by Lynn Shannon
Sara and the boys raced up the walkway ahead of Grant. A woman held the door open, presumably the babysitter, Mrs. Lyons. She was elderly, with kind brown eyes hidden behind huge glasses.
“It's making a huge mess, Sara.” Mrs. Lyons stopped the boys from following their mother. “You two come with me, and let the adults handle it.”
Grant barely noticed the open floorplan with the recessed living room and the large kitchen. He followed Sara down a short hallway. On one side was a laundry room. On the other was a half-bath.
Sara gasped, standing in the doorway. Grant gently pushed her out of the way. His feet sloshed in the water on the tile. The sink was spewing water from around the faucet. It sprayed him in the face and wet his shirt.
He pulled out a wrench from his toolbox and quickly located the water supply. Within moments, the spray from the sink slowed and then stopped all together. Sara watched him with wide eyes.
Grant used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the water from his chin. “Woman, is everything you own broken?”
She laughed, as he expected, but then tears welled in her eyes.
“Yes, everything is broken. Everything.” Sara’s hands rose to cover her face, and her shoulders shook as sobs took hold.
Shock rippled through Grant. Instinct moved his feet forward, and he closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Sara. Her shoulders curved inward, and the top of her head rested against his chest. Grant ran a hand over her back in a soothing motion, and she cried more. Sara’s hand came off her face and gripped his T-shirt as though he was an anchor in the storm.
He pulled her closer, tucking her against his chest, and kept comforting her with soothing touches. Feeling the shudder of her cries tore into him, and guilt plagued him. He’d helped cause this. Not all of it, but in some small part, he’d added to it with his harsh words.
Eventually, Sara pulled away, swiping at her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
She went down the short hallway and to the left. Grant followed.
The kitchen was painted a pale yellow with white curtains. Sara pulled out a chair from the table and sank into it. She placed her head on her arm and started crying again.
Grant came around, placing a hand on her shoulder and taking the chair next to her. “Sara, it’s going to be okay. The car and the sink are fixable—”
“I’m going to lose the library.”
He blinked, certain he’d heard her incorrectly. “What?”
She raised her head. Mascara cast a faint shadow under her eyes. She looked so vulnerable and hurt, Grant’s heart ached.
“I’m going to lose the library. The city council is pulling my funding, which will close us down.” Her chin trembled. “And I can’t afford to fix the sink or my car. I don’t have the money.”
Grant had the feeling he was missing about ten steps in the story. “Hold on, why is the city council pulling the library’s funding?”
She let out a shuddering sigh. “They don’t see it as a valuable resource to invest in. My uncle didn’t do a very good job running it. He stopped a lot of the community outreach programs and drove the finances into the ground. I didn’t know how bad things were until I took over as head librarian six months ago.” She traced the grain pattern on the table with her fingers. “I created the Celebration of Reading to convince the city council to continue funding us. But the mayor told me today it’s not enough. I have to throw a big party at the end, and I can’t cancel any of the events.”
Grant sat back in his chair. “Like the after-school program.”
She nodded, not looking at him.
Crud. He rubbed his forehead and mentally berated himself.
“It gets worse. I stopped taking a paycheck after becoming head librarian because the library’s finances were in such bad shape. I’ve been living off my savings.” Her chin trembled again. “It was a poor decision, a risky one, but I needed to buy some time. I can’t…I can’t lose the library too.”
His heart shattered right there into a thousand pieces. The weight on her narrow shoulders was immense. Raising Ben on her own was hard enough, but to also be dealing with library and money issues must be overwhelming. Sara was strong, but everyone had a breaking point.
Grant took her hand. “You aren’t going to lose the library. I’ll help with the after-school program, and then we’ll figure out the rest.”
Sara glanced down at their hands and then up to his face. Her mouth hardened. “Why agree now? Out of pity?” She yanked her hand away. “I’m getting whiplash here, Grant, and I’ve got enough problems in my life. I don’t need one more.”
“You’re right—”
“I don’t get you. One minute you’re nice to me, the next you’re not. Yesterday, everything was fine, and then you acted like I had the plague once baseball practice was over. Today, you bite my head off but then comfort me when I’m upset. Why?” Her chin trembled again. “I thought we were friends.”
She was killing him. Grant had never intended to hurt her, but he’d done so. With his words and his deeds. “We are friends. I’m sorry, Sara. It won’t happen again.”
“While I appreciate the apology, it doesn’t answer the question. Why, Grant?”
She was backing him into a corner, and now wasn’t the best time, given everything that she was dealing with, to tell Sara the truth. At the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to lie either.
He was tired of lying to everyone, but especially to Sara.
“Does it matter?” he asked. “Right now, let’s focus on getting your sink fixed—”
“No.” She jutted up her chin. “We’re doing this now, Grant. I’m done monkeying around. I don’t have time for it. So, if I’m going to rely on you as my friend, I need to know what’s going on. It matters to me.”
Grant took a deep breath. He’d jumped out of an airplane at thirty thousand feet but telling Sara the truth was more terrifying. Would the landing be hard and rough? Or soft and gentle? There was no way to know.
