by Nancy Mehl
“Gracie? Gracie, are you awake?”
I opened my eyes. Daylight. I sat up and found Eric standing over me.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” he said. “But the power’s out. It’s probably my fault. I put my clothes in the dryer downstairs and poof. Everything went off. I flipped all the breaker switches, but nothing happened. I thought you’d want to know.”
I ran my hand through my messy bed hair and tried to focus. “No, you did the right thing. If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll come down. Maybe I can get it going.”
He nodded and left the room. Stupid dryer. I should have told him not to use it while my space heater was on, but it hadn’t occurred to me he’d take it upon himself to dry his clothes. Probably trying to save me the trouble. I certainly couldn’t be upset with him.
I closed the bedroom door and changed into jeans and a sweater. Then I checked the heater. Sure enough, it wasn’t working. The upstairs would be an icebox before long. I hurried downstairs and found Eric sitting at the kitchen table, still wearing my clothes.
“I made coffee. I see you do it the old-fashioned way.” My aluminum coffeepot sat on one of the burners. Good thing the stove was gas. An oil lamp burned on the table. The sun was up, but the clouds and snow kept much light from filtering in.
“Thanks. I’ll take a look at the breaker box, and then I’ll make us some breakfast.” I grabbed a flashlight from under the sink and headed downstairs. Eric had removed his clothes from the inside of the dryer. They lay on the top. I felt them. They were still pretty damp. We’d have to dry them in front of the fire. I had no intention of restarting the dryer if I got the electricity back on.
I shone the light from the flashlight against the far wall. The door to the breaker box was still open. I checked all the breakers. They seemed to be okay. Sam had taped a list of the different switches and what they were for on the wall next to the box. Not all of the switches had actually been installed yet, though. There were only three. I flipped them all. Nothing. I waited a few minutes and tried again. Still nothing. With a sigh I gave up, grabbed Eric’s clothes and some hangers, and tramped back up the stairs.
As I approached the first floor, I heard voices. With a sinking feeling I jogged up the rest of the way and entered the living room.
Eric held my front door open, and Sam stood on the porch, looking daggers at him.
Chapter Seven
The three of us stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. In truth, it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. I suppose the correct reaction would have been for me to begin explaining the situation to Sam as quickly as I could. But that isn’t what happened. For some reason, the absurdity of our circumstances struck me as incredibly funny, and I began to laugh. Not laugh as in “tee-hee,” a ladylike giggle. I mean full-scale, stomach-holding, tears-down-the-cheeks guffawing. I tried to stop, but I couldn’t. Sam and Eric both looked at me like I’d lost my mind. And I wondered it myself. Needless to say, neither one of them appeared to find the situation the least bit humorous.
“Sam, it’s not what you think,” Eric said, keeping a wary eye on me. I’d sunk into the couch, trying hard to control myself. I’d moved past the maniacal cackling that had kicked off this odd episode, and I’d started making little explosive noises created by laughter combined with weird hiccups that forced their way past my tightly locked lips.
“I think it’s exactly what I think,” Sam snarled. “Where’s your truck? And where’s Grace’s car?”
Eric quickly explained the entire thing, from dinner at Mary’s to the reason he’d stayed the night. He specifically detailed exactly where he’d slept—on the couch. As he talked, Sam’s frown only deepened. Finally he held his hand up in front of Eric’s face.
“Okay, that’s it. Get your clothes. I’ll take you to your truck. If it won’t start, we’ll figure out what to do from there.” He pointed at me. “You stay here. I’ll be back.” With that, he turned and walked back to his truck.
Eric looked at me, his eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
His question sent me into another spasm of giggles. I tried to say something but couldn’t. Finally I nodded enthusiastically. It was the best I could do. Eric seemed to be evaluating me, probably trying to gauge the level of my nervous breakdown. Then he quietly left the room to change into his clothes and face the angry man who awaited him outside.
