Page 147 of Fury

Alicia waved absently at me as she rushed towards her car and got in. In the seat next to her, Grace only stared straight ahead. She was numb. More tragedy for this woman. Always more tragedy.

Grace’s sister died the next day, and the club gathered for the funeral and burial at the town cemetery within the week. Alicia told me that Ruby had been a part of the club in the old days. She’d gotten over a drug addiction and went on to become a drug counselor, a wife and a mother to a young son. My heart ached for Ruby, for her boy who would grow up without her. So much inexplicable loss. Alicia mentioned Grace would stay in South Dakota now and help her brother-in-law raise him.

Within a few months, the gloom of this tragedy was unplugged by the good news that Grace was getting married. She was with Lock now, the Road Captain of the One-Eyed Jacks, an austerely handsome and quiet Native American. An unexpected second chance, a new bright future. What more could anyone want?

What more, indeed.

One cold winter afternoon, I walked a customer to the front door, when I saw Grace leaving Pepper’s Boot Shop down the street with a huge shopping bag in her hand, a wide grin splitting her face. Her light brown waves shook over her thick leather coat as she moved quickly into the Meager Grand Cafe. The need to talk to her overwhelmed me. I flipped the “Be right back” sign on the front door and locked up my store.

I found her settling into a small table in front of the big bay window of the cafe, a steaming mug of frothy coffee in front of her.

“Grace, hi.”

“Hey, Lenore, how are you?”

“Could I sit with you a sec?”

She sat up in the sofa. “Of course. Please.”

“I heard about your engagement to Lock, and I wanted to say congratulations.”

“Oh, thank you. We’re really excited. It’s happening fast, but when you know, you know.”

My breath hitched suddenly, a coil of emotion taking me by surprise. “Absolutely.”

Her head slanted a few degrees as she sipped her coffee. Had she heard the thickness in my voice?

I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what you have planned for a dress and all, but I’d love to make you something special for your wedding.”

“Lenore, that’s so sweet of you. You don’t have to—”

“Oh, I do. Please. I want to. I’d love to make your special day even more special.” I took in a quick breath and steadied myself. “I love that you’re getting your happily ever after. I really do.” I struggled to maintain a grin, but my wobbly lips gave me away.

“Yeah, me too. Me too.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I rolled my eyes, sniffing in air. “No. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” she whispered, placing her other hand over mine. “It does to me.”

A sense of calm came over me, looking in her eyes, feeling her strong grip on my hands. Grace Quillen was a good soul.

“I’m really happy for you, Grace. After everything you’ve been through, the little Alicia’s told me. We don’t even know each other really well, but I feel like we do.”

“Maybe one day you’ll tell me all about what you’ve been through. We think keeping it bottled up is a good thing in the beginning, that we’re in control as we’re picking ourselves up off the floor. But then one day you take a good hard look in the mirror, and you don’t recognize the person staring back at you.”

“No, you don’t,” I breathed. “But I’m used to her now.”

Grace let go of my hand and sat back in her cushioned seat. “You know, my sister was a very wise woman. Just before she died she told me to let go of the ghosts and get on with joy. It seemed impossible to me at the time. But she was right.”

“Hmm.” I averted my gaze and rubbed my fingertips along the edge of a napkin that lay on the table. “If you have a minute or ten, come by my store before you head home so I can take your measurements and you can tell me about your wedding dress. Since I heard the news, I’ve been drawing a corset in my head for you.”

She sat back and tugged her coat on once again. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to see what you have in mind. I’ll get a cardboard cup for my coffee.”

She wasn’t going to push me. She knew the signs all too well.

I created a corset for Grace in a super sheer cream colored tulle decorated with intricate floral embroidery. The barely there bra was a padded silk quarter cup, and the bones and waistband of the piece were bound with smooth silk.

Three weeks later, as Grace came down the aisle of the church in Meager, holding on to her father, a slight wobble to her walk on her high heels, her figure looked divine in the elegant, strapless, pleated, off-white wedding dress she had chosen. I was thrilled to be at the wedding and witness her and Lock’s happily ever after come true. Full circle.

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