The Stand Read online

She spotted it almost right away. A pink blanket bundled in a heap. She heard the crying again and dropped to her knees next to the blanket. She lifted it gently and worked at the blanket, trying to get to the infant, trying to help her.

  She pulled back the cover and recoiled, dropping the bundle. It was a baby doll, limbs mangled, and face destroyed almost beyond recognition. The crying stopped and all she could see were black and red marks on the doll’s face. She gasped.

  “Maddy!”

  Maddy looked up through tears to see Grace sit down next to her. She tried to mumble something, felt her stomach lurch and heaved herself away from Grace.

  She stumbled several feet away and expelled her lunch.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Riley!”

  Upstairs, working with Nathan to help finish the mural, Riley paused in the middle of a stroke with the paintbrush.

  He heard Kara’s breathless voice and stood abruptly when he saw her in the doorway. “Maddy’s outside. Something happened–”

  He spun away from the wall, brushing by Kara to get out of the room. Footsteps followed closely behind him as he rushed down the stairs. He burst through the screen door in the back and jerked his head to the right, looking for Maddy. He didn’t see her.

  “Riley!”

  To the left, Grace stood partly blocked by the side of the house. She limped toward Maddy and he reached her at the same time. Footsteps thudded across the deck behind them.

  Maddy knelt on the ground, tracks of tears streaming down her pale cheeks. He reached out for her. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, no–I’m fine.”

  At that assurance, he crushed her into his arms, halfway pulling her into his lap. His heart still beat wildly, threatening to burst. “Maddy, are you sure you’re not hurt? The baby?”

  She shifted in his arms. “I felt sick. I think everything’s okay, but I heard something and–”

  “She saw this.”

  Riley brushed Maddy’s hair back from her face. When he looked up to see what Grace held, he froze. A mangled baby doll partially wrapped in a pink blanket.

  “I heard crying. I thought I heard a baby,” Maddy said.

  Nathan stepped past Riley and Maddy and took the doll from Grace. “Where did this come from?”

  “It was here when I came out,” Maddy murmured. Her breath hitched. “I should have known, but–”

  “Don’t,” Riley whispered. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t even think about it. We should go inside.”

  He saw Kara nod and reach down for Maddy. Together they coaxed her to stand.

  Riley hung back. “Just get rid of that.”

  “I’ll get rid of it,” Grace said, reaching for the doll. “Then I’m going to see my mother. I need to figure this out.”

  “Grace–”

  “Not right now.” Nathan kept hold of the doll. Grace started to argue but he shook his head. “Please, just wait. We should see how Maddy is doing first.”

  He saw anger in her eyes. She pressed her lips together. “I’m tired of this.”

  “Me, too,” Riley said. He held out his hand. “Please come in first, Grace. We’ll figure it out together. Remember?”

  She looked to Nathan, who nodded. “Okay, Riley. Let’s go in.”

  Chapter 25

  Nathan kept a silent position near the window as Maddy told them what happened. As badly as he wanted to reach out to Grace, he kept his hands to himself. He saw her get more and more worked up with each word Maddy spoke. She wouldn’t let this pass. He knew it. He could see her working out a plan in her head.

  “I should have known,” Maddy said for the second time. “I should have come back inside, but…”

  “Any one of us would have done the same thing.” Kara put a hand on her shoulder. “As long as you’re okay, then it’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine.” Grace gripped the edge of the table and shook her head. “It’s not fine these things keep happening to you even though you’ve both found your piece of the star.”

  She started to stand from her chair, and Nathan moved over to place his hands on both her shoulders, holding her in place. “You’re right,” he said softly, trying to calm the situation. “It’s not fine. We’ll figure this out.”

  “I think we’re going to head home for the day.” Riley stood. “Grace, I really don’t want you to be here by yourself.”

  “She won’t be,” Nathan answered for her. “You guys can all head home if you want.”

  He got murmurs of agreement from all around and watched the group disperse. He kept his eye on Grace until she disappeared into the kitchen.

  Riley paused at the door with Elliot while Kara and Maddy walked out into the sunshine. “She’s going to try to do something, I know it.”

  “Grace?” Nathan asked.

  Riley nodded. “So far, most everything to do with the star has been happening to Maddy.” He looked to Elliot. “Or Kara.” He returned his eyes to Nathan. “Or you.”

  Elliot nodded. “Maybe we need to think about her wish again, see if we can figure out the key behind finding the star. Or the reason all this keeps happening to everyone else.”

  “We definitely need to talk about her wish,” Nathan agreed. “But Grace is going to have to talk to you about that first.”

  Riley raised his brows, then glanced outside toward the cars. “Shit. I need to get Maddy home. I just don’t want to leave Grace. Maybe she’ll come with us.”

  “I promise I’ll stay with her,” Nathan said. “Get Maddy home. Help her forget about what happened today.”

  Nathan watched them leave, shut the door, and went to talk to Grace. He entered the kitchen expecting to find her pacing or cleaning or writing in one of her notebooks. Keeping busy. But instead, she sat on the counter, head in her hands.

