by Jill Sanders
“Just getting home?” Haley set her book down and smiled. “We took bets if you were going to stay the night. Looks like I won.” Her sister crossed her arms over her chest, a satisfied smile on her lips.
Alex tilted her head. “Seriously? Why would I stay there? I've never spent the night with Travis.”
“Yeah, but…” Haley scooted closer to her sister and laid a hand on her knee. “Grant is no Travis.”
Her sister was right. The only reason she'd never stayed the night with Travis was that she'd actually wanted to be home instead of wrapped in his arms. She wanted to stay at Grant’s, snuggled up next to him, waking up in his arms.
“Earth to Alex.” Haley shook her knee, causing her to blink and realize she'd been daydreaming about being with Grant.
“Sorry, I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought.” Alex rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Sure you are.” Haley smiled and winked.
Alex got up and walked to the door. “Good night.”
“Alex.” Haley waited until she turned back. “Next time, stay. You won't regret it.”
That night, Alex had a hard time getting to sleep. Her body was worn out from the long day at work and the hours of making love with Grant, but her mind just refused to shut down.
She kept running over lists. Lists of how Grant was different, better than Travis. She wondered why her mind was feeling unsettled about taking the next step with Grant. It wasn't as if she was moving in with him. They’d been together a few times now, and they were enjoying each other. She knew Grant would never cheat on her. There was no way Mr. Goody Two-shoes would do anything like that, even if he had changed a lot since she'd used the nickname for him. He was still Grant underneath, and she knew he wasn't capable of something like that.
He was kinder and more caring than anyone she'd ever dated. He walked her to her car, opened the doors, and always leaned in and kissed her, telling her to drive safe on the way home. She smiled and turned over in bed, trying to get more comfortable. She wished he had a cell phone, so she could text him, but she knew he was putting off getting a phone. Maybe she would just swing by and pick one up for him. It could be an early birthday present.
She sat up in bed and gasped. She didn't even know his birthday. She rushed to her bookshelves and searched through her yearbooks. Pulling out one after another, she saw picture after picture of him, but none of them showed his birth date. Feeling frustrated, she walked over to her laptop and flipped it open. She knew he didn't really get into technology, but maybe it was out there somewhere on the web.
She pulled up Facebook and was shocked to see a picture of him and a dark-skinned girl smiling at the camera on what appeared to be his personal Facebook page. She relaxed when she remembered what he'd said about his ex, Terry. So, this was the kind of girl he'd dated? She looked at the dark-haired beauty. Her dark curly hair hung past her shoulders, and her skin glowed in the sunlight. Alex flipped through a few more pictures. There were only a dozen, but she stared at each one, taking in every detail of his transformation from chunky Grant with glasses to hunky Grant with a well-toned body. There was a picture of Grant with another man, a large bodybuilder type who looked a great deal like Terry. She realized it must be Sam. She felt a little sad looking at the pictures of the three of them. She could tell Grant had really looked up to the man, and she wished she'd had the opportunity to meet him. Then she looked at his sister, Terry, and wondered what she'd gone through, losing her only sibling.
Taking a chance, she used Google to search Grant’s name. Narrowing down the search, she typed in Fairplay and was shocked when a professional website came up: Holton Legal Advice. She clicked into it and saw an image of Grant and his father. The site looked new since some of the links weren't up and running yet, but from what she could tell, they were running an online business to help people file simple legal paperwork such as wills. She spent almost an hour going through the website. By the time she shut down her computer, she knew several things more about Grant, including that his birthday was less than a month away. Perfect. She could drive into Tyler and buy him a new cell phone and have a wonderful excuse. After all, with an online business like that, he needed to be connected.
Closing her laptop, she jumped back into bed with a smile on her face. She was going to buy Grant a cell phone, and the next time she went over to his place, she was going to spend the whole night with him.
Chapter Nine
By the end of the week, word had spread throughout town of the little scene behind Mama's. When people walked into the diner, they either smiled or chuckled at her. She'd known for some time that the small town had a thing for gossiping about her, and she'd never shied away from it before. This time she wished people would just leave her alone.
She hadn't seen Travis or Savannah in a while, and she hadn't really heard any gossip about the two of them either. It was almost as if they weren't really an item. People in town knew why she'd broken off the engagement, and they also knew that she was currently seeing Grant. But for the most part, most of the gossip around town was about what she'd done to the two of them.
She had hoped that with the county fair starting at the end of the month, people would have found something else to talk about and the gossip would have died down a little. But on several occasions that day at the diner, she'd overheard her name and had turned to see someone laugh or chuckle at the story that was being told.
By the time she drove up the long driveway at the ranch, she was beat and it wasn't even noon yet. She'd made it halfway up the drive when she spotted Lauren walking next to her horse, Tanner. At first she thought about just slowing down and waving then continuing up the drive, but her sister shocked her by hunching over and throwing up.
Alex hit the brakes and rushed to her sister's side. “What is it? Are you alright?” She held her sister's hair back as she continued to throw up all over her own boots. Then Lauren leaned up and gave her a weak smile. Alex reached over and felt her sister’s forehead. “Oh, honey, you're sick. I'll go get Chase.”
