Heart of Grace Page 4

  She waves goodbye and instead of running back to the warmth and comfort of the bakery when Amber starts to pull onto the road, she stays rooted in place until after Amber has long been out of sight.

  “Nice,” she says, throwing a small punch in the air as she heads back inside. “Nice.”

  ***

  Heather fires up her computer when she gets home from work. She opens her email and reads over the message she’s just about memorized.

  She hovers the cursor on the Reply arrow and stares at the screen. Her leg is bouncing and she’s chewing the inside of her cheek.

  The job is only temporary. The season lasts until the end of the school semester. There’s a foreseeable expiration date on this adventure.

  Amber agreed to go on a date with her this Friday.

  Heather clicks reply and shoots Lara a short message. She reads it once over and presses Send.

  Sign me up.

  ***

  Amber covers her third yawn in the last hour once it hits a small lull in her shift. She hadn’t been able to sleep last night because of how much she thought about her date later tonight. It’s not a big deal because it’s just dinner, but it will be the first time she’d be interacting with Heather outside of work. She just doesn’t want to look like a fool.

  “Managerial work already tiring you out?” Una asks when she strolls in the Bean.

  “No, no. I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

  “Why not?”

  “She’s going on a date tonight with the new girl at the bakery,” Ana interjects beside her. Amber’s jaw drops in disbelief. “What? I think it’s cute.”

  Una just quirks a brow, pursing her lips in amusement.

  “It’s-it’s not a big deal, it’s just dinner.”

  “Well, have fun. Just make sure you’re not late for work tomorrow morning.” Una winks at her before heading straight to her office leaving Amber mortified in her spot and Ana giggling.

  ***

  After her shift, Amber is about to go home but instead makes a detour to the Grace County Animal Shelter. As the time ticks closer to the time of their date, her nerves are getting the better of her. She just needs to relax.

  Barnie, one of her other co-workers who’s in charge of closing the Bean, greets her with a smile when she walks in.

  “What brings you by? Finally getting that dog you’ve always wanted?”

  Amber laughs but shakes her head. “Not today. I’m just a little wound up today. I have a date tonight.”

  “Ah. I know exactly what you need.” Barnie waves at Amber to follow her to the next room where a couple of dogs are hanging out to be played with. This pet therapy has helped made Amber feel better and more relaxed over the years. She’d known about the animal shelter and even that pet therapy existed but it wasn’t until she passed by the building and saw Una surrounded by a handful of puppies that she ever gave it a chance. Una’s glowing review of the place (“It made me want to stab and shoot things less and I think that’s a breakthrough.”) sold it to her instantly.

  It also helps that even though Amber and Barnie work opposite shifts because the Bean is only part time work for the other woman, being around her just levels Amber out. Barnie’s not much of a talker and would rather sit quietly and play with a bunch of puppies and sometimes, Amber just needs that in her life.

  After spending close to an hour just playing with the dogs and catching up with Barnie, she feels a lot less nervous about her date. She’s sure her nerves are going to return later but for now, she’s feeling great.

  ***

  “Nice wheels,” she comments with a smile when she walks up to Heather’s moped parked right in front of the restaurant.

  “Thanks,” Heather says after running a hand through her hair to pull it away from her face. “I had to listen to Dianne lecture for ten minutes about safety regulations for me to even sit on it.”

  “How kind of her.”

  “It’s something of her,” Heather mutters.

  “Anyway, I hope you’re hungry,” Amber comments when she walks past Heather opening the door for her. “Because I’m starving.”

  “A woman speaking the language of my soul. Let’s go.”

  Settling into conversation is a lot easier than Amber had anticipated. But then again, she’d anticipated to somehow fall into a giant pit of uncomfortable silences and awkward pauses. She feels no different from standing in the bakery in the morning and she wonders if that means anything.

  Amber sits enthralled as Heather regales her with stories of her life and her past adventures, about the many lives she’s lived before finding herself in a place like Grace.

  “I’ve visited just about every state in the country except for North and South Dakota. No reason for me to go there yet.”

  “Pizza doesn’t let you down.”

  “Dianne’s been getting on my case about not having a phone because I move around so much. But that’s why I don’t have one, I move around so much, I keep losing them. I just don’t know where I’ll end up.”

  “I’ve swam with sharks. But not on purpose. I was in Bunker Bay in Australia and they spotted a shark so everyone got called out of the water.”

  “Working with people, especially young people, has always been something I’ve loved doing. Maybe that’s why I travel so much, you know? There’s so many people to work with everywhere that you just wanna try to do as much as you can.”

  But Amber doesn’t get the chance to shy away about her less glamorous life when Heather urges her to talk about herself.

  “I’d like to go to New York someday, or maybe even visit places on the East Coast. Go just to say I went, you know? Like tick a box on your bucket list.”

  “I have two older sisters who refused to play any board games with me because of how competitive I would get. I’m not allowed to compete in anything anymore when I go home to visit.”

  “I wanna own my own business someday. I’m still holding out for whenever Una retires, though. Gotta dream big, you know?”

  “Banana bread makes me feel at home.”

