by H. P. Munro
Saving Grace
by
H.P. Munro
Saving Grace is a Red Besom book
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Copyright@2016, H.P. Munro.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means electrical or mechanical, including photocopy, without permission in writing from the author.
ASIN:
All characters within this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
About the Book
When Charlotte Grace left Grace Falls at the age of seventeen, she swore she’d never return. More than twenty years on she still regrets breaking the heart of her first love. Reaching a crossroads in her life, Charlotte has started to merely drift along.
Erin Hunter has spent a lifetime recovering from having her heart shattered by the person she trusted most. Taking shelter in her home town and her career, she’s avoided relationships.
Neither woman ever thought they’d see each other again. They didn’t count on Grace Falls. The quirky town's charm pulls people in, and if the town isn’t enough, its residents are more than willing to lend a hand.
Celebrate a return to Grace Falls.
Acknowledgements
So it’s been a while!
The story outline for this book started in December 2013, before I’d even published Grace Falls.
I can blame no one and nothing on the time it’s taken. I’m tardy and undisciplined.
However, there are a number of people that I have to thank for their encouragement, support and guidance.
First thanks go to my book (#wine) club for their initial enthusiasm which had me start to write this story. In particular, thanks to Karin who read it in installments and continued for almost three years to harangue me for the next chapter. That woman has commitment!
Thank you to every family member, friend and reader who have asked on my story’s progress. I eventually finished this just so you’d stop asking.
To Jenny for sitting with me in December 2014 and working out a schedule for me to complete, edit, and publish the book in 2015… I eventually followed the plan this year.
A huge thanks to Clare Lydon for reading the first draft and pointing out all my bad habits. To be fair none of these had anything to do with my writing, but I’m grateful regardless. In all honesty, Clare has been a great support and her guidance has been invaluable.
Another vital part of the support I received came from Cindy Rizzo, thank you for pointing out where my Scottishness got in the way of a book set in Alabama.
I don’t have enough words to thank my friend Fiona H. She reviewed the book many times along the way and I could not have completed it without her suggestions, and advice. In addition, her demand that I change the title of the book to ‘Saving Grace’ from its working title was the right one. Her approach to the title change was just to stop calling it anything else until I submitted to her will…it took a whole three days. (I was proud of holding out that long).
To the final readers Jenny, Lyn and Fiona MacG. Thank you for pointing out all the things we didn’t spot…hope you got ’em all!
Finally, thank you to my wife…for pretty much everything.
For Jane
Contents
About the Book
Acknowledgements
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Titles by Author
Prologue
1982
Charlotte changed quickly, pulled her auburn hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a rubber band. She folded the lemon-colored dress her mother had made her put on and carefully placed it in her hiding place. She looked down at the overalls she’d slipped on. She was getting too tall for them now, and they sat above her ankle bone. Huffing, she rolled them up so they didn’t look as ridiculous. She would have to see whether Matt Sullivan would trade another pair with her soon. Pulling on a pair of worn sneakers, she finally felt like herself and set off skipping into the woodlands for the day’s adventure.
She was almost at her favorite place beside the creek when she heard another voice. She walked on her tiptoes, trying not to make a noise as she got closer to where the sound was coming from.
You had to be careful in the woods, there was always the chance of hunters. Stronger than the fear of getting shot, was that if she did she’d have to explain to her mother why exactly she was wearing overalls and sneakers, particularly ones that belonged to ‘that Sullivan scamp,’ as her mother referred to him.
“Being a big sister sucks. Play with your brother. Take your brother with you when you go out and make sure he doesn’t fall in the creek…again. Like I can stop that happening!”
Charlotte watched intrigued as a blonde girl in red overalls, who looked to be of a similar age to her, sat on a rock appearing to have a somewhat animated, if one-sided, conversation with a toad.
As if sensing she was no longer alone, the blonde girl looked up slowly, her hazel eyes scanning the trees. “If that’s you, Sam, I’m not playing with you, and I’m going to kick your butt for running off like that.”
Charlotte stepped out from her hiding place. “I don’t know who Sam is, but it isn’t me.” She grinned and tucked her hands into the bib of her overall.
As she got closer Charlotte saw that the girl’s lips rose up at the edges, making it look as though she was smiling before she actually was. It made Charlotte want to smile even more.
“Sam’s my brother,” the girl replied. “Who are you?”
“Charlotte Grace.”
“Can I call you Charlie?”
Charlotte shrugged. She’d never had a nickname before and nor had anyone ever dared to shorten her name either. “Sure. What’s your name?”
“Erin Hunter and this is Elliot my toad.”
“Pleased to meet you, Erin and Elliot.”
Charlotte beamed showing the large gap where her front teeth should have been. “You new here?”
