Mended Hearts (New Beginnings Series) (25 page)

His attention was drawn to the stage, as a familiar
song intro suddenly came through the speakers . . . Gracie started singing,
“Well, I heard some people talkin’ just the other day, and they said you were gonna put me on a shelf . . .”
The Eagles’
Already Gone
must’ve been a big favorite with the Savannah’s crowd, because a cheer went up and the dance floor filled up immediately. She laughed as the crowd chanted out the
“Ooh, ooh, ooh . . . Bye-bye”
parts with her—some of the rowdy kids at the back table, standing on their chairs, hollering them out with everyone else. She was having fun, Rob realized. He watched her step to the back of the stage to dance with the fiddle player—who was only singing backup on this song instead of playing—during the guitar solo parts. She looked young and cute in a short Indian-print halter dress and her black cowboy boots.

Rob guessed she’d miss this, but when they were back together she’d be so busy helping him rebuild their life, that she’d get over missing it quickly. She’d be fine once they started their lives
over. He was sure of it.

After that upbeat song, they slowed it down with The Wrecker’s
Tennessee
. He stayed and nursed his Coke until he thought the band might be winding down, then left to sit in his rental car in the parking lot to wait for her. Gracie and Sonny appeared about thirty minutes later and climbed into her car—Sonny driving. Rob followed them to her house and steeled himself to watch her take that jerk inside with her. But she didn’t. They sat out on the porch for awhile holding hands and talking quietly, then Sonny kissed her goodnight. After watching to make sure she was safely inside, he left in his truck.

Rob couldn’t believe it. He really expected the new boyfriend to go inside
and stay the night with her, but this was a stroke of good luck. He wouldn’t have to find a way to get rid of him. Rob reclined his car seat and settled in. He decided he wouldn’t risk her leaving early the next day and him missing her. This may be easier than he thought. Maybe his luck was changing. He closed his eyes to get a little sleep.

CHAPTER 18

Gracie parked her car behind Meg’s in her driveway. Kelli’s was already there, but she wasn’t in it. After Gracie and Meg slammed their car doors, Kelli came walking around from the back of the house.

“Hey!” Kelli had her jeans rolled up and her shoes in her hand. “I was just walking your beach.” She hugged both of the other women.

Meg said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. Church ran a little long.” Gracie had met Meg there for the early service.

“That’s okay. I love it here. I was just watching the gulls,” Kelli linked her arm through Gracie’s. “Ready for some fun? I picked up a few bride magazines on my way over.”

Gracie laughed. “Okay . . .
keep this in mind—this is not a traditional wedding. This is an informal beach wedding—very small and simple.”

“I know, I know! But we can still have fun.” Kelli insisted.
She jogged over to grab her tote bag full of magazines from her car.

“That’s right. Come on, Gracie . . . don’t be a buzz kill.” Meg unlocked the door and they all entered through the kitchen via the carport.

Meg went back to her bedroom and sent Gracie to the guest room so they could change out of their church clothes into something more comfortable. When they congregated back in the living room area, Kelli had spread the magazines out on the dining table. Meg started setting food out on the kitchen bar.

“Oh, Meg . . . you didn’t.” Gracie looked appalled. “You cooked. I thought we
were going to order in pizza. Isn’t that what we said?”

“
Well, I changed my mind. This is a girl party. How often do we get to do that? I’m so sick of pizza or chili on Sunday afternoons.” She sighed blissfully. “No football today.”

“Yeah, right, “ Kelli said. “You don’t mind the
guys hanging out here for football. Admit it.”

“I admit it. But it’s nice to have a house full of girls on a Sunday for once instead of a bunch of guys.”
She started uncovering a bowl of fruit salad, a cold quiche and a basketful of croissants with fruity cheese cream spreads. Next came a large pitcher of orange juice.

“This is beautiful. Thank you!” Gracie was touched that she had gone to the trouble.

“Wait . . . the best part is . . .” Meg paused for dramatic effect, then pulled out a bottle of champagne. “Mimosas!”

“Oh, no . . . please . . . I had too much of that Friday night,” Gracie whined.

“We’ll make really weak mimosas,” Meg coaxed. “This is a celebration. Right, Kelli?”

Kelli pulled champagne glasses out of
their slots in the wine rack. “It sure is!” She looked pointedly at Meg. “But, really . . . let’s keep the mimosas weak. We had a late night last night,” she rolled her eyes.

The girls filled their plates with Meg’s elegant food and gathered around the dining table.

“Did the guys get an early start on their fishing trip?” Kelli asked.

“
I seem to remember Trace kissing me goodbye around five-thirty. But I don’t think I was fully awake so I may have dreamt it.” Meg chuckled.

“I guess Luca texted me at six saying they were boarding the boat. I can only assume that means all four of them showed up on time
,” Gracie said.

After they got their fill of the food and mimosas, they cleaned up the kitchen and got down to business.
They talked food, flowers, and music—which would be acoustic and provided by some of the members of Sugar Creek. Then they talked about dresses, planning to go out the following Saturday morning to shop for them. Gracie fretted a bit about putting too much work on Meg, but she was diving right in anyway—willing to do so much more than Gracie was willing to ask her to do.

Meg reached over and grabbed Gracie’s hand. “Gracie . . . you don’t understand how much we love Sonny. He’s been there for us in every way. Even during some rocky times between me and Trace. Sonny’s been a rock. He’s never not been there when we needed him.” Her eyes welled up a bit. “I honestly don’t know if Trace—or any of the other guys—would be here right now if not for him. I don’t know the details of that mission . . . just that it went to hell, and Sonny’s the reason they all got out of there. And he was hurt seriously in the process—with no regrets. We can’t do
enough
for Sonny.” She smiled softly at Gracie. “And now he loves you. And because he does . . . and because we see how good you’ve been to him—and are for him . . . we love you and can’t do enough for you, either.”

