A Second Chance House

by Stacey Wilk

  The anger seeped out of him. At one of the last shows, Troy couldn’t hit the notes. Right on the mic, he’d asked the rest of the band to help him. “If we write some new music, the fans, they’ll come back.” Blaise turned back toward the house. “Come inside and listen to my stuff. If the whiskey didn’t drown all your brain cells, you’ll see it’s good.”

  A horn honked from the street.

  “Uncle Colton, your car is here.” Cash came through the back door, holding Colton’s bag.

  “Send me a disc. I’ll listen to it. But I’m not making any promises. And tell Grace I’ll be seeing her soon.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Grace was a child, she would escape the world of her chaotic house by riding her bicycle to the library. She often found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, staring off into space, the sink filled with dirty dishes, a trail of shoes and coats discarded on their way from the door to the closet. Corners of rooms were filled with objects her mother collected in hopes of using some day. Rebecca Somerall scavenged broken sewing machines, weave-back chairs minus the weave, and plenty of lost and forgotten items from garbage bins or curbsides.

  Beds were never made, and sheets never changed unless Grace pulled and yanked her own and dragged them to the basement of their tiny bungalow to wash. By the age of ten, she had learned to operate the lawn mower because her mother was either too tired or too excited about a new adventure to be bothered.

  The library was a place that made sense to Grace. The books arranged by classifications, arranged by numbers. Something she could always count on to be there. Something she could trust. She loved her mother up until the day she died, but trusting her was something altogether different. She hadn’t seen her father since she was too little to remember him. She hadn’t had a parent to lean on—ever. It was probably why Larry had been so attractive to her. He was older, stable, and reliable. Until the end.

  She pushed open the door to the Heritage River library, and the familiar smell of old books and new paper greeted her. The tension eased from her neck as she stepped into the cool surroundings, leaving the heat at the door. She could take in most of the library in one swoop. It was much smaller than her library back home, but that wasn’t surprising. The place was empty except for a mother and her child sitting on the floor in the children’s section. They were hunched over a board book, pointing at pages. Her library had an entire room in the back for children to sit and read or participate in activities, many of which Grace had planned.

  Like most libraries, the circulation desk was right in front, ready for someone to slip up to and ask for help or check out their books, and for a moment Grace longed for her volunteer job back in Silverside. She pushed the thought away. No time for self-pity. She took on this adventure. She would see it to the end.

  A tall woman with long, wavy dark hair stared into a computer monitor. The woman furrowed her brows and leaned in to get a better look.

  Grace wanted to offer this woman her glasses. “Excuse me,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” The woman turned. The lines around her gray eyes crinkled when she smiled. She seemed familiar, but that was impossible. “I was so caught up in what I was doing.” Her voice held a hint of a southern accent, but not as much as Grace would’ve expected. “How can I help you?”

  “I’d like to apply for a library card, please.”

  “Of course. Are you new in town? Well, you must be. I’ve harassed everyone in town to have a library card by now. Let me find the papers.” She shuffled things around on the desk, then squatted down to look beneath it. When she straightened, she yelled over her shoulder, “Has anyone seen the paperwork for library cards?”

  The outburst startled Grace, but then the gesture seemed more like something done in a home when a mother wanted her child for dinner and didn’t want to climb the steps to say so.

  “I tell them to keep things in the same place so we can always find them, but no one listens to me. We don’t have much of a staff, just Arlene and Robert and me and a few volunteers, mostly kids.” She continued to push and shove things around the desk.

  “Maybe now isn’t a good time?” Her heart sank a little at not being able to take a book from the library. Her library was more organized, but she did have a bigger staff and probably more volunteers.

  “No, no. We’ll find what we need. I’ll be right back. Don’t go away.”

  “Is this what you’re looking for, Aunt Savannah?” Cash rounded the corner, a pile of paper in his hand.

  Aunt Savannah. Of course. She should have seen the resemblance.

  “Hey, Grace.” He punctuated his words with a nod.

