Once it appeared that everyone had had their fill of s’mores, Bennett helped his mom put everything back on the tray and carried it into the kitchen for her. His dad had added a few more logs to the fire, causing the flames to leap back up again, and Dalton was once again strumming on his guitar. All of that fell behind him as Bennett walked into the kitchen.
“Do you want to tell me what that was all about with Kenton?” his mom asked as she unloaded the tray.
“I’m not sure what prompted him to say what he did tonight.” Bennett crossed his arms as he leaned back against the counter. “We hadn’t spoken earlier.”
“Maybe that’s part of the problem, sweetheart. You two aren’t talking. At all.”
Bennett could hardly argue with her there, but he still sighed. “True, Mom, and I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon.”
“I wish I understood. You used to be best friends.”
“He took something I told him—something I hadn’t told anyone else—and he betrayed that confidence. A best friend wouldn’t have done that.”
“That’s a long time to hold a grudge. It will continue to eat at you.”
“It really only comes to mind when we’re actually in the same city. And since that doesn’t happen very often, I really don’t think about it that much.”
“Maybe if you got this sorted out between the two of you, Kenton would come home more frequently.”
Bennett didn’t like the implication, but yet again, he could hardly argue with it. He had prided himself on being the responsible one in the family. The one that would take care of everyone else—both friends and family. Instead, today, he’d seemed to have failed on several fronts. “I’m sorry all this has come out now. I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t overshadow what’s going to happen this week.”
His mom sighed. “I just want you all to be happy and get along.”
“I’m sorry, Mom, but that’s not gonna happen tonight. I think it’s best that Kenton and I keep our distance, and since he’s staying here, I’ll be the one to leave.” Bennett straightened then gave his mom a kiss. “I’m gonna head out.”
His mom frowned. “I hate to see you go. Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine, Mom. I just don’t want to escalate things tonight.” He fished his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll see you at church tomorrow.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Bennett gave her a reassuring smile before heading to the front of the house and then out into the cool August night. Though he should probably have said goodnight to the group, he was actually relieved to just be leaving. Tomorrow would be another day. One where he’d hopefully have his spirit re-energized and have the ability to put this day behind him.
Grace kept glancing at the back door of the house. She’d watched the interaction between Kenton and Bennett with a sense of dread. It was the first time since their falling out that she’d seen them talking to each other. And she wished that she hadn’t witnessed it. No doubt she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. It hadn’t been a pleasant interaction. Obviously not for them and certainly not for those gathered around the fire as a captive audience.
When Emily returned to the back yard a short time later, she was alone. The older woman made her way to her husband’s side, leaning against him as his arm wrapped around her. He looked down at her, obviously listening as she talked to him though Grace couldn’t hear what she said. Steve lifted his head, looking in Kenton’s direction. He pressed a kiss to the top of Emily’s head and wrapped his other arm around her in a tight hug.
Feeling as if she was an interloper in a private moment between the two of them, Grace shifted her gaze to the fire. Her emotions were all over the place once again. Concern for Bennett and Kenton. More so for Bennett since he hadn’t come back out to join them. But then she had a longing for what Steve and Emily shared. And alongside that was the sense of loss because her chance to have it had died with Franklin.
Makayla went to her parents and, after a quick conversation, she headed over to where Grace was sitting. She dropped into the seat that Gabe had vacated to go talk with Forrest and Kenton.
“What’s going on?” Grace asked.
After letting out a long sigh, Makayla said, “Bennett left. And I’m sorry, but I’m so mad at Kenton right now. They’ve managed to be in the same place together without confronting each other for years. But could Kenton just leave well enough alone and keep the peace for this visit? No…. He had to go and needle Bennett. Makes me so angry.”
Grace wondered how the family would feel if they knew that she was likely the reason for the breakdown of Bennett and Kenton’s relationship. Her stomach hurt at the thought of revealing that. Maybe she needed to have a conversation with Bennett about what had happened back then. Why she’d done what she had. Kenton wasn’t to blame for what had happened. He hadn’t known any better.
“Maybe they’ll be fine for the rest of the week,” Grace suggested.
“One can only hope because I don’t want tension for the wedding. And I don’t want Bennett avoiding the get-togethers we have planned because you know he will if he thinks it will keep the peace. But frankly, Bennett has been there for me more than Kenton has in recent years. I deserve to have him by my side for all of this.” Makayla paused. “Can you make sure he’s there?”
“Me?” Grace turned to look at her friend. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“Just when you’re talking with him, make sure that he doesn’t make excuses. And if he tries to, remind him that his favorite sister is getting married, and he needs to be there for me.”
“Use a guilt trip, you mean?”
“Well, when you put it that way…yes. If that’s what it takes. I want my wedding and everything surrounding it to be perfect, so he has to be there. I’ll talk to Kenton and make sure he’s on his best behavior too.”
Grace was glad that Makayla hadn’t tried to get her to do that. She really didn’t know Kenton very well anymore. And despite what she’d said to Bennett earlier—and what she needed to talk to him about too—she did consider him a friend. Just not one that she was likely to call for a craving run in the middle of the night.
