CHAPTER NINE 

“Hailey, if you’re gonna change your mind, do it now,” Grant breathed between kisses, his voice demanding yet oddly pleading.

As Hailey processed Grant’s words, they brought tears to her eyes. Change her mind about what? she contemplated before the meaning behind Grant’s insistence registered in her head. The tears came quickly then, before she could stop them, running warm down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to change her mind because when she had begun kissing him and running her fingers through his hair and up and down his chest, her intention had never been for things to progress any further than that. She thought she had always made that clear! Couldn’t a girl enjoy kissing her boyfriend without other expectations attached? Hadn’t they discussed this numerous times before? Didn’t he know that the option was NOT on the table…not ever…no matter how long they kissed or how good it felt? Had her actions made him question her commitment to waiting? Had she given him the idea that there was a possibility for things to go further if he just got her in the right mood?

Hailey’s tears burned hot along the edges of her eyes now, as if to shame her. “Stop,” she cried as she plastered her hands on Grant’s chest and pushed away from him more forcefully than was needed. “What do you mean?” she blurted, sounding both angry and genuinely perplexed. “Change my mind about what? We’re just kissing!”

“Of course we are,” Grant mumbled in response, not attempting to hide his frustration.

“What does that mean?” Hailey exclaimed, swatting at his hands that had come to rest on her upper thighs.

“Nothing,” Grant exhaled, closing his eyes. “You’re just torturing me!” he groaned, as if in pain.

“What?” the word leapt innocently from Hailey’s lips as she brushed away tears.

“Yes,” Grant grumbled. “You may have ironclad willpower; I don’t.”

“But…” Hailey sighed.

“Just kiss me,” Grant insisted, pulling Hailey back into his arms.

Hailey pushed him away again, more gently this time. “We need to talk,” she declared.

“Please, Hailey,” Grant groaned.

“Did you just say please?” Hailey exclaimed.

“I don’t know,” Grant grumbled.

“Grant, we talked about this,” Hailey shook her head.

“I know,” Grant nodded. “We discussed it. That should be enough, right? No matter what you do or how leading your kisses seem to be…thou shalt not be a fornicator!”

Hailey rolled her eyes. “You know I hate when you say that word.”

“Fornicate?” Grant raised his eyebrow.

“Yes,” Hailey slapped him. “Don’t say…the F word.”

Grant wrinkled his brow. “No comment,” he shook his head. “But I won’t mention fornication again,” he grinned wryly.

“How have you managed to use practically every tense of the word in a span of ten seconds?” Hailey grumbled. “Nevermind!” she exclaimed, watching his grin widen, “ignore that statement lest you conjugate it farther!”

“Girl, that is proper biblical terminology,” Grant shrugged.

“Speaking of which,” Hailey made the clever segue. “We’re both intelligent people. Perhaps we need to be big enough to admit that too much time alone is not a good thing for us right now. I’m starting to think that our attention would be better focused elsewhere. We could do a community project; we could volunteer or plan a lock-in at the church for the little kids with cookies and games!”

Grant nodded, knowing where this familiar conversation was headed. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God,” he quoted from the book of Colossians. “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

“Wow,” was all Hailey could say as she stared at him. “You really did…”

“Yes,” Grant nodded. “You asked me to read it…and I did.”

“And you memorized it?” Hailey smiled.

“I read it a couple times,” Grant shrugged.

Hailey felt tears welling up again.

“Don’t cry,” Grant shook his head. “You’re absolutely right,” he gulped. “I’m sorry for my part in…all of it.”

Hailey nodded her sincere appreciation. “I’ve always been taught that sin takes you further than you intended to go, keeps you longer than you intended to stay and costs you more than you intended to pay. I am just now realizing how easy it is to get caught up in the wrong things. I don’t want to be one of those girls who ends up going against everything she believes because the allure of some boy who tells her he loves her is more than she can resist.”

“And to think I have not even dipped into the depths of my alluring charm,” Grant winked playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

Ringing in Hailey’s head were the pointed words for my part. I’m sorry for my part Grant had said, and, whether he had purposely made such a clear distinction or not, Hailey knew he had a point. “I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression,” she frowned. “This is all very new to me. I don’t mean to tempt you. I don’t mean to give you any wrong ideas. I’m still blown away that I can even generate that lustful, longing look in your eyes. I don’t mean to. My mind is made up. My decision is final. I just really like kissing you, and I know I have been responsible for letting things get out of control at times. So, for that, I’m sorry too.”

“It’s okay,” Grant shook his head. He paused. “But, I’m not going to survive years worth of this, Hails.”

“You’re seriously back on that again?” Hailey laughed.

“Look at the bright side, I guess,” Grant shrugged. “I’ll save money at my apartment in Boston…no hot water necessary…it’ll be six years of cold showers for me.”

Hailey frowned.

“Just kidding,” Grant rolled his eyes.

“No, you’re not,” Hailey shook her head. She let out a conflicted sigh. “Can I ask you something?”

“Fire away,” Grant nodded.

“How many…” Hailey gulped.

“Years until we get married?” Grant smiled. “You’re right! I think we could reasonably bump it up from six to four years. We’ll both be finished with undergrad by then. We’ll get married and rough it through law school.”

“I’m being serious,” Hailey frowned. “You know that’s not what I meant. I want to know…how many…”

Grant looked away. “Hails, that’s not important…”

“You know my number!” Hailey protested. “Zero! Big, fat zero! I think it’s only fair that I know precisely how many women I’m competing with, don’t you?”

“Well,” Grant frowned, “when you put it that way, my answer is the same as yours. You don’t have to compete with any of them. None of them can hold a candle to you. Zero. Zilch. Zippo. None. Nada. Cero. Null. Keine…and I’ll say it in every language in the world if you’ll please just let this go.”

“I don’t want to let it go,” Hailey shook her head.

She saw something flash in Grant’s eyes, and she wasn’t sure if it was anger or something else. Then he took a deep, troubled breath. His words came surprisingly softly, genuine and full of remorse. “Believe me, if I had known that I would ever have to sit here and have this conversation with someone I love, I would have walked away from every one of them.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty…” Hailey sighed.

“Hailey, I don’t want to hurt you,” Grant pled, “and that’s all this conversation could possibly accomplish.”

“I promise not to get mad,” Hailey shook her head. “The past is the past; I just feel like I’m sorta in the dark about…”

“They meant nothing!” Grant insisted. “They were all just mistakes!”

“I get that, I think,” Hailey gulped. “I guess I just really want to know how many mistakes we’re talking about here?”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Grant stood up.

“Don’t walk away, Grant,” Hailey begged. “Please…that’s what the old Grant would have done. Sit here and talk to me.”