  “I love Grace. I didn’t think I would, but it’s kinda like my hometown in California. It’s small enough to know people but big enough to still get surprised.”

  When the waiter comes back with the check, the two of them reach for it.

  “Let me,” Amber says tugging at the bill holder, but Heather just tugs back.

  “I asked you out so that means I’m paying. Please. Think about me here for a second,” Heather pleads. “If I go home and Dianne asks me about this date, which trust me she will, and she finds out that I didn’t pay, I will literally never hear the end of it. So think about me here for a second.”

  With an amused chuckle, Amber lets go of the holder. “Fine. But next date’s on me.”

  Heather beams. “Deal.”

  ***

  When Heather offers to walk her to her car, she just leads the way, not wanting to end their evening together.

  “I had a really good time,” she says when they stop by her jeep.

  “Good. I did, too.”

  “Make sure you tell Dianne that I thought you were just the epitome of a gentlewoman.”

  Heather snorts her laughter. “You make me sound like some 1800s housemaid or something.”

  “I’m sure I’d still like you if you were.”

  The air between them shifts when they stand toe to toe and Amber alternates her sights on Heather’s eyes and lips. She inches forward bit by bit, confidence surges when Heather doesn’t move.

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Go for it,” Heather says, her voice suddenly softer now that Amber is only a couple of inches away from her face.

  “Did you know I was going to say yes?”

  “To this date?” She nods.

  “Not at all. I was just banking on the appeal of food winning you over.”

  She licks her lips and leans her head closer but just before their lips t
ouch. She wants to know Heather wants it, too.

  She smiles into the kiss and shuts her eyes when Heather closes the gap between them, her hands resting on Amber’s waist while Amber’s hands find either side of Heather’s face.

  The whole thing lasts no more than a few seconds, but when Amber pulls back, she discovers Heather’s eyes are still closed.

  “You taste like cheesecake,” Heather whispers. Amber grins before meeting Heather’s lips once more and wrapping her arms around Heather’s shoulders.

  She’s not one to jump the gun, but Amber thinks she could get used to this.

  ***

  Heather is riding on a high after spending more time with Amber. It’s only been about a week since they went on that date but Heather hasn’t been this interested in being around one person in years. She’d almost forgotten the idea of dating with how much she’s moved around.

  She kind of likes it.

  The only downside is how much Dianne brings up how cool of a person Amber is like she didn’t already know and how much Winston teases her about it like she’d never dated.

  ***

  It’s been years since she’s played a real game of soccer. She’s a little rusty but Lara’s belief in her and her own potential is reassurance enough.

  Tryouts weren’t too terrible, but when she exchanged unsure glances with Lara, she knows they’ve got their work cut out for them.

  The Wellsley Middle School Hammerheads soccer team hasn’t been very good for the past few years only winning four times and drawing a tie three times in the last three years. That’s why Lara took on the job. Previous coaches had mishandled the team and left the girls disappointed.

  Heather knows that regardless of what happens with this coaching stint for her, she’s going to give it her best shot. That’s what helping people is all about, right?

  They have about another week until they go up against Watergate Middle School for their season opener but the girls are struggling to make passes to each other.

  “We’ve got a good team with us this year,” Lara comments maybe more to herself than to Heather.

  “Yeah. For sure.”

  As the girls get into a scrimmage game for that day, Heather catches sight of a figure walking from the parking lot towards them. A smile appears on her face when she realizes it’s Amber.

  “You look official. Got a clipboard and everything,” Amber remarks when she reaches her.

  “No, I’m playing tic-tac-toe by myself while Lara does the coaching thing.” The two look up and watch Lara in the middle of the field more than likely lecturing the girls about the fine art of looking up when you’re running so you’re going the right way.

  “They look promising.”

  “Yep. Just gotta harness their potential.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. Lara’s been saying it all afternoon. Anyway, what’s up?”

  “Just wanted to see how practice was going. And if we’re still up for dinner tonight.”

  “Yeah. I’ll see you at 7.”

  “Cool. Have fun. Harness that potential.” Heather throws her a playful glare at her even as Amber touches the small of her back before leaving.

  Heather watches her go but her attention is brought back to Lara blowing the whistle from two of the girls pushing each other.

  “Crap.” She takes a deep breath before jogging towards the commotion.

  ***

  Their first game against the Watergate Rams goes about as bad as she’d expected. They get slammed in a 0-5 shutout game. The girls don’t seem so surprised by it, and it breaks Heather’s heart knowing that for all the talks Lara has about potential, she thinks these girls have a real chance. They just have to work harder for it.

  “We suck,” Shiloh, a 7th grader with platinum blonde hair, says before plopping to the ground to eat her orange slice after the game. The rest of the team nod their agreement as they follow suit and take their spot on the ground.

  “No, we don’t,” Lara responds as she and Heather hold out bags of orange slices for the team. “We just haven’t had as much practice.”

  “Don’t beat yourselves up over it,” Heather starts. “You guys had some good passes and even had a couple of good chances on goal. Like Leah over here nutmegged that one kid and Kyla saved a lot more balls. So you guys did good today, they were just a little more prepared than we were. But we’ll get ‘em. It’s just the first game. We still have more games.”

