Chapter 14

Landon looked at his reflection in the mirror.

“Just breathe. Why are you so nervous?” Landon said aloud. Scout came closer. “It’s not a date. You can do this.”

Landon’s wardrobe was limited, and that was an understatement. Three pairs of jeans, one pair of black pants, two sweaters, three T-shirts, and several shirts. His choice of footwear was a pair of walking shoes, a pair of sneakers, one pair of well-worn loafers, and a pair of boots.

Suddenly, he saw blood on them, even when they were clean. The flashes in his brain turned into little movie clips. His breath felt trapped in his chest. Scout came closer and made some noises to let him know he was there.

“You’re in the cabin. You’re safe here”, he told himself, taking long, slow breaths.

He chose a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and loafers. He stared at himself in the mirror. Really looked for the first time in months. His hair needed a cut. Badly. He was thin, too thin. His cheeks were hollow.

Scout watched every movement; following him from room to room as if afraid someone would snatch him.

“I’m okay,” Landon reassured him.

The doorbell rang and Scout barked. “It’s a bit late for that,” he told Scout. “You’re supposed to bark before the bell rings.” He hurried to the door and opened it. Grace stood there, a smile on her lips, and two big paper bags in her arms. She wore her dark brown hair simple and sleek. No makeup that he could see.

“Hi, Landon,” she said.

“Please come in.” They went inside to the kitchen, and Grace placed the bags she was carrying on the solid wooden table.

“I’m really not stalking you,” she said taking the items out of the bags.

“Are you sure?” he asked with a slight smile. Humor. That was new. He had to make sure to write that down in his journal.

“Your buddy Derek will vouch for me.”

The dog barked and wiggled his tail at her.

“Scout vouches for you too.”

Grace smiled, and scratched the dog’s ears, “Of course, he does. He’s a very clever dog.”

“Do you need any help?” Landon asked her.

“No, thank you. Relax. I’ve been able to handle myself pretty well in the kitchen since I was a teen.”

She took an apron from one of the bags. It said, ‘You may kiss the cook’.

“It’s just an apron. Don’t get any ideas,” she warned him with a smile.

Grace made small-talk about the local gossip, while she mixed the ingredients. Landon listened and watched her graceful dance from fridge to table, and finally to the oven. Some minutes later, a wonderful smell filled the cabin.

The more they talked the more Landon felt at ease with her. Grace was a gentle, easy-going person. There was something about her that brought light to his darkness.

“Could you fix us something to drink, Landon?”

“I don’t keep alcohol in the cabin. It doesn’t mix well with my medications. Would you care for a glass of milk, juice or water?”

“Juice is fine. Thank you.”

He set down two tall glasses on the table.

“My homemade pizza is my brother Steve’s favorite meal. I hope you like it. Peggy, his first wife, loved it too.”

“Your brother was married before Diana?” Landon asked.

Grace took a sip of milk and nodded. “Yes, Peggy, his first wife, was shot in a mugging and died. She was an amazing person. She was a therapist. The whole town loved her.”

“I’m truly sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you, I moved in with my brother when it happened. He was crushed. I was afraid he might do something stupid.” She made a pause to compose herself and quickly added, “I’m happy he found love again. Diana is a great person. She made Steve happy again.”

Grace decided to change the subject.

“Jonas said you stayed at the museum until late. You piqued my interest,” she said. “Did you find anything interesting?”

“I found bits and pieces of Middletown’s history. Nothing solid yet. The Quileutes, the Nisqually, and the Chehalis lived in this area when a large caravan of settlers came around 1853 crossing the Oregon Trail. Their leader was Fergus Carter. They ended in an unnamed valley, where they finally settled down. Fergus Carter built Middletown from scratch. That’s all I got from the early days.”

“You discovered all this in just one day of research?” Grace stood to check on the pizza. She turned off the oven, took it out, and set the steaming pizza in the middle of the table. It was covered with a mountain of pepperoni.

Landon shrugged. “I still have a lot of work to do. I was thinking about scanning some of the old pictures, we could use them for the website.”

“That’s a great idea. You can ask Jonas to use the computers at the community center.”

Grace cut the pizza into slices and had a spatula slid under the first piece to help lift it and place it on Landon’s plate.

“I’m so pleased you’re interested in the history project. You took a weight off my shoulders.” She talked as if he was doing her a favor and not the other way around.

Landon lifted the slice of pizza in the air, its cheese dangling in a long string. “I’m glad I could be of some help.”

Grace took one slice for herself and gave it a bite.

The sun was going down, and vivid scarlet, pink and coral ribbons crossed the sky, and blessed the mountain.