“I don’t like to be interrogated,” Grant snapped. “Frankly, I don’t appreciate it.”

“Sweetie,” Hailey sighed as she reached for his hand.

Grant flopped back onto the couch and began rattling off numbers, some in German and others in Russian, none of which were the truth.

Hailey crossed her arms. “What is the point of lying when you’re doing it in a language I can’t understand?”

“Hailey, this is humiliating,” Grant sighed.

“Come-on, Grant,” Hailey urged, “I just want to know.”

Grant brought his hands to his head and began massaging his temples. “Okay, let me think…”

“Gross! You don’t even remember them all?” Hailey blurted and was instantly sorry she said it.

Grant let out an irritated groan. “You’re the one that wants a stupid answer! Could you please try not to make me feel worse than I already do?”

“I’m sorry,” Hailey shook her head. “I’m not being judgmental.”

“Right,” Grant scoffed.

Hailey frowned, her tone sympathetic. “You’re serious, aren’t you? This conversation really makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, of course,” Grant nodded. “I don’t want to hurt you. That’s the last thing I want to do! But there are a lot of things in my past that I regret…things I look back on now, knowing that you deserved better.” Hailey started to speak, but Grant cut her off. “You think you deserve an answer, and you do, but have you ever stopped to consider that the answer might only serve to remind me that you deserve so much more?”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Hailey shook her head, feeling on the verge of tears again. “It’s not important. It has nothing to do with us and what we have.”

“If you really want to know, then I owe you that much,” Grant rubbed his hands together nervously. “Trust me, the old me, to whom you referred, would have lied without blinking and gotten this over with, with time saved and minimal damage done, but…I don’t want to lie to you.”

Hailey took Grant’s hand and wove her fingers in his. “You know… I think that’s all I really needed to know,” she smiled softly.

“I’d never lie to you,” Grant shook his head.

“I’m sorry that I made such a big deal out of this,” Hailey said sincerely. “I think there is just a part of me that is totally insecure about the knowledge that your experience in this department far outweighs mine. It makes me feel a little intimidated I guess.”

“You don’t have to feel that way,” Grant shook his head. “It’s totally different. This…what you and I have…it’s as new to me as it is to you.”

Hailey smiled guardedly. “Just one more question?”

“Shoot,” Grant nodded reluctantly.

“Erin?” Hailey gulped.

“What about her?” Grant said, trying, yet failing, not to sound overly defensive.

“She’s not one of those mistakes is she?” Hailey heard her voice fill with a boldness and confidence she hadn’t intended.

Grant immediately looked offended that she was asking; he stood again, poised and ready to storm out in a huff, but decided, instead, to give her the answer she sought. “Of course not,” he frowned. “I told you that nothing happened with Erin, and that’s the truth.”

Hailey smiled at Grant, loving the fact that his eyes lacked resentment over her question. Instead, what reflected back at her was a genuine sorrow that she’d even had to ask. Hailey patted the couch. “Sit down please,” she nodded.

Grant did. “Thanks to a horrific mental image that I can’t seem to erase,” he groaned, “you never have to worry about me cheating on you.”

“I know,” Hailey sighed. “I’m so sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s okay,” Grant shrugged. “Hero worship is overrated anyway.”

“The people we love let us down sometimes,” Hailey gulped.

“It sucks for my mom,” Grant shrugged. “But an important lesson was learned… and you can rest assured that your boyfriend is nothing if not loyal.” He pressed his head against Hailey’s as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “You think you’re nervous?” he whispered, changing the subject. “What about me? You have your first time so built up in your mind, and if it turns out to be a disappointment…”

“I really doubt that,” Hailey laughed.

“I’m just sayin’,” Grant shrugged. “There is a lot of pressure on me here.”

“Shut-up,” Hailey elbowed him dismissively.

“Now can I ask you a question?” Grant whispered as he began tickling her.

“Grant, stop!” Hailey shrieked as she thrashed around, giggling and slapping his arms repeatedly as she tried playfully to free herself.

Grant stopped tickling her and turned her face, so that her eyes met his gaze.

“What’s your question?” Hailey grinned.

“Do you love me?” Grant whispered.

“Such a loaded question,” Hailey whispered as she brought her lips to rest against the nape of his neck. Then, thinking better of it, she pulled away and tapped her finger playfully on the tip of his nose. “Of course, I love you. Always!”

Grant winked at her, and, though it was the cutest thing she had ever seen, she instantly wanted to choke him for it. If only he wasn’t so darn adorable this whole waiting game wouldn’t be nearly as challenging.

“Obviously we’re both struggling with this,” Hailey said confidently.

“Obviously,” Grant concurred.

Hailey nodded in agreement. “I feel convicted that my words and my actions may not always mesh the way they should…the way I want them too. And you, well you’ve practically figured up the number of years, months, weeks, days and hours, factoring in leap year, until we can have sex.”

“I don’t know that God is opposed to a healthy countdown,” Grant grinned.

Hailey rolled her eyes. “I am just suggesting that perhaps we spend a little more time studying why we, as a couple, have made the decision to wait. I think that a little more positive reinforcement may strengthen our resolve.”

“How much do you want to bet that half the scriptures we read use the word fornication?” Grant thought aloud.

Hailey smiled as she pointed at Grant, her mouth open, but no words coming out.

“I’m just kidding,” Grant smiled sweetly. “I love to read; I love to study…and I love to spend time with you, so our Bible studies together have been gratifying to say the least.”

Hailey stared lovingly at Grant, cherishing their time together. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “I think a lot of young people mistake physical attraction for love.” She shook her head, silently counting her blessings. “I’m so thankful I found the real thing.”

Grant closed his eyes. “Hailey,” he said, slowly opening them again, “I need to know something. I need to know that you forgive me for not waiting.”

Hailey nodded. “There is a part of me that wishes we could both experience our first time together.” She smiled broadly. “But, everything you’ve done, everywhere you’ve been, every choice you’ve made, every mistake you’ve learned from has made you who you are today. And who you are today…I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

“I love you,” Grant smiled. “And I’m sorry…really sorry…for my admittedly boorish behavior earlier.”

“Oh, you mean the begging?” Hailey grinned, thoroughly enjoying antagonizing him. “Please,” she mocked. “Geez, Grant!”

Laughing, Grant shrugged.

“Come-on,” Hailey offered her hand to him. “I think we probably need to spend a little time reading and re-reading and having real discussions about the basis of our commitment to God and to each other.”

Grant raised a skeptical eyebrow. “So a little more conversation and a little less action?”

“Exactly,” Hailey nodded, as she pulled Grant to his feet. “Come-on…I have a book I think we could benefit from reading together.”

Grant held Hailey’s hand as she led him down the hall. “I just don’t know how Elvis would feel about you twisting his words like that,” he laughed.

