AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Lincoln fixed it a while ago.” A dull ache throbbed under her heart. She picked up the key he’d left and extended it to her father. “Here, you should have a spare key to my place, just in case. Did you have a chance to say goodbye to Lincoln?”
“We had a beer a couple nights ago.” Ray pushed the key into his pocket. “Good guy, if you can get past the fancy author crap.”
“Oh, please. Bee told me you checked out all of Lincoln’s other books after you readTruth.”
He tsked. “Aren’t library records supposed to be confidential?”
“Your card is connected to my account.”
Ray made another noise of irritation before taking two plates out of the cupboard. “Get us a couple of forks and a knife, would you?”
Grace opened a drawer and took out two forks. “What did you…”
Her voice faded as Ray placed a large pie, topped with a glossy, golden-brown crust, on the table.
“Don’t just stand there.” He took the knife from her and began slicing the pie. “Gotta eat it while it’s warm. Pour us some milk.”
Grace hurried to pour two glasses of milk. She sat across from her father as he served them each a sizeable slice of rhubarb pie.
“Did you get this from Lou’s Diner?” She almost couldn’t get the question out past the ridiculous emotion squeezing her throat.
“I didn’tbuyit.” He looked offended. “Imadeit.”
“You know Gram’s pie recipe? Did she write it down?”
“I’ve known it since I was ten years old.” He tapped his temple. “Written up here. I’ll show you how to make it one day.”
“I’d like that.” Blinking back another wash of tears, Grace took a bite of the sweet, tart pie. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”
Ray cleared his throat. “I also wanted to…uh, I guess I’ve never told you how proud I am of you. I am, just so you know. You keep my heart strong.”
Well, that was it. Grace grabbed a napkin as her tears spilled over again. “Thanks, Dad.”
“But, really.” He shoveled a forkful of pie into his mouth. “You gotta stop babysitting me.”
She laughed. “Done.”
They clinked their milk glasses together in a toast of agreement.
* * *
In her “Things That Are Going Right” column, Grace put the first weekend ofA Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opening night and the Sunday matinee were both sold out, and the students were elated. They had two more performances next weekend, and the tickets all sold after Brooke’s glowing report inThe Gazette.
Though the success mitigated Grace’s lingering despair, she stuck close to her classroom and the auditorium the following week. She avoided the teacher’s lounge and she steered clear of the main office. She didn’t want to run into Spruce until she had a battle strategy in place.
On Wednesday, as she was packing up her belongings after school, she caught sight of two students hovering by the open door. She hadn’t seen Todd Oliver in well over a week.
Slowly, she summoned every ounce of teacher composure she could manage. “May I help you?”
Todd and Katie exchanged glances. The girl was pale and wide-eyed, her hands clenched around the straps of her book bag. Todd pushed his messy hair away from his face and cleared his throat.
“Uh, can we talk to you for a sec?”
“Yes.” Grace gestured to the student desks.
Though she was wary of talking to either student, she was somewhat comforted by the fact that they were both here. She’d never want to speak to Todd alone—not because she was scared of him, but because she had no idea what he would say about their interaction. At least Katie was something of a buffer.
After they sat, she pulled out a chair opposite them. “What would you like to talk about?”