“No!” Lauren grabbed her arm, stopping her. “I'm fine. I'll be okay.” She smiled and took a water bottle from her saddlebag and rinsed her mouth.
“Lauren, you probably have heat stroke or something. You know better than to…” Lauren interrupted her by laughing. “What?” Alex felt like stomping her foot in frustration. Lauren never thought about herself. Her older sister had always given up everything she'd wanted for Alex and Haley. She'd probably worked out in the sun all day since sunrise and, knowing her, hadn't eaten much or taken any breaks. Alex mentally thought about tattling on her to Chase. After all, she'd seen a huge change in her sister since the pair had let everyone know last year that they'd married almost eight years ago.
“What?” Alex dropped her hand that was still on her sisters. “What's so funny?”
“You. This.” Lauren motioned around the field, then towards the house. “Me. Chase. Everything.” Alex stood in shock as her sister turned in circles, hugging herself as she laughed.
“Okay, definitely heat stroke. I'm taking you home right now.” She grabbed for her sister's arm.
“Alex.” Lauren took her by the shoulders and smiled at her. “It's not heat stroke. I'm pregnant. Or at least I think I am.” Her sister's smile got bigger as she waited for the words to sink in.
Alex's mind stopped. Her vision actually grayed around the edges so that all she could see was Lauren's face. Her sister's sea green eyes almost glowed in the sunlight. Her dark hair blew in the light breeze and her cheeks were a dark pink. A baby! Lauren was having a baby. Chase and Lauren were having a baby.
Then she grabbed Lauren by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug so strong that by the time she let go, tears were falling down both of their faces. “A baby?” Alex smiled at her sister. “You're having a baby?”
Lauren nodded her head with a smile. “I think so. I took a test and it said positive. Besides, I'm late and you know that whole thing a
bout morning sickness. Well, for me, it's evening sickness. I've been sick the last three evenings in a row. By the time dinner time rolls around I feel better. I've been sneaking out here the last two nights with Tanner to get out of letting Chase know what's going on. I'm a coward.”
“Why?” Alex stepped back and frowned. “Don't you want Chase to know? Doesn't he want kids?” she asked.
Lauren quickly shook her head. “Oh, no. He absolutely wants children. We've been trying since he moved in last year. It's just…”
Alex smiled. “You wanted to be sure first?”
“Exactly.” Lauren grabbed her sister's hand and started walking with her and Tanner towards Alex's car. “Now that I'm almost positive, I want to tell him in a special way.”
Alex smiled. “I can help you out there.” She stopped by her car and leaned in to grab her cell phone. “Leave everything to me.” She punched a few buttons and made some calls. By the time she hung up, Lauren and Chase had the most romantic place in town all to themselves that night. A few close friends had dropped everything without any questions and had made themselves available to help out.
At eight that night, Alex had Chase drive her into town under the pretense that she'd forgotten something at the diner and had such a headache that she couldn't see well enough to drive. It in part was true, since she'd spent almost three hours preparing the surprise. Her new brother-in-law hadn't complained about the drive. Instead, he'd helped load her into his truck and had driven her the ten minutes into town.
“Maybe you can run in and get my purse. It's just behind the counter. Jamella said she'd leave the front door unlocked for me since she closed up early today. She might be in the back, but…” She signed and leaned her head against the glass. “I'm seeing double right now.” She closed her eyes to emphasize it a little more. When she heard him sigh, she almost chuckled. No doubt he was thinking of how he'd look carrying a woman's purse back across Main Street. But then the car door opened, and he darted out in the light rain that had started falling. He ran across the street and in through the front door of the dark diner.
Quickly getting out, Alex rushed to the back door and watched with Jamella and Willard from the kitchen window as Chase stood motionless inside the front door.
Lauren stood in front of a small table, right in the middle of the dining room. White candles lit the entire room, making the boring diner look like the most romantic spot in town. A cream-colored tablecloth covered the round table, and white flowers and rose petals covered almost every inch of it and the floor.
“What?” she heard Chase say. Then he smiled and walked slowly forward. They watched as he pulled Lauren into a deep kiss. “This is a nice surprise.” He pulled back.
“I hope you like it,” Lauren said in a soft voice.
“I love it.” He looked around, then a small frown formed on his face. “But why? Our anniversary isn't until the spring. It's not my birthday, or yours.” He smiled a little.
“Well, it's…” She watched her sister's shoulders rise and fall. “It's just that I took a test today and I passed.”
Chase's eyebrows shot up. “Test?”
Lauren nodded. “A pregnancy test.”
Alex watched Chase's face from across the room. Everyone was peeking out the window, holding their breath. They all jumped a little when Chase let out a large “Whoop” and then rushed over, picked Lauren up off her feet, and swung her around several times.
Laughing, Jamella whispered. “Let's leave them to their moment. We have work to do.” She pushed on Willard's arm and patted Alex's hand.
Grant showed up a few minutes later dressed in a black suit and looking damn sexy. “Why did I have to wear this and come down here?” He pulled at his tie and frowned a little. “And why did I have to come in the back way?” He looked a little irritated.