While he was in the bathroom, I began to get some control back and tried to figure out why I’d acted so crazy. Yesterday I had two men interested in me. Today, even Snickle had deserted me. He peeked out from underneath a chair, his eyes as big as Eric’s had been. For some reason, knowing I’d scared him with my behavior finally snapped me out of it. It took some coaxing, but I finally got him to come out. I was petting him when Eric came back into the room.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“I really am,” I said sheepishly. “I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry. You must think I’m deranged.”
He smiled tentatively. “Maybe a little.”
“It’s really not the least bit funny. I think it’s all the pressure of the last couple of days. I guess I just reached the end of my patience with everything. Sam included.”
Eric slid his damp coat on. He would be uncomfortable for a while, and I felt bad for him. “Listen, Gracie,” he said, wincing slightly, “this is completely inappropriate, I know. But if things between you and Sam don’t work out…”
“To be honest, Eric, right now, I can’t think that far ahead. My ridiculous reaction just proves I need some time to myself. When the roads are passable, I might drive home to Nebraska and stay with my folks for a while. I don’t seem to be accomplishing anything here.”
He frowned. “But you’ll come back, right?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not.” I looked around the room. “I’d need to sell this place so I’d have something to live on for a while. I guess I can find someone in Harmony who’d be interested….”
Eric put his hand on the doorknob. “Before you try to sell this house, let me know first, okay? I might be able to help you.”
“Okay. I will. Promise. Now you’d better get out there. I don’t think either one of us wants Sam to come back.”
“That’s an understatement.” He gave me a rather sickly smile. “And if no one ever hears from me again, will you please tell my family what happened?”
“I think you’re safe. Sam would have to get rid of both of us.”
He chuckled and opened the door. But before he stepped out onto the front porch, he paused and looked back at me. “Thanks, Gracie. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I had a really good time last night. And it was because I spent it with you.”
After the door closed, I sat on the couch for a while, thinking. It seemed pretty clear that Sam and I were finished. If he hadn’t trusted me before, there was no hope he’d believe the truth now. My mind kept wandering back to the first time I’d come to Harmony. Sam and I had developed feelings for each other so quickly. In retrospect, our relationship must have been built on emotion—not day–in, day-out reality. Neither one of us was perfect, and we obviously didn’t have the kind of bond that can overcome challenges. Unfortunately, life is full of challenges.
My previous hysterical response turned to tears of frustration. Eventually I cried myself to sleep. I awoke to the sound of a male voice. I let loose with a small scream before I realized it was Sam.
“H–how did you get in?” I gently pushed Snickle off my lap and sat up.
“The door was unlocked.”
I tried to pat my hair into place, wondering why I should even care what I looked like. Sam had obviously come to tell me we were through.
“What happened to Eric?” I shivered from the cold and wrapped the quilt around me. The fire in the fireplace was low, and the house was freezing.
“I took him to his truck and pulled him out of the ditch. He’s on his way to Council Grove.”
&nbs
p; “Good. I’m glad he’s okay. You didn’t… I mean, he’s not…”
“Did I beat him up? Is he injured?” Sam shook his head. “No. He’s fine.”
“Good. Thank you.” I stared up at him. “Nothing happened, you know. Everything was absolutely innocent. I know you don’t believe that, but I want to say it anyway, just because it’s true.” I gave him a moment to respond. When he didn’t, I pointed my finger at him. “Why don’t you just say what you have to say? I already know what’s coming. Let’s just get it over with, okay?”
Sam brushed back the bangs that hung down over his stormy gray eyes. Then he sat down in the chair across from me. Snickle promptly jumped off my lap and went to his. Disloyal cat.
