She was barely aware of someone arriving to the house, of the slamming of a car door, then the doorbell ringing loudly. It was only when Nate moved away from her and she immediately felt the loss of his body heat that she noticed how late it had become.
"Grace? Nate?" She heard their names called from inside the house. "Dylan and Luke are here. They said you were expecting them."
She could hear the question in Jack's voice, the suspicion that still lingered whenever these two boys were mentioned.
"Damn I forget I told them to call over this evening," Nate whispered to her, and she couldn't help but feel pleased that she had managed to distract him.
"I'd best get in there before Jack produces a shotgun." Grace couldn't help but laugh at the image Nate's quip had created in her mind. Her boyfriend seemed reluctant to let her near the door.
"Is there a reason you don't want me to see them?"
"I just think that you might want to freshen up first that's all." He held out his phone to her and she couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.
Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, but there was no missing that it looked quite unruly, due in no small part to how often Nate had run his hands through it.
Her lips were swollen and a dead giveaway to how she and Nate had spent their time together. Her eyes seemed bright and as she took in her reflection, color stained her cheeks.
"You are so beautiful my Belle, and I'm selfish enough not to want to share that with anyone just now." Nate whispered the words, a slight edge to his voice, that she couldn't quite understand, but she trusted him.
"You distract them and I'll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes," she suggested.
"Nope," he replied, popping his 'p'. Then before she knew what was happening, he had lifted her in to his arms, carrying her into the house, calling out to Jack that they'd be there in a few minutes.
She tried to ignore the laughter that followed this announcement, focusing instead on how carefully she was being held. She tidied up quickly, then took Nate's hand and together they walked into the kitchen.
"We won't take up to much of your time, we just needed to show you something." She noted that Dylan was holding a newspaper, one that had actually been reporting facts and not conjecture, which he handed to Nate.
"Page twenty five." She could only watch as her boyfriend flipped through to the page mentioned, frowning slightly as he quickly read something and then he smiled.
"You believe this is genuine?" He asked, and she heard the almost hopeful note in his voice. Dylan held out another page to him, again from a newspaper.
"This was my initial message, in the same edition that you had placed your statement, so it all fits. There is only one person who would read both those articles and then know how to respond." Dylan was speaking quietly, but they all heard him.
"You'll need to reply. Just to confirm everything. We still need to be cautious, but this is definitely promising." Jack had been reading over the paper and she was beginning to feel irrationally paranoid about being left out of the loop.
"We are both being called in for depositions, and we need your promise to keep this just between us." Dylan said, his voice urgent.
"Agreed. As far as we are concerned this is still way under the radar, there should be no questions on the subject, so don't mention it at all, and if someone brings it up, you know what to do?
"Deflection." Luke stated. "We've got this. I know you still aren't sure if you can trust us, and I honestly can't blame you."
At this point Luke looked at her, and Grace saw the remorse in his eyes, knew the guilt he would live with. It was then that she realized what was happening, the person who Dylan was trying to protect. Rather than ask for confirmation she would wait until the meeting was over, to let Nate tell her what she needed to know.
The subject turned to school, to the changes that were being made and how the new school board hoped to have classes up and running by the start of the following week.
"That's quite ambitious don't you think?" She wondered at why they were in such a hurry to reopen the school.
"They think the sooner we are back in class, then the sooner normalcy returns." Dylan said, not sounding happy about going back.
"Because life as normal is really what we need." She knew she sounded bitter but she didn't care.
"Understandable to feel that way, but you are forgetting one thing." Looking at Jack in wonder, he smiled at her then continued. "Mimi is in charge of the school board, in hiring the staff. She has wrangled a team who specialize in rehabbing schools that have been through trying events. She has, how did she put it, oh yes, convinced certain individuals to donate money to this project."
"My bank balance is still trying to recover!" Nate said jokingly, before turning his attention back to the paper in front of him.
"If there is any sign that they are no longer safe, then let me know. We have resources that are always available."
"Thank you, for all of your help. You would have been well within your rights to slam the door in our faces, after everything." She watched as Dylan and Luke exchanged glances, saw their indecision about what else to say.
"We can waste time on recriminations, or we can focus on the future, on moving forward. If we stay stuck in the past then he wins, and that can't happen."
As she spoke she moved closer to Luke, hugging him briefly, then repeating the action with Dylan.
"Grace, as usual, is as wise as she is beautiful," Nate smiled at her, his gratitude plain to see. "Seriously though, if you guys find yourselves in trouble or just want to talk, we're here for you."
She knew instinctively that she was missing something in the declaration Nate had just made, but the message was received by both Dylan and Luke.
There had been an earlier meeting, on neutral ground, and she wasn't privy to what had been discussed. She wouldn't force anyone to break the confidences shared. They again offered their thanks and then took their leave, Jack seeing them out, and she heard the murmur of conversation from the front porch.
"You figured out who we were talking about?" Smiling she grabbed his hand, and guided him back towards the decking. The early evening temperature was cooler, but with the space heater, they wouldn't freeze. Curling into Nate's side on the swing seat, she finally answered his question.
