that Delia's will had cleared probate. He couldn't put any property up for sale until it was legally in his name, and he needed to get rid of it. It was the weight on his soul that kept holding him down.
He had nightmares almost every night now where his daddy stood at the foot of his bed, shouting at him for abandoning Mama and Gracie.
Every time, he'd wake up sweating and crying, promising over and over he would make it right. He’d lost the chance to help Mama, but he could make sure Gracie was not suffering.
He didn't know where she was, but he knew Darlene would. When the time came, he'd grovel and eat all the crow it took to find out. But for the time being, he was on hold.
Gracie was wearing her swimsuit beneath a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She packed everything else she thought she might need in a big tote bag and was now anxiously awaiting John's arrival.
The dream she'd had last night was still with her. That first swimming lesson had been scary and funny, and one of the best days of her life. At the time, she hadn't realized how many times her older sisters had left her out or pushed her aside. But looking back, it was obvious how easy it had been for them to push aside their responsibilities to her and Mama later. They were just doing what they'd always done.
As she was waiting, she texted back and forth with Darlene, but when John drove up, she stopped.
Gotta go! John is here.
She dropped her phone in her tote bag and went out onto the landing, locked up, and ran down the steps to meet him.
"Hey, honey!" John said, as he gave her a quick hug and a kiss. "Ready to go get your feet wet?"
"Can't wait," she said.
"Me either," John said. "Buckle up."
She buckled herself in as he got back behind the wheel, and then they were gone.
The drive to Moonshine Beach was further from Branson than she'd been before. And, as she was discovering, everything was scenically beautiful. Then she remembered John said he was from Kansas, which was just about as flat as West Texas, and she got curious.
"Um...John, you said you were from Kansas, so what brought you here?"
"Silver Dollar City," he said.
"I've never been there," Gracie said.
"I'll take you one day. My parents used to bring my sister and I here every year. Mom and Dad liked the music shows, and we liked Silver Dollar City and all the rides, crafts, and the candy makers. After I grew up, I kept remembering how pretty it was in Missouri. Kansas is flat and green. I wanted mountains and trees. I had a degree in horticulture when I came here, but I couldn't pay someone to give me a job, so I created my own."
Gracie nodded, letting the story of John settle within her, picturing their lives all moving toward this point where they'd finally met, and wondering how that all worked. Was there really a bigger plan in the cosmos, or was this all random chance?
"What are you thinking?" John asked.
"In a nutshell...what a miracle it was that you and I ever met."
"Meant to be, darlin'."
She smiled. She'd always wanted to be somebody's darlin'.
"We're here," John said, pointing to the signs directing them into the parking area. He paused to pay for parking, and then moved on into the lot.
"Got your suit on under your clothes?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Me, too. As soon as we park, we can strip down, grab our towels, and I'll lock everything up in the SUV."
Stripping down, as John called it, didn't take long. Within minutes, they were striding across the sand on their way to the water—John in his blue and yellow board shorts, and Gracie in a green and white two-piece. She'd braided her hair to keep it out of her eyes, and it was all she could do not to run.
John saw the excitement in her eyes and gave her braid a gentle tug.
"The roped off area is safe for swimming. Go ahead. Make a run for it," he said.
She dropped her towel and took off running, her long legs flying as she loped toward the water. As she ran, she left her cares behind, feeling like a teenager without a care in the world.
He laughed, left his towel with hers, and took off after her, catching up when she was waist-deep, then moved past her a few