The Stand Page 22

  “Where is she?”

  “I asked if she’d drop me here for an hour. She didn’t want to, Elliot, but I sort of made her.”

  “I’m not mad, Grace. I don’t care about that. Are you sure you’ve been here that long?”

  She nodded, confusion furrowing her brow. He released a sharp breath and set his hands on his hips. “Okay. That’s…that’s good.”

  This was Grace. It had to be. It sounded more like her and she’d been here for nearly an hour. Everyone else in the dinner had seen her as well. The other person at the guesthouse…he didn’t know who it was. Someone trying to confuse him. Something trying to make him doubt.

  “Did something happen?” Grace tilted blue eyes up at him.

  “Yes.”

  She shuffled out of the booth immediately and turned to her mother. “Sorry, I need to go.”

  “Is everything okay, sweetie?”

  Grace flushed at the question, the endearment at the end, and Elliot tried to keep his face neutral. “It’s fine. I’ll see you later.”

  “Careful with your ankle, hon.”

  Elliot looked down. “Where are your crutches?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m being careful. Come on, let’s get out of here and you can tell me what happened.”

  He followed her to the door. “Where’s Kara?”

  “She dropped me off here and said she might go shopping before heading over to Serendipity to visit with Maddy.”

  “She didn’t say anything about leaving?”

  Grace let her gaze travel to the sky when thick clouds obscured the sun. It looked like rain. “Leaving? Like–”

  “Like leaving Serenity Falls.”

  “No.” Grace glanced at him sharply, but he continued to usher them to the car. “Not at all.”

  “Good. Get in.”

  He waited for Grace to prop the flowers in her lap and then left for Serendipity.

  ~ ~ ~

  After Kara did her shopping, she still had fifteen minutes before she needed to pick up Grace. She dropped into Serendipity as Maddy pulled chocolate chip cookies out of the oven.

  “Oh, please, I need one of those.”

  Maddy turned, startled. She set the pan down and put a hand on her hip with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

  “Nice to see you, too.”

  Maddy slid off her oven mitt. Spots of muted pink colored her cheeks. “I meant, I thought you were supposed to be with Grace. Where is she?”

  “See, now I have to cover for her and I get in trouble.”

  Maddy raised her brows. “She went to see her mom again?”

  Kara nodded. “But I left them in Ruby’s, with lots of other people around, so I know she’ll be safe.”

  “And what about you?”

  “I was shopping.” Kara looked toward the bookstore. “Where’s Elliot? Did he go out for lunch?”

  Maddy waved a spatula in her direction. “He was going to surprise you. He went to the guesthouse.”

  “That’s nice of him. Too bad I’m not there.”

  “Try his cell phone.”

  Kara pulled her cell phone out of her purse and checked the screen. She saw she’d missed one call. “He already tried calling.” She returned the call and waited as it rang. “No answer.”

  Maddy smiled as she lifted cookies off the sheet. “Well, he’ll probably end up here eventually.”

  “That’s three times this week, you know.” Kara propped her hip against the counter, pulling a mint from the bowl by the register.

  “That she’s visited her mom?”

  “Yes. I feel guilty because I’m the one who has to keep sneaking her around.”

  “Well, the first wasn’t a secret.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  Maddy looked over at her. “She’s allowed to see her mom if she wants.”

  “I know, but…” Kara pulled at the wrapper on the mint. “She’s been talking with her mom, working really hard on the youth center, pretty much totally ignoring Nathan–”

  “She’s not ignoring him. She just needed space. To figure out her priorities.”

  “I’d say Nathan is a priority.”

  “So do I. And if that’s the case, she’ll realize it soon enough.”

  Kara ripped the plastic on accident and watched the mint pop out and bounce on the floor. She gave a heavy sigh and made a face at Maddy when she laughed. “How can you always be in such a good mood all the time?”

  “Why waste my energy being in a bad mood?”

  Kara frowned. “That’s not what I meant.” As she bent to retrieve the mint, she heard the bell ring at the entrance. “Hey, Elliot. And Grace.” She tossed the mint in the trash. “I thought I was supposed to pick you up–what?”

  Elliot took a few steps forward, almost hesitantly. “Kara?”

  She looked down at her outfit, suddenly worried she’d ripped something or forgotten to zip something. “Yes?”

  “Are you okay?”

  She glanced at Maddy, who had moved over to the counter. The corners of her lips lifted in a smile. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

  Elliot let out a sharp breath and she barely had time to take one before he swooped her into his arms, crushing her close to him. “Elliot–”

  “See, Elliot,” Grace said. “It’s okay.”

  “I know,” he murmured, sliding his hand down Kara’s hair. “It is.”

  Kara tried to pull back but he wouldn’t let her go. Worry coursed through her body. “What happened?”

  Elliot pressed a kiss to her cheek, then her lips, then held her close again. “I’ll tell you in a minute. Just…give me a minute.”

  She put her arms around him and rubbed his back, trying to ease some of the worry. Some of the stress. When Grace came over as well and wrapped her arms around both of them, she closed her eyes and knew something else had happened with the star.

