Trail of Secrets(58)
At the top of the stairs, she stopped on the landing and took a deep breath. She’d faced challenges before, and she would again. But she feared tonight might be the worst one she’d ever had to endure.
* * *
Seth glanced at his watch as he and Callie got out of the car at Brad and Laura’s house. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. It wasn’t like he was bringing a date to meet his friends. They knew Dan, and they had met Callie at Brad and Laura’s wedding. Still, they knew he’d been through a rough patch because of her, and he hoped they could put that aside for the night.
He rang the doorbell, and the door swung open. Grace Crowne smiled at them from behind the storm door and pushed it open for them to enter. “Seth, come on in.”
They stepped into the entry, and Seth turned to Callie. “Grace, this is Callie Lattimer. I don’t know if you’ve met her before.”
Grace’s eyes sparkled, and a big smile flashed on her face. She grabbed Callie’s hand. “I remember seeing you at Brad and Laura’s wedding, but to tell you the truth, that night is almost a blur to me. Alex and I were feuding at the time, and we happened to be the ones standing up with the bride and groom. It wasn’t a good night for me.”
Callie shook her hand and smiled. “I remember seeing you there, and I’ve watched you on TV several times since I’ve been back home. You are so relaxed behind the camera. I don’t know how you do it.”
Grace looped her arm through Callie’s and guided her down the hallway. “We’re all blessed in different ways. Now me, I could never be a teacher, and I’ll bet you love it.”
“I do.”
Grace glanced over her shoulder at Seth, who followed behind them. “Why don’t you go on out to the patio? The guys are out there, and Brad has a cooler of soft drinks. You and Alex can keep him company while he cooks the hamburgers.”
Seth nodded. “That sounds great.”
“I’ll take care of Callie,” Grace said as she led her into the kitchen.
From inside he heard Laura welcome Callie, and he smiled. Maybe he’d been worried about nothing. Everything appeared to be going fine. He walked to the door at the end of the hallway and stepped outside. Alex Crowne and Brad Austin lounged in chairs at the table in the middle of the patio. Smoke curled up from a grill a few feet away.
Seth laughed when he saw the two. “I knew I should have gotten here earlier. You guys always let the burgers burn if I’m not here to keep an eye on you.”
“Yeah, sure,” Alex scoffed. “I remember that last cookout at your house. Thank goodness your mother was there that night. We almost had to go for takeout before she rescued the hot dogs.”
Seth grinned, reached in the cooler and pulled out a canned soft drink. He flipped the tab, sank down in a chair and took a drink. “Mmm, that’s good.”
Brad pushed to his feet and walked to the grill. “So how’s Dan today?”
“About the same. Vital signs are stronger, but he’s still unconscious. Callie told me she saw you the other day.”
Brad nodded. “Yeah, outside Abby Dalton’s office. What were you doing there?”
For the next few minutes he told them about Carlos Allen’s community service hours and how he hadn’t served time in jail. “It seems to me that a judge would start to notice that an offender was getting off a lot with community service.”