You Smiled (4 page)

“Mitchell.” She searched her mind. “Did we have any classes together?”

He smiled at the memory. “One study hall, although you never stayed put long enough for a guy to say ‘hello.’ Not that I would ever have had the nerve. But I imagined trying a few times.”

She laughed, embarrassed. “I wasn’t that unapproachable.”

The server stopped by with their pizza. Alex thanked her and turned back to Grace. “You were to me.”

She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks flushed becomingly. “So this is  a high school reunion?” She didn’t sound disappointed, just a little puzzled.

“Well, it’s a little more involved than that.”

She tilted her head, and he watched her hair fall over her shoulder. The combination was very distracting. He handed her the pizza server.

“Oh, thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” He collected his thoughts as she helped herself  to a piece. “So, it was a pretty bleak year for me. As much as I hated it when my parents fought, it never occurred to me that they would ever divorce. I missed my dad. My brother, too, though he’d been out of the house for a few years, so we didn’t see each other regularly, anyway. I hated my new home, school, everything.” He met her gaze, anticipating and dreading the pity he knew would be there. It was.

“My mom was in no condition to help me out - she had her own problems - and I hardly knew any of my cousins or family on the east coast. I felt pretty isolated. I’d always been quiet, so making friends was difficult.”

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“Yeah, well,” he shrugged. “Lots of kids deal with it, but I guess it’s never easy.”

Grace shook her head. He doubted she’d ever dealt with that kind of loneliness, but that was hardly her fault.

“Anyway, one day - it was late spring - I felt particularly depressed. Just couldn’t see the point in anything. Had hit a low that even I didn’t realized I was capable of …”

She’d stopped eating and sat staring, her eyes full of compassion.

He held her gaze. “I shuffled into school, hardly knowing where I was going or caring if I got there, and I happened to look up and see you walking down the hall.” He watched for her reaction; knew she had no recollection of what was a life-changing moment for him.

She stared at him, waiting, and finally asked, “What happened? What did you do? What did I do?”

“I did nothing,” he said, “but you ... ”

“I what?” She fairly bristled with impatience.

“You smiled.”

“I smiled?” She was clearly disappointed.

Alex grinned. “Yes, you smiled.”

“That’s it?” She sat back in the booth, nonplussed. “Did I say anything?”

“Not a word.”

“Oh.”

He leaned forward. “There you were, Grace Kimball, walking down the hall toward me. I wanted to disappear into the lockers, but there was nothing I could do but keep moving forward.”

Grace listened, mild disbelief evident in her expression. “And then?”

“And then, just as I was about to slip by, you looked me square in the eye and smiled. I felt it like a physical touch. I almost looked behind me to see if there was someone else that the smile was intended for, but we were alone in that part of the hallway.

“Then you were gone. I walked in a daze to my first class, and someone said, ‘Alex, dude, what’s your deal?’ I probably said something profound like, ‘Huh?’ and he laughed and said, ‘You’re smiling. I’ve never seen you smile.’ He started talking to someone else and I sat down at my desk. It’s as clear as if it were yesterday. I just kept grinning throughout class, thinking about the beautiful girl who smiled at me.”

He’d been looking across the restaurant at nothing in particular, and he brought his gaze back to her face. “You may think I’m crazy, but you changed my life that day. For a few moments, I felt hope. That was a big deal. And apparently it showed in my face, because other people reacted to the smile that you started.” He looked into Grace’s eyes, willing her to understand. “Everything began to turn around, on that little bit of hope.”

She sat back and regarded him, looking as though she found the whole story hard to believe. “Wow. It doesn’t seem right that I don’t remember it. I don’t deserve to have had that kind of influence.”

“Well, you did. I went home that afternoon and decided that I needed to take control of my life and stop hiding away with my despair. I let my mom have it; told her how much I hated everything that had happened. That was no surprise to her. But then I hugged her and told her that I was sorry. I hadn’t been there for her, either. We had this amazing talk together.”

He shook his head at the memory. “It’s not like things got easy after that, but I didn’t feel so alone. I started to make an effort to talk to kids at school and found a few guys that I could relate to. Things just started to change. I figured that if one smile could give me hope, then there had to be a whole lot of good out there in the world that I wasn’t seeing. And I wanted to find it.”

“Wow.”

“I always wanted to thank you for getting me out of myself. And you never had to say a word to do it.”