“If I remember correctly, Elvis was all about the twisting!” Hailey argued.

Grant pretended to be struggling under the weight of the two paper sacks he carried from The Country Stop as Hailey rolled her eyes. She bent down to pet Lazy Jesse, the obese, old basset hound that lay at the foot of the wooden rocker where Boone Calhoun sat on the store’s front porch.

“Can I help you there, Grant?” Boone offered gruffly, though not making a move to get up.

“No, thank you, Mr. Calhoun; I’ve got it,” Grant smiled.

Rusty Cobb returned to the porch and handed Boone a beer before sitting down in the rocking chair next to him and popping the top on his own. He tipped his ragged, oil-stained, red Dale, Jr. cap at Hailey, and she smiled politely.

About that time, Darla and Sarah came skipping past the gas pumps, giggling when they saw Grant.

“Hey, Grant,” little Darla sang, twirling the end of one of her pigtails around her finger and batting her eyelashes.

“That one there’s gonna end up in a world of trouble if her daddy don’t get a hold of her,” Rusty pointed.

“Grant, you got a dollar?” Sarah begged. “It ain’t fair Darla gets a candy bar, and I don’t!”

“I ain’t gettin’ no candy bar!” Darla announced. “Mama only gave me money to get Daddy’s coffee ‘cause he ran out this mornin’, and she don’t want him up at Maude’s every mornin’ with Maybelle. She’ll be madder than a wet hen if I spend it on candy.”

“Let’s see what I can do,” Grant said as he handed off one of the grocery bags to Hailey. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Granny Miller’s change. “Here’s a dollar for you,” he said, handing a dollar to Sarah, “and here’s a dollar for you,” he smiled at Darla.

Boone had started chatting Rusty up about getting out by his place to help him finish his new chicken coop and do some repairs on his barn. Rusty was complaining about how youngins kept climbing his fence and had about torn it down. Lazy Jesse was snoring loudly enough that they had to talk over him.

“Thank you, Grant!” Darla and Sarah hollered in unison as they scampered inside the store.

Hailey smiled at Grant as she dumped the second grocery bag back into his arms. “Thank you, Ms. Dottie!” she laughed. She rolled her eyes. “You know she’s gonna count her change!”

“I’ll take it out of my tip,” Grant grinned.

“Right,” Hailey laughed. “You just keep dreamin’!”

“Why are you so nice all the time?” Grant protested as he unloaded both sacks of groceries into the cab of the truck. “Or a better question may be…why is it so dang important to you to impress Granny?”

“Somebody has to,” Hailey winked.

“That was below the belt,” Grant grumbled.

“Grant, it’s no big deal,” Hailey laughed. “She just asked us to pick up some groceries for her. It’s like 10:30; we’re on Christmas vacation; it’s not like we have anything else to do. We’ll be in and out in five minutes.”

“Oh please!” Grant exclaimed as he started the engine. “Don’t play dumb with me! We’re clearly, knowingly and willingly walking into a trap! That old woman loves you and only tolerates me, her own flesh and blood! You know she’s going to want to make a proper future wife out of you and teach you all her secret recipes. We’ll be there for hours…with her imparting her wisdom upon you, laced, of course, with a few, less than subtle, warnings about the virtues of waiting for the one. ”

“I have found the one, and I will gladly tell her so,” Hailey said confidently as she leaned over and kissed Grant’s cheek. “Besides,” she smiled, “you know she won’t be around forever, and you do like her pies…”

“I do like the pies,” Grant nodded.

Hailey slapped Grant’s shoulder. “Sometimes I swear I don’t know what I see in you. You are awful…”

“Look at my arms,” Grant said, pulling his sleeves up, no hands on the wheel. “Look at all these bruises from where you beat me up yesterday. Are you proud of yourself?”

“What?” Hailey examined his right arm as he stretched it back toward the steering wheel. There were indeed curious, faint, purple bruises all down his arms. “What are you talking about…when did this happen?”

“Like when I was tickling you, and you were slapping me…” Grant recalled.

“Really?” Hailey frowned.

“Yeah,” Grant shrugged. “I have a huge bruise on my leg where you slapped the fire out of me on the porch.”

“Are you serious?” Hailey gasped.

“Yeah,” Grant nodded. “It’s like a handprint. I told you; you don’t realize how hard you hit.”

An involuntary noise that sounded more like a whimper than anything else escaped Hailey’s lips.

Grant shrugged dismissively. “It’s not your fault. I mean, you’ve beat me pretty consistently since we met, and I’ve never had bruises to show for it.”

“Stop saying that I beat you!” Hailey exclaimed. “That sounds awful!”

Grant pulled into Granny’s and noticed the station wagon parked in her driveway.

“Great,” he groaned. “She has company.”

Grant got out of the truck and slowly gathered up the brown paper bags. “Be sweet now,” Hailey pled, making a face as she carefully pulled each of the sleeves of Grant’s hoodie down to cover his arms.

“Protecting your reputation, I see,” Grant winked at her.

“Don’t you dare show her those,” Hailey sighed. “I’ll be having to meet with the preacher.”

“Granny!” Grant called, knocking on the door as he entered. “We got your groceries!”

Entering the kitchen, Grant and Hailey found Granny and her two best friends, Alice and Louise, wearing aprons over their moo-moos as they worked about the kitchen, their perfectly permed, blue hair unphased by the early hour.

“Well, y’all look, there is my handsome grandson and his sweet gal,” Granny announced. “Grant, just sit those bags down anywhere, Darlin’, and put everything in the ice box that needs to stay cold. You can stick my change in the breadbox, will ya? I do have change, don’t I? I declare, I told Barbra Harper last week that I can about go to Memphis for what it’s costin’ me to do my shoppin’ at The Country Stop these days!”

Granny motioned Hailey over to the stove. “It smells so good in here, Granny!” Hailey exclaimed, squeezing Louise’s hand as she passed, as a sort of greeting.

“Doesn’t it, Sugar?” Granny waved the aroma toward her with her dishrag before wrapping Hailey up in a hug.

“Got to be ready for the Christmas rush at Maude’s,” Hailey grinned.

“You bet your bottom dollar,” Granny said proudly. “They’ll be her biggest sellers; you watch!”

Grant stared at the plethora of pies cooling on the table, particularly eyeing a pecan pie on the end. “How about a nice slice of pecan pie for your delivery boy, Granny?” he smiled.

“We have boysenberry, cherry, lemon, pecan, and there are some apple pies in the oven now,” Alice announced.

“We’re making pumpkin too,” Louise yelled, not meaning to per se, but Louise tended to yell everything since her hearing had began to decline.

