Devlin's Grace

by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I can feel you shaking through the vibration of the road. Are you scared or what?”

  His voice calmed her, but she nodded. “I’m terrified, Devlin.”

  Although his expression shifted quickly, Gracie read his disappointment before it vanished, but when he spoke, he didn’t sound upset. “Do you want me to take you home?”

  “No,” she said, surprising herself. Five minutes earlier she’d been praying he would offer, but now she wanted to make the trip. “I want to go. I really do.”

  His usually mournful eyes turned sadder. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “I do,” Gracie said. “I’m just not used to the speed. Do you always go so fast?”

  A faint smile flickered across his mouth. “I’ve been keeping it sixty or less,” Dev said. “If it was just me, I’d probably be pushing eighty.”

  “No kidding?”

  “No shit,” he said, serious. “Babe, I like flirting with death, but I figured you wouldn’t so I’ve kept the speed down. The road will get curvy before we get there. I’ll allow for it and slow down, but it’s supposed to be fun. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Devlin sounded so sincere Gracie regretted her fear. “I know you didn’t,” she said. “I’ve always been too nervous, afraid of anything and everything.”

  He laughed. “I’m the opposite, most of the time. Do you still want to go?”

  “Yes, very much.”

  “Then relax and trust me,” he said. “Try to enjoy the ride, will you? If it’s not fun for you, it won’t do much for me.”

  Her desire to enjoy the day included watching Devlin have fun so she nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good. Here’s what we’ll do. Go inside, use the restroom, and relax. Then we’ll start over.”

  “Okay.”

  “But, Gracie?”

  “What?”

  “If it still scares the hell out of you, tell me and we’ll do something else. Promise me you will.”

  “Sure, I promise.”

  They started out again and this time Gracie focused on the way Dev handled the bike. She admired his control and once she calmed down, she began to enjoy the changing scenery. Even his speed began to provide exhilaration instead of fright and by the time they changed from 86 over to 21, she decided she liked riding behind Devlin. As the hills grew into mountains and the curves wrapped tight to the road, Gracie experienced a rush of pleasure. Her earlier happiness returned and increased.

  By the time they rolled into Eureka Springs, she knew this day would rank high in her memory as one of the best ever. Devlin appeared familiar with the place and navigated the twisting streets to the downtown district. He parked the bike on a side street and they dismounted.

  “I thought we’d wander around here for a while,” he told her. “If your butt’s as stiff as mine, I figure you’d like to stretch your legs a little.”

  “Sure,” Gracie said. Her rear and legs were rigid as wood. On impulse, she let her hair down after the helmets were put away and when Devlin offered his hand, she took it. They climbed up one side of the street, peering into windows and entering many of the shops. Accustomed to her dad who hated to set foot in anything besides a farm or auto parts store, who griped if he had to enter the supermarket or a discount store, Gracie liked Devlin’s willingness to look at things. They admired handmade quilts, mocked some of the cheaper tourist trinkets, and when she looked over some scented candles with delight, he bought her one.

  “Thank you,” she said, outside on the sidewalk, bag swinging from her free hand. “You didn’t have to buy it, but I’m glad you did.”

  “It smells good,” he said. “What is it, some flower?”

  “Roses,” Gracie replied.

  In the next shop, he bought some old-fashioned stick candy and they enjoyed it. By the time they meandered down the opposite side of the street, she enjoyed total rapport with Devlin. Gracie didn’t think she’d seen him so at ease before, chatting with shopkeepers and commenting on everything from calico to cubic zirconas. When she paused at a display of Arkansas diamond jewelry, attention caught by the sparkling stones, Dev stopped, too.

  “They’re pretty,” she said, tilting her head up to look at him. She wasn’t hinting, just appreciating beauty, but he smiled at her.

  “Pick out something,” he said. “A necklace, earrings, or ring, whatever you like, Gracie.”

  Although the prices weren’t too expensive, she hesitated. A lifetime of frugality always made her pause before purchasing anything. “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Damn sure,” Devlin said. “C’mon, it’s not like I’m offering you anything from Tiffany’s or even Kay Jewelers.”

