CHAPTER 19
RYAN

 

“Hello?”

“Grace?” I asked.

“Hey there, Ryan.”

“Hey there. Are you okay? You don’t sound too good,” I said.

“Yeah, yeah. Just um—just a bit tired. What time is it?” she asked.

“It’s twelve thirty. Aren’t you at work?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I must have closed my eyes at my desk for a moment too long.”

“Do you want me to bring you some coffee or something?”

“No, I’m okay. Just haven’t been feeling well these past couple of days.”

“Is that asshole boss of yours making you work while you’re sick?”

“It’s not that kind of sick. I’m not feverish or throwing up. I’m—I don’t know. Restless, I guess.”

“Wanna talk about it?” I asked. “Maybe over dinner tonight?”

“I can’t. I’ve had a lot of people watching Harper lately and I sort of feel guilty about it.”

“Who says I wasn’t inviting Harper?”

“You want me to bring Harper to dinner?” she asked.

“Yeah. Sure. I’m making salad and french fries and hot dogs. Does she eat hot dogs?”

“No. She inhales them.”

“Then I’ll make the whole package of them. How does seven sound?” I asked.

“Sounds good. Harper will be very excited to see you.”

“What about her mother?” I asked.

“You know I’m always excited to see you.”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“I can’t wait.”

The exhaustion in Grace’s voice was evident, and it was hard for me to shake. I didn’t like the fact that she wasn’t feeling well. I was finding myself more and more protective of her as time went on and I wanted to take care of her whenever I could. What was happening to me?

I went to the grocery store and shopped, keeping my head down. I gathered up the things I would need for the salad and grabbed some all-beef hot dogs. Two packages of hot dog buns and a plethora of sodas and juices. I had a bottle of wine at the house in case she wanted to open that for dinner, but with her being so tired she might not want to do that. Caffeine was probably more up her alley, so I grabbed a new bag of ground coffee we could try tonight.

Passing by the movie bin, I grabbed a couple of children’s flicks before I headed to the register.

I paid with cash like I had gotten into the habit of doing in order to stay under the radar at all times, then I slipped back out to my car. I was excited for Grace and Harper to come over later.

I started cleaning the house, preparing it for their arrival. I made the beds and picked up some things I had tossed around. I put the drinks in the fridge to cool down and struck up the vacuum to tidy up the place. I sprayed some bullshit around the house to make it smell nice before lugging everything back down to the basement, where the door in the corner of the room caught my eye.

Opening the door, I gazed into the abyss. The dark was thicker than anything I could have ever imagined. It was a cellar corridor that didn’t dump into a cellar. Rather, it ran into a scent-sealed door that headed straight into the pipe system underneath Tell City. This was our escape route in case things went south. It was the route we were all supposed to take if the police ever cornered us in the house.

The longer I stared into the darkness, the more I felt it was really staring at me. I could have sworn I saw things moving. Arms reaching out to pull me in. I slammed the door closed and shook my head, then strode back to the basement steps.

I went upstairs and hopped into a hot shower, trying to wash the scent of the basement off my body. I scrubbed myself down and pushed everything to the back of my mind.

Tonight was about Grace and Harper.

Not the damn job.

I went into the kitchen and got to cooking. I boiled the hot dogs for a few minutes before I popped them into the oven with some cheese grated over them. I made up the salad in a dressing I had tossed into it, then threw the fries into a countertop oven to cook. I set the table for the three of us and put out glasses of ice, but I wasn’t sure what everyone would want to drink.

So I put a little bit of everything onto the table before the doorbell rang.

I pulled out the hot dogs to let them cool, then I headed for the door. Harper crashed into my legs, wrapping her arms around me. I picked her up and tossed her into the air, her beautiful hair flying around as she started to giggle.

And there was a massive smile on Grace’s cheeks.

“Feeling better?” I asked.

“Glad to be off work,” she said.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you later,” she said, eyeing Harper.

Harper climbed up into her chair as I put the food on the table. I pulled out every single condiment I could think of, including the sliced dill pickles.

“You don’t do that, do you?” Grace asked.

“Pickles on hot dogs? Nope. Do you?” I asked.

“No. You can put those things away. I don’t know how anyone does that.”

“Finally, a woman after my own heart,” I said with a grin.

Her head whipped around to me and our eyes connected. It felt like she wanted to tell me something. Like it was on the tip of her tongue and she was holding herself back. I waited patiently for her to tell me as I reached out for her hand, my fingers grasping hers and warming her cool touch.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

I could’ve sworn I saw her eyes water for a split second.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Harper asked.

“Nothing,” Grace said. “Nothing at all. Why don’t you tell Mr. Ryan about your day today?”