  Chapter 28

  Nathan leaned over the back of the truck and pulled out a fishing pole. He carried it up the front steps to his parent’s house and knocked before stepping in.

  “Hey, Mom–you in here?”

  She peered around the corner from the kitchen. “Nathan, what are you doing here?”

  “I come bearing gifts.”

  She wrinkled her nose, joining him in the living room. “You brought me a fishing pole?”

  He chuckled and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I brought Dad a fishing pole. A replacement for that one attached to a fish out in the middle of the lake somewhere.”

  “Honey, you didn’t have to get him a fishing pole.”

  “I wanted to,” he said simply, and propped it in a corner. “What are you up to?”

  Lisa walked back into the kitchen and he trailed behind her, smelling something warm and sweet coming from the oven. “Baking cookies. Your father’s out back.”

  “What kind of cookies?”

  Lisa smiled. “Your favorite.”

  “How’d you know I was coming?”

  She gave another sweet smile. “I was hoping.”

  Nathan leaned against the counter opposite the stove and crossed one ankle over the other. He spotted a jar of peanut butter on the counter and his stomach rumbled.

  “You forget lunch or something?” Lisa asked, dipping her hands in the sink and wiping a large bowl.

  He frowned and checked his watch. He must have, because he’d been busy finalizing a contract and updating a website for one of his existing clients. Work kept his mind off other things, however, and lunch didn’t seem that big a deal in exchange for the distraction. “I guess so.”

  She laughed, started to say something, then seemed to change her mind. “You doing okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Really, honey.”

  He shrugged, staring at his shoes for several seconds. “It’s been a long week.”

  “You want me to make you something to eat?”

  He lifted his gaze. “I thought that’s what the cookies were for.”

/>   “It’s a good thing you’re an adult or I’d make you wait until after your meal.”

  “You’re still my mother, I suppose you could anyway.”

  She smiled and patted his arm. “I’ll make you a sandwich.”

  His phone chimed, and Nathan pulled it from his pocket. He saw Riley’s number appear on the screen. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Nathan. It’s Riley. You at home?”

  “No, I’m visiting my parents.”

  He heard voices in the background. “I thought I’d call and give you a heads up. Something else happened with the star.”

  Nathan straightened. “Is everyone okay?”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t anything dangerous like that but…it’s a strange story.”

  “Was it Grace?”

  “No. Elliot.”

  Nathan’s brow furrowed, and he turned to look out the window. His father sat in a lawn chair next to the water. He didn’t want anything else to happen to Grace, but he knew the more that happened to her friends, the harder this was for her. “Where are you?”

  “Serendipity.”

  “You want me to come?”

  Riley sighed. “You don’t have to, but everyone else is here.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Nathan put his phone back in his pocket and turned again to see his mom removing the cookies from the oven.

  “That definitely didn’t sound like a work-related phone call,” she said.

  He forced a smile. “No, it wasn’t.”

  “Sounds like something happened.”

  “It did.”

  “Is Grace okay?”

  Nathan nodded and brushed another kiss on her cheek. “Yeah, she’s fine. Sorry, Mom, I’ve gotta go.”

  She scooped a cookie off the pan and dropped it in his hand. He grimaced. “It’s hot.”

  “That means my oven is working. I’ll save some for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” She gave a nod before turning her attention back to the stove. “Could you give Dad the pole?”

  “Sure.”

  Nathan hesitated, wishing he could tell her everything that was going on. Wanting at the very least to tell her about Grace. She’d understand. She’d help. His mother was great at things like that. No time.

  He said another brief goodbye, headed out to his truck, and drove toward Serendipity.

  What could else have happened with the star? Something big enough for the group to gather for another of their spontaneous meetings. Meetings that had grown more frequent as of late.

  Clearly the others were still doing something right. For the star to keep interfering in their lives, they had to be on the right track. Grace still remained unbothered. But she had even when their relationship was blooming.

  What did that mean? They weren’t supposed to be together? Or maybe he didn’t have anything to do with Grace finding the star.

  He had to park across the street from Serendipity because of the extra cars. He didn’t see Grace’s but he assumed she’d come with someone else. He hoped she was still inside. That she wouldn’t mind seeing him because of the situation.

  He locked his doors and walked over to the coffee shop. Inside, he gave Brian a nod at the bookstore counter and moved into the café to find his friends. They circled around a table close to the counter, more standing than sitting. They all greeted him, even Grace, who gave a small smile.

  He sat next to her at the table and listened as Elliot filled him in. Kara shook her head several times throughout the story. She held onto Elliot’s hand for most of it, then opted to sit for the rest and cross her arms on the table.

  “I would never do that to you,” Kara said.

  Elliot moved behind her chair and squeezed his hands on her shoulders. “I know you wouldn’t.”

  “That’s why he questioned what I said right away,” Grace told her, then frowned. “Or what the other me said. I’m sorry, Elliot–”

  “It’s not your fault, Grace,” Riley said.

  Maddy bustled back to the counter when a customer came in. Nathan turned to Grace.

  “It made it more authentic coming from you.” He met her eyes. “It wanted Elliot to truly believe Kara had left. Having it come from you–or someone Elliot thought was you–made it believable.”