“I’m whippin’ up some chocolate pies too,” Granny added. “I’m tellin’ you ladies, you have never met any boy that loved chocolate more than my Eisenhower. I’m tellin’ you, that Ike could eat him some chocolate, couldn’t he Grant?”

Grant glanced at Hailey, and she offered him a soft, encouraging smile. Grant nodded his head. “Yes, Ma’am, I reckon he could,” he said.

“Grant, sit down, I’ll get you some pie,” Granny motioned. “Land sakes alive, how’re you feelin’? I was flabbergasted when your mama told me the last batch of elixir I made you didn’t quite do the trick.”

“Dottie, did you use the quarter teaspoon of cinnamon powder and garlic like I told ya?” Louise hollered.

Grant and Hailey turned their noses up.

“Of course, Honey; I ain’t lost my sense yet!” Granny snapped.

“That cayenne pepper will cure anything, Dottie,” Alice declared. “Nora Jean probably didn’t give him a proper dose three days in a row.” She pointed at Grant, wagging her bony little finger. “Did your Mama give it to you three days runnin’…that’s what you gotta do?”

“I’m feeling a lot better,” Grant nodded.

“Are you sure ‘bout that, Sugar?” Granny asked as she served Grant a slice of pie. “I’ll sure be happy to boil up somethin’. You can ask your mama…she was never sick a day in her life. As soon as it seemed like somethin’ was creepin’ up or goin’ ‘round, I took care of it before it had us drivin’ up to Doc Mason’s.”

Grant raised his fork. “This is good stuff, ladies,” he smiled.

“Well, come here, Hailey Jane, let me teach you a couple secrets to makin’ a pecan pie that’ll earn you a grin like that,” Granny declared.

After a quick lesson, Granny put Hailey to work making a pie as she peered over her shoulder. Alice was taking apple pies from the oven and Louise was stirring up some sort of interesting cinnamon drizzle.

“Hailey, how’s your daddy?” Alice asked.

“He’s doing just fine,” Hailey answered sweetly but simply.

“He and Nora Jean have been spending quite a bit of time together here recently,” Granny added for her.

“I heard that,” Alice sang out. “Oh, I remember those two when they were your age,” she shook her head at Grant. “They were the cutest things, so in love. There wasn’t a soul in this town that didn’t believe those two would settle down and get married.”

“I declare, it was a shock and then some when Nora Jean ran off with that Army boy,” Louise declared.

“I know it,” Alice shook her head, as though still overwhelmed by disbelief.

Hailey glanced over her shoulder, trying to catch Grant’s reaction and found his eyes locked on the floor. She swallowed hard, knowing the signs of a complete shutdown that would result in snide, smart-aleck comments muttered in a cold monotone.

“What are you gonna do about Christmas, Grant?” Granny asked in a tone that was nothing if not accusatory. “Your mama says she is gonna be here spendin’ it with me and Jack, and I know you didn’t ask my opinion, but I think you ought to respect your mama and celebrate Christmas here with her. I feel the same way about David and Joanna and Rachel, and you can tell ‘em I said it…they all ought to be here for your mama at Christmas.”

“And Dad?” Grant shrugged, in the precise tone Hailey had been expecting.

“Your daddy is your daddy, so I can’t say nothin’ ‘bout that,” Granny shook her head, “but he needs to let Jack and your mama be for awhile…live and let live.”

Grant scoffed, but Granny ignored him.

“Your mama is worried to death about Rachel, gonna have that baby,” Granny sighed. “And Joanna, God bless her heart, I guess she just wants to die an old maid, ain’t never gonna marry that poor boy and have your mama any grandbabies.”

“It’s her life. Live and let live, I always say,” Grant mumbled.

“How is your brother doing?” Louise yelled. “The one that’s got the little…you know…” she lowered her voice to a failed whisper, “the little retarded girl.”

Hailey dropped the spoon she was stirring with, and it clanged loudly against that side of the mixing bowl as her breath caught audibly.

Grant stood, his teeth clinched. He walked his plate over to the trashcan and shoved the remainder of his pie off the plate.

“What is the matter with you?” Granny begged. “You get such an attitude any time anybody tries to talk to you.”

Grant sat his plate in the sink. “Let’s go, Hailey,” he said coldly.

“Grant, she’s in the middle of a pie,” Granny scolded.

“I’m sorry,” Hailey shook her head. “Granny, I’ll have to come back and learn the rest another time. Is that okay?”

“Sure, Doll,” Granny sighed, as though she felt sorry for Hailey having to put up with Grant and his moods.

Hailey walked over to the table. “Ms. Louise,” she forced a loving smile, “David, Grant’s brother, and Melissa, David’s wife, are doing wonderfully. Leah, their little girl, has Autism, and it is just such a joy to see each new thing she does. She is truly a beautiful little blessing…and an amazing little girl.”

“Is that what you’re upset about?” Granny turned to Grant. “She didn’t mean nothin’ by it, Sugar.”

“Granny,” Hailey smiled. “I’m not sure what our Christmas plans are yet. I’m gonna kinda let Grant make that decision. We may stay here, or we may go to North Carolina to see his daddy. We’re just not really sure yet.”

“Y’all will get it figured out,” Granny hugged Hailey. She turned back toward her friends. “Didn’t Jack do a good job with her?”

“I have always said that,” Alice nodded.

“I just wish,” Granny squeezed Hailey’s hand, “that you had had an opportunity to meet my grandson, Ike. He was…I’m tellin’ you…that boy was precious…just a sweet, loving, well-mannered gentleman.”

“I have heard nothing but great things about him,” Hailey nodded. “I wish I could have met him too.”

“He was tall, dark and handsome,” Granny continued. “He never said so much as a hurtful word to anyone. I was so proud of that one…”

“That’s sweet,” Hailey smiled. “It’s tragic and so sad that he isn’t here with us now.”

Granny shook her head. “Now he would have made you a fine suitor…”

“What the hell?” Grant exclaimed.

Hailey cringed.

“Hailey, end the apology tour and get in the truck,” Grant grabbed her arm.

“You will not talk like that in my house, young man,” Granny gasped.

“I’m trying my best to get the hell out of your house!” Grant shouted.

“I know Hailey Jane won’t stand for that kind of talk,” Granny said, as though trying to muster tears. “You come back soon, Darlin’,” she rubbed Hailey’s arms sympathetically, “and I’ll finish teachin’ you how to make that pecan pie.”

“Truthfully, that pecan pie’s not the best I’ve ever had,” Grant shrugged. “Perhaps you should back off the liberal use of butter.”

“I have never been called liberal in my life,” Granny gasped.

“I reckon we ought to expect it out of a boy named for a Yankee,” Louise declared.

“Oh, Dottie, sit down, Darlin’,” Alice fanned her. “It’s not good for your blood pressure to get so upset.”

