by Sherri Hayes
“She tried to brush off lunch one day. When I asked her what she’d had for breakfast that morning she told me she’d had half a banana and a few bites of toast,” Beth said.
He thought back to the huge meal he and Grace had eaten earlier and, despite the pain he was in, he instantly felt better. “Thank you for looking after her.”
Beth hesitated. “She needs someone to look after her.”
Did Beth know?
Of course, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Alexander pushed it away. He didn’t even know. Not for certain.
Still, it seemed Beth had picked up on some of the same things he had. “Yes, she does.”
They shared a look before Beth stood, her boots making her taller than she usually was. “Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
“Have fun with your sub,” Alexander said.
The twinkle in Beth’s eyes was back. “Oh, I plan to.”
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Chapter 5
“Could you hand me that glass, Grace?”
It was Sunday morning and she was over at her mom’s, helping her go through some boxes. Caroline Lewis was a force to be reckoned with when she got something in her head. She was convinced some papers she needed were stashed in the attic, so she’d asked Grace to come over and help her find them. Two hours into the search and they hadn’t turned up much besides some old receipts and a lot of dust.
“Are you sure you remember putting them in one of these boxes and not in the filing cabinet?” Grace asked.
The sound of the back door opening was swiftly followed by her sister’s voice. “Knock, knock. Anyone home?”
“In here,” their mother yelled.
Gabby strolled into the living room, her three-year-old daughter, Taylor, in tow, dragging a stuffed animal. “What’s all this?”
“Mom has a meeting with a guy to talk about her retirement this week—”
“Yes, and I need to find the paper that has all the information about your father’s pension.” Her mother scowled and reached for another box. “Otherwise I’ll just have to go back again.”
Her sister shot her a look and Grace shrugged. Their dad had been a meticulous record keeper. Their mother . . . not so much. She tended to throw things in boxes and worry about it later.
Gabby sat down next to Grace and settled Taylor on the couch beside her. “I thought maybe we could all go out for lunch.”
She hadn’t even finished her sentence and their mother was shaking her head. “I can’t go anywhere until I find this.” Licking the tip of her index finger, she began riffling through the stack of papers she had resting on her lap. “You three should go, though. Grace never eats enough these days.”
Grace’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. “Mom!”
“You know it’s true,” her mother said without looking up from her task.
“We can bring you something back,” Gabby said as she gathered her daughter onto her lap.
“That’s all right. I have leftovers I can warm up when I get hungry.”
Gabby stood. “Grace, you ready?”
Instead of answering her sister, Grace addressed her mother. “Mom, are you sure you don’t want me to stay and help?”
“Go with your sister. I’ll be fine.”
Ten minutes later they were sitting at a booth in a chain restaurant she’d frequented a lot growing up. It was one of those places that pretty much stayed the same no matter how much time had passed. They’d changed the carpet to a slightly darker shade of gray and the walls looked as if they’d received a new coat of paint recently, but other than that it hadn’t changed.
Grace reached for a menu and was surprised to find she was actually hungry. Considering the amount of food she’d consumed the night before, she figured she’d be good for most of the day.
“So I swung by your place last night,” her sister commented as she perused the menu.
Grace hummed, hoping her sister would move on to other things.
She should have known better. Once they’d given their order to the server, Gabby made sure Taylor was occupied with the placemat and crayons the restaurant had provided, and then leaned in toward her sister. “It was after seven and you usually don’t go out that late.”
If she made a big deal of hiding her evening out, it would only make things worse. “I was invited to dinner.”
Gabby’s eyes lit up. “With?”
“An Army buddy of Kurt’s stopped by the other day. He gave me his number and told me to call him if I needed anything. I had some car trouble yesterday, so I called him. Afterward, he invited me to have dinner with him.”
Her sister’s eyes looked as if they were about ready to bug out of her head.
“What?”
“What, she asks. What?” Gabby shook her head in disbelief. “You got asked out on a date and you didn’t tell me?”
“It wasn’t a date.”
Gabby sat up straight and folded her hands in front of her on the table. “Did he pick you up?”
“Yes.”
“Did he pay for dinner?”
“Yes.” Grace didn’t like where this was going.
“Did he walk you to the door afterward?”
“What does that matter?” She was deflecting and she knew it.
“I guess that answers my question.” Her sister leaned forward again, lowering her voice as if she were sharing some big secret. “I know you’re a little rusty at this, sis, but that’s what we in the modern world call a date.”
“He’s new in town,” Grace said, trying to convince her sister. “He just wanted some company.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Fine, don’t believe me. But it wasn’t a date.”
Her sister chuckled, but let it go. Their server brought their lunches a few minutes later and conversation turned to their mother’s impending retirement. “She’s going to go stir-crazy.”
“Maybe she’s looking forward to slowing down,” Grace said without much conviction.
Gabby snorted. “Yeah, right.”
