Falling For Gracie

She left the house and walked to her car. She felt uncomfortable, as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. The house where she’d lived for so long looked exactly as she remembered, but everything else was different, and those changes made her sad.

* * *

RILEY PULLED INTO Gracie’s driveway and found her waiting just outside the front door. The storm had moved on, leaving the sky clear, which would be both a help and a hindrance to their evening plans. It was already twilight, but there were plenty of stars and a good-sized moon to provide light.

Gracie waved when she saw him and walked toward the car. He watched her, noting something was different. Something he couldn’t figure out.

Not her clothes. She’d dressed casually, in dark pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Her blond hair had been fastened back in one of those fancy braids women seemed to love. She even had her damn camera with her.

“What’s up?” he asked when she opened the door and slid onto the passenger seat.

“Hi,” she said with a smile that seemed more forced than genuine.

He left the car in park. “I was asking a question, not offering an urban greeting.”

“What? Oh. You mean what’s up with me?” She shrugged. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

Fine had been the bright, cheerful, glowing woman who had delivered the cake to his office earlier that day. This was not fine.

“Are you sure?” he probed, then could have kicked himself. Did he really want to know what could be up in Gracie’s life?

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She let the smile fade. “Can you be okay with that?”

“Absolutely.”

He backed out of her driveway.

“We’ll swing by Pam’s house and see if she’s there. If she is, we’ll wait and see if she goes out.” He glanced at her. “Sound like a plan?”

“It’s great. When I saw Alexis, she reminded me not to lose Pam this time. Good advice, huh?”

There was something in her voice. Something sharp, but also broken. He gripped the steering wheel and told himself to think about sports.

Fifteen minutes later, he slowed as they turned onto Pam’s street. Her house was on the far corner—a modest single-story structure with a big garden and bay windows.

“She’s here,” he said, pointing to the lights on in the house and the car—a white Lexus GS300—in the driveway.

“Do you know why she’s here?” Gracie asked, speaking for the first time since they’d left her house.

“She lives here.”

“No, I mean why is she in Los Lobos? I would have thought she would head out for the big city.”

“I have no idea.” Nor did he care. Pam was firmly in his past and he was happy to keep her there. She’d lied her way into their marriage and as soon as he’d learned the truth, he’d been gone.

“It’s just I don’t know why they even asked me to be at the meeting,” Gracie said as she stared out the side window toward the house. “Obviously my opinions weren’t welcome. I don’t get it. I just don’t get it. Mom can’t be making that much at the hardware store. I’m sure she owns the house outright, but still.

“Vivian’s acting as if money is no object. A sit-down dinner at the country club? That’s insane.”

Riley didn’t want to ask. He held in the question as long as he could, but it finally escaped. “What are we talking about?”

Gracie sighed. “Nothing. My sister. My younger sister. She’s getting married in a few weeks. That’s why I’m back here. They said they wanted my help. But they don’t. Oh, Vivian wants a wedding cake, though. A big, heavily decorated one. Sure, I’m happy to give her that, but it’s as if she has no idea what she’s asking. We’re talking hundreds of hours. Plus, there’s the whole wedding party. I’m okay with it, but I don’t know why she lied. All she had to do was tell me the truth. So she wants Alexis in the wedding and not me. What do I care?”

Her pain was a tangible creature in the car. Riley wished he was wearing a tie so he could loosen it. Instead he touched her arm.

“It’s okay,” he said, feeling like a complete idiot as he spoke the words. How the hell did he know if it was okay or not?