Chapter 7 #2
"O-kay." Squeezing her eyes shut, she chided herself for the breathlessness in her voice.
Thankfully, he stepped back, and she was able to focus on her next shot which hit the edge of the target.
"There you go, you're getting it." Damon's voice filled with pride.
Relief filled her when he stepped away, but the tension remained because she was attracted to a man who would leave soon.
Damon waited for Grace to take a seat at the table before he sat.
He couldn't help letting his gaze wander around the diner.
It was all so familiar yet different. The arrangement of the tables and booths hadn't changed but the decor and color scheme had, including the design of the menus on the table in front of them.
Maybe bringing Grace here was a mistake.
The hostess had seated them by the window, giving him the perfect view of his dad's repair shop across the street.
It's not Dad's anymore.
Even though his dad passed away five years ago, Damon found comfort in seeing the Knight's Repair Shop sign every time he came home to visit. Now the sign read: Ken's Auto Repair. He had no idea who Ken was. He thought the family sold the shop to Scott Wheeler.
"I've heard a lot about this place," Grace said. "According to Paige and most of your family, it's the best place in town to eat."
"It's the only decent place if you want something other than fast food."
"Paige told me it used to be owned by your mom?" When Damon nodded, she continued. "But Paige's sister-in-law Amy owns it now?"
Again, Damon nodded.
"I wonder why Amy didn't change the name."
"Because I respect Charity too much to change her legacy.
" Amy walked up to their table with two glasses of water.
"And because she patiently taught me everything she knows about running a diner.
I owe her a lot." Amy leaned down and gave Damon a hug.
"Welcome home." Then she did the same to his companion.
"Welcome to Providence, Grace. I'm sorry we haven't had the chance to meet yet other than in passing.
I look forward to getting to know you better. "
"Thank you. Me too."
"Can I get you guys started with something to drink?"
"I'll take a Diet Coke," Grace said.
"How about you, Damon?"
"Water is fine."
"Are you sure? I recall your mom telling me peach lemonade was your favorite."
"Do you still use fresh peaches?"
"Of course." Amy pointed at the menu. "I retired a few meals from the menu when I took over, but all the favorites are still there. And yes, they are your mom's recipes. I've also added a few new menu items that are marked with this little red tag."
"I'll have a peach lemonade then."
After Amy brought their drinks and took their orders, Damon pointed to the back corner.
"This was my second home growing up. I came here every day after school and sat in that booth to do my homework.
When I got restless, my mom gave me a damp cloth and told me to wipe down the menus or let me wander around with the little floor sweeper. "
Memories came rushing back, and Damon's gaze again drifted out the window to the garage across the street. He'd missed so much in the decade he'd been gone.
"Are you okay?" Concern wrinkled Grace's forehead.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You were so upbeat this morning." Her eyes bore into his. "Now, you look...somber."
"You know how on Saturday I said, 'Nothing ever changes around here?'"
"Yeah."
"I was wrong." He looked out the window again at the repair shop.
"A lot has changed since I joined the Army twelve years ago.
" He started ticking off things on his fingers.
"My Uncle Blake passed away way too young after a series of strokes.
My cousin Ben moved back from California with his wife.
She was killed in a car accident and his infant daughter kidnapped. "
"I heard about that. That's horrible."
"I felt so bad I couldn’t be here to help search for Cassey.
" Damon went on. "About six months later, my dad died from a sudden heart attack.
He was only sixty-three." He nodded his head toward the repair shop across the street.
"My father owned that garage. It became my third home when I got too rambunctious for the diner. I spent a lot of time there as a teenager.” He shook his head now.
“I made it home for my dad's funeral, but you never really get closure when you don't get to say goodbye. "
"I'm so sorry." Grace reached across the table and put her hand on his.
A soothing warmth swept over him at the contact.
"Every time I came home, something had changed.
I had a new niece or nephew, or a cousin had married and started a family.
Others moved back to Providence. Then last year, my mom decided to retire and sell the diner, and the family agreed to sell the repair shop also.
I feel like I've missed out on so many important things. "
"That is a lot of change."
"As long as my family owned the repair shop and the diner, I had a place to come home to.
Not that I ever planned on taking over either one, but it was a constant, you know.
" He chuckled. "Funny thing, I joined the Army partly because I didn't want to work in the repair shop but guess what they put me to work doing. "
"Working in the motor pool?" Grace said with a laugh.
"Bingo. That's one of the reasons I went to ranger school."
"If you decide to come home, I'm sure your family would welcome you back with open arms."
"I know they would, but any time I consider leaving the Army, I have to wonder if I have a place in all of this." He made a sweeping motion toward the window with his arm.
