25. Caleb
Caleb
“Caleb, the people from the magazine are here.” My mother squealed in my ear and faced Grace. “Do I look all right?” she asked as she smoothed down the front of her dress and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“All right doesn’t even begin to cover it. You look fabulous, and the pieces you’ve curated are fantastic. Very alluring and almost mysterious,” Grace complimented.
My mom took Grace’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you. And thank you for being here tonight.”
With that, she was off to mingle with her guests.
I was so happy for my mother, even though I wasn’t a fan of the city folks traveling to our town.
It felt like they were imposing. I also didn’t appreciate that my mother thought she needed to try this hard and what these fancy events stood for.
But I knew she deserved recognition. Her work ethic was unparalleled.
I could never repay her for the sacrifices she’d made for me.
I only hoped Noelle looked at me with the same level of admiration one day. Then I’d be a happy man.
“Caleb,” Grace called from where she was studying a black and white painting. “Look at this one!”
Correction: Right now, I was a very happy man, who was getting to spend a night out with his girlfriend.
Grace and I made our way through the crowded gallery, passing by groups of people as they huddled around appreciating the different pieces curated throughout the space.
There were some familiar faces, but there were also a ton of people I didn’t recognize.
Being the town bar owner, it was an occupational hazard that I knew almost everybody in town.
The art was resonating with people. I watched as they pointed at different aspects, peering closely to find the artist’s name. A surefire way to tell a show was going well was when there were lines to see certain pieces.
Given the turnout, I was grateful for Jena agreeing to watch Noelle. I’d allowed her to pop in for a few minutes before people started showing up, but I didn’t want anything to take the shine off my mom’s big night.
“Grace?” a nasally voice called from behind us.
I could hear heels clacking against the marble floor. I wanted to turn around to see who was approaching, but all I could see was the look of pure terror on Grace’s face.
My head jerked in the direction of the woman speaking, and I caught sight of a shorter brunette being followed closely by a bleached blonde. I knew she was definitely not from around here.
Grace’s eyes widened as the nasally woman and her friend got closer.
“Grace Harrington. Back out of hiding?” The other lady scoffed. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Hi, Savannah,” Grace muttered, her lips forming a straight line before looking at Savannah’s companion. “Eleanor.”
“Grace, why haven’t you called me back? I could have given you the names of some great publicists. You haven’t done any damage control. These things follow you, you know,” Eleanor scolded, crossing her arms over her obvious surgically-enhanced chest.
Neither of the women’s faces moved. They were frozen and plastered in an upwards motion that looked tight and uncomfortable. They couldn’t have been much older than Grace, so I was completely lost as to why they’d do such a thing.
I didn’t know either of these women, but I sure as hell didn’t like Grace’s reaction to them.
She had gone stock-still as soon as Savannah had called her name.
Her shoulders hunched the longer they were beside us, almost as if Grace was curling in on herself.
Her voice had grown weaker, her words coming out mumbled.
She no longer exuded the level of confidence that I loved so much about her, and I knew it was because of the two people in front of us.
I grabbed her hand for support, interlacing our fingers and squeezing.
They must have caught that motion because the brunette one, Savannah, practically purred as she spoke. “Who’s this tall drink of water?”
Grace stiffened, gripping on to my hand tighter. “This is Caleb, my boyfriend.” She spoke a little louder and much more confidently.
“Boyfriend?” Savannah spat and laughed without humor. “What happened to Grant? I thought you were still sleeping with him. I ran into him a few months ago and he was looking fine as ever. He wanted to know about getting a table at Daddy’s new club.”
Eleanor chimed in, “You know, I’m surprised to see you in this small town.
My father bought a house in Pineberry, the next town over.
I read about this new exhibit in one of the papers so I asked Sav to come with me to check it out.
You and your sister didn’t seem to like the art scene very much.
