A Moment Like This: A Contemporary Christian Romance Prequel Novella (The Grace Series Book 4)

by Staci Stallings

  It was the next afternoon when they were on the plane to Denver before Jaycee brought up the wedding again. She hadn’t forgotten her last attempt. In fact, if she wasn’t real careful, her mind had a way of drifting off into replaying highlights from the night before. It was easier than not. Being with him had a way of overtaking every sane part of her so that hanging on to reality took real effort.

  Thankfully, this wasn’t a working trip, so they had left almost all work-related things either at home or stored in their luggage. Thus, on this flight Jaycee was content to simply wrap her arm through his and put her head on his shoulder. Enjoying life. It was an amazing concept.

  “So, back to the wedding thing,” she said softly. “Sage needs us, or more specifically you, to somehow get Caleb into a tux for the wedding.”

  Sliding backward six inches, Derek looked down at her. “And how do you propose I do that?”

  Jaycee shrugged. “Well, you said he asked you to be the best man, so be the best man. Ask him about it, encourage him, tell him y’all need to get it done, whatever.”

  “He doesn’t know about Rachel’s dress?”

  “Not until Monday, I think. That’s what Sage said anyway.”

  He shook his head. “And I thought building houses was stressful.”

  Chapter 9

  Caleb & Rachel

  With school out, Rachel went into full Christmas-preparation mode on Friday. She only had two days to get her house ready for a kid-friendly day of fun and laughter. Since it would also be Caleb’s first Christmas with them, she wanted it to be as special as possible.

  She was five batches deep with Christmas cookies all over her counters when her cell phone rang. “Hello.”

  “Rachel?”

  “This is Rachel.” Turning the thing, she propped it between her shoulder and her ear as she went to work moving the cookies to the cooling racks.

  “Oh, good. Hey, Rach. This is Jaycee.”

  “Oh, hey, Jayc. Are y’all here already?”

  “No. Not yet. We’re in Denver. Layover. Listen, we were wondering what you and Caleb are doing tonight.”

  “Tonight? Uh.” The cookie stuck and nearly sent the pan clattering off the edge of the island. “Probably either getting ready for Christmas or painting. We’ve still got the two bedrooms and the bathroom to finish.”

  “Yeah, we heard about that.” Jaycee paused a second and spoke off the phone before coming back. “Listen, I know Sage and Luke are getting ready for the weekend, and Derek really wants to come see the work y’all have done on the house. We were wondering if maybe we could come out and help for a while. That way we’re out of Sage’s hair. We could stop on the way in and pick something up for supper and meet y’all out there around seven or so?”

  Rachel was transferring cookies and fighting like mad to figure out how to talk Jaycee out of this idea. She hated being such a burden on everyone. “Oh, Jayc, I don’t know. Y’all will be on vacation. Do you really want to…?”

  “We’ve been on vacation forever. I’m afraid Derek’s going to get out of practice if he doesn’t pick up a tool again soon even if it is a paintbrush.” She giggled as Derek said something in the background. “Stop that.”

  Rachel almost asked what, and then she realized who Jaycee was talking to. Finally, she sighed. “Caleb should be here for lunch in just a little bit. Let me talk to him, and I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay. We’ll be in the air in an hour, so don’t wait too long.”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  Life was bearing down hard on Caleb by the time he pulled up to her house just after noon. He was glad she was out of school, so they could spend a little time together. Her mom’s house was coming along nicely, but it was taking all their free time and then some. The Hodges’ roof would get done by tonight if it killed him, and at this point, it just might. Working on roofs in December should be outlawed. Still it was work, and Caleb wasn’t going to turn down the pay.

  “Wow. It smells amazing in here,” he said reflexively the second he made it through the front door. He came all the way through the living room where the kids were playing and to the kitchen where he found a mountain of cookies, and her smack-dab in the middle of them. “What’s all of this?”

  “Christmas cookies,” she said as if that should be obvious.

