The Stand

by Lila Kane

  Two teenage girls, giggling about a new purchase they’d made, came out at the same time. Elliot cast him an amused smile as he held the door for them.

  “How’s it going?”

  Nathan shrugged. “It’s going.”

  Elliot gave him a knowing look. “Coffee will help.”

  “It usually does.”

  He turned toward the café and got a warm smile from Maddy before he reached the counter.

  “I saw you coming so I made you a large cup of our daily special.”

  He accepted the coffee she passed over and peered inside. “Thanks, Maddy.”

  “It’s Chai tea. Was that Lewis you were talking to out there?”

  He nodded.

  Maddy propped her elbows on the counter. “Grace went to see her mom twice this week.”

  “Riley told me.”

  “He doesn’t like it.”

  “Neither do I, but it’s not my place to say anything.”

  Maddy reached out and touched his arm. “She told me what happened.”

  “Which part?”

  She stood up straight and welcomed a customer. He moved to the side but kept his place at the counter. “All of it, I think.”

  Nathan sipped his tea and looked around the café. Most of the tables were occupied by couples or friends, enjoying the day, enjoying the company. When he looked back, Maddy passed over another cup of coffee to the customer.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Why’s that?”

  “I don’t really understand why Grace thinks she needs to do what she’s doing, but I think she’s genuine about it.”

  “I don’t understand either. But you’re right. I think she’s doing what she thinks is best right now.”

  “It’s not, though.”

  Nathan watched her face. Watched her eyes lower to the counter. To the rag she twisted in her hand. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it’s not the right thing. I know it, Nathan. I know you two are supposed to be together. I know you love her. And I know she loves you, too.”

  Nathan felt the words touch his heart and wondered how much of it read on his face.

  Maddy reached out to put her hand over his. “Don’t give her too much time to think it all through. She’ll find a way of convincing herself she’s better off alone even if she doesn’t truly believe it in her heart.”

  Nathan nodded. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Better,” she told him, dragging the rag across the counter. “At least the smell of coffee doesn’t make me feel sick.”

  “Always looking on the bright side, Maddy. I appreciate that.”

  She grinned. “Anything I can do. Enjoy the coffee.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Ruby’s was crowded with a wave of early afternoon diners. Grace convinced Kara to drop her off here for an hour for some time with her mother. The less Riley and her other friends knew, the better. Not everyone approved of her visits.

  But she needed to see if some kind of relationship with her mom would move along her quest for the star. So far it didn’t seem to be helping.

  That wasn’t the only thing that didn’t seem to be helping. Spending time away from Nathan had neither brought her further along with finding the star nor made her very happy. It had, however, sharpened her focus, which was part of what she’d intended.

  Grace found herself keeping busier and busier. An attempt to ignore the giant hole in her heart. The one put there by her own choices. It didn’t make any sense to go back on her decision now, though. She’d been productive with the youth center, with a lot of help from everyone else, and made a list of everything she wanted to try to find the star.

  Still…she felt empty.

  She shoved aside those thoughts and wound her way back to a table in the corner. Marlene already occupied one side of the booth. She had a cup of coffee and a glass of ice water in front of her.

  “Hi, Gracie.”

  “Hi,” Grace said. She couldn’t call her “mom” yet. The words felt too foreign to her after not having said them in almost twenty-five years. But she did feel closer to this woman than she thought she ever could.

  “I’m glad you called,” Marlene told her as Grace sat down. “I was hoping we’d have a chance to get together before the weekend.”

  Grace moved her silverware to the side and leaned her arms on the table. Her eyes pinched at the edges, tired. “Something happening this weekend?”

  “Just visiting a friend.”

  “Oh. Are you going out of town, then, or are they coming here?”

  “They’re coming here.” Her smile brightened. “I didn’t want you to think I was leaving again.”

  “I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t think that.”

  “Just to be sure.”

  Grace reached for a menu, trying to cover her surprise. Her mom was afraid to leave town because she thought Grace might think she was leaving again. Didn’t that show she truly wanted to be here? And she’d kept in touch with Grace. She didn’t sound at all like the woman Lewis had described.

  He hadn’t even tried to get in touch with her again. Maybe everything he said was just a story.

  “So, what have you been up to?” Marlene asked, a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Seems like you’re always carrying that binder around and writing things down in it.”

  Grace leaned back. She hadn’t thought her mother had noticed. They hadn’t gotten around to talking about the youth center. In fact, they hadn’t gotten around to talking about a lot. But Grace felt okay with telling her mother about what she’d been working on. “I’m opening a youth center with some friends in the next couple of months.”

  “A youth center?” She sounded interested. “For runaways or…?”

  “For anyone, really,” Grace told her, trying to keep her tone light. For kids like her, she wanted to say, who didn’t really have any parents. “Kids who need a positive place to spend time. To fellowship with other kids. To…get away from home if they need it.”

  “Like the one your grandpa had in mind?”

  Grace watched her face, met those eyes that looked so much like her own. “He did it, you know. He opened that youth center. Riley and I went there all the time when we were kids.”

  “I wish I could have seen it.”

