Heron's Landing: The Complete Series

by Iris Morland

Getting up, he kneeled in front of her, taking her hands. “We both knew this was temporary,” he said softly. “It could never have worked, Graciela. Not with everything that’s happened.”

  “What does that even mean?” She yanked her hands away. “I was just some kind of fling for you?”

  He shook his head. “No, but you’re young…you don’t know what you want.”

  She laughed an incredulous laugh. “Because you know exactly what I want? You have a lot of gall. I’m not some little kid, Jaime.”

  “I never said you were.”

  “Does it matter to you that I’m in love with you?” As his face crumpled, she added, “There’s nothing for you here? I’m here.”

  He took her hands again. “Graciela, I care about you. Deeply. But I can’t stay. I know you understand this. And as far as being in love with me… You’ll move on. You told me yourself you had a crush on me. What’s to say this isn’t just a crush, too?”

  She couldn’t speak. She just stared at him, confused and angry and heartbroken.

  “You’re just going to run away then. You’re going to abandon everything you’ve built here because of one man. Isn’t this what Eric would’ve wanted? For you to be run out of town like some criminal?”

  Jaime didn’t say anything, but he wouldn’t look at her, either.

  Standing up, she began putting her boots back on. But her hands were shaking so much she couldn’t get them over her heel, and she swore.

  Jaime got up and steadied her. “Grace, I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  She whirled on him. “You’re sorry? You’re sorry that you just threw my love for you back in my face?” She got her coat, holding it up in front of her like a shield. “Maybe it was a crush in the beginning, when I first met you. When you walked me home in the rain underneath your umbrella, and you got wet while I stayed dry.” She looked at him, and all she could see was his clenched jaw and his vacant eyes. “Do you remember that?”

  He looked away. “I’m sorry, I don’t.”

  She opened the door, not even bothering to put on her coat, a sob breaking forth. He grabbed her arm and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Grace. Just know that I’m sorry.”

  Yanking her arm away, she opened the door and raced out into the snow, her heart cut to ribbons. She drove home and collapsed on her bed, where she cried until she couldn’t cry one more tear.

  It’s over, was the only thought in her head. It’s over, and I’ll probably never see him again.

  20

  December changed into January and then February, and Jaime had been gone from Heron’s Landing for two months. Two long months, where he’d stayed in St. Louis with his parents to figure out what the hell he was going to do with his life.

  He’d shown up at his parents’ place a few days before New Year’s. His mother had looked at him for just a second before she ushered him inside and plied him with more food than any one person could eat, while his father stood over them, his face creased in concern. Jaime had told them the entire story—they’d already known about Eric getting arrested—and he’d mentioned Grace more than once. His parents had looked at each other, but said nothing.

  His father Fernando sat next to him on the floral couch Jaime’s mother had bought over twenty years ago, and said in Spanish, “You can stay with us as long as you need, Jaimito.”

  If he hadn’t been so exhausted, he would’ve cried in relief.

  The charges were still very much in the back of his mind, though. After hiring the best lawyer he could afford, Jaime had tried to live his life as normally as possible while he let the officials do their work. His lawyer was gathering evidence while also using Eric’s attempted murder as an obvious piece of the puzzle. No man who doesn’t have something to hide would do something like that, his lawyer argued. The police—headed by Sheriff Jennings—weren’t quite as interested in admitting they’d been wrong, and thus, things were moving slowly and without much progress that Jaime could see.

  Jaime had begun applying for jobs all over the country as an executive chef. From San Francisco to New York City to Miami, he’d sent in applications and resumes and CVs and cover letters and although he’d gotten a few bites, at the moment, he still had no firm offer. He could only hope that changed, as he hated living off of his parents’ charity any longer than necessary.

  Of course, all of this was a mere distraction from what truly kept him awake at night: Grace. Grace, and the way she’d looked at him when he’d said she wasn’t really in love with him but that it was just a crush. With how she asked him about walking with her in the rain, and his response. I don’t remember, he’d said.

  He’d lied about that, too.

  He remembered young Grace, getting caught in the rain. He remembered rushing to her with his umbrella, and he remembered how she had barely said a word to him as he’d walked her home. He remembered how the rain soaked his shirt to his skin, but his umbrella had kept her dry the entire way. When he’d dropped her off at her house, she’d looked at him like he was her knight in shining armor, and it had unmanned him. So he’d ignored it because that was easier.

  He hadn’t heard from Grace since he’d told her was leaving Heron’s Landing. That hadn’t surprised him. He missed her, though, with an ache that he was certain would never leave him. He missed her smile, and her laugh, and the way her long hair fell about them like a curtain when they made love, and he missed how she’d looked at him like he was a miracle she couldn’t believe she’d discovered.

  It was mid-February. The days were still cold and it had snowed just last week. Sitting at his parents’ kitchen table, Jaime heard the front door open. Fernando walked in, briefcase in hand. His father was in the middle of midterms already, and was often on campus seeing desperate undergraduates and sleep-deprived grad students in his office. Fernando got a cup of coffee that Jaime had made hours earlier and sat across from him at the pockmarked table.

