Page 51 of Over the Verdant Hills
“I wanted to do that before we took our boat ride tomorrow.” Josiah had rented a boat, and they were going to go out in it for a bit. She’d kept a careful eye on the weather, and it seemed like it would be a perfect summer day. Perfect for a boat ride. Perfect for a family to spend time together.
“I think that’s a good idea. Put those things in the past where they belong.”
“Yeah. Make sure I’m remembering it right. I sometimes think that maybe I changed what I think happened because I don’t want to take responsibility for anything that I did.”
“I’m sure Grace will set you straight.”
“I hope so.”
“She will,” Josiah said, and a hand lifted from the wheel and moved over to cover hers, which sat on the seat between them.
“I had a good time. Thank you.” He looked into her eyes, his hand covering hers, her heartbeat loud and fast in her chest as her breath seemed to catch in her throat, and her mouth went dry.
“It wouldn’t have been the same without you. Thank you.” She wanted to say more, wanted to say a lot more, but beyond Josiah’s head, she could see that Dan had run up to the window and was waiting for him to get out.
“Looks like Dan wants to talk to you.”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah,” she said, jumping out of the truck and breaking the spell. She needed to get in her car and leave. They’d barely left any time for her to drive to Strawberry Sands in order to meet Grace. In hindsight, maybe she shouldn’t have insisted on meeting her, but she wanted to get this behind her like she told Josiah. They were going out on the lake tomorrow, and she didn’t want any clouds—any dark clouds—hanging over their day.
Chapter Twenty-One
Grace was already seated at the table when Claire walked into the cute little diner. The special was fried chicken, and Claire had to smile as she read it. She signaled to the waitress that she was going to be sitting with Grace, and the waitress nodded and said, “I’ll bring a glass of iced water and get your drink order in a bit.”
She nodded and walked over, sliding into the booth on the opposite side of the table and saying, “Hey there. Sorry I’m a bit late.”
“No problem. I was early. On purpose. I guess you might remember that’s kind of how I am.” Grace grinned sheepishly, and Claire nodded. She remembered that her friend was always punctual and perfect. Although the thought used to send a little spike of jealousy buzzing through her, now it just made her smile. She loved her friend that way. And she didn’t want her to change.
“You look different. Better,” Grace said, sounding surprised.
“Yeah. I’ve gone through a lot the last 48 hours, but it’s all been good things, I think. And I’m hoping that today is a good thing too.”
“Same. That’s the whole reason we’re meeting. For me anyway. I wanted it to be good.”
“I was hoping you’d be willing to talk about the tragedy. I… I’m afraid that I am not remembering correctly, and I’m afraid… I’m afraid to even think about it or talk about it or bring it up at all. I think facing it will help me face my fear and make it so that I can see it for what it is.”
“I think a lot of times when we face our fears, we realize that they’re not as big as what we thought they were.”
“That’s my hope.”
“Hi, ladies. Here’s your water, and the coffee that you ordered. Would you like something else to drink to go with it?” the waitress asked.
They placed their drink orders, and both of them got the special of fried chicken. The waitress nodded, telling them it was a really good choice, especially if they were looking to take some home to give to a possible marriage prospect.
Grace winked and said she’d take a box to go, but Claire, although she was tempted, did not.
“I thought you said you and Trevor are already getting married?” Claire said when the waitress left.
“There’s nothing like a little extra insurance, right?” Grace said, laughing. “We decided that we were going to get married maybe in two weeks or so. And we’ll have a reception at the church. We’re finalizing the details, but I hope to see you at the reception.”
“I’ll be there. Unless something comes up. Life has been a little unpredictable lately.”
“I think you have every right to say that. But I think things will settle down. We go through stages in our life, right? Where it just seems like there’s turbulence everywhere we turn, and then we have smooth sailing for a while. I think God knows we need those rest periods in order to have enough strength to make it through the next turbulent time.”
“I like to know that, because sometimes I feel like I can’t handle any more, but… God’s been so good. So many lessons, so much stuff I’ve realized about the old me and how I don’t want the new me to be that way. Just…a lot, and it’s been mostly good, although it’s been a hard time, for sure.” She would never say that her grandma dying had been a good time necessarily. Or an easy time. But it had been a time full of good lessons.
“Anyway. I don’t want to take up all of your time. I know that whenwe talked, you said you only had a week with your kids. I’m sure you don’t want to be gone any longer than what you need to be.”
