Chapter 8
"And this was Grace at her first dance recital." Marisol pointed to a picture of five-year-old Grace.
Damon grinned. "With the way she has her hip cocked out, I can see she was full of sass even then."
"Oh, yes." Marisol laughed. "She's never been afraid to speak her mind."
"I like that about her."
Marisol's gaze shifted to his face. "I suspect you like a lot of things about my daughter, since you've been spending so much time with her."
Damon decided to squeeze in a visit to Marisol to see if she needed anything while Grace was at work.
He'd been talking to Grace's mother for over an hour and had enjoyed every minute.
He'd anticipated their easy conversation to turn serious, and now that it had, he still wasn't sure how to respond.
Just be honest.
"I do. I like her a lot." Warmth crept up his neck as he met Marisol's gaze. "I know it sounds crazy since we only just met a few days ago." He shook his head and grimaced. "But she's not interested in anything more than friendship."
"Why do you think that?"
"Every time our conversations turn serious, she seems to pull away."
Sadness flitted through Marisol's eyes before she looked away. "Has she told you much about past?"
"Only that she doesn't have any cousins, and her father walked out when she was fourteen."
"But she hasn't told you anything after that?"
"She mentioned that she went through a rebellious stage and hit rock bottom before turning her life around. She said you had breast cancer at that time."
"She told you about that?" Marisol's eyebrows arched upward. "But she didn't tell you what caused her to hit rock bottom?"
"No."
"I wouldn't wish what happened to Grace that year on anyone.
" Marisol let out a heavy sigh as she closed the scrapbook and ran her hand over the worn cover.
"It changed her. In some ways for the better, but not without a lot of pain.
Even now, eleven years later, she still finds it difficult to trust herself and others. "
Heaviness filled Damon's chest. What on earth happened to Grace to make her so reserved?
Damon fidgeted. Curiosity, mingled with the desire to unravel the mystery that was Grace. "What happened?"
She gave him a sad smile. "It's not my place to say, but if you want to win Grace's heart, you need to be patient and steady. Don't let her push you away." Marisol pointed a finger at him. "And she will try, because she wants to protect her heart from being broken again."
"Again?"
Marisol winced as though she hadn't meant to say that. Was she referring to the pain Grace suffered when her dad walked out? Or later when she hit rock bottom?
"I can't say anything more. Just don't give up on her." She patted his hand. "Long distance relationships are rough, especially when you're on the other side of the world, but you have ten more days to make Grace see that you have a future together. Don't waste them."
"I'm afraid I'll scare her away if I push too hard."
"That's always a risk, but she wouldn't be spending time with you if she didn't like you." Marisol gave him a wink.
Damon's pulse picked up speed. He hoped Marisol was right.
Her words stuck with him all afternoon while he painted the guest bedroom for his mother. How did he make the most of his time with Grace without pushing her away? And what happened in her past that made it so difficult for her to trust others?
If he knew what it was, maybe he could find a way to help her work through it.
Do Grace and I really have a future together?
He wanted one with her, that was for sure. But even if he could get her to fall for him, like he had her, would their relationship survive deployment? He'd seen what he thought was the strongest of relationships fall apart while a soldier was deployed.
He considered leaving the Army again. The thought no longer carried the twinge of sadness it did a couple days ago, but not knowing what the future held was more than a little scary.
Grace walked through the front door to find her mom vacuuming the living room. Her mouth dropped open as her lunch bag slipped from her hand.
Mom turned off the vacuum. "How was work, Mija?"
"Uh...fine." Grace glanced at the carpet in the hallway as she picked up her bag. It had been vacuumed too.
"Don't look so surprised, picarita. I do know how to vacuum, you know."
Grace's lips turned up at her mom calling her a cheeky little one. "I know. It's just that you haven't felt good enough to do any cleaning since we moved."
"The move did wipe me out, but I'm feeling a little better now. I figured I may as well make myself useful while I felt good." Mom grinned as she tucked the vacuum into the coat closet. "Besides, I have guests coming over this evening."
"Oh? Who?" Grace was curious who Damon had asked to sit with her mom.
"Hope and James."
"Paige's parents?"