  The two men sat in companionable silence. This was one thing Jaime had always appreciated about his father: he never forced conversation when it wasn’t needed.

  But today, Fernando seemed in the mood to talk.

  “Any leads today?” he asked in Spanish. They always spoke in Spanish amongst each other, and it always reminded Jaime of home.

  “Nothing today. But I have a phone interview on Friday.”

  “Excellent. You’ll have a new job before you know it, and then you’ll get out of this place for good.” Fernando pushed his wired glasses up his nose. “I never thought you’d stay in that little town for long, Jaimito. Too cloying, too small, for one such as you.”

  Jaime smiled. “I never thought I’d be there that long, either.”

  “Then again, sometimes we end up in places we’d never expect. I never thought I’d move to the States with your mother. Yet here we are. As a young man, I never wanted to leave San Salvador. Why should I? But sometimes life turns out differently.”

  Jaime gazed at his father. “Do you miss El Salvador?”

  Fernando let out a breath. “Sometimes. I miss hearing Spanish like that every day. I miss the food, the smells. I hate snow.” He smiled wryly. “But this is our home now, even though there are days I’d like to go back.”

  Jaime knew a huge reason why his parents had never returned was because of the civil war that had destroyed the country. They’d watched from afar as the country they loved, that they’d grown up in, was filled with violence and bloodshed. He couldn't imagine how it must have felt, not knowing what would happen to friends and family left behind.

  It put things in perspective, he supposed. He’d been to hell and back again these past few months, but he’d survived. He’d move on. And he’d live his life and be as happy as he could manage.

  “Just don’t punish yourself for things out of your control,” Fernando said quietly. “Grasp happiness with both hands if it’s offered to you. Even if it’s in a town you never thought you’d come to care about.”

  Jaime couldn’t say an
ything. He just nodded, and hoped his father didn’t notice how he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

  It was late at night, when the only sound he could hear was the creaking of his parents’ old house, that he realized that he loved Grace. He loved her so much it took his breath away. He murmured the words into the darkness, and it was almost like she was there with him. But when he opened his eyes, he was alone, and his heart sank as he thought that it was probably too late to tell her how he felt.

  On Friday morning, Jaime had his phone interview for a position in New York City, which he thought went well. The head of human resources told him they’d contact him shortly to let him know if they would move forward with an in-person interview. All of that faded into the background, though, when he got a call from his lawyer David Harrison.

  “Jaime, good news,” Harrison said. He was a younger man, but so full of drive and enthusiasm that when he’d heard about Jaime’s case, he’d taken it on immediately. “I just got a call from the DA, and the charges against you have been dropped. We did it.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Completely. It’s over. You’re a free man. They’ve all been dismissed, and Eric O’Neill is now being charged with both embezzlement and attempted murder. He’s currently being held in a psych ward, since they believe he could be a danger to himself and to others.”

  Jaime only shook his head, incredulous. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Believe it.” Harrison seemed to be shuffling through papers as he spoke on the phone. “I have a meeting here in the next minute, but I also wanted to let you know that a big reason they were dropped was because—oh what’s her name, here it is—Grace Danvers? Do you know her? Well, she apparently wouldn’t let this go. She put together enough evidence that the DA couldn’t ignore it. Interesting, right?”

  Jaime had to sit down. “Yeah, interesting,” he whispered.

  “Hey, I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Staring at his phone, Jaime didn’t know what to feel. Relief, incredulity. Shock. Love. Grace had done this. He didn’t know how or why, but she’d done this. She hadn’t given up on him, when he’d given up on her. Burying his face in his hands, he groaned. God, what had he done?

  He called the one person he knew would have answers.

  “This is Adam.”

  “Adam, what did she do?” Jaime asked, not bothering with saying hello.

  Adam sighed. “She worked with Kat, as far as I know. She was pretty secretive about the whole thing, although I do know she was close to landing in hot water because of it.” His tone turned stern. “She put her neck on the line for you. And quite frankly, I’m not sure you deserved it.”

  “I didn’t. Your sister—no one deserves her.” Jaime ran his fingers through his hair. “My God.”

  “Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction.” Adam paused. “I don’t understand what happened, but you’ve been missed. Not just by Grace. Me, Joy. Everyone. I know you probably don’t want to return, but there’s always a place for you at River’s Bend. I haven’t even begun to replace you.”

  Warmth filled Jaime’s chest. “Thank you. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Just don’t do anything stupid,” Adam said wryly before they both said goodbye.

  Jaime began packing his things, his mind whirling. He had to get back to Heron’s Landing. He had to tell Grace he loved her—he adored her, he couldn’t live without her. He didn’t even know what he was packing and he was probably leaving behind half of his stuff, but he had to get out of here. But then logic rammed into his euphoria, and he knew he couldn’t run back to Heron’s Landing just yet.

  His parents’ citizenship interview was the following Monday, and Jaime had agreed to be with them when they went. Despite the charges and subsequent arrest, Immigration had allowed his parents to continue with their application, for which Jaime was infinitely grateful.

  He unpacked his things, forcing himself to think. Just because Grace had worked to get his charges dropped didn’t mean she’d take him back. He’d hurt her. He wracked his brain to figure out what he could do to show her how much he cared, but beyond groveling at her feet, he was at a loss.

