Written in the Stars (25 page)

“That tiny little girl has had quite an impact on us all. She's the reason we're all in Cricket Creek, if you stop and think about it.” Grace cleared her throat. “Well, I'd better get going.”

“Okay...” Sophia nodded slowly. “I love you, sis. If you need to talk, be sure to call me, okay?”

“I will. And I love you too.” She squared her shoulders. “All right, then, here goes nothing,” she said, but she thought...
here goes
everything
.

Whatever Gets You Through the Night

A
S
SOON
AS
G
RACE
WALKED
INTO
TH
E TAPROOM,
M
ASON
took one look at her face and knew that something was terribly wrong. He tossed the dish towel down onto the bar and walked her way. “How did dinner with Sophia go?”

“Good. I'm proud of myself for refraining from ordering the turtle cheesecake,” she said lightly, but her smile seemed to be forced.

Mason had a flashback of feeding cheesecake to her, and he smiled back. “Good for you.”

“Why, thank you. We'll forget all about the three slices of pepperoni pizza.”

“I won't mention it. Hey, listen, I'm all done here. Want to head over to my place and share a nightcap? Listen to some music or watch a movie?”

“Actually, I need to have a chat with you about something.”

When she swallowed hard, Mason's heart thudded. “Okay. Should I sit down for this?” he asked, but he was pretty sure what was coming.

“Maybe.” She suddenly seemed even more distraught, and on the verge of tears. When there wasn't even a funny comeback, he knew for sure he was in trouble.

“All right.” Mason nodded and then took a seat on one of the barstools and waited for her to join him. “So what's on your mind?”

“Marco Cosmetics has been after me for weeks to develop a line of nail polish for Girl Code.”

Mason nodded. “You mentioned it,” he said, trying to remain calm.

She sucked in her bottom lip. “They sweetened the pot, and so I've decided to accept their offer.”

“You can do it from here, though, right?” Mason asked, but he suspected the answer.

“No.” She frowned and looked down at her hands rather than at him. “Not really. I have to meet with the design team, and it wouldn't be feasible, especially with the time difference.”

“So you're moving back to London?” Mason tried his best to sound casual, but his heart felt as if it was splitting in two.

“Yes, I have to, Mason.”

“You don't
have
to.”

She finally looked at him. “Okay, I need to.”

“No, you don't need to.”

“I...I want to, then.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mason...”

“And you can't even wait until after the grand opening?” Hurt slammed him hard in the gut. “Wow...”

“You don't need me here. Everything is all set up and ready to roll. I'll revert to the silent partner that you wanted in the first place.”

“Nothing I have now is what I wanted in the first place.” He paused for her to respond, but she gave him a slight shake of her head. “Everything might be all set up, Gracie. But you're dead wrong. I need you here.” He reached over and put his hand on top of hers. “And it has nothing to do with the brewery. But I won't ask you to stay.” He looked down at their hands and then into her eyes. “And I expect you to keep your promise.”

“That's what I'm doing. Keeping my promise.”

Mason dug deep for a smile, but he failed. “That doesn't mean that I like it.”

“I'll keep in contact, Mason. If there are any loose ends that need to be tied up or—”

“No, I've got this.” He glanced away and then slid his hand from hers.

“I'm sorry, Mason.”

“It's okay,” he said, but it wasn't even one bit okay. “I've been preparing myself for this day. I've seen that look in your eye recently, and I knew you'd eventually feel the need to move on. I just hoped...” He trailed off and shrugged. He wanted to say that he hoped that she loved him enough to stay, but that wouldn't be fair. “So when are you leaving?” He didn't even try to keep his voice light.

“Tomorrow.”

Mason couldn't speak, and so he nodded.

“I'm going to head over to Mattie and Garret's after I leave here.”

He nodded again. Every fiber in his being wanted to beg her to stay. “I love you, Gracie. And I'll miss you something fierce.” He stood up and slapped the dish towel over his shoulder. The urge to hug her had him fisting his hands at his sides. If he hugged her, he wouldn't be able to let go.

“I love you too, Mason.” Her eyes swam with tears. “I always will,” she said, but when she stepped closer, he backed away.

“Don't,” he pleaded softly, and when he saw regret flash in her eyes, he had a moment of hope, but then she nodded and turned around.

“I understand.”

Mason stood in the middle of the taproom and watched her walk out the door. He remained motionless for a long time, thinking that the aching emotion he was feeling could only be described as...despair.

A few minutes later, Danny walked in the front door. “Hey, was that Grace I saw driving down the road?”

“Yeah,” Mason said in a voice that sounded like a croak. “She's leaving, Danny.”

