“I know Makayla is worried about her as well,” Ethan said as he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.
Bennett wasn’t surprised to hear that. Makayla and Grace had been friends since high school, so it was only natural that Makayla, along with their other friend, Tami, were concerned about Grace since her husband had passed away from his injuries after the two of them had been in a horrible car accident.
“By the way,” Bennett began, eager to get the image of Franklin’s broken body out of his mind. “We need to cut a final payment cheque for Stanley Timmons.”
Ethan’s eyebrows rose. “We do?”
Bennett nodded, glad that the other topics of conversation had given him the time to be able to recount what had happened without the anger. Even without the anger driving him, he knew that he’d made the right decision. When it came to vulnerable people—angry or not—Bennett would always step in to protect them.
Grace Moore was happy that there was plenty of stuff to keep her busy on her first morning back. She hadn’t been sure how returning to work would be after almost a month away, but for the most part, people had just let her do her thing. That had included a lot of catching up on work that had fallen by the wayside in her absence, things like filing and shredding. The only downside to work was that while it kept her hands busy, her thoughts were still free to wander. And that was the last thing she wanted.
It had been her desire to escape being alone with her thoughts that had propelled her back to work. The days following Franklin’s death had passed in a blur of busy activity since she’d had to tackle all the details pertaining to his death and funeral. Then there had been legalities to deal with, but now, a month later, things had begun to die down enough that she could breathe and think. And she didn’t want that.
Maybe if she’d had kids to occupy her, it might be different, but they’d had none, and Grace was grateful for that. Though people might think she would be a pro at grieving by now, in truth, she barely knew how to deal with her own grief for Franklin. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done with grieving children.
“Do you want to go out for lunch?”
Looking up from the papers she was preparing to file, Grace saw Makayla standing beside her desk. She tried to ignore the concern on her friend’s face as she said, “I’m not really very hungry.”
That was the absolute truth. Her appetite had been next to nil for the past few weeks, and the occasional bouts of nausea hadn’t helped the matter much.
Makayla’s brows drew together as she frowned. “Are you sure? Can I bring you something?”
“Where are you going?”
“Just to Tims.”
“Maybe bring me some soup?” Grace suggested, hoping it would help to ease the concerned look on her friend’s face. Though she wasn’t really hungry, the thought of a bowl of soup from Tim Hortons held more appeal that anything else would have.
“I can do that,” Makayla replied, a smile replacing the frown. “We’ll be back soon.”
Ethan appeared from the hallway and smiled at Grace. “Are you coming with us?”
“No, but Makayla offered to bring me something back.”
Ethan exchanged glances with Makayla, and for a moment, his smile dimmed, but then it quickly returned. “That’s good. We won’t be gone too long.”
“Don’t rush on my account,” Grace said. “I’m not starving.”
She watched them as they headed for the door, her heart aching when Ethan flashed Makayla an affectionate smile as he reached out to take her hand. She and Franklin hadn’t had that type of easy affection, the PDAs. Though things had been changing for the better between them since the beginning of the year, the potential of what they could have had was now lost. Would they have ever gotten to the point where they shared something like what Makayla and Ethan had?
Emotion tightened her chest once again, and Grace took a deep breath to try to ease the pain. The last thing she wanted was to break down as she sat behind her desk. Resolutely, she turned her attention back to the stack of paper in front of her. Normally she’d work through it quickly, but she needed this to last longer than usual. She didn’t want to run out of work.
When Ethan and Makayla got back a little while later, she followed them into the small lunchroom. There was a monitor in the room that was connected to a security camera in the foyer so she’d be able to see if anyone entered the building while she was away from the front desk. Though she would have liked to take her food back to her desk, she resisted the urge. Sinking down onto a chair at the table, she watched as Ethan and Makayla unpacked the food they’d brought.
“I can smell the food all the way in my office,” Bennett said as he walked in. He came to the table and peered over Makayla’s shoulder. “I hope you got it right this time.”
Makayla elbowed him, causing him to straighten and rub his side. “I always get it right. It’s not my fault that you change your mind after I leave to pick it up. You keep complaining, and you’ll be picking it up next time.”
“That will never happen.” Bennett moved to sit next to Grace. “I don’t think you’d trust me to get yours right.”
Grace felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She’d always envied the relationships the Callaghan and McFadden siblings had with each other. She was most familiar with Bennett and Makayla’s relationship because she was best friends with Makayla and also because the three of them worked together. As an only child, Grace had never known what it was like to have a sibling to squabble or to hang out with. It had always been just her.
“Eat up, Gracie,” Makayla said as she set a container of soup and a roll in front of her. “I got you the cream of broccoli and cheddar. I know it’s your favorite.”
Gracie took the spoon Makayla handed her then pulled off the lid of the container, inhaling the smell of the soup. Surprisingly, her stomach rumbled a bit with hunger. She waited until everyone had taken their seats and Bennett had said grace before she dipped her spoon into the bowl. After a couple of spoonfuls, she tore off a piece of the roll and popped it in her mouth.
