Thirty

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height



To lift her spirits, Grace took a hot shower. She spent time on her makeup and getting dressed. She chose faded jeans, a gray sweatshirt with an orange turtleneck underneath and orange socks with black and gray running shoes. Before going downstairs, she sprayed a mist of her favorite perfume, Ysatis, into the air and walked through it, letting it cling to her with its rich, exotic fragrance.

Now with her outlook buoyed, Grace headed for the kitchen to make cupcakes for Jessie's class Halloween party that afternoon. She had given up pursuing her love of cooking years ago. With her busy work schedule, she found it easier to opt for coffee houses, food trucks, and restaurants. She was surprised to find how easily she adapted back to the things she had once loved but had discarded for a faster, pressure-packed lifestyle. This was where she belonged. She knew it without reservation, and that made her happy. Using two boxes of chocolate cake mix she had 48 cupcakes cooling on the counter when Michael came in from the yard.

"Hey there gorgeous," he said as he strolled over and gave her a long sensual kiss.

"Hey there yourself," she purred back.

Reggie, not wanting to be overlooked, kept pushing himself between them until he got his due.

"Yes, Reggie, I'm happy to see you too," he told him as he roughly stroked his sides.

"If you don't mind, when my mom gets here, I need to go over to the Webbers for a few minutes. They have an emergency. Lawnmower versus sprinkler head to be exact." He reached for an unfrosted cupcake and shoved most of it into his mouth. "I'll be back in time to take you over to the school with these."

"That's fine, but I can deliver the treats and pick up Charlie on my own."

Sensing her need for independence after so many restricted days, he sided against his better judgment, "Okay, but straight there and straight home agreed?"

"Agreed," she flashed him one of her amazing smiles.

Oh boy, he thought I'm in trouble now. "Take Reggie with you."

Rosa arrived a few minutes later and headed to the girls' rooms to start cleaning. Michael left for the Webber's and Grace began to make a buttercream frosting. She worked it to the consistency she wanted and tinted it with orange food gel. Happy with the color, she spooned it into a disposable cone fitted with a star tip. She piped swirls of frosting on each cupcake, then dropped chocolate sprinkles on top of each one and as a final touch added little plastic Halloween picks. She had purchased them at a craft store, thinking they were cute. There was a ghost, a scared cat, and a jack-o-lantern.

"Oh yes I can!" she exclaimed as she looked over her work with approval.

She packed two boxes with a total of 30 cupcakes and set them on the kitchen table. Reggie lay by the door pouting after his begging didn't result in a sample.

"Okay Reggie," she said getting a dog treat from the cupboard. Wagging his stubby tail he sat down in front of her. She looked over and saw that he hadn't eaten any more of his breakfast. "Just this once, next time you have to eat your food first."

He grabbed the treat and pranced into the hall before gulping it down.

She made a sandwich and a cup of tea and took her early lunch out on the terrace. It was cooler than yesterday. The ocean and sky were a drab toneless color, draped by the thick gray brume. The sound of the waves breaking against the beach had a sad lonely resonance, which Grace found strangely alluring.

Michael, getting back earlier than planned joined her for a few minutes. He seemed relaxed and content allowing Grace to let go of whatever uncertainty she might have been feeling.

"Well, I better get going. I want to drop the cupcakes off before I have to collect Charlie."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Take Reggie with you and be careful."

Grace didn't answer but he heard her call Reggie's name.

~~~~~

'Well if it isn't Little Miss Susie Homemaker', he thought as he watched Grace balance the boxes of cupcakes she carried towards the office. He enjoyed watching her, knowing what he'd be doing with her later.

When she went inside the school he entertained the idea of approaching the car to see how the dog would react. When he got within twenty feet, the dog went ballistic growling and lunging against the window. He quickly retreated not wanting to attract any attention to himself.

That's okay he thought, he can be collateral damage too.

~~~~~

Sitting on the terrace alone Michael became aware of what he was feeling. This awareness didn't happen very often as he mostly kept busy and went with the flow of things. He was happy, really happy. This new life, or its possibility, was a comfortable fit. He loved Grace and the girls, in fact, if he were honest, he already felt that they were his family. He began to feel uneasy about letting Grace go off by herself. He should have gone with her. At least Reggie was with her, and he knew Reggie would do everything in his power to protect Grace and Charlie. Still, his uneasiness grew as he listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. He finally got up and went inside.

~~~~~

Grace dropped the cupcakes off at the office. They were labeled with Jessie's name, her classroom number, and her teacher's name. She went to the outside gate leading to Charlie's kindergarten room and waited for the rush of little ones to push out and scatter like dry leaves in the wind. She had learned to be quick at recognizing what Charlie was wearing, in order to be able to grab her before she moved away in the wrong direction. The crowd of adults waiting and the stream of kids made it hectic. Today, Charlie was wearing a bright orange sweater which to Grace's dismay blended with many of the other children also dressed in orange for Halloween.

She caught a glimpse of her long blond hair and called to her as Charlie looked for where the familiar voice came from. Finally, Grace got her attention and took her hand as soon as she came close enough.

"How was school?"

"It was fun. Can I put on my costume when we get home?"

Grace shook her head. "Not until after dinner. You don't want to get it dirty, right?"

"Okay," Charlie relented. "Can we go for a walk then?"

"Yes," Grace agreed, thinking it would be a good distraction. "Michael might want to come with us, would you like that?"

"Yes, and Reggie can come too."

"Yes, Reggie can come too. In fact, he came with me to pick you up."

Reggie stood on the backseat looking intently out the window in the direction he had seen Grace go when she got out of the car. He began barking as soon as he saw the two of them heading towards him. Grace began to walk faster as she realized something wasn't right.

~~~~~

Michael walked around the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. He glanced over at the clock several times as he paced. Rosa, having come downstairs to make Charlie's lunch looked over at her son.

"Mijo, they will be home in a few minutes. Please go do something, you're making me nervous."

"Sorry," he apologized as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

"So, when are you going to take the next step and ask Grace to marry you?"

"What?" Michael was caught off guard.

"I'm not blind and neither are the neighbors or the girls. You can't just set up housekeeping without taking the proper steps. You know I'm right."

He became defensive as he tried to explain. "Okay, Mom, but we have to get through this situation before we can look any further down that road. Anyway, besides the girls, I don't care what anyone else thinks."

He shot up out of his chair when he heard Grace unlock the front door. Charlie came running in with Reggie on her heels.

"Good, you're back!"

"Yep." He could hear the tension in Grace's voice.

"What's the matter?"

"Reggie was barking and jumping at the window!" Charlie informed him. "He growled and was acting real mean!"

"He probably saw a squirrel," Grace added not wanting to fall back into that malignant, black hole of fear that Michael had helped her climb out of. She went to hang up her coat in the closet while trying to forget Reggie's deep growl or his snarl as he bared his teeth.

"Reggie doesn't get that upset without a reason," Michael insisted as he followed her into the hall.

"Well, whatever he was barking at was gone, so it couldn't have been too dangerous."

"Grace ..."

She cut him off, "I can't do this anymore! I feel like I've been buried up to my neck in cement. I can't move, I can't breathe! I need this to be over Michael, or I'm going to go crazy!"

"Okay," he soothed, wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't want to read danger into every little thing," she pleaded. "I'm being careful, but not paranoid."

"All right, I'll be paranoid for both of us." He hugged her tighter wanting to keep her safe and secure.


You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net