The last push to finalize the deal always took far more time than she had allotted for it, and so she had to call Carly to get Jaden after school. It was nearly seven when she headed home, hoping Eric was somewhere close as well. The thought of him dredged up other thoughts, like the near wreck the night before and how odd he was acting at breakfast. She hadn’t heard anything from Caleb, so she had no idea if he had actually checked on Eric or not.
The whole thing was maddening in a way she hadn’t at all thought it would be. She had thought they would get the house, get it remodeled, and that would put the whispers of her inadequacy to rest forever. That wasn’t at all how it was working out.
When she pulled into the garage, she found his car already there, and she breathed one sigh of relief even as her spirit jerked with what she could be facing inside. Gathering her things, she got out and headed in. It was quiet beyond the little laundry room, and she stepped in, smelling something delicious but wholly unexpected.
“Mom’s home,” she heard him say, “let’s go give her a hug.”
“Okay.”
And before Dani knew what was happening, they were both there to greet her. “Well, hello to you too.” She returned the knee hug from her daughter and straightened to find him standing there, looking at her awkwardly.
“How was your day?” he asked as his arms twined in front of him.
“Ugh. Long. This Scotland thing is going to kill me.”
“Well, Ja and I made some supper, so if you want to go on up and change, we’ll have it on the table.”
Dani wasn’t at all sure how to take that. She tried to smile instead of frown, but she wasn’t sure how successful she was with it. “Okay.”
The entire evening turned out to be awkwardly wonderful. He had made enchiladas, which she hadn’t had in a year of Sundays. They were amazing, but she could hardly enjoy them for all the questions she didn’t dare ask. After supper, they all cleaned the kitchen without really talking much. He had mentioned that Greg was coming into town on Wednesday, and they were planning to have lunch. Besides that, everything seemed normal, except not.
Dishes done, she said she really needed to go up and take a shower, and with no fight, he said he thought that was a good idea. So she left, watching the two of them sit down on the couch together to look at Jaden’s math homework. Going up two steps beyond where she could see them, she stopped her steps and came back down just enough to peek at them below to see if that’s really what they were doing. They really were.
With a shake of her head in incomprehension, she went on up and into their bedroom. It was at her little vanity as she pulled off her earrings and necklace that she saw the diary she had laid there when she had unpacked from one of their Ridgemount trips. She really needed to take a shower, but Rachel’s reminder and her own curiosity drew her down into the chair and she pulled the book over and opened it.
Probably because she hadn’t really been trying to find anything in particular, she opened it to the last page with any writing on it. The script was shaky but legible, and she squinted to read it.
forgive us our debts forgive us our debts forgive us forgive us forgive us
Her gaze slid down the three lines of words, thinking it odd that they were all the same. And what debts? Was Mrs. Attabury in financial trouble?
Dani’s gaze went up and down the page. She flipped to the one before. There were different words there, but she didn’t bother to read them. No. She was looking for a date, something to orient her as to when this might have been written. A couple pages back she found a few.
July 21 1969 A man on the moon. Olivia says everyone is talking about it in town. Such a time to be alive. The moon feels so very far away. Tony would never have believed this day.
A wistful smile slipped onto Dani’s face though it annoyed her. This was the wicked witch in her dreams as a child, a woman so vile her mother had said of her that she could freeze water just by touching it. Shaking her head, Dani closed the book and put it off to the side of the little table by the wall. Why she had even kept the thing, she couldn’t really tell. And with that, she stood and went to take her shower.
On Wednesday Eric stood to greet Greg as he entered the restaurant where they had agreed to meet when Greg said he’d be in town if Eric could spare an hour or two.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” Greg said, shaking his hand.
“No. Just got here and put our names on the list.” Eric resumed his seat and Greg joined him. “How was the drive?”
“Not too bad, but I’d hate to make it all the time.”
“So what brings you to Raleigh?” Eric asked, still surprised by the visit.
“Oh, the HVAC people want us to come see a new system they’re starting to use in commercial buildings, see if we want to start trying in some of ours.”
Eric nodded. “Sounds interesting.”
However, Greg laughed. “Spoken like a true engineer.”
Their names were called, and they followed the girl deeper into the restaurant to a table. Ordering took no time at all, and before Eric really thought beyond that, Greg took a sip of his water.
“So Caleb mentioned you all had some trouble the other night,” Greg said as if he was talking about sports or the weather, not about a deadly accident Eric was trying desperately to forget.
His head fell on the memories. “Yeah.”
Greg’s gaze narrowed. “It was bad, huh?”
When Eric picked his eyes up, the thoughts yanked them down again. “It could’ve been us so easy.”
Leaving the water where it sat, Greg leaned forward in concern. “So what happened anyway?”
Without realizing how many details of it he remembered, Eric recounted them all. Reaching down to change the volume on the radio, looking up into the rearview, the pickup careening around them and then swerving in front of them. “It’s like it all happened in super-slow motion, like I can remember it by milliseconds rather than even whole seconds. I still can’t believe he missed us. He couldn’t have been three inches from the front bumper when he came back over.”
“Was he drinking?”