“I’ll do my best, but you do know your brother, right? He can be stubborn.”
“Yeah, he can be, but I think he’ll do it if you ask him to. Matron of honor to best man. If you don’t do anything else as my matron of honor, make sure that Bennett is were I need him.”
Grace agreed once again, hoping that Bennett would really listen to her.
“Are you ready to have an assistant on Monday?”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to Makayla’s question since she had mixed feelings about it. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I just hope I can get her comfortable enough to be left on her own for two days.”
“I was a little surprised by the one you ended up wanting to hire. What was it about her that made you think she was the best person for the job?”
Grace pondered the question, trying to figure out how to convey what it was about Maya St. James that had drawn her. “She seemed brave.”
Makayla shifted in her seat, hooking her arm on the back of the chair. “Brave? You thought she needed to be brave?”
“It’s not that she needed to be brave, but just applying and coming to the interview seemed brave of her. She had a real earnestness about her. I think she’ll work hard.”
“I found her timid,” Makayla said. “Will she be able to handle the stronger personalities in the company?”
“Like who? Tristan? Mitch?”
Makayla laughed. “Okay. Maybe me?”
“I think she’ll be fine. I don’t really see her as timid. Reserved, yes, but not necessarily timid.” Grace had warmed to the idea of an assistant during the interview process, a feeling that had really solidified when she’d spoken with Maya.
“I hope you’re right,” Makayla said. “This is supposed to help alleviate stress for you,
not create more.”
“She’ll do that, I think.”
Before the conversation could continue, people around them started to get up and say their goodbyes. Grace followed suit, and soon she was heading out as well. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be driving back to the apartment instead of the condo. That would be a bit of an adjustment…making a home of her own for the first time. She’d gone from living with her grandmother to living with the Callaghans after her grandmother’s death. Then Grace had moved into the apartment with Tami and Makayla and finally in with Franklin when they got married. Though each place had been her residence, none had truly been her home, but now at twenty-six, she was going to have her own place. A home for her and her baby. It was exciting…and scary.
Going to the condo made her feel a little lost these days. The person whose home it truly was, was gone. Her connection to the condo had been severed. Though those feelings would definitely make it easier to move, it still filled her with sadness to think that what she and Franklin had had would never be anything more than it was now. Because of the baby, she needed to focus on the future. If it had just been her left, she might have stayed in the condo, surrounded by all the things that Franklin had chosen for his home. But the condo wasn’t an ideal place for a baby. Franklin had promised her that when she got pregnant, they would move to a place that was more child-friendly. A home where they could grow as a family.
So she knew that Franklin would approve of her decision to move out of the condo. The apartment at the Callaghans’ building wasn’t as good as a house with a yard, but it came with an instant support system, and there was a big park across the street that was a good substitute for a yard.
The pending move stressed her out a bit when she allowed herself to dwell on it, but first, she had a wedding needing her attention. And her role in the wedding had now been expanded to include making sure Bennett was where Makayla wanted him, regardless of what Kenton was or wasn’t doing.
12
The first time Grace needed to herd Bennett in the right direction came mid-week.
“What do you mean you’re not going to the cabin tonight?” Grace asked.
Bennett looked up from his phone. “There’s no reason for me to be out there tonight. The rehearsal is tomorrow night, so I’ll be up there in time for that.”
“There is a reason, Bennett,” Grace said firmly. “Your sister wants you to be there. We’ve cleared the schedule, so there is no need for you to stay here in the city.”
With a sigh, Bennett slid his phone into his inner suit coat pocket. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be in close quarters with Kenton right now. Not if we want to keep the tension low for the wedding.”
Grace hesitated, once again thinking that maybe the three of them—her, Kenton and Bennett—needed to sit down and have a conversation. “Makayla wants you there, Bennett. You’re her brother. You’re Ethan’s best friend. You deserve to be there.”
Bennett looked at her, his expression tight. “I’ll see what I can do, but I make no promises.”
Grace watched him walk away from her desk. The man had been more subdued and reserved than usual since the confrontation with Kenton on the weekend. She hoped that she’d convinced him to come because she really didn’t want to let Makayla down. If it appeared that she’d failed, she’d have to sic Tami on him.
“Grace? I’m not sure what to do with these?”
At the sound of the new employee’s question, Grace turned around. Maya St. James stood there with a couple of files in her hands. Grateful for the distraction, Grace helped Maya with the files. The young woman had been eager to learn and had made relatively few mistakes. She’d even gotten the hang of their phone system quite quickly. That was important since she was going to be manning the phones for two days on her own. The office was going to be closed, but Bennett had wanted someone to answer the telephones and take messages if necessary.
When the office closed at five, Grace once again approached Bennett. “Did you decide to come out tonight?”
Bennett regarded her, his dark blue gaze serious. “Why are you being so insistent about this, Grace? What does it matter to you whether I’m there or not?”