  He told his parents about the charges being dropped that night, although he didn’t tell them about Grace’s involvement. Ana had cried and both of his parents had hugged him close, thanking God for his mercy.

  Fernando and Ana got ready for their interviews that Monday morning, with Jaime helping to straighten his father’s tie and assuring his mother that she looked beautiful. The rest of the day was taken up with waiting, interviewing, and more waiting, and although Jaime couldn’t assure his parents that their interviews had been successful, he could only hope that things went well for them. He knew how much stress this entire process had placed on them, besides the enormous expense.

  Afterward, he told Fernando about Grace’s involvement in getting the charges dropped. His father’s eyes had widened, and he didn’t say anything for a while. It was only after Jaime had asked him his thoughts that Fernando asked, “What are you doing, still sitting here, Jaimito? Go tell the girl you love her!”

  It was Wednesday afternoon when Jaime drove into Heron’s Landing, almost exactly two months since he’d left. While driving there, he got a call from the restaurant in New York City.

  “We want to offer you the position,” the woman at the other end said. “No further interviewing is necessary. Your resume and your experience is enough for us to make a decision. We’d like you to start right away, if possible.”

  Jaime could barely comprehend the woman’s words. He’d wanted a position like this for so long, a job in a big city instead of the middle of nowhere, but now he hesitated. Is this what he really wanted?

  “May I think about it?” he asked finally.

  The woman made assuring noises. “Of course. Give me a call whenever you’d like to discuss salary and whatnot. But please know we want to move quickly on this.”

  Jaime hung up just as it began pouring rain, and it rained all the way to Heron’s Landing. Driving onto the unpaved road that led to Grace’s house, Jaime felt his car lurch. When he pressed the gas, his car squealed but didn’t move. He swore. Getting out, he realized he was stuck in the mud. Rain pounded down around him, soaking him instantly; he went back inside his car to call a tow truck, but he swore again when he saw that he had no service.

  He got out of the car, putting his jacket over his head as a makeshift umbrella. He’d just have to walk to the Danvers’ place. But as he shut his car door, he saw something out in the distance. A figure stood in the rain, and as he walked toward it, he realized with a start that it was Grace.

  21

  A fter her shift at Trudy’s, Grace had hoped to get home before the rain started. But as was her luck, it started right when she was halfway between Trudy’s and her house, and to make it even worse, it poured buckets. It was that cold kind of winter rain that soaked into your very bones, but it was so muddy that she couldn’t move faster than a quick walk. She was just thankful Trudy had let her borrow her giant black umbrella.

  As she walked along the road to her house, the rain continued to pound, although the trees provided a little bit of cover. Turning the bend, she saw a truck in the middle of the road, and her heart started pounding. She stood and stared, the rain falling around her, and she watched as Jaime walked around to the back of the truck. She couldn't move. She could only try to steady her breathing, but it was no use.

  When he saw her, though? She didn’t know if her vision blurred because of the rain or because of the tears spilling from her eyes.

  “Grace!” He jogged toward her, and she met him, grabbing onto his arm to keep from slipping in the mud. “Grace, what are you doing here?” he shouted over the rain.

  She laughed. He was soaked to the skin and looked cold and miserable but she couldn’t help laughing. “I should be asking you that!” She moved so the umbrella covered them both, and the rain beat down on top
of them.

  His face split into a wide smile. He covered her fingers that held the umbrella.

  “Did you really do it? Work to get the charges dropped?” He gaze scanned her face, as if he could figure out the answer before she opened her mouth.

  She faltered. Was that the only reason he came back? To thank her? Her heart clenched, and she looked away.

  “When my lawyer told me…and then Adam…” Jaime reached out and touched her cheek. “Grace, why did you do it?”

  Tears fell down her cheeks. “Do you really not know?” She gripped the umbrella tighter, her breath puffing. “You were right, though, about one thing. Before, it was a crush. You were a dream I created; it wasn’t love that I felt for you.”

  He didn’t say anything, but he just stared at her, his fingers clutching at her hand.

  “But I realized that as I really got to know you—the real you, not the dream I’d created—that I fell in love with you. With you, Jaime. I love you. I know you don’t feel the same, but I can’t keep this to myself anymore—”

  Before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her into his arms, umbrella still over them, and kissed her so hard that her breath left her body. He kissed her like he’d wanted to kiss her for years and years. He kissed her like she was the most precious person in the universe.

  He kissed her like he loved her.

  “Graciela, my God, you shatter me. I told you that before, didn’t I? But it’s true.” He cupped her face in his hands, and the umbrella trembled over them. “I love you,” he said, his voice low but sure and true. “I love you so much.”

  She made some kind of a noise—between a moan and a squeak and maybe a sob—and then she threw her arms around him, the umbrella falling into mud, kissing him for all she was worth. He laughed, pulling her close. The rain fell around them, soaking them, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except that they’d found each other.

  “I got a job offer, in New York City.” He brushed her hair off her forehead. “But I’m not going to take it. I want to stay here—with you.”