Erin nodded. “We moved here last week, from St Anton,” she said, referring to Grace Falls’ closest neighboring town. “You one of the Grace Falls’ Graces?” Erin picked up her toad and set it on her lap before motioning to Charlotte to sit down beside her.
“Yup, my…” Charlotte paused and started to count on her fingers, before giving up with a shrug. “There’re a lot of Greats in there, and I can never remember, but the town is named after my”—she waved her hand as though rounding her forefathers up—“grandfather.”
“Cooool! Wish I had a town named after me.”
Charlotte scrunched her face up in thought. “How ’bout we call this rock after you? Erin’s Rock.” She patted the stone
beneath her.
Erin’s face lit up. “That’s so cool! Do you want to hold Elliot?” She didn’t wait for an answer before she plonked the toad onto Charlotte’s lap.
“I’ve never been this close to a toad before.” Charlotte inspected the toad on her lap almost as intently as it inspected her.
“I’ve got loads of animals.” Erin’s chest puffed up with pride. “My daddy says that maybe I can be an animal nurse when I’m growed up.”
“How old are you?”
“Seven, but I’ll be eight real soon.”
Charlotte sat up straighter. “Me too.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a boy’s voice shouting Erin’s name.
“That’s my brother Sam. He’s five and a big poop-head.” She giggled. “I’d better go. I’m meant to be looking after him.” She slipped off the rock, retrieved Elliot from Charlotte’s lap and tucked him into the bib of her red overalls.
“Nice meeting you, Erin.” Charlotte slid from the rock and brushed dust from her lap.
“Nice meeting you too, Charlie.” She skipped off, but before exiting the clearing she turned back and kissed Charlotte’s cheek. “See you tomorrow?”
Charlotte nodded quickly and patted the stone affectionately. “I’ll be right here, on Erin’s rock.”
Chapter One
2013
A small envelope appeared at the bottom of the laptop screen.
“You have fifty-five unread emails in your mailbox. Do you ever look at your emails?” Molly shouted to Charlotte, who was attempting to draw out her coffee making in the hope Molly would forget her latest grand idea.
“The majority of them are crap,” Charlotte shouted back. “They’re either telling me I’ve won a lottery I haven’t entered or have had a security breach on a bank account I don’t have. Or they’re trying to sell me blue pills for a condition I’ve never experienced and that I’m not likely to!” She grinned as she reentered the room and placed a mug of coffee in front of her best friend.
“Have you heard of spam filters? Honestly, God only knows how you managed to get where you are, being so freaking disorganized,” Molly chided. “However, you have me, and I’m about to get your life on track. Well your love life anyway. I have given up on you and a career.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes, waiting for the onslaught that was likely to follow. However, Molly was far too caught up in what she thought was her best idea yet to chastise her further.
“Right, we have to fill in your details to register and then select a picture where you look half decent. Then we sit back and wait to see what little fish bite.”
Charlotte’s head was still reeling slightly from being woken up by Molly at half past seven on a Sunday morning. A time which previously Molly knew existed but had little experience of, especially since she’d been out at a work party the previous night. However, last night Molly had been introduced to Glen. A gorgeous looking, wonderfully funny, and successful man brought to the party by one of Molly’s workmates. Who, after several glasses of pinot noir, admitted she’d met Glen online. Once Molly realized that her perception of online dating was out of date, she started to think it would be the perfect solution for Charlotte and her empty black book.
“Okay, surname, Grace. Forename, Charlotte. Age...” Molly cast a surveying eye over Charlotte who, dressed in blue checked pajama bottoms and a white vest, was curled up on the sofa opposite attempting to transfer the warmth from her mug into enough energy to go for a shower.
“You could probably pass for forty,” Molly surmised.
“I am thirty-nine you cheeky—!”
“Exactly.” Oblivious to the offense she’d caused, Molly continued completing the registration form. “Occupation? There’s no point going into the whole story. You want to make sure someone replies for the right reasons, not because you’re loaded.”
Charlotte sighed. She missed the buzz she got from running her fitness centers and heading up her own business. It had been a year since she’d sold her LifeFit gyms. A move prompted by the news of her father’s death. News which hadn’t come from her mother but from an old friend back home who’d tracked her down after thinking it odd she wasn’t at the funeral. In some part of her, Charlotte knew her business achievements had been a way to try to make her father proud of her again, and his death forever removed that possibility.
She’d grieved for the loss of her parents years ago. However, the news reawakened old pains, and her thirst to succeed became a victim of her past. A past she kept bottled up and hidden from the life she’d created away from Grace Falls. As a result, her parent company, Elliot Enterprises, had been almost dormant ever since.
