The Stand Read online

  She changed swiftly and left the bathroom. Her eyes strayed to the study. Inside, a simple bag of books sat in a corner. As far as she knew, no one had gone into the study since Kara had gotten stuck in there.

  She’d had to face her fears from the past inside that tiny room, terrifying events that had felt like reality. But she’d found her star because of it–because she’d been strong.

  Grace admired her. Her wish had been to be able to leave Serenity Falls and never have to come back. But she’d persevered. Not only had she been strong enough to stay in Serenity Falls, she’d also found her piece of the star.

  Turning away from the room, Grace sighed. Then there was Maddy. She’d also had to face her past. An abusive and alcoholic father as well as the loss of her fiancé just days before the wedding.

  If they could deal with so much heartache and struggle, Grace had to. She was the last to find the star and she had to be strong. But her wish was a little more complicated than Maddy’s and Kara’s had been.

  Back downstairs, Grace imagined a house full of furniture as she made her way into the kitchen.

  “It’s filthy,” Kara said.

  “I know. That means it will look so much different when it’s done.”

  Kara tossed a rag in her direction. “Since you’re so cheerful about this, you get to clean the refrigerator. I am not even going near that until it’s been disinfected.”

  Grace chuckled and walked stealthily toward the appliance, causing Kara to laugh. She pulled the door open with an elaborate flourish of her arm. Then ducked.

  “Grace?”

  Grace looked over from her crouch with a grin. She stood again. “Nothing living in here. What a relief.”

  Kara laughed and pulled on a pair of bright yellow cleaning gloves with a snap. “I’m going to get these counters and once they’re safe, I’ll venture up to the cabinets.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Grace filled a bucket with soapy water and set to work on scrubbing the refrigerator and freezer. A filmy remnant of dust had settled over the surface and it smelled stale.

  “So…” Kara glanced back in Grace’s direction. “What are the next plans for the youth center?”

  Grace smiled. She could handle this topic.

  “If we can get this room cleaned up tonight–”

  “Wishful thinking.”

  “–or by tomorrow night,” Grace continued, “then we’ll just need to dust and sweep the living room before we paint.”

  “Damn it. More painting?”

  “It’s one step closer to the end result.”

  “Seems like all I’ve been doing since I got here is building and painting.”

  Last summer they’d helped Riley with his deck, then Maddy with the guesthouse where, Grace reminded herself, she’d be living in a few short weeks. They’d done painting for hours on end. And now the youth center. They’d already cleaned and painted upstairs. But the downstairs still remained. The shutters on the front windows could use a good coat too. In fact, the entire exterior would benefit from some fresh paint, but that was probably beyond their budget right now.

  “I was thinking we could make a website for the youth center, too,” Grace told Kara, sloshing water out of the bucket as she rinsed her rag. “That way anyone looking can learn what we’re all about. We could post events that we’re planning on doing–the volunteer days or gatherings. Or some of the kids could put things on there if they wanted.”

  Kara paused at the end of the counter. She leaned against the edge with a nod. “That’s a good idea.”

  “I don’t know anything about creating a website, though.”

  “I don’t really either. I hired someone to make mine.”

  “It looks good,” Grace commented, squeezing her rag.

  “But expensive.”

  She moved to the outside of the refrigerator. “We could find someone.”

  “How about Nathan?” Kara asked, twirling her own rag. “That’s his job. He’d know exactly what to do. And I bet he’d give us a discount.”

  Grace scrubbed the fridge harder. Of course Nathan would be able to help. He was full of help these days. That didn’t mean she planned on asking him.

  “Yeah, he probably would,” Grace muttered.

  “Sounds like they’re here.”

  Grace watched as Kara dropped her rag on the counter and made for the other room, most likely to greet Elliot. Grace let her cloth fall into the water, watching a few drops splash onto her shoes.

  They’d made a lot of money from the auction, but she didn’t want to spend it where it wasn’t necessary. And she wanted to save at least half for further down the road. If Nathan could help with a website for a better price, it made sense to ask him. It made a lot of sense to ask him.

  She frowned. Grace knew she was stubborn but for the most part, she chose practicality over stubbornness. For the most part.

  Voices grew louder, heading in the direction of the kitchen. She looked around at the bright room, the early evening sun shining in at a number of angles that made the place feel so warm.

  Grace wondered if the youth center had anything to do with her finding the star. Looking at it in the light of day, she doubted it. But she did, however, hope that the more time she spent here, the more chance she would have of her first encounter with the force behind the star.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nathan left Kara and Elliot at the card table with their dinner and brought something for himself and Grace into the kitchen. She barely glanced in his direction when he entered.

  “I thought you might want to take a break to eat.”

  “I wanted to finish the refrigerator first.” She dragged a step stool from the corner closet. “Just the top and then I’m done.”

  “Here, let me do that.” He dropped the sack and moved to the stool.

  Irritation flickered in her eyes. “I can get it, Nathan.”