  Gracie laughed. Maybe she should loosen up more, be less serious. “All right,” she said, “I like this.”

  Her fingers touched a ring, one with multiple stones set in the shape of a five-pointed flower. The dainty beauty appealed to her and after sizing her right hand ring finger, Devlin bought it. She wore it out of the store, unable to resist tilting her hand to watch the sunlight glisten over the clear semi-precious stones.

  Gracie paused on the sidewalk and when Dev looked askance at her, she stood on tip-toe to kiss his mouth, her lips light as a butterfly’s wings against his. Despite the tourists and other visitors swirling around them, he grasped her tighter and gave back a proper kiss.

  “Thank you, Devlin,” she said.

  “For the kiss or for the ring?” he asked with one eyebrow quirked upward in query.

  Without stopping to think about her answer, Gracie said, “It’s for both.”

  Both and so much more, but she didn’t say it. Instead she linked her arm through his and asked, “So what now?”

  “Do you want to eat or see the Crescent Hotel?”

  Gracie knew the legends and the history, but she’d never seen the place. “You mean the haunted hotel?”

  “Yeah, that’s it.”

  “Let’s go see the Crescent.”

  Any picture she’d ever seen failed to show the sheer size of the place. The zigzag road climbing to the hotel almost made her nervous because he took it with speed on the bike, but she relaxed and enjoyed it instead. At the Crescent, she stared up at the hotel and decided it wasn’t quite what she thought. Although huge and grand by Ozark standards, it failed to exude the kind of elegance she expected. Instead, it offered a Victorian atmosphere, gracious and grand but far from opulent. Gracie and Devlin wandered into the lobby and peered around at some of the vintage furnishings. A cat basked in the sunlight streaming through the windows on the rug. Since it was still August, there wasn’t a fire in the massive hearth.

  After peeking into the large dining room, she shook her head at the starched white table linens and said, “This wouldn’t be for me. It’s too fancy.”

  With a wicked grin, Devlin said, “Are you sure? I’ll buy lunch here if you want.”

  “I wouldn’t begin to know what fork to use,” Gracie quipped and he laughed aloud.

  Then he led her up the stairs to a public overlook so she could see the view. She didn’t care for the narrow corridors much or the overall melancholy feeling hanging over the place, but the scenic view made up for the rest. They lingered there for fifteen or twenty minutes as he pointed out some of the landmarks, including the Christ of the Ozarks statue on a distant hill. Below them the entrance gate and walls of an attractive church were visible.

  “It looks pretty,” she commented.

  Sober-faced, Devlin replied. “It’s famous, in Ripley’s Believe It or Not because you enter through the bell tower, but it’s kind of a trick because the bell tower leads to a sidewalk.”

  Curiosity piqued, Gracie said, “Can we go see it?”

  Although he made no objection, she sensed some hesitation, but Devlin nodded. “Sure, if you want.”

  They didn’t drive but instead walked down a long flight of stairs leading out of a garden behind the hotel to the street below and cross
ed over to St. Elizabeth’s. Holding hands, they followed the sidewalk and it wasn’t until they were about to enter that Gracie realized it was a Catholic church. Raised Baptist, she’d never before entered a Catholic place of worship, but Devlin opened the door so she walked inside.

  Candles flickered at several statues in the large vestibule, but Devlin walked toward the sanctuary with familiarity as well as purpose. She watched as he dipped the fingers of his right hand into water and made the sign of the cross.

  “Hang on just a minute,” he said and released her hand. She watched as he knelt for a few brief moments in a pew and then dug in his pocket for some change. After he shoved a handful of quarters into a slot, Devlin lit a candle at the feet of what Gracie guessed to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. He bowed his head as if saying a prayer and when he finished, he headed for the door so she trailed behind.

  Outside in a pretty courtyard, Devlin waited for her. His closed expression warned her of his high emotional stress. When she took his hand, he squeezed it. “Are you a practicing Catholic?” she asked.