“Oh,” Hailey sighed. “No…it’s just a word that means…”

“I didn’t mean nothin’ by it, Sugar,” Grant cut her off in his best southern drawl.

Hailey turned to Grant, her cheeks red and her eyes wide. “Get in the truck,” she pointed.

“Gladly,” Grant enunciated as Hailey herded him out the door.

There was complete silence until both truck doors were closed.

“I can’t believe you,” Hailey spoke slowly, letting each word linger.

“Me?” Grant protested.

“Grant, she is an old woman!” Hailey exclaimed. “And your grandmother, no less!”

“She hates me, which effectively negates the last part of your argument!” Grant shouted. “And she’s got all her sense; didn’t you hear that? Stop defending her, or I’ll have no choice but to believe you enjoyed her attempts to hook you up with my dead brother who would have been sixteen years older than you but is apparently still a better catch than I am, despite the fact that he’s deceased!”

“Grant, take a deep breath,” Hailey sighed as she slid the keys from the ignition.

“What are you doing?” Grant snapped.

“I’m not riding with you when you’re like this,” Hailey shook her head. “And, by the way, it really upsets me when you speak so flippantly about your brother.”

Grant slapped the steering wheel with an open palm. “I’ve been told my whole life that I won’t live up to the legacy of perfection he left behind; everybody else might conjure a contrived, soft, reverent tone every time they mention the sacred name of their immortal prototype for all mankind, but I don’t feel obligated to strive for or honor his fraudulent superiority. ”

“Grant,” Hailey rubbed his arm, using every ounce of her energy to remain on an even keel. “They remember him as our age. He is frozen in time as an eighteen-year-old. When they look at you now, they see the him they have thought about every day for the past sixteen years. That’s what happens when someone dies…suddenly people only remember the good; sometimes the good even gets amplified in their minds. Everyone’s guilty. I do it too. I never even knew my mother, so every trait I have conjured up in my mind about her could be completely false. She may as well have been a fairy godmother instead of a real live woman for all the imaginative what-ifs that dance around in my head. I can’t even imagine ever being upset with her, and that’s not real…”

Grant opened his mouth, prepared to unleash a linguistic masterpiece on the psychological implications of pseudo-retention, but he knew Hailey would probably appreciate it if he brought the topic of conversation back to more immediate relevance. “I was showing restraint you know,” he huffed.

“That was you showing restraint?” Hailey laughed dismissively.

“Yes!” Grant screamed.

“Grant,” Hailey said softly, trying not to let on that she had been fully aware of and rather impressed by his considerable level of restraint, though she felt he had a long way to go. “Sweetheart…I don’t want Ike. I’m not looking for someone like Ike. I’m not looking for anyone else. I don’t want anyone but you.”

“Thank you,” Grant nodded, fully aware that he was pouting now.

Hailey smiled. “I do, however, expect you to go in there and apologize.”

“For what?” Grant exploded.

“You’re a smart boy; I will let you figure that one out,” Hailey nodded.

“Why would I apologize? I’m not sorry,” Grant shrugged.

“All I’m saying is that you didn’t have to be rude,” Hailey shook her head. “We didn’t have to leave Granny Miller’s house in a huff.”

“We haven’t left!” Grant pointed.

Hailey cracked a smiled.

“Besides,” Grant shrugged, “I figured you didn’t want to hear Granny pushing your father on a married woman any more than I did.”

Hailey rolled her eyes. “Grant, she’s wrong; she usually is, but I’m a big believer in the old adage that sometimes it’s less about what you say and more about how you say it. You have a very sharp tongue when you get angry. I’m not asking you to apologize for how you felt, just how you chose to convey it. You have to learn to let people’s ignorance go…otherwise you always end up making yourself look like the bad guy.”

“I ignore a lot; I put up with a lot,” Grant defended himself. “It’s just that when I’ve had enough, I’ve had enough. I don’t care what Granny, her little friends, and, by this point, the gathering lunch crowd at Maude’s, think about me!”

“Hmm,” Hailey wrinkled her nose. “Feels a little like de ja moo!”

Grant rolled his eyes. “You mean de ja vu?”

“Nope,” Hailey quipped. “De ja moo…the overwhelming feeling that I have heard this bull before!”

Grant couldn’t hide his grin, and, when he laughed, Hailey saw dimples that looked too innocent.

“I’m not mad at you, Grant,” Hailey shook her head. “Not at all. I get it. I do. But, for your sake, I want you to go in there and apologize.”

“Hailey, I don’t want to,” Grant whined.

“Please,” Hailey nodded. She rubbed his arm encouragingly. “I know it’s hard, but you need to do it. You are not responsible for how anyone else behaves, but the standard of behavior you hold yourself to…the way you react…the way you chose to respond… is totally in your power.”

“I don’t really think this is in our best interest,” Grant sighed.

“You’re gonna need to explain that one,” Hailey wrinkled her nose.

“It’s hard to explain,” Grant shook his head.

“Well,” Hailey sighed, “now they are staring at us from behind the curtains, so please articulate an explanation in the next two seconds, or get in there and apologize to her.”

“Fine,” Grant groaned as he opened the driver’s side door and let his left leg fall out of the truck. “But I should warn you…”

“Warn me of what?” Hailey smiled.

Grant waited until he was out of the truck, and he turned back to Hailey. “You’re trying to make me a better person, and, I’m just warning you it could backfire… because that’s just not the man you fell in love with.”

Hailey giggled as Grant wrapped her up in his arms. She rubbed her cheek lovingly against his arm, wishing he would never let go, but knowing she had to resist. “Nothing you say, no matter how charming, is going to make me forget how despicably you acted this morning,” she promised.

“I apologized,” Grant said sincerely.

“I know,” Hailey smiled, pressing her lips against his cheek, “and I was so proud of you for that.”

“Proud enough to reward me?” Grant grinned.

“I’ll open you a pack of Zingers if you help me study,” Hailey offered.

“You’ve studied enough,” Grant insisted. “When we take the ACT on Saturday, you’re gonna knock it out of the park.”

“Remind me why you’re taking it again?” Hailey grinned.

“Moral support,” Grant nodded. He shrugged, “And, secretly, I just think it could be fun to log another perfect score.”

“I wish you could donate it to me,” Hailey sighed.

Grant took Hailey’s hand and started walking toward the barn.

“We’re not going to the barn, Grant,” Hailey laughed as he drug her behind him. “Unlike you, I have to study.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Grant bargained. “Kiss me now, and I’ll help you study later.”

“No,” Hailey grinned as she turned around and started pulling Grant back the other direction. “I really have to study!” she insisted.