  She brushed at a stray hair with the back of her hand. It waved at the sides some from the heat of the kitchen, the ends just tickling her chin. It had grown a lot since he’d returned to Serenity Falls. He liked it. But he wasn’t going to tell her that when her blue eyes were shooting daggers at him.

  He gave a simple smile. “My arms are longer. I’ll be able to reach the whole surface.”

  Grace passed the rag over, careful to keep from touching him.

  “You could crack that window if you want, get some air in here,” he suggested, climbing the stool.

  She obliged without a word. He made wide swipes with the rag, scooping up months worth of dust. Behind him he heard the water at the sink and glanced over to see her washing her hands.

  “You can start eating if you want. I’ll be done in a minute.”

  Grace looked up at him, her lips pursed as if she wanted to argue. “There are a few things I need to finish in here first.”

  “How about you eat now and then I’ll help with whatever you need to get done?”

  Her hands settled on her hips.

  He held back a smile. “You need to eat.”

  “Nathan.”

  His brows rose in response. A cloud of dust lifted and traveled along with the breeze from the window. “Grace?”

  She turned abruptly toward the bag with the food. “You’re kind of pushy, you know.”

  This time he smiled and tried to make light of her response. “That’s what my ex-wife used to tell me.”

  “What was her name?”

  Nathan scrubbed the top of the refrigerator, battling with the dusty film. It was almost as stubborn as Grace. “Amanda.”

  “How long were you married?”

  “Three years.”

  “Three years?”

  He cast a contemplative look in her direction, found his gaze connecting with hers. “Yes.”

  “That’s not very long.” She dipped her hand into the sack once more.

  He gave a reluctant chuckle. “No, it’s not.”

  “I just meant that it’s sad. I
t takes so much more than three years to really get to know someone. I can’t imagine if…”

  Nathan climbed down from the ladder and let the rag sink into the murky depths of the water in the nearby bucket. He ventured a few steps closer. “You can’t imagine if what?”

  Grace sighed and shook her head. “Nothing.”

  He let the comment go and went to the sink. He was generous with the soap. “Unfortunately, we got to know each other quicker than we thought. What we both saw was not conducive to continuing a relationship.” Nathan shrugged, keeping his hands under the cool water longer than necessary. “At least not the right kind of relationship.”

  Grace’s eyes had lost that guarded look just briefly. She passed him a burrito wound tightly in tinfoil before boosting herself on the counter next to the sink. She smiled at Kara’s laughter out in the living room. “I’ll just let them have some time alone.”

  “Good idea.” Nathan leaned his hip against the counter a few feet down from her spot and unwrapped his dinner.

  Instead of asking more questions, Grace started eating in silence. It was just as well. His relationship with Amanda hadn’t started on a solid foundation and the way it crumbled so quickly was both their faults. He wasn’t proud of himself or his actions.

  Before Amanda, he’d worked hard to get his degree in college and then had taken a few years off for charity work through church and other organizations. When he finally decided to settle some and begin his career, he met Amanda.

  She’d drawn him in with every word and every look. He felt so immature thinking about it now. He knew from the beginning they didn’t have the same interests, but he hadn’t thought it mattered. He thought he’d been in love with her, and they’d gotten married.

  To his credit, he’d tried to make it work, foregoing time with family and working harder toward buying them a house. But none of that proved to be what they’d needed. When he discovered she didn’t want to have kids, his hopes for a future skidded to a halt. Many discussions later and no compromise, he moved out. He realized he could never have a happy future with Amanda.

  “I was thinking,” Grace said, interrupting his thoughts, “that I want the youth center to have a website. You know, so kids can get information or find out what’s going on. So they’ll have a place to connect.”

  She kept her eyes focused on her meal, so he spoke up. “I think that’s a good idea.”

  Her gaze flicked to his briefly. “Kara and I were going to see if you might be able to help.”

  “I’d be happy to.”

  “Just some advice, is all. So we know where to start–”

  “I wouldn’t mind at all,” he assured her, but she continued.

  “Or if you don’t have the time, you could maybe refer us to someone who might be able to help–”

  He reached out to touch her arm, making her eyes flash to his. “Grace. I want to help.”

  She set aside her burrito. “We’d pay you of course.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Nathan. It is.”

  “I wouldn’t accept it.”

  She frowned, then took a breath. Her eyes raised to meet his again. “We can just ask someone else then.”

  The words surprised him. He set down his burrito and stepped a closer, causing those jewel blue eyes to narrow.

  “Tell you what. We can do a trade.”

  She crossed her arms and then folded her legs up on the counter, looking like a little girl.

  “I want piano lessons,” Nathan told her.

  “What?”

  He chuckled and reached out to tweak her foot. “Piano lessons. I would have asked you sooner, but you’ve been so busy.”

  “Nathan…” Her brows furrowed. “I don’t know.”

  “I think it would be an even trade. In fact, I would probably end up owing you seeing as how I’d be getting the better deal.”

  “Nathan–”

  “But we could make it an even trade if you want.” He shrugged and smiled. “What do you think?”

