Page 62 of First Love, Second Draft

“I don’t think Ace is the type to just move on.” Matt pushed away his plate of pancakes. “I’m worried about her. I’m really worried about her.”

“Remind me again who Rachel is,” Abe said.

“An old friend from high school. She moved back a few weeks ago. Now she’s a temporary nurse on my grandpa’s dialysis unit.”

Abe stopped scrubbing his tie. Lifted his gaze to Matt. “Oh, wait.Yeah. I heard about her. The dunk tank incident. Lizzy was telling me how she was the one Aimee caught you fooling around with on the shelter floor.”

“It wasn’t what it looked like,” Matt said.

“Where have I heard that one before?” Abe’s glance slid to Noah.

“It wasn’t,” both Noah and Matt said at the same time.

“Hey, what the two of you do behind closed doors is your own business. Think that looks clean?” Abe lifted his tie.

“Sure,” Noah said. “Other than the giant gravy stain in the middle.”

Abe scowled and jerked off his tie. Shoved it in his pocket. “Who wears ties anymore anyway?”

“Can we get back to Rachel?” Matt said. “I want to keep her safe. But I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you thought about asking Luke for help?” Abe asked. “Aw c’mon man,” he said after Noah picked up a chunk of hash browns covered in ketchup and threw it on his white button-down shirt. “Was that really necessary?”

“Sometimes I wonder who has a bigger crush on that man, Lizzy or you?”

Abe dunked his napkin in his water glass and started dabbing his shirt. “I’m just saying he seems like the type of guy who knows how to handle beer and scary men. What’s wrong with that?”

“Is this because you’ve gotten to know Luke or are you still basing everything you know about him off whatever Western series you’re watching this week?”

“Definitely the latter. Now I’m picturing Luke more like Tommy Lee Jones’s character fromLonesome Dove.”

“Woodrow F. Call? You know, I can kind of see that,” Matt said. “Commanding presence. Tight-lipped about his past.”

“Oh, would you two knock it off?” Noah growled. “You guys can’t see anything.” Especially when it came to Luke. “Listen, Matt, you want some advice about what to do with Rachel? Tell her you love her, ask her to marry you, then promise to do whatever it takes to keep hersafe and cherished for the rest of her life. That’s what you do. Now let’s finish our breakfast so I can get back to doing what I need to do.”

Mainly, keeping Gracie’s thoughts far away from the likes of anybody resembling Woodrow Call. Besides, he probably resembled this Woodrow Call character more than Luke did. Especially if the tight-lipped part was true.

He set his fork down, his appetite suddenly gone. Maybe he should’ve thought through this whole memoir idea a little better.

36

“Chattanooga?” Gracie squinted at Noah’s handwriting. “Why does this say Chattanooga?” Noah never lived in Chattanooga. Did he? She didn’t think so.

“Noah, did you ever live in—oh forget it.” She tossed aside her reading glasses. Two days into this memoir project and it was going nowhere. Fast. On the “Chattanooga Choo Choo”.

She pursed her lips, beginning to whistle the old Glenn Miller classic when a text chimed through on her phone.

Simone:Making good progress?

Gracie stopped whistling. Good progress? Well, let’s see. Yesterday after getting back from breakfast, Noah, with Matt’s help, moved her special writing desk back to the spare bedroom on the second floor, then decided two questions into his memoir that he should take advantage of the nice weather and clean up some of the brush along the property. Then today, after scribbling down some indecipherable notes, Noah decided he should take advantage of the ongoing nice weather to burn the pile of brush, branches, and leaves he’d gathered up yesterday.

So...Yep! Making good progress!Her property looked better than it had in years.

Simone:Glad Noah’s giving you material to work with. He’s gotthat reputation for never wanting to give interviews, so I was a little worried. Sounds like you two are working well together. Imagine that!

Yeah, imagine that. Gracie glanced to the scrap paper covered in Noah’s scrawl.

After their scant progress yesterday—jeez Louise, Gracie, I feel like I’m getting interrogated on some Dateline special—Gracie thought it might be easier for him to jot down notes about the key moments of his life. Something to help her at least start putting together an outline.

---