“I wish I had. I wish I’d been aware of how lonely you were and taken the time to do something about it.” She narrowed her eyes in thought. “There were probably a lot of people that I completely ignored. I shouldn’t get credit for one smile.”

“Well, no one can take on everybody’s needs, but I guess anyone can take the time to smile at someone. The way you smiled at me that day - it wasn’t dismissive or condescending. It was a genuinely happy, ‘Nice to see you’ smile. At least that’s how it made me feel. It was a powerful thing.”

The pizza was long since ignored, and the server finally approached with a box for leftovers.

Grace checked the time on her phone. “Oh, wow, it’s late. I’d better get home. I’m opening tomorrow. Well, I almost always open, but …” Her chatter abruptly stopped as she looked at him again.

“Of course,” Alex replied. “I didn’t mean to keep you out so long.” They stood and he packed up their pizza.

“Can I walk you to your car?”

She smiled. “How about if you walk me home?”

***

The night was cool, and Grace huddled inside her sweater. Alex fought the urge to put his arm around her. Just because he felt close to her didn’t mean she felt close to him. He had no idea what she’d made of his story or what she thought about him.

When she wordlessly reached for his hand, he was completely taken aback. Closing his hand over hers, he marveled over the strength of the simple connection. They walked the length of Fremont and then headed left down another street, lined with small shops. 

“I live above the bakery.” She pointed with the hand that held his, and they both smiled. “I’ve got a sweet little apartment that looks out over town. I just love it.”

Alex smiled, happy for her that she’d found a life that was just the right fit, and happy that she was sharing it with him, for a few minutes, anyway. She led him down a short alley by the bakery, and stopped at a staircase.

“Walk me up?”

“Sure,” he said, biting back the far more enthusiastic replies he might have made.

She reached the top and turned, still holding his hand. She looked into his eyes - it was a straight shot since he was still on the top step - and did the head tilt thing.

“Thank you for telling me that story. Thank you for finding me to tell me that story.” She searched his eyes by the small light over her door. “I don’t even know that part, how you found me or why you took the time to do it, but I’m glad you did.”

Alex fought to reclaim his confidence and leave the gawking schoolboy behind. He set the pizza box on the corner where the railings met and cleared his throat. “Well, I’m in town for two more days. I’d love to fill in some of the blanks from the last ten years.”

She smiled. “I’d like that.”

He took the last step up and stood, losing himself for a moment in her green eyes. He fought the urge to look down at her lips and lost. His gaze returned to her eyes, and there was a little extra sparkle in them.

“Remembering the smile, huh?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Something like that.”

“Well, Alex Mitchell, I’m off at two tomorrow, theoretically. Would you like to go to the beach?”

Alex found the nerve to gently touch her cheek. “Yes, I would.”

She leaned slightly into his touch.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he said, dropping his hand. “Your skin is as soft as it looks.”

She smiled, lightly touching the place where his hand had been. “Not as soft as it was ten years ago.”

His look suggested that he didn’t agree.

“Okay,” she switched gears, “we need to make a plan for tomorrow. Can you meet me at the shop? We can make an afternoon of it.”

“Sounds great.”

She finally released his hand. “Now, if I can find my keys in this bag …” She searched briefly and then
pulled them out. She put her key in the lock, looking over her shoulder. “You can find your way back alright?”

He had already backed up to the edge of the small porch. “I’ll do my best.” He grinned. “See you tomorrow.”

She smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

Friday

Friday morning at the coffee shop was usually busy, and the hours flew by for Grace. She’d arrived bright and early and gotten at some paperwork before the morning rush, then she’d joined the others behind the counter. She was always happy for that rush, no matter how stressful; it meant word was getting out.

She found herself making an effort to be more cheerful with the customers and noted that it came more easily on this particular day. Tuning in to the positive response she received, she began to wonder if she wasn’t always the bubbly presence that she thought she’d been.
Okay, maybe not bubbly.
But surely she wasn’t … surly? Had the stress of opening a business made her appear unhappy?
That, among other things,
she conceded. Well, she made up her mind to enjoy the atmosphere in the shop today. There was definitely a happy vibe in the air.

Kelly was the first to comment on the change. They were side by side at the grinder when she grinned slyly at Grace. “So, things went well last night?”

Grace measured the coffee into the filter. “What things?”

“Your, ah, dinner with Alex?”

Grace snorted. “We didn’t have dinner. We had pizza.”

