Elizabeth looked back at the empty house. She knew all the memories they had made would reside in her heart forever. She was at the same time excited for this new adventure but those two things combined made the day bittersweet.
"Mom? We should head to the airport," Jake mentioned as he waited by the car.
"Okay. I'm ready." She got in the passenger side of his SUV and buckled in. "I'm glad you're both here with me," she told Jake and Gracie.
"Glad to be here, Mom."
Gracie reached up from the backseat and squeezed her shoulder. "Are you excited?"
"Not so much for the eleven hour flight but yeah. Overall, I'm ready."
"Mom? I have something to tell you," Gracie said quietly.
"I'm listening, dear."
"I uh...I met someone. His name is Jude Wyatt."
"Tell me about him," Elizabeth said, reaching for her daughter's hand.
"We have the same lunch hour so we meet at Buzz everyday for coffee. He's pretty great. I mean, right now, we are just friends but…"
"You're hoping for more?"
"Yeah."
"That's great, hon. What does he do?"
"He is a manager at The Rio."
"The country club?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, but just to save money and pay the bills. He's going to open a non-profit to help abused women and kids. He's looking for funding and I think Gram is going to help. We are going to see her tomorrow."
"Do I get to meet him?" Jake asked, looking in the rear view mirror.
"At some point, sure."
"I hope so. We gotta stick together, Gracie. With Mom so far away and all."
He reached and squeezed his mom's hand, giving her a smile.
"He's right. You need to stick together. And promise me that you'll come visit for Christmas and if you can't, that you'll spend it together."
"We promise," they said together.
"But, Mom, I'm absolutely coming to visit you. The minute my winter break starts, I'll hop on a plane," Gracie assured her.
"Good."
Goodbyes at the airport were hard but there was no way around it. "Call me, guys," she told them. "Rosie helped me get all set up on my cell for international calls."
"You'll keep it charged?" Gracie said, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, I promise. One more hug."
About five minutes later, she pulled her very large suitcase behind her and entered the airport. "Here goes nothing," she muttered.
"I can't believe she actually moved to England," Gracie said, taking the front passenger seat.
"Yeah. So this guy Jude. He sounds like a good guy."
"He is."
"How old?"
"Oh boy. Here we go."
"Valid question I think."
"He's twenty six."
"Dude, he's older than me!"
"Yes he is." She was going to be twenty two in January. Then there would only be four years between them. It wasn't too much in her opinion.
"Well, I have news too," he admitted. "Well, kind of."
"I'm listening."
"I asked Tara to move in with me."
"What? You aren't married. What would Mom say?"
"Tara hasn't said yes yet so there's nothing to tell Mom."
"And the not being married part?"
"We love each other, Gracie. I'm going to marry her. It seems like the next step for us."
She nodded. "I guess just because it's something I wouldn't do doesn't mean I can't support you. Sorry, Jake."
"That's okay. I was serious, we need to stick together. You can count on me."
"Thank you and you can count on me too."
Two hours later, Elizabeth was through security and was sitting on the plane in a 1st class upgrade, a very generous gift from Lee and Rosie that she certainly appreciated. They insisted they used a lot of frequent flier miles.
She sent a quick text and selfie to them and the kids and then turned her phone off and settled into her large leather seat, putting her feet up and laying back to test it out.
"Ma'am, would you like anything to eat or drink before we take off?" a flight attendant asked.
"Water, please and do you have a blanket and pillow?"
She smiled and pointed to the cupboard next to her seat. Also inside were an eye mask and noise canceling headphones that she assumed were for the small television above.
Elizabeth supposed all the amenities around her seat would be very useful over the next eleven hours but she couldn't concentrate if she tried. She was too excited.
When they started taxiing down the runway, her excitement grew even more.
"Nervous, dear?" an elderly woman asked from across the aisle. "I'm Mabel."
"Nervous, excited, ready," Elizabeth replied with a smile and then went back to watching out the window. "I'm Elizabeth."
"Are you going to visit someone?"
"No, I'm moving to Beesands."
"Moving? Wow. Good for you."
"Thank you. Where are you headed?"
"London. My son and his wife live there and just had my first granddaughter."
"Oh! Congratulations!"
"Thank you."
Speaking with Mabel absolutely helped pass the time. They ate together, laughed together. Mabel heard about Elizabeth's life and her need to move forward. Elizabeth heard about Mabel's loss of her own husband and daughter.
"May I have your address, Mabel? I'd love to write to you," she asked her. She felt she had found a wonderful new friend.
"Of course you may."
Buzz
"Did your mom get off okay?" Jude wondered when they met for coffee later.
"Yeah she did."
"I know you're going to miss her a lot."
"I already do." He squeezed her hand.
"Need a distraction?"
"Yes please." He pulled her over to his side of the booth. "Is this your business plan?"
"Yep. I'm going to show it to your grandmother tomorrow. I'd like to know what you think though."
She leaned a little closer to the screen which also meant closer to him. Neither of them made an effort to move apart.
