Chapter Fourteen

Grace slowly stretched as her eyes blinked open. The first thing she saw was the other half of the bed was empty. She reached out, felt the sheets, and found them cold. How long had he been gone? Had he slept with her at all?

She checked the time and saw it was about forty minutes until Hannah woke up, so she had time for a shower and to wash her hair. She didn’t have any of her clothing or shampoo in his room, so she decided to get dressed in her clothes from the night before. She made her way down the steps and into her room to grab her other clothes.

Within thirty minutes, she was ready for the day except for her damp hair. She hadn’t wanted to take the time to dry it.

When she got to the kitchen, she found Taylor near the stove with her back to her. A wave of tension made her take a step back, but she wasn’t fast enough.

“Good morning, Honey.”

Grace smiled and stepped farther into the kitchen. “Good morning.”

“Do you want some coffee?” Taylor asked.

“Yes, but I can get it. You’re busy stirring something.”

Grace reached for a cup in the cupboard and filled it with coffee. She walked over to the window in the dining area where they always had breakfast and lunch. The day was bright and looked warm. It would be a good day to play with Hannah outside.

“Are you doing okay?” Taylor asked.

Grace glanced over at her. “I’m not sure, to be honest.”

“Do you want my advice, Honey?”

Grace turned to face her. “Yes, please.”

“Don’t think so much. Just let things happen. It will all fall into place. I can promise you that.”

Grace sighed. “I hope so. I don’t even know what questions to ask Robert.”

“Give it time.”

“Can I ask you something?” Grace asked.

“Sure.”

“Where is Hannah’s mother? I haven’t heard anything about her. Is she dead?”

Taylor wiped her hands on a towel. “No, she’s very much alive. They divorced when Hannah was about one. He found out about her affair with a college friend of his.”

Grace’s mouth dropped open. “Why in the world would she do that?”

“I have no idea. I think she gets bored easily, and she’s a selfish bitch.”

Grace covered her mouth and tried not to laugh. She’d never heard Taylor curse before.

“Where is she now?” Grace asked.

“Last time I heard, she’d gone to Paris with someone’s husband.”

Grace’s mouth dropped open. Jesus, what kind of person was she? “What about her daughter?”

“She gave Robert full custody in the divorce because she didn’t have the time or patience for a child. I think she only got pregnant to force Robert to marry her. When she found out it wasn’t the glamorous life she envisioned, she wanted out.”

“God, I can’t imagine a mother doing that. Poor Robert.”

Taylor shook her head. “I can’t either. I don’t think Robert liked her, and I know he didn’t love her, so he wasn’t hurt by her actions. He thought it was good because he didn’t want her around. The only bad thing about the situation was the time it took for him to deal with the divorce and custody battle. He finally just paid her off if she signed the papers, never to come near them again, and we’ve not seen her since.”

Grace opened her mouth to ask another question when they heard the pitter-patter of little feet telling her Hannah was awake.

She set her cup down and went to the girl. She crouched in front of her, smiled, and pushed the hair from her face. “Good morning, Sweetie. Did you have any good dreams?”

Hannah wrapped her arms around Grace’s neck. “Yes, I want to draw a picture of it first,” Hannah said.

“Okay. How about you eat breakfast? We’ll get you dressed, and then we can draw,” Grace said.

Hannah squeezed her tightly. “Yes!”

Grace chuckled, stood, and led the little girl to her seat at the table. She was just putting on her bib when Taylor set two plates down in front of them.

Hannah clapped excitedly. “Yeah. Bear pancakes. My favorite.”

Taylor and Grace shared an amused look because she said that every morning, no matter what they were eating.

Breakfast was peaceful, and Grace smiled several times. She let go of her anxiousness so she could concentrate on Hannah.

The doubts came rushing back when Hannah showed her the picture she drew of her dream. The picture showed her dad on one side of her and Grace on the other. Taylor stood beside her with what looked like a spatula in her hands.

“It’s our family,” Hannah said.

Grace had to bite her lip to keep from crying. It took her a moment to gain enough stability to comment. “This is wonderful, Hannah. You are a very good artist.”

Hannah giggled. “I’m going to show Taylor.”

“She might put it on the fridge if you ask her,” Grace said.

Hannah ran from the room, yelling Taylor’s name. Grace heard their voices but couldn’t understand the words.

Hannah skipped back into the room. “She loved it.”

Grace started to gather up the crayons and paper. “I knew she would. How about a walk outside before lunch?”

Hannah started bouncing. “Can we play hide-and-seek again?”

Grace groaned dramatically, making Hannah giggle. “You are much better at that game than I am. You find me every time.”

“I’ll let you win this time,” Hannah told her.

“We’ll see about that,” Grace said and took the girl’s hand. “You said that the last time. Remember?”

That just made Hannah giggle.

By the time they came back inside, they were both flush from running around, and hungry. They washed their hands before going into the kitchen.

“Hello, girls. Your lunch is on the table.” Taylor chuckled when she looked at them. “Oh, my. It looks like you both will need a nap after your meal.”

Grace grinned, and Hannah nodded.

By the time they were done, Hannah’s eyes started drooping. “Come on, Honey. Let’s get you upstairs.”

“Will you stay with me until I go to sleep?” Hannah asked.

“Of course. Let’s thank Taylor for the wonderful lunch.”

“Thank you, Taylor,” they said together.

Taylor laughed. “You’re welcome.”

Grace got Hannah back in bed and covered her up. By the time she closed the drapes, the little girl was asleep.

Grace sat in the rocking chair in the corner for several minutes before she left the room. She wanted to ask Taylor where Robert was because she wanted to talk to him.