  He snorted. “No, I was once, though, raised up in the church. I don’t believe in much of anything anymore, but my granny taught me proper respect so I lit a candle for her and my mom. I guess you’re not so do you mind?”

  Gracie, brought up to attend church every Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night, shook her head. Since moving to Springfield she seldom went to services. Most weekends she worked and she’d fallen out of the habit. Sometimes she missed it, most of the time not at all. “No, I was raised Baptist, but I haven’t gone to church in a long time.”

  “That’s just as well,” Devlin said.

  “Why?” She didn’t understand his meaning.

  “If you’re going to run with the devil, it’s for the best,” he said. She still didn’t totally understand. “Let’s go.”

  After climbing back up the stairs and heading through the Crescent lobby, Gracie dripped with sweat. The late August day turned out far more humid and hot than she expected. Before they got on his motorcycle, Devlin said, “Are you hungry?”

  She nodded. “I’m starving.”

  “Then we’ll go eat.”

  At an unpretentious building along the main highway loop through town Devlin treated her to some of the most delicious Italian food she’d eaten in years, maybe in her life. His mood shifted back into cheerful and they talked about many things. Gracie noticed for the moment his darkness seemed to have receded and Devlin chatted with charm. He teased her without hurt and shared some of her favorites.

  “So you really like both Johnny Horton and AC/DC?” he asked. “There’s quite a difference there, Gracie.”

  “I know,” she said. “But I love both. I guess it depends on the mood I’m in or something.”

  His lips twitched into a big smile. “I like both of them, too. AC/DC’s my anger music. I listen to it to vent. Horton, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash are singers I use to unwind. I’ll admit though I’m not into any of the chick singers you mentioned.”

  Their music wouldn’t be something he could relate to and she grasped that. “I bet you like Ozzy, though,” Gracie said. “And let me guess…Elvis Presley, Lyle Lovett, and Dwight Yoakum.”

  Devlin laughed. “I can listen to any of those, yeah. You’re not bad at guessing, Gracie.”

  “I must be on a roll.” She couldn’t remember ever being this comfortable talking to a guy or not being nervous she might say something wrong. “Let me guess some more.”

  “Go for it.”

  Gracie studied Devlin and pondered him for a moment. “I’d say you don’t watch much television, but you like movies. You like to read sometimes, but you like the speculative stuff like King and Koontz more than Tom Clancy or Clive Cussler. And I’m guessing you like vanilla over chocolate.”

  After all, she preferred vanilla because it was simple yet good so maybe he did too. Devlin’s eyes sparkled as he nodded. “Right again. I do like movies, but you might be surprised at what I prefer. Maybe you can come over and watch a movie with me sometime and see.”

  “I’d like to, very much.” She wanted to see the space he called home and get deeper insight into what made him tick.

  “Then we will,” Devlin said. “On the way home I thought we’d stop somewhere to get me a phone if you don’t mind helping me.”

  He’d meant it, Gracie thought. “I’d be happy to,” she said. “But I’m not much of an expert. I like my cell phone, but I don’t know much about plans or carriers or any of it.”

  “It’s still more than I do.”

  “Then, sure,” Gracie said. “There’s a place at the mall where we could look if you want.”

  “Fine with me,” Devlin said. “Ready to go?”

  “I am whenever you are.”

  Riding back didn’t seem as scary or as long, but Gracie noticed years ago return trips were always shorter. As she relaxed enough to enjoy the ride, her grip on Devlin loosened. She leaned against him, comfortable and happy. Two hours passed in a flash and before she knew it, he parked in a space at Battlefield Mall. By then, Gracie wanted to stretch her legs and take down her hair. She pulled the clip out and tucked it in her purse. This time, she reached for his hand with confidence he’d take it and they strolled into the mall together.

  Most of the time, Gracie wasn’t much of a mall shopper. Both her time and money were budgeted for other things. On this Saturday, however, she enjoyed the festive atmosphere and delighted in strolling among the other people with Devlin.

  His tall, rugged good looks drew more than a few glances from other women, but most looked away when they saw her at his side. At first she thought he remained oblivious, but then she caught sight of his fleeting grin. Gracie smiled. “You noticed they all look at you, I guess.”