  Grace bit her lip and nodded. “Me, too. He gave us a house right before the other one closed and we decided to use it for a new youth center.”

  “He gave you a house?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well…” Marlene reached for her own menu. “That’s wonderful. And you’re making a youth center out of it with some friends?”

  “Friends from when I was a teenager. Maddy, Riley’s wife now, and Kara. They all lived here in Serenity Falls when we were younger and now both of them have moved back.”

  Marlene skimmed her menu. “Sounds like a big project for just the three of you.”

  Grace shrugged and looked over her own menu. “We have a lot of help.”

  “Riley, of course.” Marlene smiled. “He always was a good worker. Committed.”

  She nodded. “Kara’s boyfriend. And…another friend. Nathan.”

  “A friend?” She looked intrigued. “A special kind of friend?”

  Grace laughed at her expression. “I don’t know. It’s pretty complicated.”

  “Men can be that way sometimes, honey. Trust me. Sometimes life is easier without them.”

  She lowered her menu to the table with a slight frown. “He’s not really the one making it complicated. He’s a good guy.”

  “Of course he is, Gracie.” Marlene reached out and patted her hand. “I’m not saying that at all. I’m just saying, sometimes life is easier when you only have to rely on yourself.”

  Grace swallowed. She’d thought the same thing so many times in the last several years. Maybe her mother was right. Grace had gotten along a lot easier before Nathan ever came back. Things had been less complicated.

  “Tell me more about the youth
center,” Marlene suggested after the waitress came by to take their orders.

  “We’re working on getting it finished up. Putting in furniture and supplies and…whatever else we feel needs to go in there. It’s a big place.”

  Her mother looked concerned. “Do you have enough money for all that? You can’t use all your savings for this.”

  “No, it’s not all my savings. We had an auction and raised a lot of money for it. We’ve been able to get just about everything we need, and we’ll still have some left over for projects down the road.”

  “Really?”

  Grace nodded.

  “What else do you need?” Marlene asked, leaning on the table again with a smile. “Maybe I can help.”

  Chapter 27

  Elliot said goodbye to Brian and stopped by the counter at the café. “Hey, are you sure it’s okay for me to leave?”

  Maddy grinned. “You’re the boss.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  She adjusted her apron and gave him a serious look. “You’ve been working a lot and we’ve all been busy. Take a break.”

  “Do you feel okay?”

  “Yes. Much better than last week.”

  Elliot nodded. She looked better, too. Not so tired and not as pale. “Do you know what Grace and Kara were planning today?”

  “They said something about Ruby’s for lunch, but it might be kind of early for that.”

  “Maybe I’ll stop by the house and surprise them.”

  Maddy smiled coyly. “You should bring flowers.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “That’s what I’m here for.”

  He chuckled and stepped back. “Call me if it gets busy and I’ll come back in.”

  “Sure, boss.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. Riley will be here soon, too. I told him to keep an eye on you.”

  “Like you really needed to tell him that. He’s already got two eyes on me pretty much all the time.”

  Elliot gave her a smile. “It doesn’t bother you, does it?”

  “Not really. I understand why.”

  “Me too. I’d be doing the same thing.”

  “Maybe one day you will be.”

  He paused mid-step toward the door. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She laughed. “You know exactly what that means. You love Kara, she loves you. Maybe you should bring her a ring instead of flowers.”

  He gave a hard swallow and raised his brows. “It’s a bit more difficult than that.”

  “It is?”

  Elliot sighed, glancing at the door. What exactly was so difficult about it? Maybe the fact that he’d been there before. That the last time he’d proposed, he’d been cheated on.

  “I’m sorry, Elliot,” Maddy said, coming around the counter. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s none of my business.”

  “Don’t apologize, Maddy. Don’t think I haven’t thought about it.”

  She touched his arm and smiled. “Don’t worry about that now. Relax, have fun this afternoon. Forget I have such a big mouth.”

  “You don’t have a big mouth. But I wonder what Kara would think about your wedding plans for us.”

  Maddy’s eyes lit. “Maybe she’ll let me plan it all. Oh, with lilies or–”

  “Okay.” Elliot chuckled. “Time to go.”

  Maddy laughed. “See you later, Elliot.”

  He stepped outside and put on his sunglasses. He paused on the sidewalk, debating, then finally crossed between two cars and went into the flower shop. No ring this time, flowers were just right. He picked a nice bouquet Pamela had put together this morning and hopped into his car. He balanced the vase in his passenger seat and drove toward the youth center.

  Maddy’s words followed him the entire way there. He hadn’t lied to her, he’d considered marriage with Kara before. He’d considered a long future together with kids and a home on the lake and…basically he usually ended up letting his imagination run away with him. But it was nothing they’d really talked about in depth. And it was something he planned on thinking through seriously before it ever happened.

  He’d been there before with Tiffany. Then she’d cheated on him and they’d split up. It wasn’t a pattern he wanted to repeat. And while Kara was nothing like Tiffany and their relationship was far different, far better, he still needed to be positive of his choice.

  But he loved Kara, he knew that for sure. He’d be devastated if it didn’t work out.