“Oh, oh, oh! We got a class pet!”

“You did?” I asked. “What kind of pet is it?”

“A hamster. It’s brown and white and really, really fluffy.”

“Do you like fluffy things?” I asked.

“Yep. It makes everything cuter,” Harper said.

“I think it does, too. It’s why I like doing this.”

I reached out and ruffled Grace’s hair, fluffing it up as she glared at me. Harper fell apart in a fit of giggles, and I bit back my chuckle as Grace straightened up her hair.

“Not funny.”

“Kind of funny,” I said.

“Really funny,” Harper said.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side,” Grace said.

“But I like Mr. Ryan.”

“Yeah. She likes me,” I said.

“Great. Now it’s two against one and I don’t even have the odds,” Grace said.

“How are you liking school, Harper?” I asked.

“It’s nice,” she said.

“What’s your favorite part?”

“Recess.”

“Do you like playing outside?” I asked.

“Uh huh. I like all the crunchy leaves and throwing rocks.”

“You’re throwing rocks?” Grace asked.

“Are you being careful when you throw the rocks?” I asked.

“I only throw them into the puddles. I like the splashing,” Harper said.

“As long as you throw them in water and not at people, that should be okay,” I said. “Do you have a favorite toy you like to play with at school?”

“Besides rocks?”

“Yes,” I said with a chuckle. “Besides rocks.”

“There’s a playhouse. It’s really cool. But it’s only for playing if it’s raining outside, so we don’t play with it much.”

“What kind of playhouse is it?” I asked.

“One where I feel like a pretty princess.”

“Oh, so it’s a playhouse for you,” I said.

“Yep!”

“Well, what if you had a playhouse for a doll that was yours?”

I watched Grace furrow her brow at me as she put her hot dog down on her plate.

“I wanted her to have some toys to play with here. I hope its okay,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Grace asked.

“Do you wanna see your dollhouse, Harper?” I asked.

“I have a dollhouse?” she asked.

“Ryan, what are you talking about?” Grace asked.

“Follow me,” I said.

I held out my hand for Grace and she took it firmly within hers. I led her and Harper down the hallway before we dumped into the only other spare room the house had. I flipped on the light and Harper’s eyes grew wide, and I looked over at Grace as her jaw unhinged.

“I have a dollhouse, Mommy!”

“Oh my gosh,” Grace said.

“And my doll looks like me!”

“I hope you don’t mind,” I said. “It was on sale and the doll reminded me of Harper and it was too perfect to pass up. I wanted her to have something that was hers so she could feel more comfortable coming over here with you.”

Grace turned her watery gaze to mine as she threw her arms around my neck.

“Oh my gosh, what did you do?” she asked breathlessly.

“Harper should have a place over here like you do,” I said.

“It’s amazing. Thank you so much,” she said.

“Can I play with it?” Harper asked.

“For as long as you want,” I said.

“Yay! I’m done with dinner, Mommy!”

Harper plopped herself into the middle of the floor and began playing with the toys immediately. The happiness on her face warmed my heart, but the gratitude on Grace’s face made my heart flutter. The minute I saw it yesterday, I knew Harper had to have it. It was perfect for her and I figured it would make coming over to my house a little easier for her.

And she looked like she was having a great time.

“You’re incredible,” Grace said.

My face turned to meet hers as my arm tightened around her waist.

“I wish we could stay longer, but I’ve got work in the morning,” Grace said.

“Come sit and finish the rest of your dinner. Let Harper play a bit. It’ll give us some time to talk.”

I laced our fingers together and pulled Grace back out to the kitchen table. She wasn’t eating much, but I figured she was probably still tired. I pushed a soda her way but she waved it off, opting instead for a glass of juice.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Grace said.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Get Harper that dollhouse.”

“But I wanted to. I thought it would make her happy and I figured it would give us something to bond over.”

“You. Playing with dolls with Harper?”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t—know.”

She was distracted, but I wasn’t sure what was bothering her. She was zoning out and her eyes were unfocused, like she was in another world. I saw how emotional she became at the sight of the dollhouse, but I could tell there was something more to all of it.

But I didn’t want to pressure Grace into talking with me.

I wanted it to flow naturally between us.

“If you don’t want me buying things for her—”

“No, no, no. It’s not that. I don’t want this coming off as ungratefulness. Thank you, really. Now she’ll wanna be over here all the time,” Grace said, with a grin.

“Then bring her over. The three of us can have a tea party with her new doll.”

“You’re really something, you know that?” she asked.

I wrapped my arms around her and smiled. “Oh, you have no idea.”