20. Caleb
Caleb
As I pulled up behind the shelter, I spotted Ms. Kenzie standing outside by the loading dock, surveying the pallet stacked with boxes of food.
“Need my help carrying anything inside?” I called from behind her as I jumped out of the truck.
Walking around to the passenger’s side, I opened Grace’s door and helped her climb down.
“Good morning to you too, handsome. You can grab these two boxes.” Ms. Kenzie gestured to the brown boxes at her feet. “Along with whatever deliciousness you have in the bed of your truck.” She laughed and looked at Grace before turning back to me with her eyebrow raised in surprise at my company.
I smirked and walked with Grace over to Ms. Kenzie.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Look at you, Fancy Pants!”
“I’m here to volunteer,” Grace announced proudly as she beamed up at me.
Ms. Kenzie shook Grace’s hand and handed her an apron. “Put this on. I feel like you’re getting dirty just by me looking at you.”
Ms. Kenzie gave Grace a once-over. She definitely had adapted her wardrobe from when she first arrived in Grand Haven, but she managed to keep some of her former stylistic flair.
Grace waved her off. “It’s fine.”
“No, you’re going to need it,” I insisted. Things could get messy between handling the food and cleaning tables. I slid the apron over her head and tied it at the back.
“Ready?” I asked, looking at Grace hesitantly. I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, but I did think this experience would be good for her.
“As I’ll ever be.” She smirked as I grabbed the boxes and gestured for her to follow me inside.
We walked through the kitchen, and I greeted a few familiar faces with a hello. Setting down the boxes, I rested my hands on her shoulders as she surveyed the place. “Time to get to work, baby.” I flashed her a cheeky smile, and she rolled her eyes and laughed.
Before heading into the main dining hall, I needed to warn Grace about a few things. As she turned away from me, I grabbed her arm so she could face me once more. “Hey,” I said, smiling at her. I was grateful she came with me. When she told me she wanted to, I was shocked, but in a good way.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied, pouting her lips a little.
I couldn’t help but give her a peck. She was teasing me after all. I rubbed my hands up and down her arms. “I’m so glad you came with me, Grace. Truly, it means the world,” I whispered because we didn’t need an audience.
She nodded while I continued. “I just want you to be careful today. Some of the people here get a little rowdy. And it’s not their fault, necessarily.
They’ve been through a lot of shit and don’t really trust newbies.
If anyone says anything disrespectful or, worse yet, tries to touch you, please tell me.
But I don’t want you to worry because I plan to be by your side the whole time, okay? ” I breathed out.
Grace put a palm on my cheek. “You worry too much.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Look who’s talking.”
Taking her hand in mine, we walked through the double doors leading to the dining hall.
The shelter was still very crowded at this time of day. It was just before breakfast, so everybody hung around for a hot meal until most went out for the day. Some searched for jobs or places to live, but ultimately most searched for something better than the hand they were dealt.
“Hey, CJ!” Vladimir greeted. “Who is the pretty lady?” He was an older man who only had one leg and was confined to a wheelchair.
He wasn’t forthcoming about it, so nobody knew what had happened.
Even though he spoke broken English that sometimes sounded like gibberish, Vlad always put everyone in good spirits.
“Vlad, my friend, this is Grace—my girlfriend and our newest helper.” I added, “Don’t try to steal her from me, old man.”
“No promises.” He huffed, rolling over to shake her hand. The flirt even kissed the back of it.
Grace was a great sport about his gallantry and leaned into him. “I don’t know, Caleb … I love an accent.” We all got a good chuckle at her comment, the tops of Vlad’s cheeks turning a rosy color at her feigned flirtation.
The rest of the morning went smoothly. While I spent lots of time mingling with some old friends, Grace made some new ones.
Not once did I see a look of disgust or pity cross her face.
If anything, she looked awed by everyone who she spoke to.
Once breakfast time arrived, we stood side by side as we served the inhabitants of the shelter.
Grace was on hashbrown duty, and I was on bacon duty.
As the line passed by, plates being filled with the most important meal of the day, everybody appeared happy to see a new, friendly face. Grace seemed so comfortable, cheerful, and carefree as she doled out food and wished them well.
And all the while, I watched her, feeling so fucking proud of her.
I sensed from the moment she walked through the door at Bar that Grace was different.
Different from the typical Upper East Side girl who wore fancy clothes and had a boatload of money.
She was so much more, and she didn’t give herself enough credit.
After I cleaned up our stations a little, I walked over to Grace who was sitting with a young mom and her infant. She was listening intently to whatever the woman was saying.
“I’ll definitely come back,” I heard Grace promise.
The young mother stood from the bench. “I have to go nurse him. Please do, Grace.”
“Look at you,” I cheered once we were alone.
Grace shrugged, her smile timid. Before I could move to sit beside her, all of a sudden, two arms circled my waist, embracing me from behind.
“Hello, stranger,” a sultry voice greeted as the arms tightened.
Grace’s expression morphed into one of surprise and recognition?
“Lucy?” Grace asked the statuesque brunette who had me in her grips.
“You two know each other?” I asked, looking between Grace and Lucy with amusement.
Grace nodded. “Yes, I met her at the coffee shop my first day in Grand Haven. She gave me directions.”
Lucy waved Grace off. “You bought me a muffin!”
I smiled at my friend, having missed her the last few weeks. Lucy had been job hunting and had left before breakfast so we hadn’t had the chance to catch up in a while.
I gave her a sideways hug before stepping back and wrapping an arm around Grace’s shoulders.
“Can you believe I scored this beautiful woman?”
Lucy nodded and smiled. She and I had known each other for a long time.
Unfortunately, even though Lucy was only twenty-five, she had been in and out of the shelter for years.
She’d left an abusive relationship with a wealthy guy and began living in the shelter quite some time ago.
It was rough for a while, and she started to lose faith that things would get better.
Eventually, she began to feel like there weren’t any better options, so Lucy went back to the bastard, hoping that the time apart would have caused him to change.
It was months later that I saw her again, but this time, she was sporting bruises and a black eye.
Thankfully, she didn’t get back with her abuser after that. But now Lucy had been struggling to find a job. With no high school diploma, her options weren’t great. The few petty theft charges that popped up on her background check didn’t help matters either.
I offered her a job at the bar, but she was too proud and wanted to “make it” on her own.
“Nice to see you, Grace.” Lucy smirked. “Caleb here wouldn’t shut up about you when he was here last time. I can see why—you’re really pretty.” She was being sincere. Lucy had zero poker face. What you saw was how it was.
“Aw, that’s sweet. Thank you!” Grace chimed in. “But look at your cheekbones. People pay thousands for your facial structure. You don’t even need any contour or makeup.”
“Really?” Lucy appeared taken aback. “Well, I guess that’s a good thing because I don’t even know how to apply the stuff.” She shrugged. Her feet shuffled, probably uncomfortable about not being able to afford makeup.
“I could help you. I love makeup. I have a few free samples I could bring you,” Grace offered, her eyes glimmering excitedly.
Lucy waved her off. “No, you don’t have to do that. You need your stuff for yourself, and you can share it with Noelle. How’s the little monster, by the way?” She looked at me.
“She’s Noelle,” I deadpanned. The girls laughed, but I was being serious. “How did the job interview go?”
Lucy shook her head and muttered, “I have another in about a week.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great.”
The morning had gone way better than planned. I just hoped the rest of the day followed suit.