  Savannah’s eyebrows squished together. She looked between her nephew and Grace. “You know her?”

  “She moved in next to Dad.” Cash handed over the papers. “I’m going to work with Mr. Carroll fixing up her house. Can I take a lunch break?”

  “Which house? The dilapidated one?” Savannah pulled her shirt up over her nose, as if she smelled something rotting, and shook her head.

  “That’s the one.” Grace straightened her shoulders. The house might be in bad shape, but it was hers and she was starting to take a liking to it. Well, a liking to the way it would look when she could sell it.

  “I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Savannah Montgomery.” She stuck out her hand. “Please forgive my obvious disdain for that house. It’s been neglected for decades and become such an eyesore it’s bringing the property values down. I’m glad someone finally saw fit to purchase it and fix it up. You’re going to love living in Heritage River.”

  “Aunt Savannah, can I take that break now?” Cash glanced at his phone.

  “You’re only here for four hours. Can’t it wait?”

  “Not today. Today I’m here for eight. Remember?”

  “Well, no, but I’ve had a lot on my mind with this fundraiser.” She checked her empty wrist. “What’s today’s date?”

  “You always have a lot on your mind. You’re like Grandpa was.”

  “You were too little to remember Grandpa.” Savannah reached up to ruffle his hair, but he ducked away. “Okay, go have lunch. Wait. Did you bring something healthy to eat, or is it those sponge cakes with the oozing cream filling?” she shouted after him.

  “Aunt Savannah, no one my age eats that junk. Dad gave me some money to walk down to Jake’s.” He tossed his words back over his shoulder. “But I can bring you a sponge cake back if you’d like.”

  “Get out of my library.” She shook her head but smiled again. “All Savage men are jokers. Lucky me.”

  Grace liked the banter between the two. She didn’t have this ease with Chloe at the moment and had no siblings, so she didn’t know what it was like to have a nephew to joke around with.

  Savannah handed her the forms for the library card. “I don’t know why I bothered to ask if Cash brought lunch,” she said in a conspiratorial tone. “I can’t remember the last time my brother actually made a meal.”

  Grace thought of Blaise’s offer for breakfast earlier. Her insides warmed, but she reminded herself not to take that offer seriously. It was just his way with women, and Grace wasn’t anything special. Especially not to him.

  She filled out the forms and handed them back. “What fundraiser are you planning?”

  Savannah twisted her hair in a knot and secured it with a pencil. “This hair is driving me crazy. The library needs money. What library doesn’t, right? I wanted to make this one a big deal, though. A big summer barbeque complete with entertainment.”

  “How are the plans coming?”

  Savannah punched some things into the computer. “Like you’d expect. A million things need to be done, and I have to do most of it myself. My husband will tell you I don’t know how to delegate, but I would if there was someone around I could trust.” She handed Grace her new blue-and-gold library card. “I love Arlene and Robert, but sometimes it’s just easier to do the task myself. But don’t tell anyone
I said that.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.” Grace tried to shove the next thoughts right out her head. She didn’t know this town. She wasn’t going to stay in this town longer than she had to. The Disaster House would take up most of her time. But somehow she couldn’t keep her lips together. “I volunteer at a library back home.”

  Savannah held her gaze. “Please don’t tell me you’re joking.”

  Heat filled her cheeks. “I do. Or I did. But if you need the help—”

  Before she could even finish, Savannah jumped from her seat and ran around the counter. She gripped Grace’s hand in her own. “I need help.”

  Grace laughed. “Do you want to see a resume or get references or anything?”

  “Nope. I like you. I know people. You’ll be a great fit here. How soon can you start?”

  She didn’t have much on her agenda today, only a stop at the hardware store and maybe buying a few more home magazines. Beau wasn’t due back for another day. And there was no point hanging around the house, staring at those walls. Helping at the library would distract her from thinking about the arguments with Chloe.

