I contemplated the years of strain based on my resentment at his burgeoning fame. Then I thought about true estrangement, the deep-rooted hostility from Grace’s father and brother.
Maintaining a tight-lipped smile, I replied, “Our family values his privacy. As you’ve demonstrated, things change when people realize that your brother is,” I scolded them with my gaze, “Apollo, the God of Truth.”
Chapter 39Grace
My body remained frozen on the staircase, itching to reach out but uncertain if he was there for acceptance or condemnation. Fear and hope mingled painfully in my chest as ice water dripped down his face.
Mallory descended the final step, placing herself between me and my estranged brother. She straightened to her full 5’1” height and asked loudly, to be heard through the thick door, “What do you want?”
He tore his eyes from my face to assess the protective blonde.
“Please, I …” his voice cracked. “I just want to talk to her.”
Her. He used my pronoun. Hope blossomed in my chest until I remembered that Levi had, too. It wasn’t enough.
Elijah's eyes returned to mine, scanning every contour of my face before his lips lifted into a shy grin. He spoke directly to me, a recitation through the glass: “I looked for you, the one my heart loves, but could not find you.”
“Song of Solomon,” I murmured the explanation to Mallory, knowing in my heart what he was telling me. “The love song of the Bible.”
I gathered my courage to lower the final step, approaching the door.
Elijah’s fingers spread against the glass, trying to reach through as he recited. “Night after night, I searched the whole city. I asked the watchmen, ‘Have you seen my beloved?’”
His other hand rose to the door handle as I spun the handle and I couldn’t say whether I pushed or he pulled. The door flew open and I threw myself forward, the force causing him to stumble back as his arms instinctively wrapped around me, cold water soaking through my sweatshirt.
His familiar laugh resonated deep within my soul. He continued the verse into my ear, “When at last I found the one my soul loves —”
I finished his thought, as I had for most of our lives: “I held on to him and would not let him go.”
“Grace,” Elijah murmured, my chosen name both a declaration of support and a sigh of relief. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
He squeezed tighter for a fleeting second before pulling back. “Wow, Mama said you looked good, but …” His hand rose tenderly, brushing my cheek. “I didn’t know my sister would be so beautiful.”
Sister.
Adrenaline rushed after years of questioning and craving his approval.
“Your sister?” I said, wanting to hear it again, a balm over the wound.
“Of course,” he replied, his thumb brushing melted raindrops and tears off my cheek. “My twin sister.”
I invited him into the studio, locking the door behind us. Elijah shed his soaked jacket and shoes, and I tugged off my wet hoodie tighter as we all tromped upstairs. Mallory hovered nearby as my silent guard, phone clutched in case she needed to sound the alarm.
Still stunned at Elijah’s arrival, I asked, “How did you —?”
“Your boyfriend told Mama your name was Grace and you worked at a yoga studio. She said the truck still had New York plates,” he explained, looking approvingly around the reception area. “I’ve been canvassing yoga studios all over the state, anywhere with a Grace on the class schedule.”
“Canvassing the state?” I repeated in disbelief.
“So this is where you’ve been all this time?” he asked, assessing the reception area, an approving smile tugging on his lips.
“For the past three years,” I said, ducking into the office for a dry pair of socks.
“I told you I’d heard Saratoga Springs was beautiful, didn’t I?” He gestured to the hailstorm outside. “Though it didn’t give me the best welcome.”
Then his gaze dropped to my Vermont hoodie, curiosity shining in his eyes. “Did you learn to ski?”
“Yeah, we went last week,” I gestured to include Mallory, sloughing off my wet hoodie for a cardigan she found. “That’s why I was close to … to Plattsburgh.” I almost called it ‘home,’ since that’s what it had been for me and him, but that wasn’t home anymore.
I'd made my home here.
He grinned proudly. “When I offered to learn together, you said you were afraid of heights.”
“I still am,” I confessed. “But I learned how to fall.”
“So what’d you study?” It was strange that he didn’t know.
“Bachelors and Masters of Social Work.”
“Oh Jer —” he cut himself off then quickly recovered, his voice soft and affectionate. “Grace, that’s perfect for you.”
My head tilt said ‘Your turn,’ and his feet shifted. “I stayed at Syracuse for nursing school. Same house. I always hoped one day, I’d walk into my room and you’d …” His heavy sigh conveyed the weight of his loss. It had torn me apart to leave, but he’d lived with my ghost.
“Nursing school,” I repeated. I thought he’d go into engineering, but he’d chosen nursing. Science meets heart. Perfect for him.
I broke his gaze to meet Mallory’s cautious eyes, and her chin dipped.