What Grant did know for certain was that she’d discover the truth about his attraction on her own anyway if they hung out with regularity. At least this way, it happened on his own terms. And he could go in stages. No need to smack her in the face with things all at once.
Grant met her gaze. “I’m attracted to you, Sara.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening. “W-w-what?”
“I have been for a long time. I used to be good at hiding it, but…” He shrugged. “I’m out of practice, and I was afraid you would find out. That's why one minute I’m fine and the next I pull away.”
She sat in stunned silence. A pinprick of hurt needled Grant. It wasn’t fair, given the circumstances, but it was there all the same. Good thing he’d started out slow by merely addressing his attraction. Telling her he’d had feelings for her since sophomore year of high school would’ve been a disaster.
“I’m sorry about the harsh way I spoke to you at my mom’s house,” he continued. “I didn’t want to help with the library program because being around you…it’s wonderful, but it hurts too. And all of it is jumbled up in Jared’s death. But that’s my issue, not yours. I’m the one with the attraction problem, and I’m the one who has to deal with it.”
She let out a breath. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything.” He rose from the chair. “Can you get some towels for the bathroom floor? I’ll figure out what’s wrong with your sink and then take you back to the library.”
She lifted her gaze. “Grant—”
“It’s okay, Sara. I don’t expect anything from you, and there’s nothing to discuss.” He raked a hand through his hair. “At the very least, we can table it for today.”
She bit her lip and nodded. Rising from the chair, Sara ran her fingers under her eyes to swipe away the tear tracks. “I have some towels upstairs. Be right back.”
He watched her rush out.
Yep. Just as Grant suspected.
>
It’d been a hard landing.
7
Sara
Sara lifted the coffeemaker out of the shopping cart and placed it in the trunk of her sister’s car. The wind scattered a few leaves across the parking lot and carried the scent of hash browns from a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Rachel gawked at her. “I don’t understand. Grant says he’s attracted to you, and you don’t say anything?”
Sara winced. “I didn’t know how to respond. It caught me off-guard, and then Grant put the brakes on the conversation entirely.”
“You aren’t going to leave things like that, are you?”
“No, I don’t see how we can. It’s a huge elephant in the room between us now.” Sara lifted a few grocery sacks from the cart and placed them in the trunk. “And I feel terrible about the way I left it. Especially since the feeling isn’t one-sided.”
“So you do feel a spark.” Rachel grinned, tossing the last of the groceries into the car. “I knew it!”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re a mind reader. Now, can you use your crystal ball to tell me how I get out of this with my friendship intact?” She slammed the truck closed.
Rachel opened the driver’s side door. “I love you, sis, but you overthink things. Tell Grant how you feel and be done with it.”
Sara pushed the cart into a cart corral and then climbed into the passenger seat. “Won’t telling Grant about my attraction complicate things more than they already are?”
“No. Actually, I think it’s the best-case scenario. Grant’s not staying in Hidden Hollows. There’s nothing wrong with having some fun together while he’s here.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open. “You aren’t suggesting we actually go out? Like on dates?”
“No, just hang out together and flirt.” Rachel sighed. “Listen, Sara, you’ve avoided dating like the plague. This is a great way to get your feet wet with someone you like and have a good time with, but who can’t be your forever.”
She mulled that over for a minute. “Like a trial run.”
“Exactly, but without all the pressure of a relationship. You and Grant both know what the score is right from the beginning.”
Sara sat back against the seat. She blew out a breath. “I don’t know, Rachel. I’m not sure I have it in me. Jared was my high school sweetheart. We dated all throughout college and married right after. I’ve never done the casual, fun, flirty thing.”
“Again, something you can deal with as it comes. Let’s say you can’t. Then just tell Grant when you figure it out. He’s someone who would understand.” She flipped on the blinker. “Grant loved Jared too.”
Sara watched the trees as they whipped by. Her sister was right. Grant understood her heartbreak in a way that few could. “Essentially, you’re saying to be honest.”
“Yes. And stop worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. Cross each bridge as you come to it.”
It was sound advice. Maybe Sara did need to change her perspective. Grant wasn’t going to be in town for long, so anything between them would have to be light and casual. Fun. So why not go for it? Grant was easy to hang out with, there was a level of comfort between them, and the man was drop dead gorgeous.
Sara wasn’t entirely convinced she could do it, but…she was tempted. If nothing else, it was worth considering.
“You want me to wear this?” Grant held up a yellow cape with a large L on the back. “Seriously?”
Sara smushed her lips together to smother a laugh. The after-school program began in an hour. Grant had come in early to discuss the lesson. They hadn’t seen each other since yesterday, but to her complete relief, everything between them seemed normal.
“Don’t worry,” she assured him. “The cape is only for the first lesson. Engaging the kids right away is essential, and I want to stress how valuable reading is. It’s so important that even superheroes do it. The L on the cape stands for—”
“Library.” His hands clenched the fabric, and he glared at her, but it had no real heat. “I get it. But can’t we let the kids do all the dressing up and leave me out of it?”
