Marisol winced as though she hadn't meant to say that. Was she referring to the pain Grace suffered when her dad walked out? Or later when she hit rock bottom?
"I can't say anything more. Just don't give up on her." She patted his hand. "Long distance relationships are rough, especially when you're on the other side of the world, but you have ten more days to make Grace see that you have a future together. Don't waste them."
"I'm afraid I'll scare her away if I push too hard."
"That's always a risk, but she wouldn't be spending time with you if she didn't like you." Marisol gave him a wink.
Damon's pulse picked up speed. He hoped Marisol was right.
Her words stuck with him all afternoon while he painted the guest bedroom for his mother. How did he make the most of his time with Grace without pushing her away? And what happened in her past that made it so difficult for her to trust others?
If he knew what it was, maybe he could find a way to help her work through it.
Do Grace and I really have a future together?
He wanted one with her, that was for sure. But even if he could get her to fall for him, like he had her, would their relationship survive deployment? He'd seen what he thought was the strongest of relationships fall apart while a soldier was deployed.
He considered leaving the Army again. The thought no longer carried the twinge of sadness it did a couple days ago, but not knowing what the future held was more than a little scary.
Grace walkedthrough the front door to find her mom vacuuming the living room. Her mouth dropped open as her lunch bag slipped from her hand.
Mom turned off the vacuum. "How was work, Mija?"
"Uh...fine." Grace glanced at the carpet in the hallway as she picked up her bag. It had been vacuumed too.
"Don't look so surprised, picarita. I do know how to vacuum, you know."
Grace's lips turned up at her mom calling her acheeky little one. "I know. It's just that you haven't felt good enough to do any cleaning since we moved."
"The movedidwipe me out, but I'm feeling a little better now. I figured I may as well make myself useful while I felt good." Mom grinned as she tucked the vacuum into the coat closet. "Besides, I have guests coming over this evening."
"Oh? Who?" Grace was curious who Damon had asked to sit with her mom.
"Hope and James."
"Paige's parents?"
"Paige told her parents that you and Damon are joining her and Gabe at Riley's house for dinner, so they offered to come sit with me for a while this evening."
"That's nice." Grace walked into the kitchen to set her lunch bag down before returning to the living room.
Did Damon tell Paige to ask her parents? Or had Paige done that on her own?
"When we decided to move here, I figured I wouldn't have much opportunity to make friends, because I don't get out much anymore. But they keep coming to me." Mom beamed. "I'm so glad Gabe is marrying into such a great family, and I'm glad they're welcoming you in too."
Grace thought about Damon's words yesterday."They're doing it for you too, Grace. Hopefully, you'll be around for a long time."
But he won't be. He leaves in a little over a week.
Mom sat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her. "So tell me...how was the first day at your new job?"
"It was good." Grace plopped down beside her mom and kicked her shoes off. "It was only me and one other woman named Dana in the radiology department. She's training me on their equipment this week, then I'll be on my own."
"On your own? As in working alone?"
"It's a small hospital. They only need one technician at a time. The radiology lab is part of the Emergency Department, so it's not like I'll ever actually be alone. There are plenty of people around. I met a handful of nurses today as well as Dr. Henderson, and I saw Paige's dad and her cousin Riley. Gabe even came down and said hi on his lunch break."
"Is it going to be so slow and boring it drives you crazy?"