  She looked at Savannah and decided to take a chance. “How about I grab us a couple of snack cakes with oozing cream and we have lunch first?”

  Savannah’s face crunched up in confusion. The heat burned in Grace’s cheeks. She’d made a mistake. She should have just said what she always would have said, a simple I can start now or whenever you want. It wasn’t like her to be so forward without a plan.

  But then Savannah’s eyes opened wide, and she threw her head back and laughed. “I knew I liked you. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  And without realizing what she’d done, Grace made her first friend in Heritage River.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Where was he? Grace paced the front walk, searching the street for the faded red pickup. Every time she heard the rev of a motor, her head turned to find anyone but Beau Carroll coming down the street. He had said seven a.m. sharp, and now it was seven forty-five. She tried his cell again, but it went right to voice mail.

  “Maybe something came up.” Cash sat on the front porch step, his head bent to his phone.

  What else could’ve come up? Hers was the only job he had. Was it the permits? But why not call? “Is this how people in this town do business?” Every day they delayed the start was another day she’d be stuck in Heritage River. How were they going to get all the work done in time anyway? Everyone knew house projects took longer than expected. The clock was ticking.

  “People in this town do business with integrity,” Blaise shouted from his spot on his porch. He raised his mug in salute. “Your voice carries.”

  She hadn’t seen him come outside. He wore a slouchy green tee with cargo shorts. His hair was wet and slicked back.

  Her phone vibrated in her pocket. “Finally.” She yanked it free, and her heart sank. It wasn’t Beau. “Chloe. Hi, hon.” Regardless of all the fighting, she missed Chloe.

  “Mom, I’m coming to Tennessee.”

  “Okay, that’s great, but our agreement.” She didn’t want to start another fight. Not then.

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll find a job. Somehow. But you said yourself it’s a small town with not much going on. How am I supposed to find a job and only for a few weeks?”

  “Chloe, I don’t know. Right now I’ve got a problem with my contractor. Can we discuss the job thing later?”

  “No, Mom, we can’t because I’m at the airport.”

  “What?” She nearly dropped the phone.

  “I’m at Newark. Dad dropped me off like an hour ago. My plane lands in three hours. Can you pick me up, or should I rent a car?”

  Pick her up or rent a car? Grace’s head spun. What was happening? “You’re too young to rent a car. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would’ve planned to be there and tried to get a space ready for you because the extra bedrooms aren’t livable yet.”

  She wasn’t mentally prepared for what it would mean having Chloe with her and nothing to run as a buffer. Chloe wouldn’t be able to hide in her room when the tension got tight, and Grace didn’t even have her usual places to escape to, like her deck. She glanced over at Cash, who still flipped through his phone. She couldn’t even sit on that porch for a little alone time. It was about to fall in. Well, it would have to do—wouldn’t it?—if Chloe was on her way.

  “I couldn’t stay another day with Dad and Annie. Her belly is huge, and she complains all the time about being fat and how her feet are swollen. And when Dad gets home from work, she whines to him to sit with her and rub her back. It’s so gross.”

  Someday Chloe might understand how uncomfortable it actually was to carry another living person inside you. Grace remembered that time with a hint of nostalgia: feeling Chloe hiccup, or sticking headphones on her belly hoping to make a baby genius, or all the planning for her arrival. She had painted the nursery in soft greens, labored over the perfect mobile, and spent hours washing and folding onesies, tiny socks, and blankets.

  “Okay, okay. I get it. Your dad and his wife are over the top. I’ll figure out a way to get to the airport in time. I’m glad you’re coming.”

  “Me too. See ya.”

  Grace wanted to say she loved her and have a safe trip, but Chloe ended the call before she could. She slapped a hand to her forehead. How was she going to pull off being ready for her daughter? There just wasn’t enough time to get what she needed.

  “Everything okay?” Blaise shouted from his perch.

  Did that man watch everything she was doing? “I’m fine, thank you.” Where was Beau?

