From this moment, p.3
From This Moment, page 3
“Well, he is older than we’d like.”
“By a whole four years.” Finding the denim jacket she wanted, Grace turned as she jammed her arms through the openings. “Which might mean something if he were eighteen and I was fourteen. But we’re not. We’re both legally adults, so four years is nothing. And may I remind you,” Grace said, rolling over her mother’s protests, “your husband-my father-is nearly nine years older than you. And you got married at my age.” She watched as her mother quieted her objections, then as the older woman’s face went sheet white.
“You,” Alice began hesitantly, “you’re not already thinking of marrying this man?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Grace muttered. “No, Mama. I barely know the man. We’re going out, with a group of his friends, to a cookout at the lake. That’s all.”
“Okay.” Her mother’s sigh of relief was obvious.
“Besides.” Picking up her crossbody bag, Grace dropped her lipstick inside it before draping it over her shoulder. “I don’t even know if I ever want to get married.”
“You don’t want to get married?” Alice’s hand went to her heart with an appalled gasp. “But why not?”
“Mama.” Grace struggled for patience. “Not thirty seconds ago you were worried I was going to marry Ray and now you’re wondering why I don’t want to get married. You can’t have it both ways.” Looking at the clock on her nightstand, Grace started for the door. “I have to go. I think Ray’s been left with Daddy long enough.”
Downstairs, Ray was going through his own form of interrogation.
“So,” Jack started as he settled into his recliner, “you’re a firefighter.”
“Yes, sir.” Nodding, Ray stayed perched on the edge of the overstuffed chair opposite the older man. “I graduated from the fire academy last and am full-time with the Gatlinburg FD.”
“Hmm,” Jack grunted. “Dangerous job, ain’t it?”
“It can be.”
“Lot easier when you don’t have somebody worrying themselves over your safety, wouldn’t you say?”
“I would if it were true.” Got your number, old man, Ray thought. He’d be damned if he let Grace’s father use his profession to keep Ray from dating his daughter. “But I have my dad and my mama, my grandparents, siblings. They all worry, but they know the risks. My dad is still with the department.”
“So your daddy got you in, huh?”
“No, sir.” Even though he knew the older man was needling him, Ray couldn’t help but bristle at the accusation. “I worked hard to make it through the academy, to get on at a respectable firehouse. I actually had my pick of where to go but chose Gatlinburg FD because it’s a good house, a good crew.” He paused, waited for another remark. When one didn’t come, Ray continued. “Mr. Burgess, I get the sense you don’t want me dating your daughter.”
“You’d be correct.”
“I don’t know what your reasoning is and, not to be rude, but I don’t much care.” At Jack’s stunned stare, Ray shrugged. “It’s true, you don’t know me. Yes, I’m slightly older than you’d care for, but I’m a hard-working, honest man. I have a decent, if somewhat dangerous, job. And most importantly, I treat any woman in my life with care and respect. That includes your daughter.”
Before Jack could reply, a sound caught Ray’s attention, had him coming to his feet. Grace was coming downstairs a few steps ahead of her mother and from the look on the younger woman’s face, she’d had her own conversation with a concerned parent.
“Hi, Ray.” A little breathless from her quick jaunt down the stairs, Grace stopped and gave him a somewhat strained smile. “Um, this is my mother, Alice. Mom, Ray Bedford.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ray held out a hand, gave hers a quick squeeze before releasing it.
“We should get going,” Grace said quickly, looking at Ray. “We’re supposed to help set up, right?”
“Right.” Without missing a beat, Ray played along. He understood she was making a play to get out of the house quickly and with as little fuss as possible. He rounded the couch, laid a hand on the small of Grace’s back. “It was nice meeting you both.”
“Have her home by nine.” This was from her father, who still sat, scowling, in his recliner.
“Daddy,” Grace hissed. To her parents in general, she said, “It’ll probably be late when I get home, so I’ll see you in the morning. Love you.”
Without waiting for a reply, or even a reaction, from her parents, Grace made for the front door with Ray on her heels. She didn’t let out so much as a sigh of relief but more of a muted scream of frustration the moment they were in Ray’s truck.
“Feel better?” Ray chuckled as he pushed the key into the ignition.
“Not even a little.” Turning her annoyed face to meet his amused one, she gave a little growl in the back of her throat. “They make me crazy.”
“They just worry about you.” Ray fired up the truck, put it in gear. “Nice play, though. Letting them think we had to go set up.”
“Yeah, well. My mother’s hosted plenty of barbeques and dinner parties, so I knew her sense of southern hospitality and manners would give us the opening we needed to leave.”
As soon as the truck was in motion, Ray could feel Grace start to relax. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the tension leave her body as she unclenched her hands, crossed her ankles, and draped an elbow along the door.
“There is something your dad brought up I want to ask you about.” Ray hesitated, not wanting her to tense up again, but it was a question that needed to be asked.
“Yeah?”
“There will, as he said, likely be drinking involved at this thing. I won’t be partaking, since I’m driving.” He took his eyes off the road long enough to glance in her direction. “If you want to, it’s fine. In fact, if I wasn’t driving, I probably would be, too. Not to excess, mind you, but I’d have a couple of beers.”
