Chapter Four

A little after noon on Thursday, Grace stepped into Meg's Diner. In all honesty she should have worked through her lunch break since she'd have to leave early tomorrow for a meeting with Cadence's teacher but her growling stomach had refused to be ignored.

Grace hadn't even bothered to wash the grease from her face or take off her jumpsuit before coming to lunch and she could feel all eyes on her as she stepped into the restaurant and took a seat in her favorite booth beside the big window.

"Grace! It's nice to see you in here for lunch. I haven't seen you all week!" the diner's namesake exclaimed as she bounced over to the table. Meg was a short, chubby, bubbly blond. She was always smiling and happy and full of energy. She and Grace had graduated high school together. Grace had been a 4.0 student focused on her studies while Meg had scraped by with C's but had been loved by all, even teachers, because of her exuberant personality.

Grace had been voted most likely to succeed and Meg had been voted most scatterbrained. Grace found those titles to be a bit ironic now, seeing as how Grace had gotten pregnant just after graduation and hadn't accomplished or succeeded at anything since high school and Meg had opened this diner six years ago and kept it going strong ever since. Which was no small feet in a small town like Clifton located directly in the middle of White County, Kentucky.

Most folks from Clifton had long since moved away now that all the coal mines were shutting down. There were bigger towns with more opportunities a couple of hours in every direction that drew most away, however those that remained in Clifton were fiercely loyal to their hometown.

Clifton had been around since long before the civil war and battles had been fought right on the very ground where some buildings now stood. When the coal mines had been booming, the town had been prosperous and humming with life.

Now there was only one active mine remaining in the area. There was also a sawmill, a clinic, the garage, diner, a steakhouse, Pete's grocery, Mavis's pharmacy, a community center, two churches, the grade school, high school, a library, an inn and a bank. Hallie Hawkins ran a dry cleaning and tailor shop and her son had opened up a laundry mat right next door. There was a brand new video game store where the veterinary clinic had once been and a secondhand clothing store where the furniture store had once sat.

Clifton was a beautiful town with brick buildings, neon signs and storefronts with wide windows. It was in desperate need of a facelift but the residents here loved their tiny town just the same.

"I'm sorry I haven't been in lately, Meg," Grace admitted. "I've been trying to put in extra time at the garage."

Meg frowned as she put her hand on her waist and cocked her hip to the side. "You can't be skipping meals! That's not good for you at all, especially as hard as you work."

"I know," Grace muttered, studying her dirty fingernails. Back in high school, she'd been obsessed with keeping her nails groomed, long and painted. Nowadays she was lucky if she got time to run a comb through her hair and brush her teeth.

"Grace, don't get offended, but if you need some extra money I can give you a raise on what you make here on the weekends," Meg offered gently as she sat down across from Grace.

Grace looked over at her best friend and felt tears fill her eyes. She quickly blinked them away and covered Meg's hands with her own on the tabletop. "I'm fine, Meg. I promise." She saw the doubt on her friends face and sighed. "I'm just thankful that you let me bring Cadence and grandma with me when I'm working. That alone takes a big load off my shoulders."

"No problem, Grace. I love having Cadence here and she loves helping me take orders. And the townsfolk enjoy seeing Ester out and about."

"She loves seeing them too." Grace frowned. "When she remembers them that is."

Meg managed a sad little smile. "Is she getting worse?"

Grace rubbed her tired face with her hand and nodded. "She has her good days and her bad days." Grace laughed. "Earlier this week I came home to wet laundry strung from ropes all over my house because she'd forgotten how to use the washer and dryer."

"That's our Ester!" Meg exclaimed with amusement and then her brown eyes become more serious. "I know you're against the idea of putting her in a home but maybe you could hire someone to come sit with her during the week when you're gone to work... just to be on the safe side."

"I've actually been thinking of that," Grace admitted. "I might put an ad in the paper next week." Grace didn't add that the reason she hadn't already put an ad in the paper was because she had no idea how she'd pay someone to play nursemaid to her grandmother.

"Well I'm sure you're hungry and have to be getting back to work so what'll you have?" Meg asked as she hopped back up out of the booth. "The usual?"

"Always," Grace replied, forcing a smile.

"Sure thing, sweetheart." Meg tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and bounced away.

Grace sighed and leaned back in the booth. Every bit of Meg bounced and shone with energy and enthusiasm. When was the last time Grace had been that energetic and happy?

Probably never.

She laid her head back on the cushioned seat and watched people going up and down main street through the big window.

***

Vince frowned as he slowly made his way down the main street of the only town in White Country. He had known this place wouldn't be a booming metropolis but it was even worse than he had first imagined. The sidewalks were cracked and crumbling. The buildings were old, dirty and near death from what he could tell. They were all made of brick though some were the original red and some had been painted over. The paint on those buildings was cracked and peeling.

He doubted that any of the neon signs worked and all of the windows, while they were big and spacious, were dirty and dingy with age. Clifton had an almost Mayberry type feel and Vince kept waiting to see Andy Griffith walking down the road with either Barney or Opie at his side.

Vince's stomach growled and he glanced at the clock on the dash. It was nearly twelve-thirty and as good a time as any for some lunch. He saw a placed called Mel's diner and decided that's where he'd eat--since it seemed to be the only restaurant on main street. Vince drove his rented car around to a lot labeled 'city parking'. He parked his car in the crowded space, grabbed his briefcase and stepped out into the bright August sun.

"Am I supposed to stop here?" he asked as he approached a small white building with a screened window.