Although the thought had crossed Grace’s mind as well, she’d chosen not to dwell on it. “Maybe she could babysit Taylor more. Free you up to, you know, do other . . . stuff.”
A wicked smile bloomed across Gabby’s face. “Are you suggesting I need to get laid?”
“No,” Grace barely managed to spit out through her shock. Her sister had always been blunter than she was. “I just meant you’d have time to . . . to go out. That’s all.”
The gleam in her sister’s eyes hadn’t lessened. She was enjoying Grace’s discomfort. “Date.”
“Sure,” Grace said, looking anywhere but at her sister. “If that’s what you want.”
Her sister opened her mouth to say something that would no doubt embarrass Grace more, but she stopped short when Grace’s phone rang.
There weren’t very many people who had Grace’s cell phone number and one of them was sitting across from her. As she opened her purse to retrieve the phone, her first thought was that it was her mother ringing to say she’d changed her mind and to ask if they’d bring her something back. But when she looked at the screen she knew it wasn’t her mother.
Grace hesitated for a second, debating whether or not to answer. She recognized the number from when she’d called it yesterday. It was Alexander, but she had no idea why he was calling.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” her sister asked. If she didn’t answer it, her sister would have more evidence that her dinner with Alexander last night had been more than simply two people sharing a meal.
“Hello.” Her voice sounded shaky to her own ears as she answered the call.
“Grace, it’s Alexander Greco.”
That brought a small smile to her lips. “I know. I recognized your number.”
There was a slight pause before he said, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I wanted to make sure you weren’t having any more issues with your
car.”
“I drove it to my mom’s this morning and it started right up.” Grace could feel her sister’s stare from across the table, but she was trying her best to ignore it.
“Good.” She heard a door opening in the background. “Remember that battery has a warranty on it, so if it gives you any trouble we’ll take it back.”
“All’s good so far.”
There was a prolonged silence. “Sorry. I was trying to do two things at once.” He laughed. “Probably not the best move. I’m not as agile as I used to be.”
“Is your leg bothering you today?” Grace had a feeling he’d been downplaying how much it was hurting last night.
“No. It’s much better today. Thank you for asking.” She heard another noise in the background, but this time she couldn’t tell what it was. “The other reason I called was that I wanted to see if you’d like to join me for dinner again sometime this week. I was thinking maybe Tuesday or Wednesday? I’m flexible.” He paused. “In some ways at least.”
A giggle escaped before she could stop it. She knew her sister was sitting there listening to every word and that once she ended the call the gloves would come off. Still, she owed Alexander an answer. “Sure. I don’t have any plans.”
“Tuesday, then?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up. Say, around six?” he asked.
Once the time was agreed upon, she told Alexander she needed to go. He didn’t keep her, but reminded her to call if she needed anything before Tuesday.
She avoided looking in her sister’s direction until her phone was safely tucked back into her purse. When she did finally chance a glance, Gabby had a knowing smirk on her face. “Want to try telling me again it wasn’t a date?”
Grace swallowed. There would be no deterring her sister now. If Grace had thought Gabby’s questions had been bad before, they were nothing compared to what was coming. All Grace could do was brace for impact.
***
Alexander arrived at Grace’s house with five minutes to spare. He’d made sure to take it easy that day so there wasn’t a repeat of the discomfort he’d been in on Saturday evening, even using his cane when he’d swung by what was to be his new office to sign some paperwork. Sitting behind a desk wasn’t how he wanted to spend his days, but it would have to suffice for the time being.
He was halfway up the walkway when Grace stepped out onto her front porch. She must have been watching for him.
The dress she wore teased her legs as the wind whipped around the hem and she held tight to the shawl draped over her shoulders as she came toward him.
“Hungry?”
A blank look crossed her face momentarily before it changed to a look of shy embarrassment. “I wanted to save you from having to walk up the steps.”
While he was touched by her gesture, it was unnecessary. He had limitations, but nothing that would keep him from picking a lady up at her door. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She must have heard something in his tone because her expression shifted again. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Alexander didn’t want her to feel bad about what she’d meant as a courteous gesture. “You didn’t.” He turned. “Shall we?”
Grace hesitated for a second before nodding.
He decided to keep things more casual this time around, so he chose a barbecue restaurant he’d heard a few people talking about. When they pulled up in front he noticed her eyes light up. “I take it you’ve been here before?”
“Pappy’s? Of course. They have the best barbecue in town.”
Alexander chuckled as he turned off the engine. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
The restaurant was busy when they made their way inside. He had to move to one side more than once to allow someone to pass. It was a good sign. Between the amount of people there on a Tuesday night and Grace’s endorsement, he was hoping the food would be good. It had been years since he’d had good barbecue.
A petite woman stood behind the register. She smiled as they approached. The time they’d had to wait in line had given him the opportunity to decide what he wanted.