  “Grace.” He moved in front of her, setting his hands on her knees through her jeans. “Are you okay?”

  She took a ragged breath and raised her head. “I’m fine.”

  He expected tears maybe, or worry. He expected that she’d need to lean on him. And instead, he saw anger and fierce determination.

  “Do you want to go home?” he asked.

  “No, I have things to do.”

  “Around the youth center?”

  She nodded. “That, too.”

  “What can I do to help?” Busy was good. It would keep her mind off what had happened with Maddy.

  “Nothing.” She moved to hop down from the counter, but he blocked her. “Nathan.”

  “I promised you on our picnic that I’d help you with anything you need help with.”

  “I don’t think you want to help me with this.” Grace gave him a rueful smile. “I’m going to see my mother.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “I have to figure this out.”

  “I don’t think now is the best time for this.”

  Grace crossed her arms. Boosted atop the counter next to the sink, her eyes were almost at the same level as his. “First of all, it’s not really your choice. And secondly, you know you’d be doing the same thing. It’s my turn to find the star and the longer it takes me, the more that keeps happening. To my friends–to the people I care about.”

  “I know, but–”

  “If this were happening to your friends and you could do something about it, wouldn’t you want to?”

  Nathan sighed. Of course. But that wasn’t the point.

  “What if these things were happening to me?” she asked, meeting his gaze directly. “Then would you do something? Wouldn’t you want to do something?”

  “Of course I would, Grace.” He stepped closer, setting his hands on either side of her. “You know that.”

  “Then how is this different?”

  “It’s different because I don’t want to see you hurt. It’s different because…” He blew out a breath and shifted on his feet. “It’s different because I love you, Grace.”

  ~ ~ ~

  She already had her mouth open, rea
dy for a quick response. But nothing came out. The words caught in her throat, nearly choking her. Everything in her mind jumbled. All she could think was that she had to get out of here, had to get away from Nathan. If he felt like he said he did, if he truly loved her…she had to stop this.

  She looked away. “You don’t mean that, Nathan.”

  “Yes, I do.” His voice was even, confident. “I love you.”

  “Nathan, no.” She squirmed on the counter and prepared to get down. Nathan wouldn’t move. “Please move. I have to–”

  “No.”

  She stopped, and her eyes flashed to his. “What?”

  “No. I’m not going to move. I’m not going to let you run away from this and I am going to tell you how I feel.”

  She pushed her hands against his chest. “Dammit, Nathan. Move.” He shook his head. When she persisted, he caught her hands easily in his own. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m trying to talk to you, honey,” he said calmly. “This is important.”

  “I can’t talk about this with you now.”

  “You’re running out of time.”

  Grace stopped her half-hearted struggle, tears springing to her eyes. Time. That’s what was ruining all of this.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, “but you’re not going to win this one.”

  She clenched her teeth together. When he touched her cheek, she jerked back, unprepared for him to be sensitive. She was upset, ready for a fight. And he was trying to be gentle with her.

  “Listen to me, please,” he said, brushing his fingers on her jaw. “Then I’ll let you go, I promise.”

  She dropped her hands into her lap.

  “Grace…” He wrapped his arms around her back. “Please don’t let what happened with Maddy today make you rush out and do something you wouldn’t normally do. I know you’re upset. I would be, too.”

  “Nothing has happened to me. Just the bees.”

  “I know.” He drew her close for a hug. “It doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

  She shook her head, feeling some of her resolve give. “Why can’t it just leave Maddy and Kara alone? They already had to deal with this.”

  “I know,” he repeated.

  She closed her eyes when he slid a hand down her back. Within moments, she gave in and pressed her face into his shoulder. “Nathan,” she whispered as the tears spilled over. “Why is this happening?”

  He pulled her forward on the counter so she rested completely against him. She felt strength in his arms and wondered how, even after what he’d just told her, she could feel so safe with him.

  It would be easy to accept what he said. To tell him that she’d never felt this way about anyone else in her lifetime. It certainly felt like love. But…that was going a little too far. Too soon.

  “I’m keeping my promise,” he told her, still rubbing her back. “I’m going to help you. But right now I just want to take care of you. Tell me what you need.”

  Grace struggled with his words. No one besides her grandfather and Riley had ever wanted to take care of her. No one had stayed around long enough.

  “I need to figure this out. I can’t just stop dealing with things when they get hard.”

  “That’s not what you’re doing.”

  “It is.” Grace let out a deep breath. At least, it was what she was doing with their relationship…

  “What?” he asked.

  What if Nathan had something to do with the star in a different way than she thought?

  “I don’t know,” she said quietly.

  “What are you thinking, Grace?”

  She scooted to the edge of the counter. “I need to get up.”

  He helped ease her down. Another thought occurred to her, making her lean against the counter and look up at Nathan.

  He kept his distance, letting her have her space. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I’ve been so busy with you. With us.” She braced her hands against the counter behind her. “I haven’t been looking for the star. I’ve been…spending time with you. Letting days pass without even thinking about it.”

  He crossed his arms. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Yes, there is. In the meantime, things have been happening to my friends. I haven’t gotten any closer to finding the star.”

