This Time(36)

She reached for the remote and powered off the television. "Whatever," she said, fighting tears. "Good night."

The phone rang as she ran up the stairs, a sick feeling coating the pit of her stomach. "Don't answer it, Daddy. It's Gates. I'll call her tomorrow."

***

Burke and Grace walked along Malibu Beach in view of her new hillside cottage that overlooked the Pacific. Their shoes dangled from the tips of their fingers and the cuffs of Burke's pants were rolled up to his knees. The setting sun blazed fiery hues across the twilight sky as it dipped beneath the edge of the ocean.

They talked as they strolled, rehashing the events on the Dubois show with laughter. Grace recounted her adventures in Australia, enthusiastic about the film she'd just finished and anticipating the one she would start in the fall.

"Enough about me, tell me what's going on with you," she concluded, jabbing Burke in the ribs.

He recapped his summer in Haskell, elated about his new career as a high school football coach. He captivated her with his tornado tale and intrigued her with his work at the Bar J.

"Interesting," she said when he'd finished. She stopped and watched the waves curl toward the shore.

"Interesting?" He stood beside her.

"You never mentioned her once."

He looked out over the water, the Pacific breeze cool and salty in his face. "I'm in love with her."

Grace started walking again. "I expected as much."

He caught up to her and slipped his arm through hers. She peered up at him with dry eyes. "All summer I prayed for us, wrestling with the Lord, wanting my will to prevail. But my words were like weighted balloons. Once I stopped praying my will and asking for His to be done, my desires changed."

"How'd they change?"

"I finally realized that I wanted us to stay together because I didn't have an alternate plan. You are the only man in my life at the moment, so I didn't want to give up yet."

Burke squeezed her elbow lightly indicating that he understood. "Did you ever think we were heading for marriage?" he asked.

Grace slowly shook her head. "Not really, but I wanted to hold onto you until someone else came along. Guess you found your person first."

"I found her in third grade on the playground swings."

"Now, how could I ever compete with that?"

"You'd like her, Grace."

"I'm quite sure I would." She glanced up at him, a pretend pout on her lip. "I wish I'd found someone in third grade on the playground swings."

He chuckled. "The Lord has the right man for you. He'll find you soon enough."

"Well, this summer the Lord also dealt with my notion that I have to have a man in my life. I finally realize it's okay to be single, to be on my own."

Burke stared at her wide-eyed with a raised brow. "You had a busy summer."

Her melodious, delicate laugh resonated through the air like tiny bells. "I had a great summer."

"I'm going to miss you."

"And I you." A subtle sadness etched her words.

Burke rested his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, suddenly sentimental. I've prepared for this all summer, but now that it's here--" She stopped and took a deep breath.

"Come to Oklahoma. I'll teach you to rope a calf."

"Oh, no," she said, waving a finger under his nose as she turned toward home. "I'll let Mrs. Benning do the honors."

Burke shushed her. "Quiet, she doesn't know yet."

Grace frowned. "You think the wind is going tell her?" She faced him, hands on her slender hips. "Don't tell me you haven't told her how you feel."

He shook his head as he stooped to pick up a pinkish seashell protruding out of the sand. "I thought I should talk to you first. Settle things between us." He considered the shell, turning it over in his hands. Its broken edges were rounded, smoothed by time and the washing of the waves. "Sometimes, over the years--" He stopped.

"Sometimes what?" she asked tenderly, eyes studying the shell in his hand.

He thought, searching for the right words. "Sometimes I'd catch a scent in the breeze and for one brief second, it reminded me of her. For days, I'd wonder about her, missing her, yet too proud to pick up the phone and call." He looked at Grace and grinned sheepishly. "Sounds corny, doesn't it?"

"No, not at all. Sounds like the Burke Benning I've come to know and care about."

They walked in silence for a few minutes in the light of the rising moon. Burke slipped the shell into his pants pocket.

"When do you leave?" Grace asked in a whisper, breaking the silence.

"I fly to Colorado in the morning."

She grew serious and gripped his hands fiercely. She tossed her luxurious hair over her shoulders. "No good-bye's, Benning, okay?"

"No good-byes, Grace, no good-byes," he replied, drawing his dear friend into a hug, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead.

Out of nowhere, brilliant lights exploded from the tall sea oats that grew along the beach. Photographers leapt out of hiding and surrounded them, their camera flashes bursting and blinding.

"Run for the house," Burke said low and firm in her ear. They dashed for the cottage steps.