  “I know. For who? The whole county?”

  “Well, we’re going to Mom’s tomorrow night.”

  Caleb ratcheted up his eyebrows. “I thought that was just us.”

  “It is.” She finished transferring two more and then put that sheet in the sink. “I thought I’d give some to Pastor Steve and Jane. And then of course Luke and Sage and Derek and Jaycee. I mean, what else are we going to give them, you know?”

  Sitting down at the island, he perused the stack and took a star-shaped sugar cookie and bit into it just as she turned. “Mmm.”

  “Hey!” Her face fell in horror. “Those aren’t even decorated yet!”

  “They’re delicious. What is this, some secret family recipe or something?” He took another bite.

  When she saw that it was pointless to talk him out of eating the thing since he already had, she swiveled her elbows onto the island and leaned down to him. “Secret ingredient. They’re made with love.”

  “Mmm.” He finished that cookie and leaned over to kiss her. “My favorite ingredient.”

  She returned the kiss and then stood, knowing both he and the children were hungry. With a spin, she took a good look at her kitchen and laughed. “Wow. I hope you want cookies for lunch. I’m not sure there’s room to make anything else.”

  He grabbed a candy-cane shaped one and bit into it. “Fine by me.”

  A hard shake of her head and a grin at him, and Rachel moved just enough things so she could set to work making sandwiches on the island. “Oh, Jaycee just called.”

  “Let me guess. She said they’re not coming, and I can have all of their cookies.” For good measure, he grabbed a cookie with green and red M&M’s on it.

  “Would you stop that? There aren’t going to be any left.”

  He laughed at her. “I really don’t think we’re in danger there.” Coming around the island behind her as she made the sandwiches, he wrapped his arms through hers and hugged her to him. “So are they headed back?”

  “Yeah. They’re in Denver. They should be here tonight around seven.”

  Nodding he said nothing as his embrace pressed her to him. A second he managed to take another bite of the cookie.

  “She said they want to come out and help tonight. With the house.” Slapping turkey on the bread, she folded it altogether and reached for more.

  “They want to come help with the house?” he asked incredulously. “Why?”

  “I think she’s been talking to Sage, and they’re tapped out on helping.”

  That concerned Caleb, and he backed up and leaned on the sink as he exhaled. Reaching up, he scratched the back of his neck. “Man, I really wish we had about two more weeks in here.”

  “Yeah, well...” She turned and handed him the plate. “You want water?”

  Another sigh and he nodded. It didn’t matter. She was already getting it for him. Ten seconds and she was making lunch for the kids.

  “We’ve got to get it done,” she said, her entire attention honed in on fixing the meal. “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve and then we’ve got Mom’s and then Sage’s. That only leaves two days before your parents arrive. We’ve got to at least get that bathroom and two of the bedrooms done before then.”

  As he stood there, Caleb saw what all of this was doing to her, not to mention to his friends. “Maybe we should push the wedding back a little. Give ourselves a little more time.”

  But she shook her head. “We can’t do that. Your family’s already coming, and Jaycee and Derek. Besides, it’s not like we have to do anything major for it. It’s like you said, all we really need is you, me and the pastor.”

  However, that didn’t help
Caleb at all. He had wanted to give her the most special day ever, and now they were going to get a thrown-together few minutes just to make it official.

  “Oh, by the way,” Rachel said as she headed to the other room to bring the kids to the table before dishing out their food. Caleb came into the dining area as well and sat down though it was hardly with formal flare. “I’ve been thinking about it. You asked Derek to stand up for you, right?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, I want to ask Sage, but then that leaves out Jaycee and Luke, and I don’t want to do that. So what if we ask all four of them?” With everyone else taken care of, she sat down to her own sandwich and practically inhaled the thing. “We don’t have to do all matchy-matchy dresses or anything. But I’d really like to have them all standing with us. What do you think?”