  “I wouldn’t do that either.”

  Elliot leaned across the table to take Grace’s hand briefly. “I know you wouldn’t.”

  “This isn’t going right,” Grace said quietly, retreating back in her seat. “Everything keeps happening to you guys. I’m sorry. I don’t know why.”

  “Don’t say that, Grace.” Kara leaned forward. “None of this is happening because of you.”

  “It’s happening because I still haven’t found my piece of the star. It’s happening because I’m not even close.”

  Maddy walked over again from the counter. She crossed her arms. “Okay, first of all, this isn’t good. None of this is anyone’s fault so our best bet is to stay optimistic and work together. Secondly, my stomach feels kind of weird but I know when it’s done with that I’m going to be really hungry and I’m probably going to want pizza. And since we have that furniture delivery at the youth center, we need to get over there before I can eat. Which means, there’s no time to sit here and worry. We have to get to work.” She smiled. “And Grace, you’re doing everything you can. Evil doesn’t have a rhyme or reason, except to hurt people. So keep working on the youth center and we’ll keep trying to help you figure out the star.”

  Grace blew out a breath and smiled at Maddy. “Pizza does sound kind of good.”

  Riley wrapped his arm around Maddy. “I’ll wait here for you until your shift is over.”

  Grace checked her watch, then eased out of her seat. “I should get there, then. In case they’re a little early.”

  “They’re never early,” Kara commented. “But I’ll come, too.”

  Elliot caught her arm. “Ride with me, okay?”

  “But Grace–”

  “I can take her.” Nathan turned to Grace. “I’m sorry. If you’d like, I can drive you there. I’ll be able to help with the furniture if they come.”

  Grace’s eyes roamed his face, looking unsure. She flicked a gaze somewhere near Maddy’s direction and finally nodded. “Thank you, that would be good.”

  ~ ~ ~

  She shuffled out to Nathan’s truck, watching Elliot as he kept Kara close on their way to his car. He leaned in and gave her a tight hug. Grace felt a pang of longing in her heart, followed swiftly by sudden doubt that telling Nathan they needed time apart was her best course of action.

  She needed someone. In fact, she was pretty sure she needed him.

  Elliot and Kara got into the car. Grace turned back toward the truck and found Nathan watching her. “Sorry,” she murmured, averting her eyes. He opened the door and caught her arm, helping her up into her seat. “Thanks.”

  He only smiled and returned to his side of the truck.

  Nathan started the car and she worked hard at keeping her gaze forward. The smell of his cologne wafted to her side and it pulled back strong memories from the recent past. Good memories. Some she wanted to create more of instead of forget.

  “–delivering today?”

  Grace jerked her attention to the present. She looked to Nathan. “Sorry, what was that?”

  “I was curious what’s being delivered today.”

  “Some furniture for the living room,” she answered, feeling steadier on familiar ground. “Tables for the study room. Extra chairs for upstairs. I’d like to get those bookshelves put together this weekend, too, that way we can start loading them up.”

  She looked over and he smiled. “I’ll help with anything I can.”

  “I appreciate it.” Grace licked her lips and turned her attention to the road again. “And everything else you helped with this week.”

  “I want to help.”

  “I know,” Grace said softly, the ache to be close to him, to give into him blooming inside. �
��But I also know you’ve been busy and I don’t want to keep you from work.”

  “The youth center means a lot to me, too, Grace. Especially because–”

  “Because what?”

  Nathan glanced over and shrugged. “It means a lot to me, too.”

  Grace opened her window as well, relishing the cool air that flowed through. The clouds grew darker and heavier. She hoped they’d get the furniture in before the rain started.

  When they pulled in front of the youth center, she saw they were the first to arrive. Nathan made it quickly to her side to help her out. His hand lingered on hers and she almost turned, almost said they needed to talk. Needed to make things right.

  But then he let go.

  “So you’ve been visiting with your mom.”

  Grace paused at the edge of the stairs. He propped one foot up on the bottom step and looked over at her, eyes still hidden behind his sunglasses despite the clouds.

  “I talked with her a few times this week.”

  “Is it going well?”

  “I think so.” She shuffled her weight to get off her ankle. “I don’t think it’s helping with the star, though.”

  He lowered himself to the steps to sit. “Have a seat,” he suggested.

  Grace eased herself onto the step next to him, keeping a careful distance. She stretched her legs out in front of her and sighed.

  He looked at her ankle. “Are you doing okay? Does it still hurt?”

  “Not too bad. I’ve been on my feet a lot.” She cast him a smile. “It was a hectic day.”

  He propped his forearms on his knees and focused his eyes on the dirt in front of them. He didn’t say anything.

  Grace shifted. “What are you thinking?”

  He took a breath, removing his sunglasses and letting them hang loosely from one hand. “It doesn’t matter,” he said in a low voice.

  It doesn’t matter? That didn’t sound like Nathan. She bit her lip, debating on whether or not to press the issue. It did matter. She scooted closer. She paused when her arm brushed his but stayed where she was.

  “It matters to me,” she told him softly. “I respect your opinion.”

  He looked over, and her breath caught. His eyes were stormy, full of worries she couldn’t seem to make better.