  After they release the team to go home, Heather helps Lara pack up the rest of their gear to store them in the gymnasium storage room.

  “You know, you were a real natural out there,” Lara says once they make the trek back to the parking lot. “I mean with the girls. You made them feel a lot better about that loss.”

  “Oh, nah. I just told them what I would want to hear when I was their age.”

  “Well, it worked. So good job. I’ll see you next week. Have a good weekend, all right?”

  Lara waves before heading to her car and leaving Heather standing by her moped, a smile spread across her face.

  ***

  It’s just Una and Amber at the Bean this morning because Ana’s out for a dentist appointment. Una hasn’t been around as much, Amber has noticed, because Una’s wanted to look into expanding the business and in other ways.

  “I’m gonna be in Vegas for a small business owners conference in late April,” Una states while Amber is restocking the pastries.

  “For how long?”

  “It’s a 5 day conference but I’m gonna spend a few days before traveling and shopping, so I’m gonna need you to be in charge. Barnie’ll be helping out if you need anything, but I want you to run this place while I’m gone. You think you can handle that?” Amber straightens up and closes the glass door.

  “Yeah,” Amber says with a nod. “Yeah, I think I can handle it.”

  “Good. That’s what I wanna hear.” Una claps a hand on her shoulder. She doesn’t get a chance to say much when customers start walking in but she can’t help the giddiness knowing that she’s going to be given the chance to prove herself and she, for one, can hardly wait.

  ***

  With Una’s words still fresh in her mind, she drives to the community college after her shift and picks up a course catalog. She just wants to see courses she would be interested in taking.

  She just wants to satiate her curiosity, that’s all.

  As she makes the trek back to her car with the course catalog in her hand, a bulletin board catches her eye. Her eyes trace over the ‘Summer classes’ flyers littering the board. The idea has never been as appealing as it does now.

  She chews her lip in thought and stays in her place until she hears a couple of people pass her by.

  She takes a deep breath and plucks one of the flyers and sticks it in the catalog before heading home.

  ***

  Heather and Lara spends days moving some of the girls around in different positions and attempting to find improvements from there. Not surprising, some of the girls complain about it.

  “I can’t play defense! They’re gonna run me over!”

  “But I wanna score!”

  “Don’t put me in the middle! That means I have to run more!”

  She thanks God for giving her and Lara the strength and the wit to answer each one of their protests.

  “Everyone on this team should know how to play defense. Don’t let them have the satisfaction of beating you.”

  “No one in this world wants you to score a goal more than we do and the best place you can do that is midfield.”

  “You are one of the quickest people we have. We need you there.”

  When their second game rolls around with Moorside Middle, they lose 0-2 because the team was still getting used to their new positions. But after getting into a better rhythm as a team, their third game of the season against North Akers Middle School feels like a success. One of the shyest but quickest girls on the team, 7th grader Izzy Andrew
s, scored their first goal of the season in their eventual 3-1 loss.

  With how excited the team was for that one goal at the end of the game, people would have thought they’d won. And maybe, in a way, they had. They’ve yet to win a game, but the girls won the confidence to play as a team.

  All Heather knows is that she likes being a part of it.

  ***

  She’s flipping through pages of a cookbook and snacking on a banana nut muffin when Dianne and Winston walk into the kitchen after their weekly dinner date.

  “You gonna cook for us?” Winston asks her as he opens the refrigerator to put away their leftovers.

  “I could. But right now I’m trying to see what I could make for the girls for this week. They did such a great job last week that I wanted to do something nice for them, you know? Plus, free food motivates people.”

  Heather barely misses the exchanged glances the Sunnyside couple make.

  “Well, you’re not gonna need that,” Dianne says pulling the book from her grasp and shutting it. “I have an encyclopedic knowledge of desserts and breads. So all the help you could ever want is right in front of your face.”

  True to her word, the next day Dianne spends thirty minutes listing aloud a series of desserts and baked goods that Heather could choose from that she thinks the team and Lara would like. She ends up picking vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with shark decorations just to make her life easier, much to Dianne’s chagrin (“They could have had peanut butter cheesecake and you choose the most basic dessert in the world.”).

  Spending the time with Dianne just one on one where it isn’t work related is a nice reminder why she’d decided to come to Grace in the first place. Dianne had been there for her since the very beginning, since middle school, now that she thinks about it. Since Mr. Andonovski called on Heather to answer a question in his Social Studies class and instead of looking like a total idiot, Dianne pointed at the answer on her notebook beside her.

  And now, here they are, years later baking cupcakes for a bunch of middle schoolers she coaches. It’s definitely not the direction Heather has imagined her life going, but she can’t say she doesn’t like it. The opposite, actually. She’s loving every minute. Especially because even though there’s a functioning kitchenette in her studio apartment, she quite likes spending time in the Sunnyside kitchen and feeling part of their family. She’s fairly certain that Dianne likes seeing her there, too. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they have a full pantry.