  He wondered if she really wanted to know what he thought. Thankfully they were thinking the same thing. “Luke has done so much helping on the house, and Jaycee’s practically like a sister to me after working with her so long,” he said. “I totally agree about Sage, and I already asked Derek.”

  “So, does that mean yes?”

  He nodded though he wasn’t overly thrilled with how disheveled it all looked in his mind. “Yeah.”

  “Great.” Two more bites, and she dusted off her hands. “Then we can ask Jayc and Derek tonight and Sage and Luke on Monday.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The kids were back at Jane’s for the evening, and Rachel was thankful for that. They loved it there. The Mitchell’s boys were great with them, and Jane loved having them. The fact that she was leaning on everyone else to get this done was not lost on Rachel, but she saw no other option, so she tried not to think about it too much.

  Caleb was hauling in the flooring when the sound of a vehicle on the gravel outside growled through the stillness beyond. “I bet that’s them,” he said as Rachel finished painting the trim around the door frame, the door sitting in the hallway. “You about done?”

  “Just finished. You?”

  “Give me ten more seconds.”

  The back door opened and closed, and footfalls came into the kitchen.

  “Hey!” Derek called. “Somebody here order a pizza?”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Caleb put down the box, meeting her in the hallway and walking with her into the kitchen, hand-in-hand. “Hey! ‘Bout time you guys show up!”

  “Wow. Look at this place,” Jaycee said, admiring. “You guys have been busy.”

  “Day and night. Day and night.” Caleb steered over to them, and hugs went all around even as Derek put the pizza box on the cabinet.

  “It’s so great to see you,” Rachel said to Jaycee. “And look at your tan. Okay, now I’m jealous.” And they all laughed. “So, how was Hawaii? Did you get to sightsee or anything?”

  “It was amazing. We even got to take a helicopter ride,” Jaycee said, the excitement streaming through the statement.

  “Uh, can we pause the travel guide?” Derek asked. “I haven’t eaten since Denver, and I’m starving.”

  “The more things change,” Rachel said.

  “The more they stay the same,” Jaycee finished.

  Chattering away, they got out the paper plates and mis-matched glasses that were left from the move.

  “I’m sorry,” Rachel said. “We don’t have a table yet.”

  “That’s okay.” Derek took his pizza and sat by one wall, and Jaycee followed him down. “We’re not picky.”

  Caleb and Rachel sat against the wall perpendicular to them, and Caleb said grace before everyone dug in.

  “Looks like you’ve made a lot of progress,” Derek said, his gaze sliding around the room beyond.

  “Some,” Caleb said with a shake of his head. “It would sure be nice to have a couple more weeks here.”

  Derek nodded. “Isn’t that always the way it goes?”

  “So what are you going to do for furniture?” Jaycee asked.

  “Well, I talked to the pastor,” Caleb said. “He’s got some pieces in that back room thing. He said whatever we want is ours.”

  “There’s still a few things from my old place out in the shop,” Rachel said. “It’s not great, but it’s something. When they get here, the kids can sleep on the floor in the third bedroom. Sara says they’ll be fine, but we really need a couple of beds for the other two bedrooms.”

  “And a miracle,” Caleb said, leaning over to her.

  “Yeah, that too.” She let out a sigh and shrugged.

  “So what else you got going?” Derek asked. “You got any projects on the go?”

  “I just finished up a roof earlier tonight. I figured I’d take next week pretty much off from doing other stuff so I can get this one hopefully done and with the wedding and all.”

  Derek nodded. “And after that?”

  This exhale was long and hard. “Well, Ms. P’s granddaughter’s been calling about that one she bought. The Attabury house.”

  “So she bought it then?” Derek asked as if keenly interested.

  Caleb twisted his head. “She did. I’d have run away screaming from the thing, but she called the other night, and it sounds like the deal went through on it.”

  “And you’re thinking about it?” Derek asked. “About doing it?”

  “Thinking about it, but it’s going to need so much. I’m going to have to get an architect and probably an engineer so the thing doesn’t fall down around us. The landscaping alone is insane. You would not believe those trees.”