Conversation swirled around her as she slowly ate her soup. It was a step toward normal, but yet normal—whatever that might be—still seemed so far out of reach. It was likely she’d never get back to that normal. It would be a new normal. Just one of the many she’d experienced in her life. Unfortunately, her new normal never seemed to last long. The longest stretch of normal had been the time between her grandmother’s death and marrying Franklin.
Now she was having to adjust all over again. But this would be for the very last time. She resolved once again—as she had following her grandmother’s death—to not allow anyone into her life who, if they were taken away, would require such a dramatic change that she’d have to find a new normal once again. Normal from now on was going to be her, on her own, with just the friendships she already had in her life.
“How was your soup?” Makayla asked.
Gracie glanced over at Makayla’s expectant expression. Unfortunately, though she’d managed to eat it all, she hadn’t really registered the taste. “It was good. Thank you.”
“You managed to get mine right, sis” Bennett said as he sat back in his chair. “So thanks for that.”
“That sarcasm is making me wonder if maybe next time, your order will be mysteriously missing when we get back.”
Bennett chuckled. “Then I’ll be sharing yours.”
Makayla tossed a scrunched-up napkin at Bennett. “The only person I share food with these days is Ethan.”
Grace was glad for the normality of their banter. At least they were comfortable enough around her to be joking together. She was a bit tired of people treating her like spun glass because of what had happened. She had enough sad moments when she was alone, she didn’t need more of them when she’d worked up the courage to leave the condo and face the world. Of course, she did have moments when she wanted to scream at the world. How dare life go on around her as
if nothing had happened when her world had completely imploded?
Most days her emotions were all over the place. She hoped that coming back to work and having a schedule would help with that. Nothing could change her situation, and she couldn’t forget about it, but coming to a place where Franklin hadn’t been present on a regular basis would hopefully help her be able to put aside her grief. Even for just a bit.
Once their lunch had been cleared up, Grace left them to return to the front desk. She hadn’t been there too long when the front door opened and two teenage girls walked in followed by Steve Callaghan.
“Grace!” Danica Callaghan ran around the end of the desk to where Grace sat. She got to her feet in time to be engulfed in the teen’s arms. “I didn’t know you were here today. I’m so happy to see you!”
“I’m happy to see you too, sweetie. How have you been?”
She listened as both girls recounted what they’d been up to. They were both off school for a teacher in-service day and had come in to help with office work, unaware that Grace had returned to work. Grace accepted a hug from Steve before he headed down the hallway toward the offices. She helped get the girls settled in with a couple of small tasks, grateful for the distraction of their conversation. Thankfully, they were happy to chat about the things going on in their lives. The guys they thought were cute. The makeup they wanted to buy.
It was all so normal.
Grace took a deep breath and slowly let it out, relief flooding her.
2
Bennett had been glad to see Grace sitting at the table when he’d walked into the lunchroom. Though she hadn’t joined in their banter like she might have previously, just the fact that she had been there with them at all was a good thing. He wondered if she’d ever be the person she’d been prior to Franklin’s death.
Though she seemed to have recovered from the previous losses in her life—her entire family—Bennett wondered if she would recover from this one. Grace had definitely suffered more than her share of loss in her life. He didn’t know another person who had lost so much in their life.
Bennett settled into the chair at his desk and stared blankly at his monitor. He wished there was more he could do for Grace, but he had a feeling that she would brush aside any of his attempts. She hadn’t even let him do things for her before all of this. Through Makayla, they had become friends as teenagers, and it had seemed—briefly—that there was a possibility for more, but when her grandmother had gotten sick, Grace had pulled back without explanation.
“Can I talk to you?” Makayla dropped into the chair across from him.
“Uh. Sure. Have a seat,” Bennett said with an arch of a brow.
“I’d like to offer to have Grace move back into the apartment with Tami and me.”
Bennett frowned as he considered Makayla’s idea. “Do you think she’d be interested in doing that?”
“I’m not sure,” Makayla said with a shrug. “But I figured I would offer.”
“You don’t need my permission,” Bennett reminded her. “That would be up to you and Tami.”
“I know, but I just thought I’d run the idea past you before I talked to her.” Makayla shifted on her seat. “I would like to have her closer to us. She doesn’t have anyone else now.”
Bennett nodded. They had essentially been Grace’s family since her grandmother had passed away. She’d been like another sister…well, to his siblings anyway. Bennett had never viewed her that way.
“It might be too soon,” Bennett cautioned. “It’s only been a month.”
He still hadn’t been able to forget the horrible, sick feeling in his stomach when his mom had called him with the news that Franklin and Grace had been in an accident. The large truck that had unexpectedly accelerated through the intersection had hit the passenger side of Franklin’s car. Grace had been the one driving, so Franklin had borne the brunt of the impact and had never regained consciousness. Over the next few days, Grace had remained at his side, waiting and praying. Bennett had gone up to the hospital several times, as a friend to Grace but also because of the friendship he’d been forging with Franklin. He and his family had stood by her as Franklin’s body had deteriorated. And then it had all ended one Saturday afternoon.
