Because nothing else has happened since the bees except your parents coming back.”

  Kara set the nail polish down and scooted over to the couch. She surprised Grace by leaning her head against Grace’s legs. “I’m still irritated you didn’t tell us, but don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

  Maddy’s arm tightened around her and she gave into the embrace. “She’s right,” Maddy said, holding on. “We’ll figure it out.”

  Grace sniffed, and her eyes filled with tears. Why hadn’t she told them sooner? Why did she always feel like she had to deal with everything on her own? What if trusting her mother was part of the star?

  “Let’s get you all fixed up,” Kara suggested, moving back to her prior spot. “No talk about the star or wishes. I want to have a nice evening.”

  “Me, too,” Grace said.

  Maddy nodded. “One more thing, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I think you should probably tell Riley. And maybe Elliot and Nathan, too. So they can help with this.”

  Grace frowned.

  “Worry about it later,” Kara said, giving Maddy a serious look. “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Grace appreciated the suggestion. She worried about telling Riley–still didn’t know if she should tell Nathan. But now she felt obligated. Even Elliot. Because they were her support system. And now…only two months away from their deadline, she needed all the help she could get in finding the star.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nathan hadn’t even gotten out of the truck when Grace appeared at the door to the guesthouse. He froze in his seat. She was in a dress. A casual white one that skimmed her knees and floated in the breeze.

  He swallowed, managed to grip the handle, and got out.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi.” He came around the front of the truck and smiled. “You didn’t even give me a chance to come to the door.”

  “Maddy and Kara are in there giggling like little girls,” Grace told him, gesturing inside. “I figured I’d save us all the embarrassment.”

  It was the best moment of his day when she moved forward and caught him in a hug. “It’s really good to see you,” she whispered.