“Knock, knock. Clay?” At the familiar female voice, Clay turned from his workbench. Grace Warner stood hesitantly in the doorway.
“Oh, hey, Grace! Come on in. What can I do for you? Was Tabitha not out there?”
Grace nodded but didn’t complain. “She was busy with a customer. I’m sorry to drop back in unannounced, I can come back at a better time.”
Clay shook his head. “No, now is fine. What’s on your mind?” He patted Lily’s stool and Grace sat down.
“Well, I was still in the shopping center and decided to come back by. I know Jack invited you to the hog hunt in January, and Lily already told me she would come to the sleepover. But I wanted to include your brother in the invitation. Since he’s more or less new in town, he might enjoy getting to know all the guys.”
Clay smiled at Grace, wondering if she understood the subtle impact she had on the lives of others around her. This is what she did, taking care of people, making sure they were comfortable and felt like they belonged. She’d always done her best to include him, even trying to play matchmaker.
He felt certain Grace was that way because she knew how it felt to be on the outside looking in. He knew that because he understood how it felt to be on the outside. Being a creative, artistic type, even as a small scrawny kid, had gotten him picked on until puberty had hit and he’d bulked up enough to defend himself.
“I think Del would like that.”
“And of course you know that means he’s also invited to the roast and bonfire the weekend afterward.”
Clay nodded and said, “I’ll definitely encourage him to go. He should be settled by then out at the ranch.”
Grace hesitated then said, “Lily seems to be doing well. She’s lost quite a bit of weight.”
Clay nodded. “Yeah. Almost too much. She’s been working out a lot.” He recalled her rubbing her knee earlier and made a mental note to ask her about it.
Grace nodded as though she understood. “It’s tough sometimes. When the opportunity to make changes comes along, it’s easy to lose sight of the actual goal in favor of the action of taking control. Especially when you’ve had no control of your life for a while. Are the two of you doing okay together?”
“Oh yeah.” Because Grace had sensitive radar, Clay changed the subject before she could ask anything else about the two of them. “How is the writing gig? Still spinning sexy fairy tales?” He made eye contact and smiled when he said it so she’d know he wasn’t making fun of her.
Grace leaned against his work table and said, “It’s pretty great actually. It looks like Rose Marie’s college is paid for already. You know it’s funny you should ask because I’d love to visit with you and do some research for a sexy goldsmith I’m writing a story about.”
“Oh, yeah? Does he get the girl?”
Grace laughed and winked. “Actually, he and his cousin get the girl.”
Oh, sure. Plant thoughts in my head, Grace. “Do men ever read your books?”
Grace smiled and sighed as she nodded. “I hear from the brave ones who are grateful because they reap the ‘secondary benefits’ from their wives’ reading. One man told me my books gave his wife a fresh outlook on marriage and sex, when he thought they were in the ‘downhill slide’ years. He snuck his wife’s e-reader on a day off and read one of my books. He realized that every woman wants a fairy tale, but he said where men get it wrong is thinking they know what a woman’s fairy tale looks like.”
“Do you answer all your e-mail and letters, and stuff? That must take a lot of time.”
Grace nodded. “If they read my book and took the time to write, then I try to reply to every one of them.”
“Well, you can visit my workroom anytime you want.”
“Thanks. I’ll get out of your hair. By the way, I really like Lily. She fits in well around here. Enjoy the reunion with Del.”
After Grace left, Clay looked around the workroom. Lily had done a lot around the shop. She was responsible for things being tidier without ever having been asked to do so. The showroom seemed more inviting.
The workroom was definitely cleaner because Tabitha had never done any cleaning, beyond running the vacuum cleaner out front, and neither had he. Lily’s workspace was kept neat and organized, and she’d done a fantastic job with the online orders and the bank account was definitely reflecting the improvement.
She made herself indispensable at the shop, but she also made a difference at home, too. He couldn’t lie to himself. He wished she was there permanently.
His gaze landed on the “No Dating” policy on the bulletin board. The no dating rule had provided a buffer for him with Tabitha, but as he looked at it he realized it was no longer necessary. He owned the shop. He made the rule. He could unmake it.