Kelly smiled. “Right. Of course. Did it go well?”

Grace made a production out of measuring cocoa precisely into her drink. “It was fine. No big deal.”

Kelly poured some steamed milk into her cup. “Is that why you’re so happy this morning?” She slid her latte across the counter to the waiting customer.

Grace topped her drink with whipped cream. “I’m not so happy, I’m just trying to be cheerful.”

Feeling as silly as she sounded, s
he ignored Kelly’s grin and chose to engage in conversation with the mail carrier who’d stopped in for her Friday cappuccino. Kelly waited on the next customer in line.

By two o’clock, Grace had had just about enough smiling. Her cheeks hurt. She felt like she needed to ice her face. Untying her apron, she began to update Daphne, who’d just started her shift, when she saw Alex walk through the door.

She smiled all over again. Couldn’t help it. Daphne peeked over her shoulder, then walked past Grace with a grin. “You can touch base with me later.”

Grace hardly acknowledged her afternoon manager. She walked up to the counter, really looking at Alex and trying to remember. He wore a black T-shirt that stretched nicely across his rather impressive chest. His hair was gorgeous, thick, and somewhat pulled back by the sunglasses on his head. How had she gone to school with him and not known him?

“What can I get for you today?”

He smiled at her, and she acknowledged that a smile was a powerful thing, indeed.

“I think I’m in the mood for a mocha, with all the bells and whistles.”

Grace smiled back, her coffee-making skills momentarily wiped from her memory bank. “You’re going to regret all those calories,” she managed to say. She was trying not to think about the shape of his lips when he said the word ‘whistles.’ It would probably help if she looked at his eyes, or anywhere else in the store, for that matter.

“I’ll go ahead and make that for you,” she said, praying that the blush she felt creeping up her neck wasn’t apparent to him.

Alex grinned as she backed into Kelly, who gave her a playful shove. “Cocoa’s over there, Grace.”

She shook her head and got to the business of making his drink. Determined to collect herself, she took her time, piling his mocha with whipped cream and covering that with chocolate shavings. It was truly some of her best work. She presented it to him with a flourish. “Tip jar’s right in front of you. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

He smiled and put a bill on the counter. “Are you almost done?” He smelled his drink appreciatively. “I can’t believe you don’t like coffee.”

“That one almost tempts me.” Grace turned away from him with an effort and finished untying her apron. “And yes, I’m done for the day,” she said over her shoulder. “I just need to talk to Daphne and grab my bag. I’ll be right back.”

***

A few minutes later, Grace was ready to leave her office; except that she wasn’t. It was one thing to go out for pizza the night before. Curiosity was a powerful motivator, right up there with spending the evening with a really good-looking man.
Then she’d gone and held his hand. What was that about? When he’d said good night, there was considerable interest in those beautiful brown eyes. She felt a little tremor run through her. Where was all of this going?

Now that she knew his story and had committed to an afternoon of - what? getting to know him better? - it was all very unsettling. She wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to leave her safe little world of coffee chaos to enter that unknown territory.

She ran her fingers over her cheek, evaluating her reflection in the mirror. She wondered how different she looked after ten years. She had no point of reference, but it certainly seemed as though the intervening years had been kind to him. She tried again to remember anything about Alex Mitchell. She’d like to think that it wasn’t only the good looking guys who got her attention, but that didn’t mean it was true. She sighed. That particular relationship starter hadn’t served her well. It would be smart to remember that.

Grace picked up her purse, making up her mind to keep the outing brief and platonic. They’d reminisce a bit about high school days, have a laugh or two, and then he’d head home to wherever he came from, and she’d get back to the business of coffee. It was best that way.

***

“Mind if we stop at my apartment?”

“Not at all.” He smiled his heart-stopping smile, and Grace almost tripped. Sunglasses covered his beautiful eyes and reflected more of herself than she cared to see. Did she look as jittery as she felt?

“I won’t be long. Just need to change this shirt. It’s warmer than I thought it would be.”

“No problem. Take your time.”

They arrived at the alley by her apartment, and Grace all but ran up the steps, leaving Alex to fend for himself down below. Never mind that she’d invited him up the night before.
She unlocked her door with slightly shaking hands. It was unlike her to be so rattled.

She changed quickly and resisted the urge to touch up her make-up.  Grabbing a jacket for later when the weather inevitably cooled, she trotted back down the steps to join him. Rounding the corner, she found him looking in the window of an antique shop.