Everything had changed for Grace. For all of them. Though they’d had a rough start with Franklin, thanks to much prayer and Ethan’s persistence, the man had undergone a metamorphosis. But his death had put a stop to that journey. And that experience had hammered home the importance of never giving up on someone. Of persisting in prayer even if it seemed hopeless that change would ever happen.
“I won’t pressure her,” Makayla said. “I just want to present her with the opportunity to move closer to her support system. The fact that she’s come back to work says that maybe she might be ready to consider something like this.”
Bennett hoped that Makayla was right. He found that he liked the idea of having Grace close once again. As a big brother to Makayla, he’d always felt protective of her—when he wasn’t wishing her away because she was annoying him. That protective nature had extended to Makayla’s friends, especially Grace. Though she had pushed him away for whatever reason, he hadn’t lost the urge to protect her, just as he did his sisters and Tami.
“Let me know what she says.”
He’d expected Makayla to leave once they’d finished talking about that subject, but it was clear that his sister had something else on her mind.
“I’m having a hard time planning the wedding,” Makayla finally said, a miserable look on her face. “I used to plan it out all the time when I was younger, but I’m finding it challenging now that I have to do it for real.”
“Is it because of what happened to Franklin?” Bennett asked since that seemed to be the most logical explanation.
“Probably.” Makayla’s shoulders slumped. “Part of me feels guilty for being so happy and excited about marrying Ethan.”
“I don’t think Grace would want you to feel that way.”
“Maybe not.” Makayla shrugged. “But that still doesn’t stop me from feeling that way. I haven’t even had the chance to ask her if she’s willing to be my matron of honor. Or maid of honor. I’m not even sure what to call the role for her.”
Bennett felt for his sister. She tended to take on the emotions of those around her, so the pain Grace was going through was no doubt weighing heavily on her. “I don’t think Grace would want you to put your life on hold because of her situation. Besides, if all of this has taught us anything, it’s that life is short. Don’t put things off. Plan your wedding and enjoy yourself. The important thing is that you and Ethan get hitched.”
“You’re right.” Makayla straightened in her seat. “Thank you.”
“Just don’t make me wear a tuxedo.”
She grinned. “I think you’re safe there. Ethan wouldn’t agree to that either.”
“Glad to hear it,” Bennett said, smiling in response.
Makayla got to her feet. “Talk to you later.”
Bennett hoped that Makayla would be able to set aside the unnecessary guilt she was carrying so that she could plan the wedding she wanted and deserved to have.
Once Makayla had left, Bennett turned his attention back to the work waiting for him.
“So how is Grace doing?”
Bennett looked at the woman seated across from him. Ellie Davenport had long blonde hair that lay in a glossy curtain over her shoulders. Her light blue eyes regarded him closely as she waited for his response.
“She seems to be doing okay,” Bennett said as he picked up his glass of water. He took a drink then set it down, looking around for the waitress. “She was back to work this week.”
“She’s back at work already?” Ellie asked. “I would have thought she’d need more time.”
Bennett shrugged. “Everyone grieves in their own way. I guess Grace needs to be working.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed as her brows drew together. “I hope that she isn’t doin
g too much too soon.”
Bennett felt a knot form in his stomach as he watched Ellie fiddle with her silverware. They had been dating for the last three months, and it had been going…okay. Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure the relationship was going to last much longer. Ellie just hadn’t seemed to fit in with his family, and lately, she had seemed to be threatened by his friendship—if he could even call it that—with Grace, acting resentful of the time he’d spent helping to arrange Franklin’s funeral.
Now it seemed that every time they were together, the conversation ended up focused on Grace. And he could tell that the news that Grace was back at work bothered Ellie. He didn’t know what he could do to reassure her that she had nothing to worry about where Grace was concerned. And frankly, he didn’t feel like he should have to.
“I haven’t really talked to her at length about how she’s doing or why she’s back at work, but I would imagine that Makayla has been talking with her.” Bennett didn’t bother to mention that Makayla was hoping to have Grace move back into the apartment building. He had a feeling that Ellie would be very unhappy with the news that he and Grace were living under the same roof, so to speak, if Grace moved back.
Bennett really didn’t think he’d given Ellie reason to be jealous of Grace. He hadn’t treated Grace any differently than he had any of the other women in his life, so he had no idea why Ellie was acting the way she was. It was making him analyze his every interaction with Grace, and that was adding stress to his relationship with Ellie. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing where Grace was concerned, and it was starting to annoy him. He didn’t want to be in a relationship where jealousy reared its ugly head for no apparent reason.
After seeing how Steve had treated his mom, Emily, Bennett had resolved to follow the man’s example. When he was on a date with Ellie, he kept his attention on her. His phone was turned off, and he didn’t take it out of his pocket at all while they were together. There was absolutely no reason why Ellie should be jealous, but if she couldn’t get it under control, things were not going to work out between them.
For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2) Page 2