  Elliot propped the flowers up again and then held them still as he drove on the dirt path that led him to the guesthouse. He bypassed the youth center and slowed when he reached the guesthouse. Grace’s car was there, but not Kara’s.

  He sighed and let go of the flowers. Had they left already?

  He unbuckled and figured he’d knock on the door anyway. Maybe Kara had gone somewhere, and Grace was still home. He doubted they’d do that, but he wanted to check anyway.

  Elliot gave the door a couple of raps, then rocked back on his heels. When he heard slow footsteps inside and the door opened, he looked at Grace in surprise.

  “Hi, Grace.”

  “Hi, Elliot.” She backed away from the door, her ankle causing a slow retreat. “Come in.”

  He walked into the small guesthouse and smelled coffee. He didn’t see Kara.

  “I got off work early so I thought I’d come surprise you.” She gave a confused smile that didn’t seem to reach her eyes. “Is Kara here?”

  “No.”

  He looked around again. “She’s not?”

  Grace moved over to the couch and sat, folding her hands in her lap.

  “What’s wrong, Grace?”

  “She left.”

  He moved to stand in front of her. “She left? Where did she go? She’s supposed to be here with you.”

  “No, Elliot.” Grace bit her lip, looking down at her hands. “She left. She left Serenity Falls.”

  The words hit him like a slap. She’d left? Completely? But everything had been going so well, and she’d decided to stay here permanently. She wouldn’t have left before they found the last piece of the star.

  “I’m sorry, Elliot.”

  “Wait.” He sat on the couch next to her and she looked over, sadness in her blue eyes. “What do you mean she left Serenity Falls?”

  He hadn’t spent a lot of time with her in the last few weeks, but everything seemed okay. When he talked to her on the phone last night, she’d been distracted, but she’d told him she loved him and she’d see him today. Had she said anything else? Had she even hinted at anything else?

  “I don’t know, Elliot. She was upset about what happened with Maddy and–”

  “I know she was upset. But I didn’t think she was upset enough to leave.”

  “I don’t know,” Grace said. She stood and limped toward the door. “She packed up everything this morning and I tried to talk to her, but she didn’t really want to talk. And…” Grace shook her head. “She just left.”

  Elliot stood as well, swallowing hard. “How long ago?”

  “Maybe twenty minutes.”

  He turned toward the door, wondering if he might be able to catch her. Hoping that maybe she’d stop by Serendipity first to say goodbye. She couldn’t be gone. Why would she leave? Did their relationship mean that little to her?

  “Elliot–”

  He left Grace in the house and jogged to his car. He shoved the key in the ignition, looked over at the flowers and paused. It didn’t make sense…

  He reached for his cell phone and dialed Kara’s number. It rang several times and went to voice mail. Not uncommon.

  The flowers tipped, and he straightened them again, suddenly unsure. He’d brought the flowers for the woman he loved. The woman he knew loved him in return. She wasn’t the kind of person to simply leave without saying goodbye. She wouldn’t do that to him or to her friends…

  Elliot got out again and looked to the guesthouse. He walked slowly to the door an
d then knocked. He banged harder when no one answered. “Grace! Open the door!”

  Still, he heard nothing. Elliot tried the handle and found it was open. He stepped inside, looking for Grace. He checked the living room and kitchen with a swift glance, then moved onto the bedrooms. Nothing.

  She wasn’t here.

  Elliot closed his eyes briefly. What had just happened here? Where did Grace go?

  He walked back to his car, grabbing his cell phone at the same time. He turned the car around and bypassed the youth center as he called Grace.

  “Hello?”

  He turned onto the main road and pressed on the gas. “Grace?”

  “Elliot? Hi.”

  He tried to keep a reasonable speed. “Where are you?”

  Her voice turned suspicious. “Why?”

  “Is Kara with you?”

  “Well, no, she uh…”

  Elliot slowed for a curve in the road, squeezing the phone in his hand tighter. “Where are you Grace?” he repeated, keeping his voice low. “I’m serious.”

  “I’m at Ruby’s.”

  “Ruby’s?” he asked, blowing out a breath.

  “Yes, but–”

  “I’ll come there.”

  Elliot hung up and tossed the phone in the console. He tried to keep focused on the drive. Who had been back at the guesthouse if Grace was at Ruby’s? Or was the person on the phone not the real Grace.

  If this was another trick of the star…Elliot gripped the wheel tight. It made sense. He been thinking about marriage, he’d been thinking about how he wanted a future with Kara. Of course something would come along and ruin it. That’s what the power behind the star was all about. Devastating lives. Trying to keep them from better futures. Evil.

  He made it into town quickly, found an open parking spot at the diner and went inside. It took seconds to spot Grace and he reached her in quick strides. She sat across from a woman that looked like an older Grace.

  “This is my mother, Marlene,” Grace said. “This is Elliot.”

  Marlene smiled and shook Elliot’s hand. He looked back to Grace.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “How long have you been here?”

  She looked down at her watch. “At least…almost an hour. We were just getting ready to leave. I was waiting for Kara.”