  “I’d love to go out see it,” Derek said.

  That yanked Caleb’s gaze up and Rachel’s heart with it. “You would? Seriously?”

  Derek laughed. “You sound surprised.”

  “Relieved would be more like it,” Caleb said with no small amount of overwhelm edging the words. “It would be great if you could even tell me if it’s worth thinking about.”

  “I bet I can handle that.”

  For a moment the conversation fell into silence, and Rachel knew that she needed to let her friends in on their revised wedding news. “So,” she said, jumping into the lull, “we’ve been talking, and we have… well, we have a favor to ask.”

  “I’m not hanging nor taking down wallpaper,” Derek said with a dire edge to the words. “Anything else, the answer is yes.”

  Rachel laughed, loving how he could make everything easier. Finishing with her plate, she set it to the side and ran her hand down Caleb’s leg. “Well, we’ve been talking, and I know Caleb already asked you to be the best man for the wedding.” She glanced at Caleb who smiled at her before her gaze went back over to Jaycee. “We’d really like it if both of you stood up with us.”

  At that Jaycee’s gaze widened and she looked at Derek. “Me? Really? Well, I’d… I’d be honored.”

  Peace brushed over Rachel. “Great. Then it’s settled.”

  The next afternoon Caleb picked Derek up at Luke’s, and they headed out to Attabury. “I called Danisha earlier,” Caleb said. “I’d hate to get shot for trespassing.”

  “Shot?” Derek asked with some concern.

  “Wait ‘til you see it. You’ll understand.”

  Chapter 10

  Derek & Jaycee

  “But you didn’t ask him yet?” Jaycee asked Derek when they were in the guest room at Sage’s getting ready for the Lawrences’ party on Saturday night.

  “No. Not yet, but I’m telling you, that place could be the perfect one to start the show with. It is crazy bad, but if they could restore it, he’ll have every homeowner from here to Virginia beating down his door.”

  “And he thinks he can do it?” Jaycee put on the necklace as her mind raced round and around through all the thoughts.

  Derek laughed. “Only a crazy person would think they could do that one.”

  “So he doesn’t think he can do it?”

  A breath and Derek stepped up and put his arms around her. “Not yet.”

  “Sage said you went out to
Attabury with Caleb today,” Luke said when the Christmas feast had begun around the Lawrences’ table. “What’s that like?”

  “One part bad. Nine parts horrible,” Derek said, taking a bite of the turkey. “Wow. This turkey is incredible.”

  “Why thank you, Derek,” Jaycee’s mom said with a bat of her eyelashes. “You’re always so kind.”

  “I’m surprised that place would even be salvageable,” her father said. “It was old when I was a kid.”

  “That it is,” Derek said. “Caleb thinks it was built in the mid-to-late 1800’s. It’s been through a few renovations, if you call them that. At some point, someone put indoor plumbing in although it’s seen better days, and honestly, I’m surprised whoever took a bath in that thing upstairs didn’t find themselves on a short trip through the floor and in the living room.”

  “Sounds like just getting the structural stuff taken care of is going to be quite a challenge,” Luke said, and he grinned. “You should tell Caleb I know a bang-up architect if he needs one.” Barely moving he elbowed his father-in-law.

  However, instead of laughing, Derek straightened. “You know what, that is not a half-bad idea. He’s going to need somebody, and a local somebody would be a whole lot better than trying to get someone out of Raleigh.” He nodded once as he ate a piece of sweet potato. “Would you consider taking a look at it?”

  Gregory, Jaycee and Sage’s dad, shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to take a look.”

  “Even I have to say, that was pretty slick in there,” Jaycee said later when they were getting ready for bed at her sister’s.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

  “Talking my dad into helping with Attabury.”

  “What?” Derek came over and slid into the other side of the bed. “It’s not my fault God’s got a good thing going here.”

  “God, huh?” She got in on her side and clicked off the light as he slid over next to her.