“Because…” She grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the window and pointed out front where Chase and Lauren were dancing. “They're having a baby and we're serving them dinner.” She motioned towards the kitchen where they were working hard making wonderful food. Willard and Jamella had pulled out all the stops tonight.
Grant looked out the window at Chase and Lauren as they danced slowly in the dimly lit room, swaying to music playing from the old jukebox. His sour face turned soft and by the time he turned back to her, there was a large smile on his face.
“Really?” He nodded to the open window. “They're having a kid?”
She smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer.
Just then Haley rushed in. Her hair was in tangles and her shirt was partially untucked. “Where are they? Am I late?”
“What happened to you?” Alex pulled back and frowned at her sister.
“Flat tire,” she said as she tucked in her shirt.
“That's the second one this week.” Alex frowned.
“I know. Chase told me to replace all four tires the first time, but…” She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.
“They weren't cut were they?” Grant started to walk towards Haley.
“No, just old and bald.” Haley smiled. “Am I late?” She rushed to the window and peeked out. “Oh, look at them.” Haley smiled, then turned to Alex. “We're having a baby!” It came out a little loud, and they heard Lauren and Chase laugh from the front room.
Less than a minute later, Chase walked through the swinging door. “Everyone might as well come out front. We can hear you all back here, anyway.” He chuckled.
“Oh no,” Alex grabbed Haley's arm as she started walking towards the door to head out front. “This is your night, just the two of you. I mean”— she smiled—“the three of you now.”
“What if it's the four of them?” Haley asked, earning a pinch on the arm from Alex. “I'm just saying…,” she whispered.
“Go on out there. We'll bring your food in a minute,” Alex said, pushing Chase out the door. Then she turned to everyone in the kitchen. “Okay, we're going to make this a night they won't forget.”
Two hours later, Alex looked over at Grant and smiled. “It was perfect, wasn't it?” She leaned on the table, looking across it at Grant. He'd removed his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his white shirt. His dress coat was flung over the back of the chair, which he sat backwards in.
He smiled at her and her heart skipped a little. “Yeah, you have a real talent for putting events together.” He reached over and took her hand.
Everyone had left for the night except Willard, who was still in the back cleaning up. After Lauren and Chase had left, there had been enough food left over that Grant and Alex had sat down to a quiet meal themselves. Alex considered it their first real date. The lights were low and the music was softly playing. Grant looked extremely handsome in his suit, and she was wearing one of her favorite dresses. She smiled across at him.
“Speaking of putting things together…” She leaned on the table tilting her head a little. “Why didn't you tell me you were starting an online business with your father?”
He rolled his eyes and groaned, then took another swig of his beer. “Because it's not up and running yet. It was just an idea I ran by my father years ago on the phone. I didn't know he would hire a company to pull it all together.” He smiled. “It does look good though.”
“I think it's a wonderful idea.” She smiled as he leaned forward a little more.
“Really?” he asked.
“Well, sure. I mean, just think of how many online users there are that need simple things like help updating their wills.” She sighed. “I think it's a very smart plan. Maybe I can help out.”
He shook his head then smiled as he held out his hand. Just then there was a large crash as glass from the front window of the diner sprayed over the both of them. Grant quickly tucked Alex's body behind his, but not before glass shards flew into her face and hair.
Oh, what fun that had been. It had felt so good to hear the glass shatter. To feel the adrenaline. To hear and see
the destruction. Maybe this was the key? Maybe now they would stop?
If not, there were other ideas. Other plans. Other ways to prove to them that they had screwed everything up. Besides, it was too much fun to stop now.
The headlights hit the white line as the car headed down the street towards Grant’s place. Why stop now? A smile slowly spread. There was so much more to destroy. After all, they'd be busy for a while. There was plenty of time for a little more destruction.
Grant held Alex's head in his hands as he looked down at several small cuts along her cheek and shoulder. Her white strapless dress had looked beautiful, but had done little to protect her from the glass that had rained down on her. Her left shoulder was spotted with tiny cuts and shards of glass.
Just then, Willard came running out of the back, a large cast iron pan in his hands. “What the…” He looked around.
Grant pulled away and looked around the room. When he saw the large brick that had been tossed through the glass, he bolted from his chair and ran out the front door.
“Grant!” Alex screamed after him.
Taking a few steps onto the sidewalk, he realized the town was completely quiet. It was a quarter past ten on a weeknight and there wasn't a soul out. No cars drove by, he couldn’t see anyone running away. Whoever had thrown the brick was long gone.
“Damn it,” he said, feeling frustrated he hadn't thought to check outside sooner. He'd been so concerned about Alex.
“Looks like whoever did it is gone.” Willard was standing right behind him. When Grant turned around, he nodded. “You okay?” he asked.
“I'm fine. Alex is cut, though.” They both made their way back inside where Alex was holding a clean towel over the cut on her shoulder.
Grant had her sit down in a clean booth on the opposite wall. “Let me take a look.” He pulled back the washcloth and looked. The cut on her shoulder was deeper than he'd first thought.