"Paige told her parents that you and Damon are joining her and Gabe at Riley's house for dinner, so they offered to come sit with me for a while this evening."
"That's nice." Grace walked into the kitchen to set her lunch bag down before returning to the living room.
Did Damon tell Paige to ask her parents? Or had Paige done that on her own?
"When we decided to move here, I figured I wouldn't have much opportunity to make friends, because I don't get out much anymore. But they keep coming to me." Mom beamed. "I'm so glad Gabe is marrying into such a great family, and I'm glad they're welcoming you in too."
Grace thought about Damon's words yesterday. "They're doing it for you too, Grace. Hopefully, you'll be around for a long time."
But he won't be. He leaves in a little over a week.
Mom sat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her. "So tell me...how was the first day at your new job?"
"It was good." Grace plopped down beside her mom and kicked her shoes off. "It was only me and one other woman named Dana in the radiology department. She's training me on their equipment this week, then I'll be on my own."
"On your own? As in working alone?"
"It's a small hospital. They only need one technician at a time.
The radiology lab is part of the Emergency Department, so it's not like I'll ever actually be alone.
There are plenty of people around. I met a handful of nurses today as well as Dr. Henderson, and I saw Paige's dad and her cousin Riley.
Gabe even came down and said hi on his lunch break. "
"Is it going to be so slow and boring it drives you crazy?"
"Time will tell." Grace shrugged. "It was actually kind of nice to not rush around all day. And I don't have to walk half a mile when I bring a patient from the other end of the hospital to radiology for imaging." She grimaced. "That means I should probably start exercising."
Her job had always been active enough that she'd never bothered to exercise much other than going for an occasional walk. But as her mom's health declined, Grace wanted to make sure she was strong enough to lift and care for her.
"Are you looking forward to tonight?" Mom asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, it should be fun." Grace tried to downplay her eagerness to spend more time with Damon. "I'm anxious to get to know Riley and Daniel better."
"And of course, you'll be seeing Damon again." Mom grinned and winked. "You two have spent a lot of time together. What do you think of him?"
Grace's heart rate kicked up a notch at her mother's question. "He's nice. I’ve enjoyed having him show me around."
"Just nice and fun?" Mom's smile turned teasing. "Anything else?"
"What do you mean?" Grace asked cautiously. Could mom see she was struggling to keep her feelings for him in check? Falling for Damon was a heartache waiting to happen. She should avoid him at all costs. But she enjoyed spending time with him.
"I mean, he seems to like you. A lot." Mom's gaze lingered on Grace's face.
"What makes you think that?"
"He told me," Mom said.
"When?"
"He visited me this morning."
Damon visited her mom and told her he liked Grace?
"He did?" Grace's eyes widened. "Why?"
Mom shrugged. "So we could get to know each other better."
"What did you guys talk about?"
"A lot of things." Mom went on when Grace scowled. "Yes, we talked about you."
A sinking feeling hit Grace's gut. "What did you tell him?"
"I told him what a bright and busy child you were and showed him the family albums. Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything you wouldn't want me to share."
Grace didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned. What was Damon's real motive for visiting her mom? Why was he making the effort to get to know her?
"He really likes you, Mija," Mom said again with emphasis. "Do you feel the same about him?"
Grace broke eye contact and looked down at her hands. "I don't know."
"Are you sure?" Mom covered Grace's hand with hers. "Or are you afraid to admit that you're in love with him?"
"I only just met him a few days ago. I'm not in love with him," Grace insisted.
"Yet," Mom added.
"Yet." The word came out as a whisper. "But I shouldn't let myself fall for him."
"Let yourself?" Mom chuckled. "It’s not always convenient when that someone special comes into our lives. Nor do we always have control over how our heart responds.”
Grace didn't respond. If she did, she'd have to admit her mom was right. How much she liked Damon.
"Why shouldn't you let yourself fall for Damon?"
"Because he's leaving in a little over a week."
"And you're worried about making a long-distance relationship work?"
Grace nodded, but that was only part of what held her back. The other part was fear of rejection.
"It will take work for sure, but there are plenty of couples who make long distance relationships work." Mom patted Grace's hand. "If you can stick with each other through deployment, you can weather anything together."
"What if...what if he doesn't want anything to do with me when he finds out..."