Free 8 Sandpiper Way by Debbie Macomber Page A

own.”
    Olivia’s eyes were serious and she nodded slightly. “Thank you.”
    Grace reached for her friend’s hand and they held on to each other the way they had countless times through the years.
    “Where’s Jack?” Grace asked after a moment, wondering why Olivia’s husband wasn’t with her.
    “He went to get coffee,” Olivia explained. Their eyes met and Olivia bit her lip. “The coffee’s just an excuse. He’s not dealing with this well.”
    “Hey, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly a pillar of strength myself.”
    Olivia smiled.
    “This is crazy, you know?”
    “The cancer?” Olivia asked.
    “Well, that, too. But I was talking about something else.” Grace paused to take a long breath, trying not to cry. “You’re the one with cancer. Jack and I love you and so do Will and Charlotte and your kids. We’re all willing to do whatever we can to help you through this. Unfortunately, we’re falling apart, at least Jack and I are.” She laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. “The crazy part is that you’re the one who’s comforting us. ”
    Olivia dismissed her words. “Nonsense.”
    “Look at me, Liv,” Grace said, dashing tears from her face. “I’m a mess. I want this to go away.”
    “You think I don’t?” Olivia teased. “I never thought it would happen to me. There’s no history of breast cancerin my family. I eat right, exercise, get my yearly check-up and yet here I am. This isn’t fair, is it?”
    “Cancer usually isn’t.”
    They continued to hold hands, still clinging to each other when Jack walked in holding a foam coffee cup. He looked as if he hadn’t slept all night and was as pale as Olivia.
    An orderly stepped into the room directly behind him. “We’re ready for you now, Ms. Griffin.”
    “I’m ready for you, too,” Olivia murmured. Her gaze moved from Jack to Grace and she gave them both a reassuring smile. “I don’t want either of you to worry.”
    “Right,” Grace lied.
    “It is what it is,” Olivia said.
    That sounded too much like resignation to Grace. This wasn’t the time for acceptance; it was a time to fight.
    Jack walked by Olivia’s side, holding her hand, with Grace trailing behind. “I love you,” he whispered.
    “I know,” Olivia whispered back.
    The orderly rolled the entire bed out of the room and down the hall to the surgery center.
    “Everything’s going to be just fine,” Grace reiterated aloud because she needed someone to say it, even if that someone was her.
    “Yes,” Jack said.
    By unspoken agreement they moved toward the surgical waiting area. Jack sat in one of the upholstered chairs, which were clustered into groups of four and six. He drank his coffee as he stared into the distance. Right now they were the only people there and had chosen the chairs closest to the door.
    “Did Olivia wonder why I took so long getting the coffee?” he asked, looking in her direction for the first time.“If so, she didn’t say anything to me,” Grace assured him, although it wasn’t the complete truth.
    A sigh rumbled through his chest. “I decided to go to the hospital chapel,” he said, his voice low. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not especially proud of through the years. I wasn’t sure I had the right to ask God for anything.”
    “I know what you mean.” Grace had plenty of lapses herself, plenty of misgivings about her own right to ask.
    “I took my chances and asked God to be with Olivia,” Jack said. He leaned forward and splayed his fingers through his hair. “I want to do every single thing I can for her.”
    “You already are.” Falling in love with Jack Griffin, marrying him, had changed Olivia’s life, bringing her more happiness than she’d ever expected. This man had stood by her and always would.
    Grace glanced at her watch, astonished to realize it’d been less than ten minutes since the orderly had come for Olivia. Time seemed to creep by; Grace felt conscious of every second.