“I’m not much of a drinker. Occasionally, some wine. Maybe a beer if I’m at a campfire or something.”
“Okay.” Ray wasn’t sure why a wave of relief rolled over him. “Should we stop and make sure you have something you can drink? Like some soda?”
“They’ll probably have it there,” she replied with a laugh. “But thank you for offering.”
Silence settled between them, an awkward third wheel in the vehicle.
“So,” Ray began as he cleared his throat. “You graduated last year, right?”
“Yep. I am officially done with school.”
“No college?”
“I don’t think so. At least, not right now.”
“I bet your parents have opinions on that.”
“Oh, yeah,” she agreed with feeling. “Big opinions. In their eyes, I have one of two options in life now. One is to go to college-locally because heaven forbid I move away from home-or get married.”
“Those are your only options?”
“Feels like it.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life yet. There are so many possibilities. Places to see, things to do.”
“Sounds like you want to wander a bit.”
“Not all who wander are lost, you know.”
“I’ve heard that somewhere.” He aimed a crooked smirk in her direction before turning his attention back to the road. “So, you want to travel?”
“I’d love to get out of Tennessee and see something different. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mountains, but it would be nice to…” She waved her hand as she struggled to find the right words.
“Spread your wings?”
“As good a phrase as any.” Grace nodded. “See what it’s like to just be Grace.”
“Where would you go first?”
“I don’t know.” Ray heard her hum as she thought about it. “New York City is on my bucket list.”
“The Big Apple? Really?”
“This surprises you?”
“A little. But now that you’ve mentioned it, I can see you there.”
“You’ve been to New York?”
“Once, when I was a kid.” He paused as he navigated a tricky curve in the road. “We went up for a couple of days.”
“What was it like?”
“A lot of people. And I mean a lot. Tourist season here has nothing on New York City on any given day.” Back on a straightaway, Ray relaxed again and draped his wrist on the steering wheel, letting his hand hang over the top of it. “But there’s a ton of stuff to see and do.”
“Would you ever go back?”
“Sure.” He gave a quick shrug. “I’d probably appreciate it more now that I’m older. And there’s stuff I wouldn’t mind seeing. The Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island.” Another quick grin. “A New York City firehouse.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
“I have the same things on my list. Well, except the firehouse.” Another moment of silence stretched into two before Grace changed the subject. “So, tell me about the people throwing this party.”
“Well, it’s more of a bonfire than a party, if I’m being completely honest. And it’s not really any one person throwing it. The guys in the squad thought it would be fun to get together, and one of them rents a house out by the lake, so his place was designated party central. So to speak.”
“Wait, is it going to be all guys here tonight?” There was no mistaking the worried tone in Grace’s voice.
“What? No. Sorry,” he apologized. “Didn’t mean to make it sound that way. No, the guys are all bringing their girlfriends or wives. There will be a couple of singles-there always is-but for the most part it’ll be couples.”
“Oh.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.” Turning in her seat to look at him, she issued her own apology. “Sorry, it’s just… as a girl, you can’t be too careful. And the thought of spending an evening being the lone female among a group of guys is a little intimidating.”
“You don’t have to apologize.” His eyes were full of understanding as he turned his head to meet her gaze. “I have a sister and female cousins, so I understand completely.”
“Okay,” she said again, relaxing.
“I figured this bonfire, with all the people, would be a more comfortable first date for us. You know, no pressure, other people to talk to.”
“You turned the bonfire into a group date?”
“Just for us.” The grin, this time with faint dimples, reappeared. “Don’t tell anybody.”
“Who would I tell? I don’t know anybody at this thing.” She gave a quick laugh.
“That’s about to change.” He quirked an eyebrow before turning into a long gravel driveway. “Because we’re here.”
Even though the sun had yet to fully set, the crowd had already gathered for the bonfire when Grace slid down from the seat of the truck. She felt Ray’s hand on the small of her back as he guided her down the short trail to the small stretch of sandy beach where the rest of the group sat in various states of relaxation.
Grace was glad for Ray’s guiding hand. Not so much for the help in navigating the terrain-the trail itself was smooth and clear-but for the fact it helped to calm her jittering nerves. Meeting new people wasn’t exactly her idea of a fun time, but once she got comfortable she did okay.
Her nerves must’ve betrayed her because Ray stopped just out of earshot of the group to look down at her.
“They’re a good group of people,” he reassured her. “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about.”
“Is it obvious?” she asked.
“I can feel you trembling,” he admitted, running a hand down her arm. “But I think you’re going to like this group.”
“It’s not them, I just don’t do well with new people.”
“You’re shy?” He let out a short laugh. “Not buying it.”
“Not shy, just… socially awkward when meeting new people. Once I warm up to them, I’m fine.”
“Then you’ll be fine in no time because this is a friendly crowd.” Grace heard someone call Ray’s name, watched as he gave a quick wave to a guy in a trucker cap. “You ready?”
She nodded, felt the pressure of his hand at the small of her back once again. Taking a deep breath, she walked with him the rest of the way down the trail.