  His grin broadened into a full wattage smile. “Babe, the guys are checking you out. You’re prettier than I guess you realize.”

  “Me?” She’d never really liked her appearance and pretty wasn’t a word her parents used to describe her. Maybe they feared she might grow up vain, but Gracie doubted it. “I’m not pretty.”

  Devlin halted so fast another couple trod on their heels. Something hot kindled in his eyes as he gazed down at her. “Gracie, you’re fucking beautiful. I’m surprised you even bother with me, but you do. I’m glad, too.”

  It might take awhile to adjust to the possibility she could be attractive, but his words blossomed in her heart. In a very low voice, not really meant for him to hear, Gracie said, “You’re worth it.”

  He stroked back her curls from her face with a gentle hand. “Then you’re the first who thinks so, babe. Let’s go look at phones before I start kissing you and forget where we’re at.”

  Just as they started into the cell phone store, Gracie noticed a woman approaching from the opposite direction, staring at them. She began waving and ran toward them. “Hey,” she called. “Robert! Wait, Robert Devlin!”

  Robert? Gracie frowned and looked up at Devlin. His face flushed crimson and he offered her a slight nod. “Yeah, it’s my name, but I don’t use it, and she damn well knows it.”

  Before Gracie could ask who the woman was, he released her hand just in time for the woman to lunge into him. She hugged Devlin, who wore an uncomfortable expression.

  “I can’t believe you’re out of your cave,” the woman cried. Gracie scrutinized her and realized she knew her from the campus. She worked at the campus library in the reference room, but Gracie couldn’t remember her name. “It’s good to run across you, cuz. How are you? I never see you.”

  “I’m good,” Devlin said. Gracie caught the word cuz and relaxed a little. The woman must be family, not competition. “Lauren, this is Gracie Alloway. Babe, this is my cousin, Lauren Devlin.”

  “Lauren Devlin-Marks,” Dev’s cousin corrected. “I got married, remember? Five, six years ago. It’s nice to meet you, Gracie.”

  “Yes,” Gracie said. “Don’t you work at the university li
brary?”

  Lauren snapped her fingers. “I do. You’re a student, aren’t you? I knew I’d seen you somewhere.”

  “I am and I spend a lot of time in the library when I’m not working,” Gracie said.

  “So, Dev, what are you doing at the mall?” Lauren turned to her cousin. Gracie noted she didn’t use his first name again.

  “I’m getting a cell phone,” he said, casual.

  Her mouth drooped open wide and she stared. “Wonders never cease,” Lauren said. “That’s awesome, Dev. It’s about time. Maybe now I can get ahold of you once in a while. Call me, won’t you?”

  “Sure,” Devlin said. Maybe he didn’t see Lauren much now, but Gracie noticed the familiarity between them. She’d bet cash money they were close, once. “I will, Lauren, if I ever get one bought.”

  His broad hint worked. “Okay, so go buy one. It’s so good to see you and to meet you, Gracie. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Yeah,” Devlin said, sounding gruff. He grasped Gracie’s hand and led her into the store, leaving Lauren alone. When Gracie sneaked a backward glance, Dev’s cousin stared after them, incredulous and yet with unspoken approval, too. Then she turned to the task at hand, finding a cell phone for Devlin.

  He rejected anything as fancy as her Blackberry and she couldn’t blame him. “It was smarter than me for a long time,” Gracie told him and he laughed.

  “Give me one without all the bells and whistles,” he said to the clerk. “I need something I can use, not one to confuse me.”

  After forty-five minutes, Devlin owned a basic model, a flip phone with a few features, and they walked out of the mall. Before they exited, he turned to Gracie. “Is there any place else you want to go before we leave?”

  “No, I’m good,” she said.

  “You’re not in a hurry to get anywhere, are you?”

  She shook her head. “No, why?”

  “I need you to come home with me and teach me to use the damn phone, if you would,” Devlin said. “So?”

  Without hinting or begging, he planned to take her where she wanted to go. “So, let’s go.”