“Okay. Here goes.” He began stroking Snickle, not looking at me. “I’ve been a stupid fool. I should have told you about my mother from the beginning. But you need to understand that I never set out to lie to you. Sweetie and I have been telling people my mother is dead for a long time. Not because we wanted to deceive anyone, really. Just because it saves a lot of questions and pain. Honestly, it never occurred to me to tell you. I guess because I thought I’d dealt with it and it wasn’t important to me anymore.” He laughed harshly. “I seem to have been wrong about that.” He finally swung his gaze back to me. “When you showed me that note, I don’t know, it brought it all back. The abandonment. The confusion. The hurt. It had nothing to do with you, Gracie. You thought I was afraid you’d done the same thing my mother had—abandoned her child. But that’s not it. It has to do with finally facing how angry I’ve been at my mom for not trying to find another way. I know she thought she was doing the best thing for me, and I’m grateful to Sweetie for the life she’s given me. But I loved my mother. I believe we could have found a way to deal with her problems together.”
“I’m sorry, Sam. You’ve always acted as if losing your mother didn’t bother you that much anymore. But of course, I didn’t know the whole story.”
He shrugged. “Hey, I’m as surprised by my response as you are. Even more. I thought it was all behind me, too.”
“So where does this leave you and me?”
“You mean how do I feel about finding you and Eric here? Knowing he spent the night and seeing him in your clothes?”
I started to explain, but he stopped me.
“I don’t want to hear it, Gracie. Eric tried to tell me the whole story again in the car. I told him to be quiet or I’d kick him out and leave him stranded in the snow.”
“So we can’t talk about it? Are we finished? It’s over? I mean, we’re over?” Even though I’d already suspected it, the reality hit me with a finality that made my heart feel as if it would break.
Sam rose from his chair and came over to where I sat sobbing. He reached for my hands and held them. “No, Grace. That’s not what I meant. I mean you don’t need to explain last night. I know nothing happened. Eric got stuck here, and you gave him a place to stay. That’s it.” He let go of one of my hands and pushed back the hair from my face. “You silly girl,” he said, a tear escaping his eye, “when you started laughing like that, I realized two things. How much stress I’ve put you under, and how ridiculous it was to think you and Eric were…involved.” He took my face in his hands. “I know you, Grace. I know your heart. I was stupid to ever let anything come between us. And you have my word it will never happen again. Never. If you can forgive me for the mistakes I’ve made, then…”
Before he could finish, I kissed him. Then I cried a little. And then I kissed him again.
“I take it that means I’m forgiven,” he said with a crooked smile.
I laid my head on his chest and cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. Except this time it was from relief.
“Why don’t you get cleaned up?” he said softly. “I’m going to see if I can get your electricity back on. Then we’ll attempt to get your car back here.”
I sat up, still sniffling. “I doubt we’ll even be able to find it.”
“It’s stopped snowing, and everyone’s trying to dig out. But if we decide to let the car sit for a while, I’ll take you wherever you need to go, okay?”
“Okay.” I got up and started toward the bathroom.
“Grace?” Sam called out.
I turned around and found him standing near the couch, still smiling at me. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I choked out. Then I fled to the bathroom before another round of tears began. When I closed the door, the room was pretty dark. I raised the window shade. Sure enough, the snow had come to an end. The world was covered in glistening white. The beauty outside my window certainly wasn’t evident inside my bathroom. I looked in the mirror and was horrified to find a disheveled woman with a runny red nose, pink eyes, and hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed anytime during the current century. Besides the way I looked, my behavior over the last few hours had left me feeling drained. I’d gotten nervous giggles before—most people have. But launching into bizarre and uncontrolled hilarity was a new experience. Funny, though. I felt better now. Not just because Sam and I were okay, but because I felt released from the tension that had held me in its grip since I’d come back to Harmony.
I closed my eyes and prayed quietly. “Lord, I don’t know if You sent the laughter—or the tears. But I feel better. Allowing myself to worry so much isn’t much of a testament to my faith in You. I’m sorry. I truly believe You led me to this place, so I intend to trust You to complete what You started. I’ll do a better job of casting my care—if You’ll help me. Show me what You want me to see through everything that’s happened. I know You love Harmony and the people who live here. Let Your perfect will be done. And use me to bring that about. Thank You.”