“Wait.” Danny shook his head. “You mean leaving, as in leaving Cricket Creek?”

“'Fraid so.”

“Why the hell aren't you stopping her?”

“Because I promised I wouldn't.”

“Well that was a dumb-­ass promise. Who cares? Do it anyway.”

“No.” Mason shook his head firmly. “I can't keep her here if she doesn't want to be. What good would that do in the long run?”

“Change her mind. I can't believe it. I have to admit that I'm kinda surprised.”

“Hey, she was up front from the beginning, and I did what you suggested and gave her a reason to stay. Apparently, loving her just isn't enough.”

“There has to be a way to work things out. Give her space and freedom but still have her in your life.”

“Danny, we're small-­town people. I want a wife, children, the whole nine yards at some point, and I'm not getting younger. I adore Gracie, but we want way different things out of life. I knew that all along, and now I have to let her go.” He shoved his fingers in his hair and sighed. “So I'm trying to decide whether to get shit-­faced or throw things...punch a hole in a wall?”

“Hey, I'm the wild brother who does shit like that. I've got a better idea.”

“Shoot.”

“How about doing some night fishing?”

Mason managed a small smile. “Now you're talkin'.”

“And if you want to get shit-­faced, we can do that later while we fry the mess of crappie we catch.”

“I'll hold you to that.” He wasn't able to smile again, but he was so glad to have his brother with him right now.

Danny reached over and squeezed Mason's shoulder. “I've got my money on Grace coming to her senses and ending up back here.”

“I can't even put that hope in my head.”

“Well, I just put it there for you. Now, let's get out on the river and head up to the lake. We've had enough rain to make it through the creek to some of the sweet spots.”

“Sounds like a plan. I'll button things up here and meet you at the marina.”

“Bring some beer.”

“I've got that covered. Having a brother who owns a brewery has its perks.”

“You can say that again.” Danny gave Mason a playful shove, but then pulled him in for a quick hug. “Hey, I'm here for ya—­you know that, right?”

“Absolutely. And you know I'll always have your back.”

“Good.” Danny gave him a nod. “See you in a few.”

Mason rolled his head back and forth, trying to get the knots of tension to ease. He remembered that he'd told Gracie that if she left, he'd survive. And he would. But it wasn't going to be easy. He knew that the best thing would be to keep busy. Luckily, he had plenty of work to do.

But first, he had to get through tonight.

The Look of Love

H
OLDING
LITTLE
L
ILY
WAS
ALMOST
G
R
ACE
'
S
UNDOING
.
She looked down at her niece's sweet cherub face and had to blink back tears. Grace started making noises in the silly baby-­talk voice that adults were compelled to use. “You're such a pretty girl,” Grace said, and melted when Lily smiled. “Yes, you are. Oh, yes, you are. Goo, goo, goo!” She looked over at Garret. “She's smiling at me!”

“She loves her aunt Grace.”

“Oh, Garret, she is just the sweetest thing.”

“Do you think I can have a turn with my daughter?” Garret asked, but Grace shook her head. “Come on, love, I've been at the studio all day long.”

“No way. I'm leaving tomorrow. I want to treasure every last second.”

“Then, don't leave,” Garret said gravely. “There, that was an easy solution. Anything else I can do for you?”

Grace pretended to ignore him and smiled when Lily put her tiny hand around her pinkie finger. “You are the best baby in the whole wide world. Wait, no, the entire universe. And I will miss you dearly.”

Mattie walked in from the kitchen and smiled over at Grace. “Well, you know that our door is always open.”

“She means that quite literally,” Garret said in a tone that usually would get a laugh from Grace. “People in Cricket Creek think that locks are a decoration meant for show.”

“I lock the door now that we have Lily.”

Garret rolled his eyes.

“Well, at least I try to remember to lock it. But, Grace, I'm serious.”

“Thank you, Mattie. I'll take you up on that.” Grace refused to give up Lily until she started fussing and rooting around to be fed. “Oh, can't help you there, sweet pea.” As she walked over to hand Lily to her mother, Grace felt emotion well up in her throat. “Here's your mum.” After gently lowering Lily to her mother's arms, Grace lifted her sleeve to her nose. “Oh, such a lovely sweet baby smell. They should make a baby-­scented candle.” She snapped her fingers. “Hey, I think I'll work on that one. When I miss Lily I'll burn the candle.”

“And miss her even more,” Garret pointed out.

Grace responded by swiping at a tear. “You are a heartless bloke, Garret Ruleman.”

“Just telling you the truth, Grace. Why can't you commute back and forth like Mattie and I are going to do? Keep a place here too?”