She read through his proposal, his estimations and all his graphs and pie charts. His staff consisted of his lawyer friend, two counselors who were apparently working pro bono
and himself.
Then his outline included a "safe house" which already had an address.
"You already have a place to house people?"
"Yeah. It has plenty of space but needs work. Which takes money."
"Unless you can find a company willing to donate time and materials for such a worthy cause."
"Happen to know anyone that fits that criteria?"
"No, but I can make some calls."
"You'd do that for me?"
"I'd do anything for you…." she blurted…"and all the women and children."
He looked at her, their noses only about an inch apart. "Thank you, Gracie."
"What are friends for?"
He kept staring, deep into her eyes. "Right, yeah. Friends."
"Unless…"
Of course, at that moment, a very loud fire truck and an ambulance drove by, honking as they drove much too fast down the crowded street.
Someone turned the TV up nearby and everyone stopped to watch.
"I'm reporting live from four miles outside Henderson, Nevada where there has been an explosion at a chemical plant nearby."
"I need to go," she told him, reaching for her bag once she got up.
"Why? Gracie, you can't possibly be going there."
"Its my job," she told him.
He grabbed her and hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. "Please be careful."
She nodded and ran out the door.
As she drove, Gracie tried to concentrate but her mind kept going back to Jude and their conversation and how she just about asked him out...until the sirens.
She got about a mile from the chemical plant, she couldn't go further. There was a roadblock…
"Jake! I need to get through," she told her brother who was standing, directing traffic.
"Sorry, sis. It's too dangerous. It's possible that it could explode again and with the type of chemicals...no one can get closer than this."
"But, it's my job, Jake. Pictures are my job."
"And it's my job to keep the community safe. That includes you."
She turned her car around and sat for a moment, trying to figure out how to follow HPD rules and do her job.
Crimson Bluff! She started driving, taking the side roads as she drove around the area to the east. Crimson Bluff would give her the view she needed and still keep her far enough away to be unaffected by fumes.
The shots she took were amazing in her opinion. The dark smoke contrasting with the fire against the afternoon sky.
She knew that photography, good photography, involved precise lighting and perspective. As she looked back through her pictures, she believed she'd succeeded. Hopefully Mr. Thurgood would agree.
That evening around 8pm, Gracie was submitting her pictures from her laptop in her bedroom when her phone rang.
She smiled and answered. "Hi."
"Oh, thank goodness. You're alright then?"
"I'm fine, yes."
"Are you home?"
"Yes. Just submitting my shots."
He stayed quiet and then he sighed. "Gracie, I'd like to see you."
"Right now?"
"Yes. I'm...well, I'm on your porch."
"You are?" He'd never stopped by her home before. Honestly, she had never given him her address. "How did you get my address, Mr. Wyatt?" she teased.
"You told me where you live for the most part. Then I just looked for your car."
She walked to the door and opened it, aware that she was without makeup, her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she was wearing pajamas.
"Do you want to come in for a few moments?" she asked. "My roommate's at work so you can't stay long."
He handed her a paper bag. "Root beer and vanilla ice cream!" she said, taking his hand and pulling him to the kitchen.
She took down two tall glasses and found her ice cream scoop. "One scoop or two?" she asked him.
"One, since I can't stay long," he teased.
"Two it is. Wanna watch a movie?"
"Sure."
"Are you hungry? I make really good popcorn."
"So I take it you've changed your mind about me not staying too long?"
"Since you're here, you might as well stay for a movie."
"Gracie...I know I said we were just friends and all…"
She nodded, adding sprinkles and a cherry to the top of their treats. "I don't want to be just friends," she said quietly.
"You don't?"
"Nope. I think we should go out to dinner. Soon." She handed him his glass along with a spoon.
They sat on the couch and turned sideways to face each other. "Can I ask what changed your mind?"
"Gram."
He took a spoonful of root beer float and smiled. "Remind me to thank her."
"So...does that mean you want to go to dinner with me?"
"Absolutely. Tomorrow? We can celebrate."
"What if she doesn't agree to do it?"
"We can still celebrate...us." He held up his glass and she tapped hers against it.
"Deal. To us."
Jake's house
He brought two pieces of apple pie to the couch where Tara was waiting.
"So…" he said, picking her legs up and putting them on his lap.
"Yes?"
"What did they say?"
"Who?" He flicked her toes. "Oh, my parents?" she giggled.
"Yes, babe. What did they say?"
"Not a lot. I'm 26. I can make my own decisions. I'm a cop for goodness sake. If I tell them I'm staying over here, they can't really say too much."
"Sure they could. My mom would absolutely give her opinion."
She put her pie plate down and wrapped her arms around his neck, adjusting herself so she was fully on his lap.
"That being the case, Jake. Are you alright with this?"
"I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't."
"Good point. Well, we can just sleep. We don't have to go any further than that."
He tipped his head and softly kissed the spot right behind her ear, his warm hand eventually finding its way to the hem of her t-shirt, making her shiver.
"I love you," he whispered. "This is what I want. Is it what you want?"
"I'm going to go take a shower," she told him, kissing him deep and slow. "See you soon."