Read The Presence of Grace (Love and Loss #2) for Free Online Page A

yourself, pay for your own ticket, and just happen to run into us at the entrance at 9:00 a.m.”
    Her eyes were locked on mine, a smile playing on her lips, and she finally said, “I’ll see you at nine.”
    “Yay! Miss Richards is coming to Disney!”
    We both laughed at his excitement.
    “You’ll be okay here by yourself?” I asked her, catching her gaze again.
    “Yeah,” she answered softly. I wanted to press the issue, but I decided to let it go and trust she’d be all right.
    “Okay. We’ll see you in the morning.”
    “See you then.” She gave a little wave. “See you later, Jax. Thanks for keeping me company today.”
    “It was fun,” he said, then ran out of the room as he waved.
    “Bye,” I said, giving her a nod.
    “Bye,” she said, smiling.
    I turned and walked out of her classroom, thinking how glad I was that bus broke down.

Chapter Five
    Grace
    I was used to walking through the school building with only the evening lights. I wasn’t always the last person to leave, but I’d spent more late nights at school than I cared to admit. It was easy to get lost in lesson planning and grading when there was nothing to go home to. I wasn’t afraid to walk to my car alone, but I was more than happy to accept the phone call from my best friend just as I left my classroom.
    “Do you know what it reminds me of when you call me just as I’m about to walk through a dark parking lot by myself?” I use as my greeting, knowing Shelby was on the other end of my call. She responds with a laugh. “It reminds me of all the times in college I stupidly walked home from a party by myself and would call you to keep me company.”
    “Right.” Shelby laughed again. “As if being on the phone with someone would stop a murderer from attacking. We were pretty dumb.”
    “Hey, speak for yourself. I made it through college just fine.”
    “Why are you walking through a dark parking lot alone? Late night?”
    “Yeah. This time it wasn’t all my fault though.”
    “Oh, no?”
    “No. A student in my TAG program was stranded here, so I stayed with him until his father came to pick him up.”
    “You have more patience than me. Hanging out with rug rats isn’t my bag.”
    “That’s why your job is so perfect for you. You sit people in chairs and tell them to close their mouths and their eyes while you do their makeup. Then you just get to talk at them while you make them beautiful.”
    She laughed again, just like I knew she would. Shelby had been my best friend since eighth grade. At eighteen we went to different colleges, but we stayed close even with the distance between us. She’d been there for me through everything and I wasn’t sure what I’d ever do without her.
    “So, got any plans for the weekend? Isn’t it spring break for you now?”
    “Yes, spring break officially starts now.”
    “Gonna go take advantage of all those beautiful beaches?”
    “Ugh,” I groaned, pushing the doors to the building open and walking out into the air that had cooled slightly since Devon and Jax left. “Spring break is the worst time to go to the beaches in Florida.” Then it occurred to me where I was headed tomorrow. “Oh, gosh.” I sighed, hitching my purse higher up on my shoulder while still holding the phone to my ear.
    “What?” Shelby asked, concerned.
    “I got invited to go to Disney World tomorrow. If there’s one place worse than the beaches during a school break, it’s Disney.”
    “Who invited you to Disney? That’s kind of a weird place to invite a grown-ass woman.”
    “A man with children.”
    “A man? With children?” Her interest in my spring break activities was suddenly heightened. “Are you going on a date?”
    “No, it’s not a date,” I insisted. “We’re meeting there. I’m buying my own ticket.”
    “I’m confused. You’re going to Disney World with a man and his children, but it’s not a date?”
    “Hold on a sec,” I said in a hushed voice. I was just steps from