The young man inside appeared to be around nineteen or twenty and he chuckled when he heard Vince's voice. "You ain't from around here, are ya?"

Vince shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm on vacation and just wandering around, I guess you could say." Vince knew better than to tell the people of this town why he was here. There was a chance they could turn angry and run him off before he'd had a chance to fully examine the surrounding wilderness and real estate.

"Man, you wandered a bit too far if you landed here," the boy warned. "There ain't nothing around here for miles."

"That would depend on what you're looking for, wouldn't it?" Vince countered politely.

The young man simply laughed again as he handed Vince a ticket stub with the time stamped on it. "Yeah I guess it does," he replied. "Just give this stub back to me when you come back to your car. Parking is twenty-five cents an hour so if you're gonna be in town any length of time, I'd suggest getting a room at the inn downtown and using their parking."

Vince tipped his head. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

He headed down the crumbling sidewalk and tugged at his shirt collar. He'd opted out of wearing a tie since he hated them anyway and he'd skipped putting on his suit jacket since the air in the mountains was far too hot for that just now. He made his way down a small alley and stepped out onto main street. Judging by the amount of camouflage and denim he saw, he was very overdressed in his polished shoes, trousers and white button down.

Vince had a lot of work to do but first he needed to fill his stomach and so he set off toward Meg's Diner to do just that.

***

"What in the world do we have here?" Meg asked as she sat Grace's chicken salad down on the table.

Grace had been dozing off but she jerked awake at the sound of Meg's voice and followed her gaze out the window to see a man walking down the sidewalk and coming toward the diner.

It wasn't often that you saw anyone in Clifton dressed the way he was. Tailored pants, tailored shirts and shiny shoes weren't in the dress code. In Clifton even the judges and lawyers wore blue jeans. This man practically oozed money and probably had quite a bit of it judging by the monogrammed, leather briefcase he had in his hand.

"Talk about a tall drink of water..." Meg gasped with a click of her tongue.

Grace had to admit that he did cut a fine figure as he strode their way but fancy men just weren't her thing. Grace didn't have time to fantasize about men often but when she did, they were wearing t-shirts, jeans and worn out work boots. But this man was tall, well over six feet, his stomach was lean and his shoulders were broad. He had thick black hair, a strong jaw and firm set lips.. They were set so firm in fact that Grace wondered if he could smile. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglass that cost enough money to keep Cadence in new clothes for a year.

"He's alright, I guess," Grace replied with a shrug before taking a bite of her lunch.

"I wonder what he's doing in Clifton?" Meg mused. "He looks more suited for the big city."

"Maybe he got lost," Grace offered. "Or he might be a lawyer or one of those officials that come in now and then to visit the sawmill."

Meg nodded. "I heard the sawmill had a lawsuit coming their way from that man who got injured. I bet he's been at the courthouse dealing with that."

Grace groaned. "The courthouse! That reminds me. My license goes dead today and I have to go have it redone. I'd forgotten all about it." She stood and tossed the money for her uneaten lunch on the table.

"He's coming this way, Grace!" Meg giggled like a school girl and bounced up and down as if she'd never heard Grace speak.

Grace shook her head. "He's probably hungry, that's why folks come to diners." Grace smiled. "You're a married woman, Meg, remember that."

Meg snorted. "That doesn't mean I can't look."

Grace's smile widened. "Or drool."

Meg glared and swatted at her before grabbing her arm. "You should stay and meet him, Grace. Even if Grant catches you driving on a dead license, the man would never give you a ticket. He's been in love with you since third grade!" Meg insisted.

Grace sighed. There were only four lawmen in this town. Two were over the hill officers who did little else other than sit around drinking coffee, one was Sheriff Short, a fifty-something year old man with salt and pepper hair and stern features. Grace was terrified of the man and had been since he had caught her and some friend mudding in Old Man Tippler's corn field and called her grandfather.

And then there was Grant Caudill. He was the same age as Grace and had indeed been in love with her since third grade--the only problem was that he had always been too shy to say anything and Grace had never seen him as more than a friend. She had to admit though that it did come in handy to have an admirer on the force when you got caught speeding or your tags expired.

Grace sighed. "No, I need to go get this taken care of because I won't have time again until Monday."

"Fine, more tall, dark and handsome stranger for me," Meg teased and Grace stuck her tongue out at her best friend before heading for the door. The stranger happened to reach the door at the same time and he quickly opened it for her.

"Thank you," Grace called as she slipped past him.

"You're welcome," he replied with a definite accent.

Grace's cheeks flamed red when she felt his eyes on her as she quickly walked down the street toward the courthouse. Apparently the mystery stranger had a thing for women in grease stained coveralls. Grace laughed and decided he'd probably been staring because he'd never seen a woman dressed like her where he'd come from.

Grace entered the drivers license renewal room and quickly pulled her hair out of the bun she kept it in and ran her fingers through it. She sat down in the seat, looked at the dot on the camera and smiled.

Any thoughts that the stranger had found her attractive were quickly extinguished when she had that still warm, freshly made license laid in her hand and saw the grease smudge across her cheek. Grace sighed as she put it in her wallet, dropped it down into her purse and shouldered her bag.

"You really should clean yourself up now and then," Bernice, the old woman who took the pictures sniffed. "No man wants to date a woman with dirtier finger nails than him."

"I'll keep that in mind," Grace replied with a tight smile. She quickly left the room and sighed. "I'll keep it tucked right up there somewhere between my two jobs, my grandmothers doctor appointments and Cadences...everything."

Grace laughed without taking the time to realize she was only doing so to keep from crying.