“No way.” Jennie shook her head. She’d accompanied them to the children’s section but stood a short distance away to keep an eye on the front counter in case a patron needed assistance. “The kids won’t have nearly as much fun if you don’t join in.”
“Jennie’s right,” Sara said. “Kids can sense when adults are genuinely having a good time and when they’re patronizing them. You won’t have to wear it for long. The lesson is only thirty minutes, and the kids will color in the beginning. Then they become superheroes and go on a book scavenger hunt. It’s wham, bam, done.”
She went over to the box next to his feet and pulled out a second cape. This one was blue. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll wear one too.”
“That does make me feel a bit better.” Grant eyed the cape. “This thing is the size of a napkin. It’ll never fit me.”
“Oh, sure it will.” A smile played on Jennie’s lips. “Try it on, Grant.”
His mouth tightened, and he slipped the fabric over his shoulders. His fingers fumbled with the ties.
Sara stepped forward. “Here, let me.”
She reached up and took the silky ties from him. Their fingers brushed, and butterflies flitted in her stomach. The strings were short, and she had to edge even closer to tie them. The gap between them was miniscule. The heat of Grant’s body seemed to reach out and touch her. Up close to him like this, she felt delicate and feminine.
She took a deep breath to tamp down the silly thoughts, but in doing so she got a deep intake of his warm sandalwood scent. The butterflies in her tummy rioted.
The conversation with Rachel had plagued her all morning and into the afternoon. Sara needed to talk to Grant about it, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject.
Focus.
She managed to tie the strings and stepped back. The cape was small, and Grant’s horrified expression only made the entire thing funnier. Sara bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “You look great. The kids are going to love it. Superheroes are all Ben talks about.”
Jennie tilted her head, her hand absently rubbing her pregnant belly. “Hmm, maybe I should go get the mask and make sure it fits.”
Grant’s gaze shot to Sara, and through gritted teeth, he asked, “There’s a mask?”
“That’s what the kids are coloring.” Jennie smothered a laugh behind her hand.
Sara shot her a warning look but had to press her own lips together to keep from smiling. She focused back on Grant. “If it helps, you get to color it yourself before putting it on.”
He glowered. “That. Does. Not. Help.”
Jennie dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Sara couldn’t contain her own laughter anymore either. The entire thing was hilarious. And Grant was being a great sport. No doubt this was not what he’d envisioned when agreeing to lead the after-school program.
His gaze narrowed, but even his own lips twitched in amusement. “Sure, sure. Have a good laugh. Why don’t you take a picture and post it on the library’s webpage?”
“That’s…” Jennie took breaths, between giggles, and swiped at the tears leaking from her eyes. “…happening…in an hour.”
He covered his face with his hands and groaned. “What was I thinking when I agreed to this?”
“Look on the bright side,” Sara said. “You’re only in town for a couple of weeks. And, this isn’t even the most humiliating thing you’ve ever done. Remember the time you donated during the blood drive and passed out? Twice.”
“Are you serious?” Jennie’s eyes widened.
Sara nodded. “He lied about having breakfast, hopped off the bed before the nurse told him to, and promptly hit the floor. Then, trying to recover, Grant insisted he was fine. Passed out again. On his way down the second time, he knocked his head against a table and had to be rushed to the hospital.” She raised her brows. “Diagnosis was stubborn male disease
with a hard dash of macho thrown in.”
He groaned again. “I think I hate you.”
Jennie, still laughing, went back to the front counter. Grant took off the cape and placed it back in the box. “How many kids are signed up for the program?”
“Ten. And many of them you already know from little league practice yesterday.”
A book had been left on one of the tables. Sara picked it up, placing it on a nearby book cart. “I have to set up the conference room with coffee and treats for the adults. Want to help?”
He smiled, and the dimple in his cheek flashed. “Sure.”
Sara led him through a door marked private, into the break room/kitchen. Her heels clicked against the tile, and nerves jittered her stomach. The coffee maker she’d purchased that morning sat on the table. Grant whistled. “Nice machine. New, I take it?”
“Yes, the old one broke yesterday, and since I’m saving some money by not paying you…”
He slanted a glance at her. “I didn’t know about the cape.”
She laughed. “Too late. Besides, you said the navy won’t let you accept payment.”
“They won’t, not without asking for permission, and that’s a lot of red tape I don’t want to get into. Volunteering, however, is fine.” He removed a pocket knife from his pocket and sliced through the tape on the coffee machine box. “Would you like it on the counter?”
“Please.” Sara opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out a bakery box, along with some napkins and small paper plates.
“I’m surprised you let people eat in the library.”
“Well, they can’t eat in the main library, but we do make an exception in the conference room. It has a big glass window running along the upper half, so the adults will be able to watch the kids but still have a moment to themselves. It gives them a chance to talk to each other and builds a better sense of community.”
Grant slid the machine out of the box and onto the counter. “You’ve thought of everything.”