Grace didn’t have time to be nervous or awkward, because as soon as she and Ray approached the group, they were bombarded with greetings. She gave them a little wave when Ray introduced her to everyone.
“It’ll take me a minute to remember everyone’s name,” she confessed, “but thanks for having me here.”
“We’re glad to have you.” A stunning brunette approached her with a wide smile. “I’m Katrina Warner and my husband is Billy. He’s around here somewhere.” She turned, trying to seek out her husband. “Anyway, this is our place. I hope you’ll make yourself at home.” Katrina turned to gesture to where a tailgate had been turned into a makeshift counter. “There’s plenty to eat. I swear, I think Billy bought up half the grocery store. At last check, we had hot dogs, six different kinds of chips, the makings for s’mores.” Another sweep of the arm at another tailgate showed what basically amounted to a bar. “We have water and soda if you’re not up for the alcohol.”
“Wow.” Grace took in the scene, told herself to relax. “You guys have quite the setup.”
“We’ve done this a time or two before,” Katrina responded with a sassy wink. “I think we have pretty much down to a science at this point.” She finally stopped her chatter and noticed how Grace stood, stiff as a pole, at her side. “You okay, honey?”
“Just a little overwhelmed is all.” Grace gave a half-hearted shrug. “Takes me a bit to loosen up when I meet new people.”
“Well, you’ll loosen up in no time, I assure you. This crowd’ll see to it.” When her name was called, Katrina looked around and saw her husband waving her over with an urgent expression on his face. “Oh, Lord help me. What’s he done now?” With a pat on the shoulder and an assurance she’d check in later, Katrina was off to see what needed to be attended to.
“Hey.”
Grace looked up to see Ray had come to stand by her side, a bottle of water in each hand. Handing her one, he sipped from his own.
“I see you met Katrina.”
“Yeah. She’s nice. Just a little…”
“Overwhelming?” Ray laughed before taking another drink. “Yeah, she’s a whirlwind. But in the best kind of way.”
“What do you mean?”
“She is full of bottomless energy, true. But she looks out for us guys. Billy, her husband? He’s part of my squad so we work most of the same shifts together. She’s constantly sending him to work with cookies or snacks for all of us guys, dropping in to check on us.” His eyes focused on his buddy and his spitfire of a wife. “When Moe’s wife died in a car accident, Katrina was one of the first people at his side. He didn’t have any family, other than his wife, and Katrina knew he’d be alone.” Shaking his head at the memory, Ray’s voice went quiet. “She made sure he had food in the house, someone to talk to when he needed it. Hell, I’m pretty sure she helped him plan the funeral.”
“She sounds like a good friend.”
“A great friend.” In an absent gesture, he put his hand to the small of Grace’s back and led her around the fire to a couple of coolers that were standing in as seating. Once they were settled, Ray picked up his story again. “Moe told me once how he didn’t know if he’d have made it through without Katrina there to help him. And Billy, too. I guess you could say he’s the calm to the whirlwind of Katrina.”
“Are all the guys in the squad this close?”
“Some more than others. When you spend as much time together as we do, not to mention trusting each other with our lives, it’s hard not to be close.”
Before Grace could answer, more people came over to say hello, make their introductions, and jokingly give Ray a hard time. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep everyone’s names straight in one evening, so she just smiled as the conversations carried on around her.
“It’s a lot to take in, huh?” Grace turned to see a pretty blonde girl plunk herself down on the sand beside her cooler.
“I’m sorry?”
“This crowd. It’s a lot.” With a toothy grin, the blonde used her beer bottle to gesture around her. “I was where you’re sitting not too long ago. I came to one of these get-togethers about…” She stopped as she thought back. “Two months ago? Sounds right.” She shrugged before pointing to a handsome man pulling a guitar from its case. “David brought me and I was a nervous wreck, meeting all these people he spent so much time with. Now it’s no big deal.” She giggled before holding out a hand. “I’m Amanda, by the way.”
“Grace.”
“Nice to meet ya.” Drawing her knees up, Amanda wrapped her arms around them as she pinned Grace down with her chocolate brown eyes. “So, besides dating cute firemen, what do you like to do?”
Momentarily stunned by the blunt question, Grace simply blinked before letting out a laugh. As she answered Amanda’s rapid-fire questions, she felt herself begin to relax and enjoy herself.
David, sitting across the fire from them, began to quietly strum his guitar while people talked over the music. Soon, another guy joined in with his own guitar and another, surprisingly, joined in with a fiddle. Before long, the trio was playing some popular country ballads. Grace watched and listened as Katrina began to sing the lyrics from where she sat, butt in the sand and nestled back between her husband’s knees.
“She has a wonderful voice,” Grace murmured to Ray and felt, more than saw, him nod his agreement.
One song stretched to two, then three. Couples danced to the love song, swaying along at the edges of the firelight. As the music progressed, it became more lively, with onlookers whooping and clapping out the beat.
“Come on,” Ray encouraged as he stood, “let’s take a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Yeah. We’ll stick to the shoreline.” He held out a hand, waiting as Grace took it and got to her feet. “We’ve been surrounded since we got here and I want a few minutes with just you.”