I took a deep breath and shook myself. Like Sweetie said, God doesn’t send the storm, but without faith in Him and in His goodness, I would certainly end up tossed around…and wet.
After attempting to fix my makeup and hair, I finally felt presentable enough to face Sam. As I left the bathroom, the light suddenly flickered on. I opened the door to the stairs and yelled, “The lights are back!”
“Great!” Sam hollered. “Let me work on this switch just a few more minutes. I want to make sure the connection is tight.”
“Okay.” I decided to run upstairs and change my clothes. When I came downstairs he was standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of milk.
“Say, I’m starving,” he said. “You have anything here to eat?”
“Well, like I told you, I’m not a great cook, but I can rustle up some bacon and eggs.”
“Sounds wonderful. If you’ll do that, I’ll make the coffee.”
“It’s a deal.”
The chilly kitchen warmed up quickly, and before long we were eating. We talked about the snow and how Buddy had jumped around in it as if it had been sent just for him to play in.
“He’s not that tall,” Sam said, chuckling. “He almost disappeared.”
Sam told me that Sweetie had gone out first thing in the morning to clear the driveway as if the storm had been a personal attack on her. By the time we finished, I felt like things were almost back to normal between Sam and me. I knew we needed to talk more about what had happened, but I wasn’t quite ready to do that yet, and it appeared that Sam felt the same way. Right now, laughing and talking together felt good. Like medicine to my bruised soul.
Finally we decided it was time to brave the outdoors. Sam’s truck started right away. I wanted to make a comment about the old vehicle being more dependable than Eric’s Hummer, but I kept my mouth shut. The less said about Eric the better. At least his huge truck had made some deep tracks we could use to get out of the driveway. Once we got to Faith Street, I realized the road was in pretty good condition.
“This isn’t so bad,” I remarked.
“I stuck a plow on the tractor and went up and down between my house and Ida’s,” Sam said. “See the snow piled up on the side of the road? That was on the street before I moved it.”
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“Shouldn’t we check on Ida before we go into town? I’d like to know she’s all right.”
“Already did that. Brought some wood in for her fire and fed Zebediah. Shoveled most of the snow out of his stable and fired up the old woodstove in there so he’d be warm.”
“Wow. You have been busy. What time did you get up this morning?”
He shook his head. “Way too early. I’m tired. But at least I’m not hungry now.”
I smiled. “Well, if you’re happy eating breakfast all day, I’d be glad to cook for you anytime.”
He grinned. “Hey, I’ll just keep Sweetie nearby. That way there’s no pressure on you.”
“You’re a funny, funny man.”
“I know.”
I scooted up closer to him, and not just for warmth. We turned onto Main Street. That road was pretty snow packed. We bounced and slid, almost getting stuck several times. Finally we pulled into Harmony. The town sat silently, no one outside. However, several cars were parked on the street. Most of them still covered with snow. I saw Gabe and Sarah’s buggy in front of their store.
“Gabe and Sarah are in town?”
“Doesn’t look like they went anywhere. Probably stayed the night in the shop rather than try to get home in the storm.”
“I’d like to check on them.”
Sam nodded. “You go ahead. I’m going to see if I can dig your car out.”
I glanced over to see my poor little Bug almost completely covered. I balled up my fist and lightly punched Sam on the arm. “Slug Bug.”
He shook his head and laughed. “Boy, I’m going to be sorry I told you about that game, aren’t I?”
“You betcha.”
I got out of the truck and waded through the snow toward the candle shop. Gabe and Sarah’s horse had been unhooked from the buggy. He’d probably been moved to a nearby stable, out of the cold and snow. When I opened the front door, a wonderful aroma greeted me. Sarah sat in a chair near the front counter. She smiled when she saw me. “Gracie! I’m so happy you’re home.”