“It's not that simple, Garret. I just can't come and go as I please. I'll have work to do. I'll have to travel to do market testing with the new line of nail polish. This isn't easy.” What she left out was that as much as she could come and go with her family, she didn't see her traveling lifestyle blending with Mason's. It wouldn't be fair to him to have a girlfriend who needed to roam.

“Oh, Grace, we'll be in London in just a few months,” Mattie said. “I hate seeing that sad look on your face.”

“That seems ages away.” Her nearly three-­month stay in Cricket Creek had flown by in a flash, though. Time could be so weird that way.

“And we will all be staying at the Notting Hill flat, since Becca is renting out her house. By that time, Lily will be sitting up and rolling over,” Mattie said.

“I know,” Grace said glumly. “And of course I'll come back to visit family, especially with Mum having what she calls her ‘thing' with Jimmy.” Grace did air quotes. “I don't see her leaving until you head to London. Especially now that they are doing the fishing camp together.”

“Well, it's a serious thing, if you ask me,” Garret said, “and the fishing camp is brilliant. But I won't lie. I'm going to miss you. And Sophia when she leaves too.”

“Even though Sophia says she's going back to New York, I'm not so sure she'll pull that trigger. She really likes living here.”

“Well, I've never seen Mum this happy,” Garret said with a crooked smile. “There's just something special about people from Cricket Creek.” He gave Mattie a cute wink.

“You're such a flirt,” Mattie said, and put a possessive hand on Garret's leg when he sat down on the sofa next to her.

“Only with you,” Garret said, and leaned over to give his wife a kiss.

“Well, yeah, or else!” Mattie raised her fist, but laughed. She looked over at Grace and said, “We get to start cereal next week! That means a better chance that Lily will sleep through the night.”

“And I get to help feed her,” Garret said with such joy that Grace had to laugh in spite of her somber mood. Her bad-­boy brother had finally settled down, and it suited him.

Grace smacked her hands on her knees and pushed up. “Well, I'd better get going. I promised Mum that I'd stop by, and I'm not looking forward to her giving me another round of reasons to stay.”

“You have one big reason,” Mattie said. While there wasn't any accusation in her voice, Grace still felt a stab of guilt.

“Mattie, I never meant to hurt Mason. He knew I'd leave at some point. I'm so sorry.”

Mattie tilted her head to the side. “I'm not placing blame, Grace. But Mason loves you dearly, and you can't do any better than him. He has a heart of gold.”

“Oh, believe me—­I know that, Mattie. This decision didn't come lightly to me, but I value his happiness too. He needs a woman by his side, and I'm not meant to stay put. It might not seem like it, but I'm doing the right thing by leaving.”

“I don't agree with you, but I understand your way of thinking.” She smiled softly and gave Garret a look of love. “But, hey, I didn't think this little country girl would have the courage to up and travel across the ocean to be with your brother, but what was in my heart was strong enough to overcome my fear. And now I love London and I enjoy traveling and seeing the world! As my daddy would say, where there's a will, there's a way. Just remember that, okay?”

Grace nodded.

“I love you like a sister, no matter what, so don't you fret. I just think that you and Mason belong together.”

“Mattie,” Garret said. “You promised not to do this, remember?”

Mattie glanced up at Garret. “I did not promise not to speak my mind. I promised not to cry,” she said, and sniffed. She shifted her gaze over to Grace. “You can change your mind, you know.”

“Mattie!” Garret said, but leaned over and kissed her. “You need to keep out of this, love.”

“Hey, I'm Southern. We meddle. It's a way of life. I'm sorry, Grace. I just can't help myself.”

“It's okay,” Grace said, and wondered if she'd lost her mind leaving this loving, wonderful family and quaint town. “Well, I'm going to whistle off.”

“I'll walk you out,” Garret said.

“Okay.” Grace paused to kiss Mattie on the cheek and run a fingertip down Lily's cheek. “Make sure you FaceTime me so I can see her smile.”

Mattie reached over and squeezed Grace's hand. “I will.”

Grace nodded and then stood there for another heartbreaking moment before finally turning and walking out the door.

When they were by her car, Grace gave Garret a hug, clinging a little bit longer than usual.

“Grace, are you okay?”

“No, not at all. Am I doing the right thing by leaving?”

“Only you can answer that. But, Grace, I have to say that there's nothing in this life that can replace the feeling of someone loving you beyond all reason. You know I'm a flawed piece of work. I feel so damned lucky to have Mattie in my life. I wouldn't trade her or having Lily for anything in the world. And you know what a selfish wanker I used to be. But I'd make the same mistakes all over again to end up right here and now. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, but we've always understood each other.” Grace put her hands on his cheeks. “You were confused there for a while and gave Mum some gray hair that she hates, but you were always an amazing brother. I love you dearly.” She kissed his cheek and then stepped back. “Wait. I can tell you're going to say something more. I can see it in your eyes.”

