The Things We Don't Say by Neva Bell

Author:Neva Bell [Bell, Neva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“Kara, this is absolutely gorgeous!” Grace gushes.

Kara’s cheeks turn a rosy pink. “You like it?”

“I love it. You should take this home and hang it up.”

“No,” Kara says shaking her head.

“Why not? It’s amazing.”

“I, um, don’t have the room for it.”

“Fine,” Grace says, “I’ll hang it up here.”

Kara beams. “Really?”

“Yes really. Maybe it will inspire the others.”

Grace’s art room is still a hit at the Center. The kids love coming in and playing with the paint. They’re messy as can be, but Grace doesn’t mind. A few adults wander in as well. None have the level of talent Kara does, but they enjoy letting out their creative sides.

Grace spends the bulk of her spare time at the Center. She’s dabbled in helping Stella with other activities – the food bank, a clothing drive and various odds and ends. The construction at her house is nearly complete and she can’t wait to have the space to herself.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” she asks Kara as they clean up.

“We’re staying in.”

“Are you having family over?”

“No. Just me and my husband Danny.”

“Do you cook a big meal?”

Kara smiles. “Yes. I love to cook. Turkey, potatoes, homemade biscuits, gravy, the works. We’ll be eating leftovers for a week.”

“I’m jealous. My kitchen isn’t ready. I’m not sure what I’ll be doing.”

“I’d invite you over, but I don’t think Danny would like it.”

Grace glances over at Kara, her smile has fallen. Grace makes light of it. “Oh, I wasn’t fishing for an invite. I’ll be fine.”

“Is your family coming to town?”

“No. They were supposed to, but the renovations aren’t done. It’s just as well, my mom would have driven me crazy anyway.”

In truth, Grace is disappointed her mom cancelled her trip to Ohio.

“Why don’t you come home?” her mom asked during their call last night. “I can cook a fabulous meal here.”

“Nothing personal Mom, but I don’t want to come home. I’m trying to get settled here. You can still come. We’ll find a nice restaurant and then neither of us has to cook or clean.”

“Tell you what,” her mom offered, “I’ll come out mid-December once all your appliances are installed. We’ll have a late Thanksgiving. How does that sound?”

Grace gave in.

After she and Kara finish cleaning the art room, she asks if Kara wants to grab a cup of coffee at the café a block over.

Kara glances at her watch. She looks unsure, but agrees to go. On their way out, Grace stops in to extend an invite to Stella.

“Want to walk down to the corner coffee shop with us?”

Stella jumps up. “God yes. I need some caffeine. It’s been a hell of a day.”

The three women find a table near the front window and order a round of coffee.

“What’s going on? Why the bad day?” Grace asks Stella.

“The grocery store called this morning to say the turkeys for our Thanksgiving meal weren’t in. I called around begging everyone I could think of for turkeys. Wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I got the ten turkeys I need, the grocery store manager calls back to say the turkeys arrived.

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