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Chapter 27
Something was wrong. Lincoln sensed it like an animal scenting danger. For the past three days, Grace had shut herself off from him. Tension vibrated like live wires just beneath her skin. She avoided his gaze. She told him she was too busy with rehearsals to see him in the evenings.
He’d have thought he’d done something wrong, except she was also uncharacteristically sharp with her students. He caught her staring into space, frown lines bracketing her mouth and her forehead creased. She declined his invitation to dinner and forgot to pack dessert in her lunch. She refused to sing and play the ukulele, even when the kids begged her to.
After school on Friday, he caught her just as she was about to hurry to dress rehearsal. “What’s going on?”
“With what?” She tugged her arm from his grip. “Lincoln, I have to go. We’re opening next week.”
“Something happened, and I want to know what it is.”
“I’m just stressed out about the play and finals.” She stood on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss. “Happens every year. I’m going to be super busy this weekend.”
“What happened with the Todd Oliver situation? Where has he been?”
Grace picked up her book bag. “He’s been assigned to an independent study class with Erica. Even if he had come and talked to me, I wouldn’t have been able to help him figure out what to do. I’m sorry, but Todd is on his own now.”
She rushed off before he could stop her.
Lincoln shook his head. This wasn’t right. The Grace he knew and loved would never leave a student “on his own.” Even a student like Todd Oliver.
Whatever was going on, he didn’t like it. His contract was up, and he was leaving Bliss Cove the following week. He hadn’t told Grace yet, but whatever happened with Sam, Lincoln intended to come back to Bliss Cove at some point.
He didn’t want to end this relationship—even if she didn’t want to use the word, that’s exactly what it was—and he didn’t want to be away from her for too long. He wasn’t sure what he’d do when he came back or how they’d navigate his return to the Middle East, but he’d figure it out. He just wanted to be with her.
If she didn’t pull away from him completely.
He mentioned her attitude change to Ray as they were lifting weights at the gym on Saturday afternoon. The other man shrugged. “Leave her alone. She’ll talk when she wants to.”
“She hasn’t said anything to you?”
“Why would she?”
Lincoln sat up on the weight bench. “You’re her father.”
Ray sighed and grabbed a sweat towel. “Look, she’s never talked much about her problems. Whenever something was going on with her, she’d take a book and go up to the loft in the barn to read and think. Her grandmother and I left her alone. Sometimes Grace would disappear up there every day for a week or two. Eventually she’d work out whatever she needed to. Even if she didn’t say so, you could always tell.”
“Yeah, but you knew why something was wrong, didn’t you? Problems with a friend or teacher or whatever?”
“She’ll tell you when she’s ready.” Ray pushed to his feet. “Leave her alone and let her sit in the damned barn.”
“I don’t want to leave her alone.” Lincoln couldn’t prevent the sharp note in his voice. “Didn’t you ever want to help her? Fix her problems?Dosomething?”
Ray rubbed his jaw. “Listen to me. Just wait.”
Though Lincoln knew it might be a good idea to take the advice of a man who’d known Grace since she was born, everything else in him—his heart, his instincts, his feelings—resisted the idea ofwaiting.
After leaving Ray at his apartment, Lincoln stopped at Title Wave. Sam was at the counter and Jake was shelving books from a cart. Somewhat to Lincoln’s surprise, one of the front tables had a display of his books, with numerous copies ofTruthstacked in a pile.
“People have been asking for it since they heard Jake is doing the movie,” Sam said, as if he’d had no choice in the matter. “Shooting the movie here is going to do a lot for the local economy.”
Lincoln studied a copy of the book, which his publisher had told him would have a new movie tie-in cover next year.
“Do you know what your next book will be about?” Jake asked.
Lincoln shook his head. “I’d better figure it out soon. Deadline is in seven months. My agent wants me to write something semi-autobiographical. She thinks it would be a good connection back toTruth.”
“You don’t need to go back toTruth.” Jake pulled a few books from the cart. “But you could keep going.”
