Rainier Drive (Cedar Cove #6)(79)

The library was an inviting place to be. The floor was carpeted to absorb sound and the reading area with its overstuffed chairs and displays of books welcomed anyone stepping inside.

Linnette saw Grace right away. She stood behind the counter, chatting with a woman who was checking out a stack of books. Glancing up, she waved at Linnette.

Linnette moved toward the counter and waited until Grace had finished checking out the other woman’s books.

“Hello, Linnette,” Grace said with a friendly smile. “Good to see you.”

“You, too.” Her throat started to close up and for half a second she was afraid she might cry, which would have mortified her. This just proved how despondent she was over Cal.

“What can I do for you?” Grace asked.

Linnette had always liked Cliff’s wife. Her mother spoke highly of Grace, too. From a brief remark her father had once dropped, Linnette was fairly sure Grace had been a client at one time.

“I don’t have a library card yet,” she murmured, feeling more than a little ill at ease.

“Then it’s past time you did,” Grace said cheerfully. She handed Linnette a clipboard. “If you’ll fill out the application, I’ll take care of this personally.”

“Thank you.” Her hand trembled as she took it, but if Grace noticed, she didn’t comment.

“Actually,” Linnette said, clearing her throat. She held the clipboard against her, as if it offered some form of protection. “Coming in for a library card is an excuse so I could talk to you.”

“To me?” Grace asked, obviously surprised. “You’re welcome to talk to me anytime you want, Linnette, library card or not.”

“About Cal?” she asked in uneven tones.

“Oh.” Grace’s face betrayed her. Apparently Cal was a subject she’d rather avoid.

Linnette was afraid of exactly this.

“Perhaps we should talk somewhere a little more private,” Grace suggested. She excused herself and conferred briefly with one of the other employees. Then she retrieved her purse. “I’ll take an early lunch this afternoon,” she told Linnette, leading the way out of the library.

“Thank you,” Linnette whispered as she followed obediently. She left the clipboard on the counter.

The waterfront area was decorated by flowering baskets that hung from the light posts. Linnette had always loved strolling by the marina. She’d done this with Cal many times, walking side by side, holding hands and talking. Okay, she did most of the talking, but that was what Cal preferred. Even when his speech therapy was completed, she suspected he’d never be much of a conversationalist.

As if deep in thought, Grace didn’t say anything as they walked. Her pace was slow.

“Have you heard from Cal recently?” Linnette asked when she couldn’t bear the silence anymore. She matched her steps to Grace’s, although she normally walked much faster.

“He phoned Cliff the other day.”

He hadn’t called Linnette, though. “Everything’s all right, isn’t it?”

Grace nodded. She began to say something else, then apparently thought better of it.

Linnette could tell there was much more to Cal’s conversation with Cliff, but whatever it was, Grace seemed reluctant to tell her.

“Cal hasn’t been hurt, has he?” she asked anxiously.

“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” She walked over to the espresso stand and ordered a latte with sugar-free vanilla flavoring. After she’d ordered, she turned to Linnette. “Would you like anything?”

“No, thanks. Is that all you’re having for lunch?” Linnette asked. She hadn’t eaten herself and doubted she would. Getting anything past the lump in her throat would’ve been impossible.

“I generally have a sandwich with a latte or soup for lunch,” Grace explained as she paid for her drink. “I should probably be watching my weight more than I do,” she grumbled. “I seem to have a small problem with it, unlike others I could name, including your mother and Olivia,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll eat something later.”

As soon as the latte was ready, Grace and Linnette walked to the gazebo near the waterfront park. Grace took a seat on a bench that faced the water and Linnette sat down beside her.

“I’d appreciate it if you just told me what’s wrong,” Linnette said.

Grace sipped her latte, then sighed. “You know that Cal’s in Wyoming with Vicki Newman, right?”

“She joined him there later, didn’t she?”

Grace nodded. “Vicki’s a very good vet.”

“I’m sure she is.”

“The problem is that a lot of these mustangs have medical problems.”

“I’m sure that’s true,” Linnette whispered. She already knew what Grace was trying to tell her. Cal had fallen for Vicki. It didn’t seem possible, but she felt intuitively that must be it.

Again Grace grew quiet, as if considering her words.

“Cal’s involved with Vicki, isn’t he?” Linnette said bluntly.

“I…didn’t speak to him personally, you understand,” Grace murmured. “But from what Cliff said, Cal does seem to…have feelings for her.”

“I see.” A cold sensation came over Linnette. Cal supposedly had feelings for her, too. Apparently she was an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of girl.