Poor Jacqueline. I know how much she loves these sorts of things. ”
Grace’s breathing became heavier, almost as if she couldn’t pull enough air into her lungs. She gasped for breath, and I was afraid she was going to hyperventilate.
“Julia—” Grace whispered like an empty prayer. Her body began to tremble as a sob bubbled up in her throat, cutting off the rest of her words.
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just making an observation,” Eleanor said flippantly.
Savannah nodded in agreement. “Seriously, Grace, no need to get your panties in a twist. We all remember how Julia was.” She turned to Eleanor.
“Let’s go get another drink before our driver gets here.
Nice to meet you, Caleb.” She fluttered her fingers in a wave before she looped her arm through Eleanor’s.
Heels on the marble flooring were heard, thankfully walking away from us this time.
Moments passed, like the cars outside.
Grace was unmoving. I just stood there clutching her hand. I felt like I was holding her here. Even though she felt miles away.
“Are they gone?” Grace finally choked out, her eyes clamped shut.
I rubbed her arms up and down, trying to calm her shaking body. She looked so helpless like this. So different from the put-together facade she presented to the world. Curated like the art in this room. But it was nothing more than a front.
I turned my head to make sure her so-called “friends” had moved on. The catty women had stopped next to the refreshment table and were engrossed in their cell phones. Not even a minute later, they slipped out the front door.
“Yes, they just left,” I whispered softly, not really knowing how to proceed.
It seemed that Julia was another one of her triggers.
My head was spinning as I tried to keep up with all these potential bombs. Grace needed to tell me something. Anything. I was really getting worried. I loved her.
Sure, it was too soon, and I couldn’t offer her the life she was used to.
Not to mention, I had Noelle to consider.
She’d really started to like Grace, and I worried how she’d take it if things didn’t work out with us.
I’d never introduced her to anyone I was dating before because heartbreak isn’t something I’d ever wish on anyone else.
But this didn’t change how I felt about Grace, how just the sight of her brought a smile to my face and being in her presence made my day feel complete.
“Okay.” Grace’s small voice broke me out of my thoughts. She inhaled a deep breath and opened her eyes. They were glassy from unshed tears, probably matching my own.
This girl’s agony was breaking me. I just hoped she didn’t break my heart on top of it.
She cast her eyes downward with a somber look on her face.
“Baby, look at me, please,” I pleaded, squeezing her arm a little.
She shook her head back and forth like a stubborn child.
I looked around the room, not wanting her to be ambushed any further. I made eye contact with my mother who was speaking to an art dealer she worked with from time to time.
Her eyes widened when she saw Grace and me. Is she okay? she mouthed subtly, likely not wanting to cause a scene.
I shook my head because the truth of the matter was none of this was okay. I gestured with my thumb to the door, signaling to her that we were going to leave. She nodded once and went back to her conversation.
With a small nudge, I shuffled Grace to the door, grabbing our coats from the rack, and then made our way outside.
“Where are we going, Caleb?” Grace gasped, breaking out of her trance as we were greeted by the crisp air.
My hand was on the small of her back, while I led her around the corner to where I’d parked the truck earlier. As soon as I opened the truck door for Grace, her body collapsed into the seat. I ran to the driver’s side door and climbed into the truck.
“Can you take me to The Grand, please?” she asked meekly.
I looked over at the girl who stole my heart and could hardly recognize her. She seemed defeated. Grace was too vibrant and young to look as though life had been sucked out of her. People from the high society world clearly made her feel like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.
I guess I would take her to the bed-and-breakfast first, then pick up Noelle from Jena’s.
I did have to get something off my chest first. It was only fair.
“Grace, I really love … I love spending time with you. You’ve become someone so important in my life, far quicker than I anticipated.
Only second to my daughter.” Fuck it, I mentally scolded myself.
“And I respect that you’ve been through some bad shit.
But one day you’re going to have to open up to somebody.
Finally face whatever it is you’re running from. ” I huffed out a breath.