Grant pulled Hailey into his arms again, wrapping her up tightly with one arm. “Shhh,” he smiled as he put his finger over her lips. “Stop talking about the test; you’re psyching yourself out. There are only so many practice tests you can take.”

“I think I need more work on the math section,” Hailey frowned.

“Let’s practice then,” Grant nodded. “We’ll start with word problems.” He kissed Hailey’s neck. “How many kisses,” he kissed her again, “does it take,” another kiss, “to convince Hailey,” yet another kiss, “that cramming for the ACT is overrated?”

“I have no interest in your flattery right now,” Hailey shoved him away. “I’m going inside to study!”

Grant scooped her into his arms, and Hailey giggled as he carried her toward the barn. “Put me down!” Hailey laughed.

“Quiet,” Grant warned.

Hailey started to speak, but Grant shook his head insistently.

“I have to go study,” Hailey laughed as she pointed to the ground. “Put me down!”

“Quiet,” Grant groaned.

“I’m sorry, Einstein, this is just not how it works for most of us,” Hailey smiled. “I have to study because I’m dumb.”

“You are certainly far from that, Miss Nelson,” Grant replied as he lowered Hailey to her feet. “You are, however, rather good at fishing for compliments.”

“That is not what I was doing!” Hailey said defensively. “Do you want to hear how stupid I actually am?” she protested.

“Dumb enough to fall in love with me. That’s got to be strike one,” Grant winked.

“I am so stupid that last time I took the ACT, I forgot to answer one entire page of the reading portion!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t even realize it until I got to the end of the section, and it had completely gotten my answer sheet off track! Then, when I tried to erase those tiny bubbles, which I had tried so diligently to fill in completely with my number two pencil, I totally wore the eraser down and ripped the page…rendering it useless to computer scoring!”

“That is what I would call an unfortunate but understandable oversight,” Grant shrugged easily. “What else you got?”

“Did you see that show Jess was watching on TV? They were talking about how people shouldn’t get involved in a relationship with someone with whom they have a ten point IQ differential because it will never work out! Were you not standing there thinking about me and you?”

“No,” Grant shook his head, “I was thinking how I wished you would stop glancing at the TV and finish that grilled cheese you were making me.”

“It made me think,” Hailey declared.

“Have you ever taken an IQ test?” Grant shrugged.

“No,” Hailey sighed.

Grant smiled, holding Hailey close. “So I guess we don’t know if this is destined for failure or not. Looks like we’ll have to wait and find out.” He kissed Hailey’s forehead. “You’re going to do great on the ACT, Hails. You’ve studied really hard; you have exhausted the practice guide; I have taught you every trick in the book…you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Babe,” Hailey smiled. “I really do appreciate all your help.”

They shared a quick kiss as the sky darkened overhead.

Hailey laughed as she took Grant’s hand and started walking toward the barn. “Do you know that I always trick myself into thinking that Q is much closer to the end of the alphabet than it actually is?”

“Okay,” Grant nodded, “a little random…but okay. If there’s an alphabetical order question, you can always just sing the song I guess.”

“Well,” Hailey contemplated, “it just seems like Q should be right back there with Y and Z you know, but it’s really more of a middle of the road sort of letter.”

Grant grinned at Hailey admiringly. “Well, I was gonna ask you to go inside and look up the definition of the word quiet, but I guess we’re just screwed.”

Hailey giggled, and a tear ran down her face.

“Hey, what was that for?” Grant said as he wiped it away.

“Because I love you,” Hailey cried. “Because you’re perfect…in the most unconventional of ways…but perfect none the less.”

“Does that mean you’ve forgiven me for acting like a jerk earlier?” Grant frowned.

“Of course,” Hailey nodded. “You may be a jerk…but you’re my jerk.”

“Aww, Baby, that’s the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me,” Grant brought his hands to his heart as rain began to fall.

Thunder boomed and suddenly the bottom fell out of the sky at once. Hailey began running toward the barn. “Hurry!” she shrieked.

By the time Grant and Hailey reached the barn, they were both soaking wet.

“I’m freezing,” Hailey laughed as she ran into Grant’s arms. He held her close and rubbed her arms methodically for warmth.

“That storm came out of nowhere,” Grant laughed as he stopped to wipe water from his face.

“Yeah,” Hailey said, glancing out the barn door. “It’s like a monsoon out there; it looks like we’ll be stuck in here for awhile.”

Grant started up the ladder, toward the loft. “We might as well get comfortable, I guess.” He pulled his shirt over his head and began wringing the water out.

“You got soaked,” Hailey laughed.

Grant gestured toward her. “You could win a wet t-shirt contest yourself there.”

Hailey looked at Grant, and, with a sly little grin, she shoved him forcefully into a pile of hay. “Oops,” she shrugged coyly.

“What was that for?” Grant laughed as he landed on his back.

Hailey dropped to her knees next to him, wondering if she had ever seen him look more desirable. The melodic ping of the raindrops on the tin roof created beautiful music, and she wanted to freeze that moment in time forever.

Grant smiled up at her. “You’re gonna catch pneumonia in those clothes.”

Hailey bit her bottom lip before raising her arms and maneuvering out of her shirt. It was soaking wet, and she wrung the excess water out, so that it rained onto Grant’s chest.

“Sweet,” Grant chuckled as some of the water splashed onto his face.

“Well, I don’t want to get sick,” Hailey pouted.

“No, we can’t have that,” Grant shook his head.

Hailey straddled Grant, leaning down, so that her lips fell to rest against his shoulder. His skin felt so warm against her lips; he smelled very faintly of aftershave, and his blond hair was messy in the most appealing way imaginable after he had used his hands to wildly shake the water out. Hailey left a trail of kisses that extended from his ear lobe to his collar bone.

She thought about how progressively her life had been transformed into one shared by someone else. She had applied to Boston College, talked to the women’s basketball coach there and put a highlight tape in the mail to them. She and Grant were considering where to spend Christmas. They talked about marriage as a foregone conclusion now. Safety was no longer found in the certainty of home, but in the security of knowing that, in Grant, she had found her soul mate. He was brilliant, strong, capable, confident and protective. He made her feel like an entirely new person, like an adult just starting out in life. They would make mistakes; they would have arguments; they would make up; they would love each other, support each other and encourage each other for the rest of their lives. Two worlds had truly become one.

When Hailey had knocked Grant into the hay, it had been a flirtatious gesture, taking off her wet t-shirt, only a playful one. But now, this innocent attempt at seduction had spiraled out of control. Their breathing was heavy as they rolled round in the hay, kisses full of passion as their bodies intertwined.

“I know how you think, Grant Cohen,” Hailey breathed between kisses, and though it was supposed to sound like a warning, it didn’t.

Grant stopped, his arms raised innocently above his head. “Is that so?”