“You still with me?” Molly waved a hand to get her attention. “What do you want for occupation? Oh, actually, I know what’ll get the juices going. Personal Tennis Coach.” Molly typed the words as she said them aloud. “Location, Manhattan. Okay, now we have a little blog thing. How about…former professional tennis—”
Charlotte interrupted immediately. “I don’t think you can honestly say professional.” Charlotte absently rubbed her right knee, as she often did when she thought about that period in her life.
“You got a scholarship to college. That’s payment for playing.”
Molly looked over at Charlotte and smiled before continuing to type purposefully.
“Former professional tennis player, looking for a lady who likes movies, good food, great company and can match my active lifestyle, or is at least interested in the massages that follow!”
Charlotte shook her head, but she decided not to get into it with her. She knew once Molly left, she’d be accessing the website and removing the profile anyway. So she was content to let Molly have her fun.
“So, Miss Grace, now for a picture where you look hot.” Molly hauled herself out of her chair and onto the sofa beside Charlotte. She flexed her fingers and clicked on the photo folders. Charlotte saw the cursor hover over the folder marked ‘Tina.’
“Do not delete that.”
“But why?” Molly practically wailed. “Seriously, for six years she made your life a misery. She’s eroded your confidence so much that even now, after two years since you found her in your bed with that slut, you’ve only been on a couple of dates.” Molly adopted her best mafia voice. “Let me take out the trash, boss.”
“Leave it, I’ll delete it when I’m ready.”
Grumbling, Molly shook her head and moved on to the folder marked ‘Holidays.’
“I know just the picture. The one I took of you when we were in Whistler last Easter, and you were mocking my Terminator protective pants.” Molly searched the folder until coming upon the image she wanted.
In the picture Charlotte was resting in one of the bars at the bottom of the slopes, after a morning snowboarding. Sitting back in her seat, with a white long-sleeved base layer outlining her athletic figure, her sunglasses were pushed up into her auburn curls, which framed her face. She was smiling broadly into the camera, with a smile that reached deep into her green eyes.
Molly looked at the picture she’d chosen and smiled as she attached the image onto Charlotte’s profile. Before Charlotte could object she hurriedly selected a couple more where Charlotte looked like an all-action kind of girl, but one who would equally want to snuggle up and enjoy a glass of wine and a movie.
“Right, we’re ready to go. Time to sit back and wait,” Molly said with a satisfied tone as she clicked the mouse emphatically to activate Charlotte’s profile.
Chapter Two
“I bring coffee and pastries from Ruby’s.”
Erin Hunter looked up at the sound of her assistant’s voice. “Is my Monday going to be so bad that you have to fill me with goodies from Grace Falls’ premier coffee house?”
Cindy screwed her face up as she placed the coffee cup and Danish in front of her boss. “Your first appointment is Emmett Day.”
Erin closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her short hair, trying to r
egain the serenity and sanity she’d had before finding out how her day was going to begin. This would mark Emmett’s third appointment this month. Thanks to Doctor Maddie Marinelli’s approach to Mr. Day’s legendary hypochondria, he’d switched his attention from his own health to that of his aged basset hound Buster.
While Erin, like all in Grace Falls, was thankful they now had a permanent doctor in the clinic, she could quite cheerfully throttle Maddie now that her patience was being tested so regularly by Emmett.
“How many of Alex’s pastries did you buy me?” Erin finally opened her eyes to glare at Cindy.
“Three.”
“This is probably going to be a four pastry kinda day.”
Cindy suppressed a smile. “On it, boss lady!”
Taking a huge bite out of the pastry, Erin moaned in pleasure. “And keep the coffee coming,” she yelled after a retreating Cindy, who held up her hands in acknowledgment. “And if you fancy going to Sully’s bar and putting a drop of Irish in it, I wouldn’t complain,” Erin mumbled, taking a deep breath and preparing for her first appointment.
***
“I can categorically tell you Buster doesn’t have myxomatosis Mr. Day.” Erin attempted an upbeat smile, as she held the thirteen-year-old hound’s chin.
“Well, how do you explain the swelling around his genitals then?” The old man huffed, nodding his head in the direction of Buster’s backend.
Erin flashed a look of apology at the hound, who just stared back with a look of resignation on his hangdog face. She placed an exploratory hand between his hind legs and sighed.
“Emmett, his balls have always been that size. I know this because I’ve handled his balls more often than I’ve…”—she paused. Emmett Day did not need to know about her testicle handling history, so she switched what she’d been about to say for a more PG-version—“had hot dinners.”
Remarkably, she managed to ignore Cindy’s snort. “For his age, he’s doing great.” She carefully lifted Buster from the examination table, grunting slightly as she put him down. “He could do with losing a few pounds, but aside from that he’s great.” The dog shook, in an attempt to right his fur after the lift, causing his long ears to clap loudly. “Aren’t you, Buster?”