Eric shrugged. “I don’t know. He could’ve been. Or maybe just in a hurry. I tried to find something about it the next morning, and there was one little new story but it didn’t really go into it, just said there was a fatality.”
“So the driver of the car…?”
This nod was slow, hard to get out. “Yeah.”
Chapter 14
How weeks could go by so fast, Dani had no way to really understand. It was like Monday morning became Friday evening without her living the middle of it at all.
When they headed back to Ridgemount the next Friday, she glanced over at Eric who seemed to be sitting straighter than he normally did. She knew the wreck still bothered him, but she still didn’t know what to do about that. “I could have driven.”
His eyes glanced her direction though his head never moved. “That’s okay.”
She wanted to say more, but she didn’t know what that would be. “Rachel texted. They got the stairs in.”
“Caleb told me that yesterday.”
So much for giving him updates. She drilled down the annoyance. “So are y’all doing the Bible study thing again tomorrow?”
“I think so.”
She tried not to be annoyed. Maybe it would do him some good. At this point, he could use all the help he could get. Her gaze slid the other direction, to the window. The trees were dead beyond, stripped of their lively green. Soon, however, it would be back. Another month or so, and this whole landscape would be transformed. She couldn’t wait.
When they got to Ridgemount, it was nearly dark but Eric had already been in contact with Caleb and told him that they would be late but they wanted to see the place when they got there. So without dropping Jaden off anywhere, they went straight to Attabury. There weren’t many vehicles left after the work week, but the area seemed to have been transformed from absolute death to the fi
rst meager signs of life and transformation.
About ten seconds after they parked, the front door opened, and Caleb came out to greet them. “Hey! About time you show up.”
“We made it,” Eric said, getting Jaden out of the back while Dani came around.
Behind Caleb, Rachel came out as well, holding his hand and trailing him down the broken concrete walkway. At the end of it, hugs went around quickly.
“Well, come on,” Caleb said, “let’s go see this thing.”
Dani followed the others inside, her arms folded in front of her. So much work left to be done. “The windows didn’t come in?” she asked, noticing the boards still up.
“They made it today,” Caleb said. “Oh, watch your step on this porch. We’re hoping to get to some of this next week.”
The front entryway yanked her gaze up far higher than she realized it would be, and she gasped. “Oh, wow. This looks so different.”
“We cheated it a little at the top, reinforced it under the landing so we could get more height in here. Once we get going on the trim part, we’ll put the chair rail back up. Rachel’s going to work, restoring some of it.”
With no paint on the stark sheetrock, the entrance was far brighter than before.
“And,” Caleb continued, “we also got the electrician to rig us up some of the lights so we aren’t bumping around in the dark all day.”
They crossed past the little coat closet and into the living room, which, now illuminated from above by a bulb in the middle and can lights everywhere else, it didn’t even look like the same place. “Wow,” Dani said, stunned by the difference. “This is amazing.”
“You think this is good, wait ‘til you see the stairs,” Rachel said.
“I can’t wait.”
They went through the wide opening into the hallway, and Eric nearly had to grab a wall not to be toppled over by the sight. “Oh, wow! Look at this.” Still holding Jaden’s hand, he went over to the stairs which were perfectly formed but did not yet have a railing.
“We’ll be finishing them out with the hardwoods like we talked about. The trim guys will be here next week to pretty it up and put Rachel’s handrail in.” Caleb grinned at his wife and grabbed a quick peck from her lips.
“So, can we go up?” Eric asked, standing by the wall, gazing up the stairs.
“Absolutely. Just let me grab one of the flashlights.”
Not tempting fate by getting too close to the stair edge, they all went up. Eric made sure to follow both Jaden and Dani, his hand out lest they stumble. But no one did. At the top landing, the stairs banked either direction, and Caleb who was leading chose to go right.
“This will be Jaden’s wing of the house,” he said as they followed. “We have a bedroom here. This will eventually be the bathroom we talked about. And down here is another bedroom.”
None of the rooms were overly big, but they were adequate. Old and dated, but adequate.
“So, we’ll do, what? Wallpaper or paint in these?” Dani asked, and when Eric glanced at her, he noticed her sliding her teeth over and over her thumbnail.
“Whatever you want,” Caleb said. “In fact, I was hoping you and Rach could spend some time this weekend maybe picking some things out. I got samples from a place in Wilmington for you to look at.”
She nodded, but still didn’t look overly confident. “And you think you can get a bathroom in here?”
“It’ll be tight, but it’s definitely doable.”
“Okay.”
“Let’s go see the other side,” Rachel said, and just like that, they were headed the other way.
The other side turned out to be about as big as the first side, but there were only two rooms, so it felt much bigger.
“I’m guessing this was at one time one room,” Caleb said. “From the way it looks, the bathroom was an addition at some point.”
The bathroom, however, had not been kept up well, and disgusting would have been generous for describing it.
“What do you think of the claw-foot tub?” Caleb asked as they reluctantly toured their new home.
“It’s horrible,” Dani said, and Caleb laughed.
“No. I don’t mean this tub. I meant as a general idea, what do you think of a claw-foot tub?”