  “I’ve never given anyone lessons before.”

  “I think you’d be really good at it. And I promise to be an excellent student.”

  Her lips twitched at the comment, but her face went serious quickly. “I could try. But I’m not promising anything.”

  “Just the basics. Then we can go from there.”

  Her nod was hesitant. “Okay.”

  “And we’ll start on the website as soon as you’d like.”

  “I’d really like to start it soon.”

  Nathan gave an agreeable nod. “As soon as you want,” he repeated. He had time or if work picked up, he’d make time.

  Grace flashed a quick smile. “Okay, good.” She moved to get off the counter.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Getting back to work.”

  He nudged her burrito over with a grimace. “You barely ate anything.”

  She frowned but kept her position on the counter.

  “Please, just little more before we get back to work.”

  “Pushy,” she murmured, lifting the burrito to her lap again.

  Nathan chuckled and retreated a bit, giving her space. “Yeah, I think we already established that.”

  Chapter 3

  The bright X looked harsh on the gentle blue of the calendar. But Grace needed the reminder. She had exactly three months to find her piece of the star. August was well on its way.

  She turned from the kitchen wall and gave her living room a once over. It was a disaster. Most of her books, knick-knacks, items she wouldn’t need in the next few weeks were already put in boxes. An outsider might see organized but Grace saw chaos. She was debating on what she wanted to bring. She wouldn’t have as much room as she did now. But more than that, her move symbolized a new start and this involved getting rid of some of the old.

  The doorbell rang. Grace narrowed her eyes, hoping it wasn’t Nathan. She opened the door cautiously, then stepped back in surprise when she saw Riley and Maddy.

  “I thought you weren’t going to be back until later this evening,” Grace said.

  Riley chuckled and caught her in a tight hug. “Nice welcome.”

  “Sorry,” she murmured, moving to accept Maddy’s embrace as well. “How was the trip?”

  “It was wonderful.”

  Grace led them inside, keeping her back turned on Riley’s reaction, knowing he was going to wonder why she was packing. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “We can get something ourselves…” Maddy’s voice trailed off. When Grace turned, Maddy gave her a sympathetic smile and moved in the direction of the kitchen. “I think I’ll get something for all of us.”

  She disappeared quickly, leaving Grace no other choice but to face Riley.

  “Having a garage sale?” he asked mildly, arms crossed.

  Grace shook her head. “No. I’m moving.”

  “Permanently?”

  “What?”

  “I mean, I thought you might be moving in with Kara for a while so you’d have company for…your turn with the star. But this doesn’t look temporary.”

  Grace wandered to the living room and dropped herself onto the nearest chair without something piled on it. “It’s not temporary.”

  He followed her over but chose to continue standing. His gaze moved about the room, much like Elliot’s had in the antique store. Which brought Grace to her next order of business. She figured she’d better get it all out of the way.

  “A lot has changed,” she began. “I thought it would be good for a lot of reasons. One being that…uh…I’m closing the antique store.”

  His face didn’t change expressions but, from experience, Grace knew Riley was surprised. His hands went to his hips, his breathing was purposefully steady. She could tell he was trying not to show how shocked he was, or probably how upset. Not that she was closing the store, but that she hadn’t talked to him before she’d made the decision.

  From t
he corner of her eye she saw Maddy enter the room, give Riley a quick once over and turn silently to go back into the kitchen.

  “When are you closing it?” Riley asked.

  “Before the end of the month.”

  He sighed. “So you didn’t tell me because…?”

  Grace stood, the guilt overwhelming her. “I didn’t know when would be the right time to say anything. Everyone was so busy. With the wedding, and the star. I was”–she held up her hands, appealing to him–“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, Riley–”

  “Grace.” Riley stepped forward and, to her surprise, drew her into a hug.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat, telling herself not to cry.

  “I wish you would have told me. I want to be here for you when you need it. Since Grandpa died, I feel like you won’t open up to me.”

  At the mention of their grandfather, Grace felt a tear escape, traveling the length of her face. Riley pulled back and his mouth opened. He shook his head and held her close again.

  “I’m sorry.” She reached up to wipe her cheek and gave a choked laugh. “Maddy doesn’t know either.”

  Riley released her, tilting his head. “What about everyone else?”

  “The store was a mess this week. I think everyone knows now.” She gave him a wry smile. “Besides, they were all over visiting me often enough.”

  His chuckle confirmed her suspicions. “You can’t blame me. I wanted to be able to relax on my honeymoon and I knew I’d be able to do it better if someone was checking on you.”

  “Three someones.”

  “Well, I didn’t ask all of them. A few just volunteered.”

  “Which ones?”

  He smiled. “Why?”

  “Never mind.” Grace sighed. She angled her head in the direction of the kitchen. “You can come out now, Maddy.”

  “We’re still going to talk about this,” Riley warned.

  “I know.”

  Maddy came in with glasses of water. She approached hesitantly, then laughed when Riley pulled her over and retrieved one of the glasses.