“Okay, I’m all set.” She used her very best chipper voice. “I’m assuming we’ll walk down to the beach? It’s only about a mile, and it’s such a great day.”

“Sounds good,” he agreed.

“So, do I get to know why you decided to look me up after ten years? And how you found me?” she asked as they started to walk.

“I think I’ll save that for while we’re sitting at the beach.”

She sighed. “There is never a direct answer with you, is there?” She skipped a step to keep up with him. “Know what? I think …” she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, “I’ll run.” She angled in front of him, took the corner, and ran down the street toward the water.

It wasn’t long before she heard his steps pounding behind her and a terrified surge of energy sent her over the crest of the hill leading down to the beach. Her legs screamed in protest. It had been too long since she’d run.

A moment later he powered by, saluting her as he passed. She wished she had something to throw at him to wipe that smug look off his face. He didn’t even look winded.

Focusing her energy on keeping her feet beneath her, she managed to run down the hill and join him at the water a few moments later. She walked the last few steps, trying to calm her breathing before she reached him. She would not be wheezing when she acknowledged his victory.

He calmly turned as she approached. “Oh, you walked. That’s why - never mind.”

She gritted her teeth and bared them into a smile. “I had to let you win. You’re my guest. Sort of.”
Way too long a sentence.
She sucked in more air.

“Very generous of you.”

“You’re welcome.” She managed that without a gasp.

“This is so amazing.” Alex took in the view. The afternoon sun danced in waves of light on the water.

“It is beautiful. I don’t get down here enough.”

“You should make it a point to enjoy it more - for those of us who don’t have access to it.”

“And what do you have access to?”

He smiled. “Chicago, mostly, which is great. I love the city, and we do have Lake Michigan, but this …” he spread his arms. “It’s different.”

She looked out over the water. It really was spectacular. She’d have to make a point to start running again while the weather still allowed it.

He took her hand. “This okay? Wanna walk?”

“Sure,” Grace agreed. It was a sweet gesture, but it didn’t have to mean anything.

They strolled along quietly for a few minutes, enjoying the view. Grace marveled that they were so comfortable together, even in the silence. She finally broke it. “So tell me what’s in Chicago.”

“Well, I went to school at Northwestern - business major - dad’s influence. I’d thought to go into some kind of counseling, but I guess the whole business management thing was in my blood.”

Grace nodded, listening.

“I started at my dad’s company in the city, then after a few years, found the whole troubleshooting niche was a strength. I started my own consulting firm and have been doing that since.”

“Do you travel a lot?”

“More than I’d like. It’s exciting, but exhausting, and lonely.” He shrugged. “I’m based in Chicago, but I’m not there enough to really have a life. The running around gets old after a while.”

“I graduated from UConn with a marketing degree and always hoped I’d have more reason to travel. Guess it isn’t as glamorous as it sounds.”

“Where’d you do your marketing?”

“Hoboken, New Jersey. Small company; you wouldn’t know the name. Well,” she paused, “maybe
you
would.”

They’d come to an area of the beach where rocks jutted into the gently lapping waves. Alex led her through the maze of boulders until they found a large flat slab. They lowered themselves onto the edge of the rock and Grace took off her shoes and socks so she could dangle her feet in the water.

“Can’t believe I’m doing this in late October,” she said, cuffing the bottom of her jeans.

“Bet it feels good.”

“You could join me.”

Alex considered his jeans, socks and high top shoes. “Too much work. I’ll enjoy it vicariously through you.”

She smiled and swished her feet through the cool water.

“So how did you end up here?” He leaned back, propping himself on his elbows.

Grace tried not to focus on the reclining version of Alex. “We used to vacation here every summer when I was growing up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it was great. My brother and I would leave the cottage in the morning and just play on the beach all day. We loved the ocean. Still do.”

“Nice that you could find a spot for your business here.”

“I know. We were very lucky.”

“We?”

“My brother and I.” She pulled her feet out of the water and wrapped her arms around her knees. The warm rock felt good under her cold feet. “He actually owns the shop, and I run it. I’m planning to buy it - someday.”

Alex nodded thoughtfully. “So, does he live in the area, too? Help run things?”

“Well,” Grace replied slowly, “that’s an interesting question.” She paused, looking out over the water. “He’s not involved in the day-to-day running of the shop, he just basically invested for me. It’s pretty much my deal.”