I looked over at Grace and she was gazing out the window, her eyes brimming with tears that threatened to fall at any moment. Her chest rose and fell quickly as if she was trying to calm herself down. I reached for her hand for support.
“I’d like to be that person, Grace. To be your person. All you have to do is let me in.” I shook my head and focused back on the traffic ahead.
As we started to move again, I slammed on my brakes. Some asshole decided to cut me off as I merged onto the main roadway. “Sorry,” I muttered, apologizing to Grace for the sudden jolt.
“She’s dead.”
Grace spoke so low I barely heard her at first, but the words echoed clear as day throughout the small space. I looked over at her, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.
Fuck. I signaled to merge into the right lane so I could pull over. All I wanted to do was hold her. Comfort her. I wouldn’t doubt Grace planned it this way. The walls I thought I was breaking down were up again.
Before I could even respond, she spoke again, this time louder as though she was trying to convince herself. “My sister is dead. Julia’s dead.” She let out a shaky breath. The hand I was holding was shaking. “And it’s all my fault.”
Fuck. I wasn’t expecting that.
Her fault?
I hated that she was blaming herself when clearly it couldn’t have been her fault because she was not in jail. The guilt that Grace was carrying was clearly eating at her.
“Baby,” I whispered.
From how she spoke about her sister, Grace really looked up to her. What a tragic loss. No wonder she was so upset at the mention of her sister at the gallery. With “friends” like those, who needed enemies?
I wondered how Julia passed away, but I wouldn’t push Grace for specifics.
Not when she was finally sharing. Was this her secret?
If so, what did it have to do with her or her reputation?
I was curious why she felt guilty or responsible for her death.
If Grace blamed herself, did that mean she did something to Julia accidentally?
This new information just led to more questions. Questions that could wait. As soon as we approached the next exit, I pulled over to the nearest parking spot and dragged her over to cradle her in my lap.
Grace sobbed and sobbed. “I can’t. I can’t tell—” she choked out, her body heaving against my own.
I stroked her hair. “Shh, baby, it’s going to be okay.
I’m here. I’m here.” I repeated it over and over.
One could only hope she believed it. I tightened my grasp around her, praying I wasn’t hurting her.
I didn’t want to move. There was no way I could leave Grace.
Not like this. Not after she’d been so vulnerable.
After what felt like hours, I untangled myself from Grace, still clutching her hand tightly. I pressed Jena’s name on the car phone as I searched in the glove compartment for tissues.
Thankfully, I stayed prepared for Noelle. I pulled out a Kleenex and handed it to Grace.
“Hey, Caleb,” Jena spoke in a hushed tone.
“Hey, how’s my girl?” I asked, not taking my eyes off Grace.
“She passed out on the couch after a killer game of Monopoly. You didn’t tell me she cheats!” Jena laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile thinking of my daughter. “How was the gallery?”
“That she does. Not so great, actually. I mean, the show was great, but … Listen, I hate to do this, but do you think you can keep Noelle for the night, and I’ll pick her up early tomorrow?” I asked, giving Grace a small smile.
She started shaking her head in protest. I mouthed no in response.
“Um, sure,” Jena answered, sounding confused. She knew I never did this. Jena also knew I wouldn’t ask unless it was important. “Everything okay?”
“It will be. I just need tonight.”
“No worries. We’ll see you tomorrow. Night.”
As soon as Jena hung up, Grace started shaking her head again. “Caleb, I can’t ask you to do this. Noelle comes first. I get that. It’s the way it should be.”
That right there made me love her even more. It proved how perfect she was for me.
“Grace, while any other day I would agree with you, tonight you need me more. And quite frankly, I want to be with you. I love?—”
Her eyes widened at the word love .
Before I could get the words out, her lips crashed onto my own, effectively shutting me up.
Message received. Too soon to say I love you .
Even if she didn’t want to hear the words, at least she knew where my head was at.
I prayed that in her own time, she’d get there too.