  Nathan shook his head. “Maybe this is how it’s supposed to happen–”

  “None of this is supposed to be happening.” Her voice rose with the words. She had to force herself to pause, to take a deep breath and explain her thoughts. “If I were going in the right direction, something would be happening. I’d be getting closer to finding the star. If I hadn’t been so distracted–”

  “Grace, that’s not what’s happening.” Nathan took a step toward her, saw her straighten, and stopped. “You’re living your life.”

  “It’s not just about my life. It’s Kara’s life, too. Maddy’s life–Riley’s life now. And the baby…Maddy shouldn’t have to deal with that. If I were doing my job, it wouldn’t have happened.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I need to focus.” She’d thought maybe Nathan was the key to finding the star, let herself believe that for a few brief moments. But getting closer to him wasn’t getting her closer to figuring this out. She was going in the wrong direction.

  “I’ll help you–”

  “No, Nathan…us being together is not helping. It’s not getting me closer to finding the star. Maybe it would be better if–”

  “Don’t say it.”

  “Nathan–”

  “No. Dammit.” He stepped forward and grabbed both her arms. “I’m not going to go away. I’m not going to let you do this on your own.”

  “I’m not suggesting you do that,” she murmured, unable to meet his eyes. “I’m just saying…it might be better if we just…”

  “What?”

  Her heart ached with the emotion she heard there. She wanted to comfort him, but she knew what she needed to do. She needed to have space. She needed to see if being distracted by her relationship with Nathan was clouding her focus on the star.

  “We should take some time apart.”

  He squeezed her arms gently. “I don’t think you mean that. And I don’t think it will help.”

  “I need to see, Nathan.” She blinked several times, trying to get rid of the extra moisture before looking up into his eyes. The look she saw there made the tears return. “I’m sorry. I’m confused. I need to try to figure this out. There’s not much time left, you said so yourself.”

  “I can’t leave.”

  “Nathan–”

  He dropped his arms and met her eyes. “I promised Riley I would stay with you. But if you want space, I can’t stop you.”

  She swallowed, wishing he’d say something that would change her mind. Wishing she didn’t have an excuse to put this kind of space between them.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  He gestured to the living room, voice clipped. “I’ll be out there if you need anything.”

  She watched him walk from the room, then bowed her head, felt a tear escape. It dripped down her cheek and splashed on the dusty floor. This time she let herself cry.

  Chapter 26

  Outside Serendipity, Nathan found himself disappointed not to see Grace’s or Kara’s car. He hoped he’d run into Grace here and have a chance to talk to her. He’d seen her at least a dozen times in the last week but she only smiled politely and kept busy. Whenever they’d been alone, whenever he’d stuck around to make sure she wasn’t left alone, she worked in another room and talked to him only when she had to.

  It hurt.

  He wanted nothing more than to be close to her, to tell her again how much he loved her. But for her sake, because she seemed to need it, he respected what she wanted. He planned on waiting her out, taking these weeks or months or however long she chose to keep her distance, and waiting for her.

  But it was
costing him.

  Nathan opened the door to his truck. The moment he stepped out, he spotted Lewis standing on the sidewalk just in front of his truck.

  He gave a brief nod. “Lewis.”

  The man wore a casual outfit today, jeans and a simple T-shirt. His hands settled in his pockets and he rocked back and forth on his heels. “Hey. I haven’t seen Grace around and I didn’t want to bother her more than I already have. But I know Marlene’s in town. I want to make sure Grace is okay.”

  Nathan joined him on the sidewalk and crossed his arms. Nothing about Lewis triggered any alarms, so he told the truth. “She’s doing okay.”

  “I know she talked to Marlene already. A few times. Marlene told me.”

  “She did?”

  Lewis shrugged, letting his gaze wander to people walking across the street. “Marlene wants me to leave.”

  “Why?”

  “She thinks I’m going to talk to Grace about her.”

  “Why would she think that?”

  “Because I told her if she’s here to hurt Grace again, I’m going to talk to Grace about her.”

  “Makes sense.” Nathan squinted his eyes in the sun, well aware May had come and gone and the summer was quickly approaching. Time was getting short. “Do you think she’ll try to hurt Grace again?”

  Lewis frowned and looked at his shoes. “She’s the same Marlene I knew before Grace was born. She told me she was coming here to get money. I hope she was lying. I hope she was just saying that to hurt me and she really wants to be here because of Grace and Riley.”

  “But you don’t think so,” Nathan concluded, watching the man.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  Nathan scraped his sneaker against the sidewalk and waited for Lewis to continue.

  “So…could you maybe keep an eye on her?”

  “I already am.”

  Lewis bobbed his head in a nod and started to turn. He looked back. “And could you maybe tell her I’m sorry and that I don’t want to make the same mistake twice? So, for now, I’m here to stay.”

  “I can pass the message along, sure,” Nathan told him.

  “Thanks.”

  He watched Lewis cross the street and make his way, on foot, several blocks before he disappeared. Then Nathan walked inside Serendipity.