“Just think about what you really, truly want out of life. It took me a while, but when I figured it out, it was crystal clear.”

“I will.” Grace nodded briskly, knowing she had to leave before she simply could not. “See you in London soon.”

Garret hugged her again. “If not before. Now, get over to Mum's. She's been blowing up my phone.”

“Sorry, but you're going to have to put up with her grumbling after I leave.”

“You're going to owe me big-­time. Safe travels, love.”

“Thanks.” Grace nodded, but as she drove over to her mother's cabin, she knew that announcing her sudden departure wasn't going to go well. Just like Sophia, Garret, and surprisingly Mattie, her mum wasn't going to pull any punches or hold her tongue either. But Grace knew she had to stand firm. With that in mind, she braced herself and then knocked on the door of the cabin.

“Gracie!” Her mother's face lit up with a smile. “Come on in, darling.”

“Is Jimmy here?”

“He just left a little while ago,” she said, but then took another look at Grace and put one hand to her chest. “Oh, Gracie, please tell me you're not thinking of leaving.”

“I'm not thinking of leaving.”

“Oh, good.”

“I
am
leaving, Mum.”

“Now?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. I'm packing my things tonight and driving to Nashville tomorrow and taking the red-­eye to London.”

“This is sudden. Why now, before the grand opening?”

“Because the longer I stay, the more it isn't fair to Mason.”

“You're way past that part.”

“I've not been unfair. Honesty isn't unfair,” she insisted. So why did it feel that way?

“Really? I don't think you're being honest with yourself.” She gestured to the sofa. “How about a lovely glass of wine? And then we need to talk about this decision of yours.”

“Yes, and make it a generous pour.”

“Will do, coming right up,” she said, and hurried into the kitchen.

“Thank you,” Grace said as she took the large glass from her mother. After taking a sip she said, “Life sure isn't easy, is it?”

“Not in the least,” Becca said, and sat down in an overstuffed chair facing the sofa. “So tell me why you feel the sudden urge to flee.”

“I'm not fleeing. I'm going back to London, where I've lived for the past few years. I'm simply going home. And the offer to do the nail polish line was just too generous to pass up. Plus, you'll be back in a few months when Garret films
Sing for Me
. And this time we'll all be living at the flat. It will be fun.”

“Yes, your tone sounds utterly joyful.” Becca took a sip of wine. “So what brought this on? It had to be something. Did you and Mason have a row?”

“No.” She ran a fingertip over the rim of her glass. “I wish we had a fight, and then this wouldn't feel so horrid.”

“Then what happened, Gracie? Didn't you and Sophia go to dinner?”

“Yes.” Grace stared down into her red wine, playing with the stem of the delicate glass. “We ended up walking around up on Wedding Row.” She took a bracing sip of the wine. “And when Sophia and I stopped in front of a bridal boutique, there was this spectacular wedding gown in the window. A spotlight caught the beaded bodice, making it almost glow. The train was magnificent, and I felt this longing...followed by sheer panic.”

“Did Mason ask you to marry him?”

“No, but if I stay here, I know that he will at some point. He wants a family life, and I love him, but I don't have that in me,” she said, and patted her chest. “If I leave, he can move on and find someone right for him,” she continued, but picturing Mason with another woman made her throat constrict.

“And you'd be able to live with that knowledge? Come back here for family functions and see him with someone else?”

“I want him to be happy. He wants me to be happy. We made a promise to each other that he wouldn't ask me to stay, and I promised that when the time felt right, I would leave.”

“And does the time feel right, darling?”

“Yes, Mum. That doesn't mean that it isn't tearing me to pieces. Why doesn't anyone get that? This isn't a selfish move on my part. But it's the right one. And I don't want Mason to come running after me like a Hallmark movie. We've been realistic about the whole thing. And it makes me love him even more that he's not asking me to stay.”

“Oh, darling, but what if he would ask you?”

Grace closed her eyes, trying desperately to ward off tears. “I don't know if I'd have the willpower to deny him. That's why I have to go now, before it's too late. Don't you see? I'm terrified that in a few years I'll be miserable, and I don't want to put Mason through that.” She took a sip of wine. “Everything will be okay after I return to London. My life will go back to normal. My normal, anyway.”

“Do you seriously believe that?”

“I don't have a choice.”

“It took me a long time to figure it out, but there are always choices, darling. Remember that.”

Grace nodded. “I will,” she promised, but she thought that she wasn't choosing to leave Cricket Creek. She simply had to get back out there and continue to explore the world.