Page 23 of Below the Far Horizon
Her mom sat and listened for a little bit, and then a big smile appeared on her face. “I’d love to. That would be wonderful. No, I know that Grace would be on board with that too. Would you like us to make dessert?”
There were a few more minutes of typical conversation, and then Gita hung up.
“I hope it’s okay if Donnie and Trevor come over for dinner tonight? I told him we’d make dessert.” She gave an apologetic smile. “That basically means you’ll be making dessert. Although, I’m allowed to stand up for thirty minutes at a time, and I’m pretty sure I can have a dessert whipped up in that amount of time.”
“I can make something.” Grace tried to keep her voice even. She hadn’t gotten a chance to say anything to Trevor. Now she wished she would have called last night after she went to her room. The thing was,her mom had always had really great hearing. No matter how low she kept her voice, it seemed like her mom could always hear when she was on the phone when she wasn’t supposed to be.
Of course, now that she was an adult, she could talk on the phone whenever she wanted to. She just didn’t want to bring any attention to herself or have her mom know that she was talking to Trevor, trying to figure out what was going on with her mom and Don.
“That would be wonderful. Will you be able to deliver your craft and still get that done?”
Grace looked at the clock. It was still well before noon. “Sure. I’ll have plenty of time. Even if I have to go to the store and grab some ingredients.”
“I have really been having a hankering for chocolate cake. I wonder how Donnie feels about cake?” Before she could answer, her mom picked up her phone and started texting.
It wasn’t even a minute later before she looked up with a big smile. “Donnie loves chocolate cake.”
“I can make a Texas sheet cake then,” she said.
“If you do that, you have to go get cocoa. I recall using the last of it the last time I made brownies.” Her mother sighed. “That was my little treat before I went to the hospital to have my hip done.”
“That’s a pretty good treat,” Grace said, laughing. She loved that her mom did little things like that. Even for herself. That she was always looking for things that made her smile, and if she couldn’t find them, she created them. Getting her hip replaced probably made her very nervous, but instead of focusing on how upset and anxious she was, she made herself brownies and considered that a happy thing.
“I should have time to run this to Mrs. Donegan, and then I’ll stop back in and check on you before I run to the store and grab cocoa. Is there anything else we need?” She hated to make such a long trip for just one item, but if they were going to have chocolate cake tonight, she didn’t have a choice.
“I’ll try to think of anything before you get back. I promise I won’t get out of my chair,” her mom added, since she knew that it was Grace’s job to be watching her.
“Thanks for doing that for me. It definitely eases my mind when I’m not here.”
“I know. It’s not my job to make your life harder. I’m trying to make it easier, and happy too.”
Grace blinked as she walked out of the room, taking the craft with her. It was her job to make it easier, and happy too? There seemed to be something in her mom’s words that just didn’t quite add up. Not in a bad way, just…like her mom had a subliminal message. Which was ridiculous. Her mom had no guile at all, and she certainly wasn’t trying to do subliminal messaging.
Grace changed out of her ratty old T-shirt and put a happy spring top on, pairing it with a pair of capris and flip-flops. She looked suitably presentable to visit Mrs. Donegan and also go to the grocery store. But she didn’t look so dressy that she would make anyone feel uncomfortable.
It was a beautiful day to walk, and Mrs. Donegan lived on a small farm, in a huge old farmhouse just a quarter mile off Main Street in Raspberry Ridge. Since it was so nice, and since her mom was doing so well, Grace figured that she could walk.
Plus, she wanted a little bit of time to process, since Mrs. Donegan was Claire’s grandmother, and every time Grace thought about Claire, she felt guilty, although she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like she and Trevor were in any kind of relationship now. It was just the idea that she had been accused of something that she didn’t feel like she deserved to have the guilt pinned on her for.
If she had done something, she could admit it, apologize, get past it.
But to be accused of something she didn’t do, and to feel like people didn’t believe her when she proclaimed her innocence, made her just want to accept the fact that everyone was going to believe that she had done it, no matter what she said.
That didn’t sit very well with her either.
She passed the farm where Becky and Rodney had recently settled.
Becky was out in the corral working with her horses, the twins she and Rodney had adopted after her sister passed away in a double stroller nearby, and Grace waved as she walked by.
Becky waved back and then put a protective hand on her stomach,almost as though… Wouldn’t that be sweet? Their town could use new babies and the joy and life they brought. Particularly at church. Grace hadn’t been there for very long and had only managed to go to one mid-week service, but babies at church always made everything more interesting and encouraged the current parishioners that there would be a next generation following in their footsteps.
She was old enough now to look back at babies and see that next generation.
It was an odd feeling and an even odder thought. She was deep in contemplation when she realized that someone was calling her name.
She could see the farmhouse up ahead, but the man’s voice came from behind her.
She turned and saw Trevor walking behind her.