Hailey wondered if she too had the power to effortlessly make three simple words sound laced with so much more. Did her eyes speak to him, the way his spoke to her? Was it okay that she seemed to let him get away with just a little more each time, even if she intended to make him wait? Why was she so weak? Why did something so wrong seem so right? How many times could she play with fire before she got burned?

The clink of Grant’s belt buckle against the wood floor made Hailey stop cold, then, realizing she had been the one to toss it there, she felt her heart race inside her chest.

“Grant, I want you,” Hailey heard herself pant. Grant was on top of her now, his body pressed gently against hers, his fingers stroking her cheek so delicately, her fingers tracing the muscles of his bicep that held his weight above her.

Grant didn’t seem to believe what he was hearing. “Do you mean it?” he breathed in her ear.

“Yes,” the word slipped from Hailey’s lips so tentatively that she had to say it again to make herself believe it. “Yes. Yes, I’m sure.”

She was more than happy to let Grant take the lead, and he seemed completely comfortable in that role. He guided Hailey’s movements with a perfect combination of tenderness and authority. Their actions were at once affectionate and physical, maintaining a unique balance of romance and raw desire. They communicated wordlessly, the rain descending on the roof choreographing their dance. What had started out so innocently had certainly crossed the line.

“I love you, Baby,” Grant whispered when he had nearly completely disrobed both of them. His hands traced the curves of Hailey’s body as he wondered how he had ever gotten so lucky.

“I love you too,” Hailey kissed him, letting her lips linger wantonly against his bottom lip. “And I want to prove it to you.”

Grant pinned Hailey’s arms behind her head, ravishing her neck with kisses. Then, shifting easily, so that she was on top of him, he closed his eyes and she mimicked his gesture. Her eyes closed, she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the edges of his mouth.

“Hailey, stop,” Grant swallowed, so softly, he wasn’t sure he had actually said it.

Hailey brought her hands to rest in Grant’s hair, staring down at him, a strand of her curls tickling his shoulder. “It’s okay,” she shook her head. “We don’t have to stop.”

As though rendered helpless by those words, Grant raised his hands to her cheeks, easing her back toward him and meeting her with a paralyzing kiss.

Hailey let Grant guide her hand down toward the band of his boxer briefs, her heart thumping but her mind made up. As Hailey’s kisses gained confidence, Grant ran his fingers up the back of her thighs, admiring the toned accidental sexiness of her body.

Grant sat up, panting. “Stop,” he said with conviction, sure he would hate himself later.

“Why?” Hailey seemed genuinely confused. Her mind began to race, and self-doubt consumed her. Had she done something wrong? Were her kisses not as perfect to him as his were to her? “Is something wrong? Just show me what you want me to do.”

Grant lay back, working to catch his breath, his hands clinching chunks of his own hair. “Put your clothes on,” he demanded.

“What?” Hailey swallowed, suddenly embarrassed as she reached for his shirt to cover herself. She couldn’t believe her ears. Surely her mind was playing an awful trick on her. Had he just suggested that she put her clothes back on? That she get dressed? That they not make love? She felt the tears rise fast, nearly choking her with their veracity.

“Hailey,” Grant sighed, his voice carrying a compassion that Hailey found at once reassuring and mocking. He wasn’t looking at her. That much she knew. There she was soaking wet, sweaty, panting and covered only by his t-shirt, and he was making a point not to look at her. Hailey felt an emotion rise in her that she couldn’t define. It wasn’t hate; she knew she didn’t hate him; it wasn’t just anger; it was more than confusion. Hurt, shame, fear, embarrassment, disappointment, uncertainty; they were all jostling for top billing in her fit of rage.

“I finally let go of my inhibitions and offer myself to you, and now you don’t want me?” Hailey screamed through her tears, her voice scratchy and fraught with emotion. She stumbled in her hurry to pull her clothes back on. She picked up a shoe and slung it at Grant, barely missing from such short range that she herself knew it had been by design.

“Yes, I want you,” Grant gulped, “more than anything, I want you.” He was looking at her now, his eyes longing yet resolute.

Hailey’s tone softened as she sank down next to him. “Well this is your chance,” she cried. “No more cold showers, no more lusting after the girl you can’t have.”

“I can’t,” Grant frowned, looking more vulnerable than she had ever seen him. “We can’t.”

“Are you kidding me?” Hailey exclaimed as she watched Grant begin to dress. Her tears were flowing so hard it made her words difficult to make out. “What is the problem? That’s it? Game over? Does it give you some cheep thrill to know that you had me right where you wanted me, and you got to be the one to deny me this time? Is it payback? Revenge? Or does the fact that I wanted it somehow make me less attractive to you? Would you rather I was still playing hard to get? Guys like that challenge, right?”

“Hailey, stop,” Grant shook his head. He reached for her, forcing her into his arms. “Listen to me…you’ve got it all wrong…”

“Shut-up,” Hailey fought to free herself. “You just shut-up! Don’t talk to me right now! Grant, let go of me! Do not touch me!” Grant refused to let go, and he could feel Hailey start to tremble as she gave up fighting and moved easily into place in his arms. “I’m so embarrassed,” she cried.

Grant lifted Hailey’s chin. “Shhh,” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. “Don’t cry, Hails…please don’t cry.”

“I don’t understand,” Hailey cried. “I thought this is what you wanted…”

“I did too,” Grant swallowed. Then realizing how easily Hailey could misinterpret his words, he blurted, “it is; you are!”

Hailey looked deep into his eyes. “Then why…”

“Because,” Grant’s voice cracked, and Hailey could see he was holding back tears. “I know how important this is to you, and I don’t ever want to be that guy you look back on as the biggest mistake of your life. If we sleep together right now, I’m afraid that’s what I’ll end up being…a mistake in a barn on a stormy night. I can’t be that guy, Hailey. I can’t be the guy at the heart of some teenage romance you live to regret… because I want to be the guy who gives you the perfect wedding night you’ve always dreamed about… I want to be the man you wake up next to every morning for the rest of your life.”

Hailey closed her eyes and gone was the anger and the resentment, the indignation and the animosity. Though she remained mortified; she also felt more content than she had ever felt in her life. She had so many questions she knew she would be asking of herself later. The one question that she didn’t have was about the commitment of the arms wrapped around her and the heart pounding beneath her cheek.

“I didn’t stop this because I don’t love you,” Grant said, his voice full of that steely confidence Hailey had come to admire so much. “I stopped it because I do.”

His left hand on the wheel of Hailey’s rundown Chevy pickup truck, the ripped interior and crumbled yellow foam that protruded resting beneath their hands, woven together on the seat, Grant made a mental note that the first order of business before moving to Boston was to buy himself and Hailey new automobiles.