"It took me a minute, and then it made sense. I can't imagine how hard it has been for Dylan to know that Maddie was an impostor, and then what his father did to him to keep him quiet." Her voice was laced with sympathy for him and the little of his story that she knew.
"It's not going to be easy, for him, for Luke, for any of us," Nate was solemn, and she could see how worried he was. "At least we will all be working together this time, that has to count for something right."
He looked so serious and she couldn't help but press a brief kiss to his lips, withdrawing when he tried to deepen it.
"No fair!" He actually pouted, reducing her to a fit of giggles.
A peaceful silence fell, only broken by the sound of Jack's footsteps going upstairs.
"So how was the rest of your day?"
"For once, reasonably uneventful. I signed another tree load of documents, met with Amelia's doctors, who all told me she is settling in as well as expected." There had been no real change in his mother's condition, but Grace knew that he had made the best possible arrangements for her care.
"I also made a few decisions; one I've refused to see Charles, and two we are going on a date. Tomorrow."
"Wait a minute, you can't say something like that about your stepfather, and then casually tell me we're going on a date," this time it was her turn to pout.
"I don't see why not. Don't you think it's high time we went out? Together? I might even be convinced to wear a tie." He gave her a very sultry look that sent a shiver down her spine.
"While I'm sure you will look very handsome dressed up, I'd prefer if you tell me about thi
s visit."
"Honestly it's just the usual mind games that Charles is so used to playing. He has to be bored out of his mind in solitary, especially now that Frank isn't keeping him up to date on everything. He's already tried a few times to see me, promising information in exchange."
"And do you think he has anything useful?" She wrinkled her nose at the thought of having to breathe the same air as that man, which she would do if it helped Nate.
"Nothing that can save him. The majority of the goon squad have turned trying to save themselves. There is plenty of physical evidence as well, not to mention his hidden stashes of documents, cash and blackmail materials are all accounted for."
"And you aren't the least bit curious about what he might have to say?" She wondered if she should let the subject drop, but she was just amazed that Nate had decided not to see his stepfather in jail, if only for the sheer satisfaction of knowing that he was behind bars.
"That man has been controlling my life in one way or the other for far too long. It has to end somewhere. If I go now it will just start another cycle of control, and I'm done. I want, no need, to move on. He's not going anywhere for a very long time, so if I do change my mind I know where to find him."
She considered his words, he had made a convincing argument. It was time for a fresh start, for a reset, for all of them.
"Tell me more about your plans for our date." She snuggled in closer, loving how safe she felt when she was with him.
Grabbing the fleece blanket from the back of the swing, Nate covered them, and as the evening drew in, and the stars slowly lit up the sky, he described his vision of their perfect first date. His voice was carefree and light, the haunted look that once lingered was now gone from his eyes.
Grace was not foolish enough to think that all their problems were at an end. There would be more challenges in the days, weeks and months ahead as they tried to right the wrongs of the past. There was a darkness that would follow everyone involved for the rest of their lives, there was no way to change that.
Yet Grace had hope, for her friends, her loved ones and especially for the boy in whose arms she lay. He whispered the names of the constellations that would soon be visible in the night sky, and she was reminded that with enough light, the shadows could be chased away.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My thanks first and foremost to my parents, for introducing me to reading at such an early age. You never once doubted that I could make my dream of writing an original novel a reality, and encouraged me to take this time in lock-down to finally make it happen.
To my siblings, the three D's, with whom I've shared many adventures and to my niece and nephew who have the world at their feet.
To my extended family and friends around the world, thank you for being there whenever I need you.
To Mel, who knows more about cover design and computers than I ever will, thank you for your patience with me.
To N, for the many hours we spent discussing books, and plots, and just what makes the perfect book boyfriend.
To Sami, for being so generous with your time. You took the stress out of the editing process, seeing promise in that first draft.
To those first brave readers who helped me shape a better story, because of you there are now 40 chapters.
To Jessica Gadziala for taking the time out of your already hectic schedule to answer my very random questions and for saving my sanity and laptop when I was struggling with the finer points of 'compile'.
To all the members of Alessandra Torre Inkers who answered yet more random questions. Sometimes the easiest part of this whole process is writing the actual book!
Last but not least, thank you to the person reading this right now, for taking the chance on a new writer. I hope you love Grace and Nate's story as much as I do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was born and raised in the 'Royal County' of Ireland. I've been an avid reader of all genres from an early age, and love getting lost in the world's created by my favorite authors. From the ballrooms of the Regency era to the clubhouse of an MC, via a plucky detective solving a crime, with a hint of the supernatural thrown in for good measure, there is always an adventure to find within the pages of a book.
For years I've been scribbling short stories, fan-fiction and the beginnings of novels, but it is only this year that I've had a real opportunity to complete a full length novel. It is my dream to see my words gracing the screens of e-readers, as well as in print and on the shelves of bookshops and libraries around the world.
FIND ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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