"I'm kind of in the same boat." Grace released his hand and ran a finger down the condensation on her soda glass. "With as smoothly as everything went with the sale of our old house and buying the new one, I feel like God guided me here, but I can't help but wonder why."
Damon bit his tongue to keep from saying the words that filled his mind.
Because if I ever did come home, it would be because you're here.
Was that why he was so introspective? Because he was considering coming home for good?
But for what?
He needed more here than a pretty woman he was in love with.
A warm flush filled his body at the thought, heating his neck and face. From the first day he met Grace, he could see himself marrying her, but had he fallen that hard and fast for her already?
She was different from the women he’d dated in the past. There were so many things he loved about her. Her drive and ambition. Her devotion, both to God and her mom. Her sympathy and selflessness.
He recalled the insane urge he had to kiss her when he was helping her straighten her hold on the rifle. For a moment, he thought she'd welcome his kiss, but then she looked away, and he remembered they'd agreed to be friends.
But he wanted more than friendship.
He gulped down the rest of his lemonade, hoping Grace didn't notice the flush in his cheeks.
"At least you have a worthwhile job where you help people," he said. "I have no clue what I'd do if I decide to get out of the Army."
"Yeah, but I wonder if there's something for me here that I couldn't find in Richland." She looked like she was deep in thought as she stared at her glass.
"Something like what?" Damon studied her pretty face as warmth ignited in his chest. Did she mean something like a relationship?
She met and held his gaze for a long moment, and he spotted the golden flecks in her gorgeous brown eyes. He also noticed for the first time the small mole near her right eye. It was the kind celebrities called a beauty mark.
He was about to reach for her hand when she burst out laughing. "I sound ridiculous, don't I?"
"Not at all." His stomach sank. He and Grace were not on the same page.
He wasn't sure if she was embarrassed by her admission that she was looking for something more or if she saw something in his face that made her uncomfortable, but she was backpedaling.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He didn't usually check his texts during a date, but they both needed a distraction right now.
The text was from Riley. Dinner and games at our house tomorrow at 7. Paige & Gabe are coming too. Bring Grace.
Damon lifted his head to see Grace pulling out her phone. "Let me guess...Riley texted you?"
A little furrow creased her brow as she read the text. "Yep."
"You don't want to go?" The disappointment was swift.
"It's not that. It sounds fun, but I hate to leave my mom again. I feel like all I've done since we moved to Providence is leave her alone. "
"Your uh...your mom isn't alone. My mom arrived shortly after we left. She made butternut squash soup for her." He checked the time on his phone. "She's probably still with her now."
"You made arrangements for your mom to visit mine while I was gone?" Grace's eyes widened. "Your Aunt Faith wasn't really planning to come over on Saturday, was she?"
"That was mostly an accident."
"Mostly?"
"When I got home from my run that morning, Aunt Faith was at my house picking up a few things she'd left behind.
She used to live with my mom, but she just bought a house down the street.
Anyway, when she heard me tell my mom that I was taking you horseback riding, she said she'd been meaning to drop by to welcome your family to Providence.
I may have suggested that Saturday would be a good day, since you were worried about leaving your mom alone. "
"And you suggested your mom visit mine today?"
"One thing you need to understand about my mom and aunts—especially Aunt Faith—they are social creatures. They love to help. They need to be needed, especially now that mom and Faith are both retired. My mom emulates her name."
Grace laughed. "Did you just call your mom and aunts creatures?"
"Maybe." Damon's face warmed. "Perhaps I should have called them butterflies."
"That sounds better than creatures." She chuckled again. "But you still didn't answer my question. Did you ask your mom to visit my mom today?" Her gaze again narrowed on his face, and Damon resisted the urge to squirm.
"Yes, but it was her idea to make the soup."
He wasn't sure how he expected her to react, but the tears that flooded her eyes before she ducked her head surprised him.
"Thank you." She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with her napkin before she raised her head.
"My mom is very friendly, but she's not a social butterfly like your mom and aunts.
So I was worried about her leaving the few close friends she had in Richmond.
I appreciate that everyone is so welcoming even though my mom won't be around. .."
Damon reached across the table and covered Grace's hand with his. "They're doing it for you too, Grace. Hopefully, you'll be around for a long time."
Her eyes jumped to his, as though searching for a double meaning behind his words.
He hadn't meant anything by them, but if she read a deeper meaning in them, so be it. He didn't want to scare Grace away, but he was having a hard time fighting his growing feelings for her. He only hoped she didn't go into full-on retreat when she figured out how he felt.
She gave him a watery smile. "So, who are you going to get to babysit my mom tomorrow night?"