And though Wyatt had never admitted to having ongoing issues related to his mother’s death, his dad was no fool. Wyatt knew he worried about his son, but his mother’s death was a subject that neither brought up these days for fear of hurting the other. Wyatt felt compelled to talk to him about it now, however.
He placed the call, wondering belatedly if his dad was at some political event or fund-raiser. But his dad picked up on the second ring, greeting him with the same warm, robust manner that had gotten him elected again and again.
“Hey, Dad, it’s me.”
“Wyatt. It’s good to hear your voice. How are you doing? How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s good. Really good. Listen, are you alone? You have a minute to talk?”
“I can be. Just a second.”
Wyatt heard his dad’s muffled voice as he spoke with someone, then a little shuffling around. A door clicked shut.
“I just finished supper with Valerie. She made her scrumptious chicken and dumplings, and now I’ll have to jog an extra two miles tomorrow. So what’s going on with you, Son? I hear something in your voice, and I don’t know if I should be worried or excited.”
“You don’t need to worry, Dad. Not anymore.”
Wyatt told him about the troubles he’d been having on the job. About the nightmares that the shooting had resurrected. He told his dad where he was now—where he was staying. He told him why he’d come to Bluebell, what he’d been looking for, who he’d found. What he’d finally found.
“I came here searching for something, Dad. I didn’t find what I’d expected, but I found what I needed: peace. I needed peace.”
His dad was quiet a long moment, and Wyatt could feel his dad’s emotion vibrating through the phone.
“Oh, Son.” Dad’s voice wobbled. “You don’t know how long I’ve prayed for this.”
“I can’t tell you how much lighter I feel. I thought facing this would be hard and painful. But I feel like my legs are full of helium. Like I can draw a free breath for the first time in a long time.”
He might even make it through the night without a nightmare. Which would mean he was fit for work again. The thought brought mixed emotions. He was eager to get back to work, but that would also mean leaving Grace.
“I’m so glad, Wyatt. You could’ve told me where you’d gone. I would’ve tried to get away.”
“I think this was something I needed to do alone, Dad. Besides, I didn’t want to worry you.”
His dad gave a little chuckle. “That’s what dads do. But I’m so relieved you’re finding closure.”
“About time, huh?”
“And this woman you met . . . Grace. She’s going to be all right too?”
Wyatt remembered the mess she was in his arms earlier. “She will be.” He believed that. God was going to do something really amazing with her.
“She’s special, this woman? I hear it in your voice when you talk about her.”
“She is special, but . . . there are obstacles.”
His dad was quiet for a beat. “Well, if it’s meant to be, you’ll work it out, I guess.”
But Wyatt didn’t want to think about that right now. He wasn’t seeing a solution at the moment, and he wanted to enjoy the wonderful freedom for a while longer.
“I’ll give it some thought,” he said.
Chapter Forty
Grace lifted the Surly touring bike onto the pegs in the garage. Her rental merchandise had gotten a little out of hand as of late. Kayaks lay haphazardly on the cement floor. Bikes leaned, pedals tangled with wheel spokes, and life jackets draped randomly from various objects.
Levi and Molly didn’t necessarily return everything to its place when tourists returned rentals. To be fair, sometimes it got a little crazy trying to run the front desk and dole out equipment. But Grace needed the space to be organized, everything in its place.
She grabbed a bike and guided it into the proper slot in the rack. Darkness had fallen some time ago, but she needed time to think, and she did that best when she was busy.
A moment later the side door squeaked open and Molly peeked inside. “Oh, hi. I was on my way home and saw the light on. I thought I might’ve left it on earlier.”
“Nope. Just straightening things up.”
Molly gave Grace a hangdog look. “Sorry about the bike I left out earlier. And the kayak. I did manage to hang up the wet life jackets—not necessarily in the right place though.”