Eric looked at Dani, unsure. However, she didn’t answer immediately.
“We’ll definitely need a shower,” Eric said, sensing that she wasn’t going to answer. “Is there room for both?”
“Well, that’s what we were wondering,” Caleb said. “Greg and I talked about it, and we can make both work. The shower will have to be a lot smaller though if we want to incorporate the tub.”
Again, Dani was chewing on her fingernail.
“I don’t know,” Eric said, looking at her. “What do you think?”
She stood for another three seconds. “I don’t know. I mean, I like it, but… Does it make sense to keep? Is it going to make it feel cramped in here?”
“Well, tomorrow while we’re doing the wallpaper and stuff, we could get Greg to come over and show you the options,” Rachel offered. “I’ve seen them, and I think they’ll both work. It’s really going to come down to what you want.”
Dani nodded without looking one more ounce convinced.
“Let’s go see the master,” Caleb said, “and then we can sleep on this for tonight.”
The master turned out to be rather spacious for a house that was so old, but the thing Eric noticed immediately was the deep chill in it. He saw Dani rub her arm with her other hand.
“It’s not exactly a sauna in here,” he said by way of a joke.
“That’s what the fireplace was for,” Rachel said of the tiny hole in the wall on one side. “But we’re doing air and heat, so this could be taken out without much trouble, or we can spruce it up if you want.”
“It’s been closed off from the top,” Caleb said. “We had some guys out here checking all of them. This one’s basically useless. We can get rid of it unless you like the aesthetics of it.”
“Or we can get rid of this one and put in a standalone. I was kind of thinking of a little sitting area over here by this window. When it’s open, I think it will give you a nice view of the backyard.”
“Oh, yay,” Dani said. “We’ll be able to see the outhouse from here.”
Caleb laughed. “I did want to ask you about that. I’ve called in some guys to come and fill that in and take the structure out if that’s what you want to do. I never really asked.”
Skeptically because he couldn’t imagine her wanting to keep the thing, Eric looked over at Dani.
“Uh, yeah,” she said, shivering with revulsion. “I definitely don’t want that thing in the backyard.”
Rachel laughed. “Professionally speaking, I think that’s a good call.” She let out a breath. “Well, if that’s all here, why don’t we head over to our place? I’ve got supper in the oven.”
It was just as Eric had voiced at the last Bible study. Once again, they found themselves at a table that wasn’t theirs in Ridgemount, sharing a meal they hadn’t cooked. Yet it wasn’t at all awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, Eric noticed that even Dani had almost come out of defensive mode. She helped Rachel put the food out, and she seemed more relaxed, almost happy. He was glad for that because it seemed these days he was either faced with peeling her off the ceiling or praying she wouldn’t withdraw completely.
Without fanfare while they ate, Caleb asked about the wreck, clearly measuring his words carefully, and Eric was surprised to find his spirit had found some peace since his meal with Greg.
“It’s crazy,” Eric said after he had told them what happened. “You’re just driving along, and bang. Everything’s different.”
“I know how that is,” Rachel said. A second and she pushed her chair back. “Who wants dessert?”
Derek and Jaycee’s house was dark when they pulled up, and for Dani, it was strange to just waltz in to someone else’s place when they weren’t even home. Howeve
r, in the kitchen on the table was a note. Remember to make yourselves at home. Our casa is your casa. J&D
“That’s so nice of them,” Dani said after she had read it and set it back on the table. She shook her head in disbelief at their generosity.
“So are you just going to stay out here with Rachel tomorrow?” Eric asked, getting a drink of water. “Or are you going up to her place?”
“I think she’s coming here. When we’re finished figuring out the colors and everything out, we can work on the things in the shop. We might start with the armoire or the vanity tomorrow.”
“Cool.” He took a drink. “I think I’m going to go over to the house and help Caleb with that front porch or the windows. One of the two.”
Her heart slid through the thoughts of what it would look like when either of those projects was finished, and something very much like a glimmer of excitement drifted through her. “Sounds like a plan.”
Eric was up and at the pastor’s house at 5:55 the next morning. He didn’t ring the doorbell, figuring most of the residents were still sleeping. On his knock, the pastor opened the door and welcomed him. Greg and Luke were already in the office though neither one was seated. Instead, they were standing, drinking coffee and chatting quietly.
In tandem they both looked up and greeted Eric just as Caleb came in the front. The greetings went around, and the pastor asked what they would like to drink. It was a full ten minutes before the meeting actually started, but that was okay because it was just nice catching up on what was happening with the others.
“I guess we can go ahead and get started,” Pastor Steve said, and they all found seats. He led them in a quick prayer before reminding them of the no cell phone rule. Gamely, they all handed their devices over to him, and he put them all under his chair. “So, any thoughts from the week?” he asked, his gaze sliding around to each of them.
“I have to say the limiting cell phone thing hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would be,” Luke said. “Of course, I still have it with me during the day for work and stuff, but I really tried just putting it aside at home.” He shook his head and grinned. “Not as easy as it sounds.”
Raising Attabury: A Contemporary Christian Epic-Novel (The Grace Series Book 5) Page 20
