At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories) - By Barbara Bretton Page 0,98

way.

Except when she looked at Noah.

Oh, she was discreet about it. Her glances were quick and well-concealed but the longing in her eyes when she looked at him cut Ruth to the quick. They were all seated at the long cherry wood table in Ruth's little-used dining room with two satellite tables set up for the children at either end. Rachel didn't believe in place cards. Seating was a matter of friendly negotiation and a touch of pushing and shoving that made for much good-natured teasing and laughter. The fact that when all was said and done, Gracie and Noah were seated opposite each other escaped no one.

The connection between them was almost palpable. Soul mates, Ruth thought, not for the first time. She felt the weight of the eight years they had lost in every corner of her being. She told herself that it hadn't been her fault. She had been hurt by Simon's actions too. Noah and Gracie couldn't possibly blame her for all they had lost.

Gracie's eyes had filled with tears when she turned and saw Ruth walk through the back door. "Mrs. Chase!" she had exclaimed, then dashed over to say hello. Her gaze lingered on the elegant cane Ruth had been using since the hip replacement that spring.

"Don't worry," Ruth said, "I won't break. Now come give me a hug, Gracie Taylor."

"Chanel No. 5," Gracie said, laughing as they hugged. "Do you know that I always think of you when I smell Chanel No. 5?" There had been nothing but love and respect in the young woman's demeanor and Ruth felt singularly unworthy of either gift.

#

Gracie swore she could feel her heart grow two sizes larger as she glanced around Rachel's table. How could she have stayed away from Idle Point and these beloved people for so long? She felt more connected to the world here in this tiny seacoast town than she ever had in the middle of Manhattan.

Rachel Adams raised her glass and smiled at the guests assembled around her dining room table. "I'm thankful for each and every one of you, those related to me by blood and those by my own good fortune." She turned to her husband.

Darnell stood up and held his glass high. "I'm thankful for another year spent in the company of the people I love." He turned to Laquita.

Laquita squeezed Ben's hand then raised her glass. "I'm grateful for every second I've been granted with this wonderful man—" she looked toward Gracie "—and for my renewed friendship with his daughter."

The chain of thanks moved its way around the table. Gracie found herself giving thanks that she was at the end of the line. Who would have suspected that the hippie family down by the river was actually the Waltons in disguise? She looked across the table at Ben. How well he fit in with the family. He was an odd cross between patriarch and peer and it suited him down to the ground.

Noah stood up and raised his glass. "I'm thankful I found my daughter Sophie and that I had sense enough to bring her home to Idle Point."

He looked at Gracie then sat down again. It wasn't like she had expected him to mention her. Still, she felt disappointed.

Sophie pressed her face against Noah's shoulder and refused to talk, as did Sage's son Will.

Doctor Jim stood and turned toward Gracie. "Come home where you belong, Doctor Taylor. My door is always open to you." He was thankful for the gift of love his late wife Ellen had given to him, for friends, for good food, for life renewing itself in unexpected ways.

Finally it was Gracie's turn. Twenty-four people lifted their glasses in anticipation of something witty or profound as befit her new big-city-girl persona. She raised her glass, ready to offer her thanks for the wonderful welcome, and to her horror, she found herself so overcome by emotion she could barely speak.

"I'm thankful to all of you for making room for me at your table. I hope to be able to make room for you at mine one day."

The room burst into applause and laughter but all she saw was the look in Noah's eyes.

#

Sophie made it clear that she wasn't sure what she thought of the turkey or the stuffing but she loved the yams and the mashed potatoes. She sat perfectly straight in her chair, looking like an angel in her navy blue velvet jumper and frilly white blouse. The snowy napkin lay neatly