Grace felt her stomach clench at his questions. They made her think of things she didn’t want. That she didn’t feel she should be thinking about at this point. So she settled on a truth…not the truth she’d ever tell anyone else, but a truth. “Makayla told me to make sure that you were where she wanted you. She said that if it seemed you were going to back out of something, I was supposed to remind you that she wants you there.”
Bennett ran a hand through his hair in a rather uncharacteristic move of apparent frustration. Usually, he was the picture of control, so seeing this side of him struck Grace as wrong. “I understand that, but I also don’t want to create tension by being there.”
“Then just come and steer clear of Kenton. Makayla said she was going to talk to him about what all this means to her and what she expects of him. I think it will be okay.”
Bennett reached for the suit coat that hung on the back of his chair. As he shoved his arms into the sleeves, he said, “I’ll be there a bit later. I need to run home and pack a bag. Are you leaving from here?”
“Yes, I brought all my stuff with me.”
“This is just the family tonight?” Bennett asked as he closed down his computer.
“Well, yes, and me.”
He glanced over at her. “You’re family.”
Strangely enough, Grace had felt that way about everyone in the Callaghan and McFadden clan except Bennett. When he came to mind, Grace had never thought of him as a brother the way she had the rest of the guys. But she’d never told anyone that because she hadn’t wanted to explain why she felt that way. And that wasn’t about to change now.
“Then I guess I’ll see you out there later tonight.” Grace gave him a quick smile before leaving his office.
Makayla and Ethan had headed up earlier in the day, and Steve and Emily had been there since the day before. She wasn’t sure what the rest of the family had planned for arrival times at the cabin. It was just family for the night, and then over the next two days, the rest of the people who had been invited to the wedding would begin to arrive. Grace was grateful that they included her as part of their family. Belonging was truly a blessing.
It took her two hours to drive north of the city to the large cabin that belonged to the Callaghans. She’d spent a lot of time out there over the years, but this was going to be the most memorable time for sure. When she’d started the journey out to the cabin, she’d called Makayla to tell her about the conversation with Bennett and then had spent the rest of the time listening to praise and worship music as she drove.
It was soothing for her soul and helped to make sure that her mind was in the right place as she prepared to deal with a happy—and yet still sad, for her—time.
Bennett slowed the truck as he approached the driveway that led to the cabin. He’d debated the wisdom of coming out for this night. If Grace hadn’t come to talk to him about it, he would have waited and gone up the next day. He huffed out a sigh. No matter how many years had passed since he’d first had a crush on Grace, she still could get him to do things that no one else could. He wondered if Makayla knew that.
Still, he’d taken his time coming. He’d gone back to the apartment and did a workout in the gym they had in the basement of the building. It was almost seven by the time he’d left the city which meant it was nearly nine by the time he made it to the cabin.
There were a lot of cars already there. It didn’t look like very many had carpooled. Since it was all just family, he didn’t care that he was blocking someone in as he parked. They all hung their keys by the door when they arrived so that if someone needed to move a vehicle, they could find the key.
After shutting off the truck, Bennett got out and pulled his suitcase and garment bag from the back seat. Warm light spilled from the windows o
f the cabin, and Bennett paused to take in the beauty of the scene. He loved the cabin and had lots of happy memories of times spent there. He hoped that this time there would add to those memories, not overshadow them.
When he pulled open the door to walk inside, laughter and conversation greeted him. He hung his keys up then ventured further into the cabin.
“Bennett!” His mom came toward him with her arms spread wide, a welcoming smile on her face. She pulled him into a tight hug. “Are you hungry? I’ve some food set aside for you.”
“What did you have?” Bennett asked when she stepped back. “I did grab a bite to eat before leaving the city, but I might be persuaded to eat something more.”
His mom smiled. “We had ham, potato salad, and everything that we usually have with that meal.”
“Okay. I think I’m hungry.” He smiled down at her. “Let me run up to put my bags in the room.”
Bennett wasn’t looking forward to sharing a room with Kenton, but he had no choice. The way the cabin was set up, there were two large rooms that had bunk beds to sleep the boys in one room and the girls in the other. Thinking ahead, his dad had made sure the bunk beds would fit them into adulthood, so they were longer and wider than the average bunk bed plus they were heavy duty. Certainly sturdy enough to hold them as they grew into adults. There were a few other rooms that had beds for couples, but that wasn’t where he and Kenton would be sleeping.
There was one lower bunk without a bag on it, so Bennett dropped his bag there and hung his garment bag in the closet. No one else was in the room, so he wandered over to the windows that looked out over the back of the cabin. The small garden lights that his dad had draped in the trees were twinkling softly in the darkness. In two days time, Ethan and Makayla would be getting married out there. With the setting sun as their backdrop, they’d be exchanging vows to start their life together. The first of their family to marry.
He wasn’t surprised it was Makayla. It had never really crossed his mind that he or Kenton—being the eldest of the family—would be the first to marry. Though he dated, he hadn’t ever felt the desire to marry any of those women even though he had always hoped that one of them might turn out to be the love of his life. And goodness knows Kenton went through women like water. He wasn’t sure the man had ever had a relationship that lasted more than a few months. If that.
For the Love of Grace: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 2) Page 11