  Her prayers were answered as Beau’s truck turned onto the street. She let out the breath she was holding. Once Beau and Cash got started, she’d leave for the airport and stop at a large housewares store to pick up sheets and towels and toiletries. She’d pass some bleach over the floors before Chloe stepped foot on them.

  Beau shoved his way out of his truck. He stood for a moment, holding the door and his lower back. He turned back inside the truck, moving as if he were made of china, and pulled a binder from the seat. Blaise barreled down his front steps, but Beau caught him and waved him off.

  “Are you okay?” Blaise said.

  “What makes you think there’s something wrong with me, young man?” Beau pushed past him.

  Blaise was right to ask. Beau’s color looked like dirty dishwater. She gave him space. He wasn’t going to talk to a stranger about his pain. She knew that much for sure.

  “Good morning.” She pushed her voice up to cheery. There was no point in staying angry about his tardiness, especially since he looked worn out. “Something’s come up. I’m going to have to run out.”

  “Not today, you’re not. We’ve got demo to do.” Beau patted Cash on the shoulder. “Young man, take my truck over to Maybelline’s and get me her coffee and anything coming straight out of the oven. Pick yourself up something too.” He shoved money into Cash’s hand.

  “I’ve got coffee made. I can bring you over a cup,” Blaise offered.

  Beau put up a hand. “I only drink May’s coffee. You probably have one of those fancy machines that makes one cup at a time. May puts something special in her coffee you can’t buy for your expensive coffeemakers.”

  “I just found out my daughter is on a plane here without giving me any notice of her arrival, and she knows I need to plan for something like a visit, even if it is from her. I hate surprises. You will have to start demo day without me. Leave me a list of what you need me to do, and I’ll do it by tomorrow.”

  Beau tossed his keys to Cash. “Go get my coffee and hurry.” He turned to Grace. “You can’t do any of this work by yourself. Go pick up your girl. You can help out tomorrow. There will be plenty to do. And don’t go crazy buying stuff now. The decorating part ain’t for a while.”

  “Listen, Beau, I really wanted to get this project started. I’m anxious to begin so we can finish as soon as possible. We’re already
two or three days behind.”

  “We’re going to end up a lot farther behind than that.”

  Blaise laughed.

  She turned on her heel. “What is so funny?”

  “Not a damn thing. I’ll be heading back to my place. Good luck to you all.” He raised his mug.

  “Hang on a second, Blaise.” Beau rubbed the back of his neck. “How’s that hand of yours?”

  Blaise shook his head. “Oh no. Don’t even think about it. My hand hurts plenty. As soon as I’m ready, I’m back on tour. I can’t risk making it worse to help out here. Besides, Grace wouldn’t want me to. Right, Grace?”

  Her world was slipping out of her fingers. What was she supposed to say to that? And why would Beau suggest such a stupid thing? “Beau, maybe it’s not too late to get your old crew back. You look like—”

  “Not a chance. They all have other jobs. Never mind, Blaise. Miss Grace, go do whatever it is you need to do today. Cash and I will be fine.” He shot a stink eye at Blaise, who ducked his head and turned for his house.

  She left Beau ordering Cash around. That old man didn’t have the capabilities to restore the Disaster House. Should she walk away from it? Hoke did say she could change her mind at any time.

  But what message would that send to Chloe? When things get tough, leave? Or when you realize you’re in over your head, bail while you still can. And she wanted to know who gave her the house. She hadn’t had a chance to track down Nancy Templeton. If she walked away now, she’d never know. She wanted to know, even if only to say thanks, because no one had ever given her a gift like that before. Maybe, just maybe, the donor was related to her. A long-lost cousin she didn’t know about. A family member of her father’s she never knew existed. She knew so little about him because her mother had refused to talk about him.

  “He’s gone, Gracie,” her mother had said. “Best to forget him.”

  But Grace hadn’t. What kind of a man walks out on his family never to return? Grace secretly hoped her father would show up one day and apologize. A simple I’m sorry. Only, he never did. And he never would.