“Stop it.” Gracie brushed at her own tears. “No crying!” She leaned over and hugged Meg.
“I love both of you too. How did I survive without friends like you?” She thought about how she’d never had really close girlfriends because Rob had always commanded so much of her time. Why had she allowed that to happen? She flapped her hands. “Okay, enough of that. What’s next after dresses?”

Kelli
and Meg laughed and starting flipping through the wedding planning notebook Kelli had brought with the magazines.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Rob was getting sick of sitting in that cramped rental car. It was a good thing he’d stayed outside Gracie’s house all night, because she left pretty early Sunday morning and drove to a large church with a steeply pitched roof. The sign out front read “Bayside Christian Church.” He parked a couple of rows from her Mustang and felt confident she would be inside for quite awhile. He walked a block away to a coffee shop for a caffeine fix and some breakfast and was back in his car a full thirty minutes before she came out and drove off the lot.

He was surprised when she headed the opposite direction from her place. They drove toward the beach and ended up at a small beach house, Gracie pulling in behind another woman who had left the church ahead of
her. He stopped up the road a ways and watched. It was one of those SEAL wives, he realized. Neither her husband nor Sonny was anywhere in sight. Just then the little honey blonde woman he’d seen at the birthday party and at Savannah’s the night before came walking around the corner of the house. Maybe it was her place. But no, that SEAL wife unlocked the door so it must have been hers.

He’d been sitting there waiting for Gracie to leave
the house for two hours. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. How long would she stay? He finally decided to head back to her apartment and see if he could get into it from that side door without being seen. He could just hide inside. She had to come home eventually, and he was tired of just following her around. He started up the car and turned it in the direction of the apartment house.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sonny and the guys were having a great day out on the water. It was a little cool, but the company was good, the crew accommodating, and the cooler full of beer. What more could a guy ask for? Well . . . Sonny
did
miss Gracie, but he’d never admit it to the other guys. They’d never let him hear the end of it. Trace would understand, of course, but
he’d
never admit that either.

They’d caught a few marlin
—nothing really impressive. But that wasn’t the point. The point was male bonding. Sonny had missed Trace and Charley. They’d almost been inseparable ever since BUD/S. That had changed a little since Meg came into Trace’s life, but only because Sonny and Charley were careful to give them enough privacy. Meg had always been welcoming to them both and they treated her like one of the guys—albeit a sweet, beautiful, graceful one. It seemed to amuse her for them to treat her that way, because she was such a girly-girl.

Mathias seemed to fit right in with Trace and Charley. Sonny watched the three of them laughing over something on the other side of the boat. He didn’t remember ever feeling this content. These three men were the closest friends he’d had in his life. The
y were the brothers he’d never had, really. It was nice to finally have them all together.

The satisfaction
in knowing that the love of his life was a couple of hours east of here, waiting for him, filled him up. She’d be his forever—his wife in less than three weeks’ time. The uncertainty of his future in the Navy didn’t even bother him anymore. His life felt stable anyway.

Charley glanced over at him. “Dude . . . you’re not doing something lame . . . contemplating life or something . . . are you? This is no time to get deep. Just bring us some beers. Okay?”

Sonny laughed and bent over to pull three bottles out of the cooler, then joined them on the other side of the boat. He jumped seamlessly into their trash talk.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Gracie parked in front of her apartment house, Kelli pulling up behind her. “This is great, Kelli. I haven’t had a sleep over in . . . I don’t know how long,” she laughed.

“It’ll be fun.”
Kelli grabbed a shopping bag out of her car as Gracie grabbed another one from hers. They’d stopped by the neighborhood grocery on the way home for sleep over supplies. “But if Sonny shows up I’m out of here.”

“I don’t think he will. If he does, he won’t stay long,” Gracie
assured her.

“
Whatever you say,” Kelli said doubtfully.

Gracie looked insulted.
“I’m not
that
girl. You know, the one who ditches you for her boyfriend?”

Kelli nodded. “Yeah. I always hated that girl. Then, after the boyfriend ditches
her
, she wants you to drop everything so she can cry on your shoulder.”

“I know! Right?” Gracie giggled. “Besides,
my
boyfriend is chill. He’d never ask me to ditch my friend for him.”

Kelli giggled too. “I know. He’s
wicked awesome. Does he have a brother?”

They were making their way down the hall toward Gracie’s apartment. She stopped to unlock the door and they pushed their way inside, chattering and laughing.
They dropped their junk food, sodas and rented DVDs on the tiny dining table and kicked off their shoes to get the party started.

“Let’s go get our jammies on. I have something you can borrow.” Gracie moved toward the beads curtaining off her bedroom nook.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Rob
hadn’t had any trouble getting through the side door. He’d poked around her tiny apartment for awhile, but that didn’t take long. He’d noticed a bouquet of bright flowers on the coffee table, remembering that Gracie had planted some just like them in pots on their townhouse patio. He’d opened her laptop and booted it up, but couldn’t figure out her password so wasn’t able to log on. After a few minutes her screen saver appeared—a slideshow of photos of her and the boyfriend. That pissed Rob off and he’d slammed it shut. When it started to get dark, he’d moved into place—hiding in the bedroom—so he wouldn’t have to turn on any lights to find a spot later. Just as he was considering changing places to the bathtub, behind the shower curtain, he heard her key in the lock. She was finally home.

What he didn’t expect was that she’d bring someone home with her. It was another female voice, both of them giggling over something. His biggest fear was that the boyfriend would show up.
He never even considered
this
. He tried to think fast. What should he do? He just had to carry it through. He’d deal with the other girl somehow.