After placing their order, they went to find a seat. He spotted an empty booth along the far wall and pointed it out to Grace. She followed his line of sight and maneuvered her way across the room. Alexander followed close behind.
“Has the place changed much since the last time you were here?” he asked when he noticed her looking around.
She grinned and shook her head. “Not at all.”
He smiled back.
Their food arrived and he had to admit it was good. Really good.
“I’ll definitely be back,” Alexander said as he finished the full rack of ribs he’d ordered. “That was amazing.”
“Everything here is so good.”
“Maybe we can make this a weekly stop.” He’d said it as a joke, but she didn’t laugh. “What’s wrong?”
She picked up her fork, not looking at him. “Nothing.”
“Grace.”
He saw her swallow. “It’s just something my sister said, that’s all.”
“What did your sister say?”
Grace pressed her lips together and met his gaze. “She said I shouldn’t be going out to dinner with you because you’re going to get the wrong idea.”
“I see.”
Shifting in her seat, Grace set her fork down. “I don’t—” She sighed. “I don’t think I’m ready to . . . date yet.”
“Is that what we’re doing?” he asked, not taking his gaze off her.
“I don’t know. Is it?”
He chose his words carefully. “I’m new in town and I don’t know many people I would like to spend an evening out with, and I enjoy your company.”
She was quiet for a long minute. “Okay.”
They finished up and headed back to his vehicle. There was still some unease floating in the air around them and he knew he needed to defuse it. He didn’t want Grace to feel awkward about going out to dinner with him. Although, he didn’t quite understand his desire to hang out with her either. Maybe it was only because she was a connection to Kurt. Maybe it was because he felt an obligation to look after her, having seen her reaction to reading her husband’s letter. “Do you know anywhere around here we could get some ice cream?”
Grace clicked her seat belt in place before looking in his direction. “There used to be a place down by the Arch.”
He pulled out into traffic and made his way across town, the Arch already poking out through the buildings. She sat beside him, looking out the window, not saying anything. For some reason he still felt as if something was bothering her. Alexander had no idea if it was her fear that she was misleading him or something else.
“Kurt told me you were from St. Louis. Did you grow up here?”
It took her a few moments to answer. “My parents moved here when I was three. Dad got a job offer he couldn’t pass up.” She paused. “The ice cream shop is right there.”
Alexander nodded and parked behind a black SUV. As he climbed out he recognized a few of the nearby buildings. He’d driven down this way when he was looking for Serpent’s Kiss.
By the time he made it to the sidewalk Grace was already there waiting for him.
The shop was small. It only had a handful of tables, so after getting their ice creams they took them outside so they could people watch.
“Can I ask you something?”
He scooped up some of the chocolate fudge ice cream he’d ordered and nodded. “Grace, you can ask me anything.”
“If we’re not on a date, why is it that you always insist on paying?”
Alexander smiled. “Habit, I suppose.” He paused while he took a bite of his ice cream. “Or I guess you could just say I’m old-fashioned.”
She didn’t say anything.
He waited for several minutes, hoping maybe she’d ask another question. When she didn’t, he turned to look at the Arch figuring that would be a safe to
pic. “Have you ever been up?”
“What?” she asked, distracted.
“The Arch. Have you ever been up to the top?”
“Oh. Yeah, once. When I was little. Ten, I think. Everything down below looks really tiny.”
Her gaze was on anything but him. Not in a way to make him think she was engrossed in what was going on around them, but more as if she was avoiding eye contact with him. So much so he felt he needed to ask, “Do you want me to take you home?”
That made her look at him.
“You seem uncomfortable tonight and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. This was meant to be fun. For both of us.”
A look of guilt crossed her face and it made him regret his words.
“It’s not you,” she said. “I have a lot on my mind.”
“If you need someone to listen, I’m here. I know we don’t know each other all that well, but—”
“Kurt wants me to move on.”
Her statement caused his mind to go completely blank.
Before he could recover himself, she continued. “The letter you brought me. Kurt said he wanted me to move on, find someone else, and . . . well, I’m trying to figure out how to do that. I’m not sure that I can.”
Things were beginning to fall into place. “Is that why you asked me about this being a date?”
Grace nodded.
Alexander set his ice cream aside and turned to face her. He was still trying to process what she’d told him with what he knew about his friend. “If you don’t feel you’re ready, then you’re not ready.”
“But what if I’m never ready?” she asked, pleading in her eyes.
“I think you will be. Eventually.” She opened her mouth to say something, but he went on anyway, cutting her off. “I know it may not feel that way now, but you even told me yourself that you’ve gotten better since you started your job at the café.”
She started to say something else but then seemed to change her mind. Instead, she nodded.
They went back to eating their ice cream in silence, watching the cars go by. Hearing the anguish in her voice reinforced Alexander’s determination to be there for her and help her in any way he could.