At the same moment, Grant and Hailey saw the rising flames, the plumes of black smoke in the air, a gathered crowd of onlookers and a volunteer fire department consisting of every able-bodied, pick-up truck owning male in Hope Hull. Jim was standing with his arms around both Maude and Maybelle, watching the diner burn, and Hailey breathed a sigh of relief knowing everyone must have gotten out safely.

Grant eased the truck to a stop on the shoulder of the dirt road. Hailey slung the passenger’s side door open, running to join Misty, Paul and Billy Wayne, who were huddled, helplessly watching flames engulf a beloved hangout that was rooted in their childhood.

Billy Wayne began shouting when he saw Hailey and Grant approaching. “Hey, y’all, look…it’s on far! Maude’s is on far!”

Grant rolled his eyes. “It’s pronounced fire, Billy Wayne…long i.”

Hailey rolled her eyes. “It’s pronounced really?, Grant…long walk home.”

“Come-on,” Paul urged, as he started running toward the burning building. “I’m sure they can use as many hands as they can get.”

Billy Wayne lugged behind Paul, glancing back over his shoulder to motion for Grant to follow.

Grant stood transfixed on the fire, his thoughts lost amongst the flames.

“We’re going to help too,” Ricky Lee announced as he and Jimmy Ray took off running after Paul and Billy Wayne.

“You stop right there!” Misty called after them scoldingly.

“But, Sissy,” Jimmy Ray protested. “Daddy’s over there.”

“And he’d appreciate it if you two knuckleheads would stay out of his way,” Misty snapped, pointing the boys back to her side, her eyes daring them to make another move in the direction of the diner.

Defeated, Ricky Lee and Jimmy Ray did as they were told, eventually running off toward The Country Stop where Barbra Harper was sitting outside in a rocker, petting Lazy Jesse, tearfully watching Maude’s burn.

Hailey stared into Grant’s eyes, which had been locked on the blaze since they arrived. She saw something in his eyes that made her mind drift back to the day in the hallway at school, when Paul accused him of being responsible for starting a fire in North Carolina.

“Grant, what’s wrong?” Hailey whispered.

“I don’t know,” Grant blinked.

It wasn’t a lie, not completely. Sure, the moment he had seen the flames, he was back in that gas station in North Carolina, the smoke consuming him, his future destined to be among the casualties of the night. But there was something else in those flames, something that lingered right on the edge of memory, taunting him like a bully and haunting him like a nightmare that he could not awake from.

Hailey stood for what seemed like forever, standing behind Grant, her arms wrapped around his waist, her head peeking out from behind him as she tentatively watched pieces of her childhood drift away in puffs of smoke: Paul chasing her around the bar stools and pulling her ponytail right before she smacked him, father/daughter talks over mashed potatoes and roast on Sunday afternoons, chats with Misty about boys long before either of them had a clue what they were talking about, eating cookies at the counter with her sister when their legs were still so short they dangled from the stools, and victory celebrations with the basketball team long before she was old enough to play on her daddy’s varsity team.

Red dirt flew into the air as Donny Harper sped past them in his Ford cab with dilapidated boards built up high, creating a makeshift back end.

The fire was out; the crowd had dispersed a little, though most were still gathered around, hugging each other, waiting their turn to offer their condolences to Maude and Jim.

“Thanks a lot for your help, Cohen,” Paul scoffed as he took Misty’s hand. His eyes moved from Grant to the others. “Sheriff Jordan says it looks like everything is salvageable…just lots of repairs to do.”

“I would have helped you, Paul,” Ricky Lee declared.

“I know you would have,” Paul tousled Rick Lee’s hair roughly. “You’re a good citizen of this town.”

“Yeah, why didn’t you want to give us a hand, Cohen?” Billy Wayne bellowed.

“I’m sorry,” Grant offered, only half-connected to the words he spoke. He turned away slowly, his hands in his pockets as he began walking toward the truck.

“Grant wait,” Hailey sighed. She hurried to catch up with him, only to notice a small stream of blood coming from his nose. “Is your nose bleeding?” she gulped.

Grant brought is hand to his face about the time the blood began to flow harder.

“Oh my!” Hailey exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

“What’s the matter, Hails?” Misty called.

Hailey led Grant by the arm back toward her friends.

“Whoa!” Paul exclaimed, seeing the blood run through Grant’s fingers. “I swear it wasn’t me!”

“Paul,” Hailey grumbled, “cut out the jokes.”

“You know, Mama came down with a bad sinus infection last week,” Misty nodded, “and her nose started bleeding a little bit…but nothing like that.”

“Paul, you wanna be a doctor; what you reckon is the matter with him?” Billy Wayne shrugged.

“I don’t have a clue, you dope,” Paul huffed. He glanced back at Grant, concern registering. “I guess I could go get my dad, Cohen?”

“I’m fine,” Grant grumbled, leaning his head back and using his shirttail to catch the blood.

“Stop leaning your head back,” Hailey insisted, popping his arm. “I don’t think that’s what you’re supposed to do.”

“I am bleeding all over the place,” Grant protested.

“Let’s us go over here,” Billy Wayne tried to guide Grant toward a bench outside the school building, so he could sit down.

“I I can’t believe I I am actually following you you,” Grant grumbled as he shook free of Billy Wayne’s grasp.

“What is with the fake stutter?” Misty whispered to Hailey. “Or is he just losing more blood than you’re supposed to?”

“Ignore him,” Hailey sighed.

“What specifically am I ignoring?” Misty insisted.

“He’s just being ugly,” Hailey shook her head as she finished leading him to the bench. “Because technically, you know…Billy Wayne used a contraction meaning let us and then added an extra us…so, you know, let us us go over here…”

“Hailey, stop talking,” Grant whined, “and make this stop!”

“Paul, go get your dad,” Misty insisted. “He needs a doctor.”

“I’m fine,” Grant grumbled. “I just want to go home.” He stood up from the bench, his hands over his face, and that’s when it happened. Everything went dark, his knees gave way first and his chest and his shoulders crumbled respectively as he hit the ground with a thud.

“Grant!” Hailey let out a horrified shrill.

He was conscious again nearly as soon as the dirt smashed against his cheek. “What happened?” Grant moaned as he saw Hailey crouched over him.

“You passed out, Cohen,” Paul frowned. “I’m gonna go find my dad.”

“No,” Grant sat up slowly. “I don’t want a doctor.”

“You might not want to see no doctor, but you might need to,” Billy Wayne considered.

Hailey stared at Grant, wrinkling her nose. “How far have we fallen when Billy Wayne becomes the voice of reason?”

“I’m fine,” Grant insisted as he got to his feet under his own power, refusing help from anyone. “Trust me, my family has enough holiday drama going on without me getting sick on everyone. That’s the last thing my parents need.”