Free Devlin's Grace by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

said. “I’m hungry.”
    At
the little bakery near the entrance they shared some sweets and sipped
coffee.   They were exquisite, rich and
just out of the oven.   As Gracie broke
off a piece of cinnamon roll, she watched Devlin as he devoured his apple
Danish.    His shoulders were relaxed and
since he’d gotten a few hours of sleep, his eyes were clear, not
bloodshot.    When he noticed her gaze, he
grinned at her, the good mood he’d awakened in still intact.
    “So
what do you want to do?” he asked. “It was your idea to come here.”
    She
picked it because all her memories of Silver Dollar City were pleasant.   It’d always been a peaceful place, more the
way the world should be than the realities.   Gracie couldn’t think of anything past the opening ceremonies with the
possibility to trigger bad memories. She didn’t intend to ride any of the
wilder rides.   She never did – they
scared the life out of her.
    “I
love walking around, watching the crafts people create things,” she said. “Some
of the shows are good, too.   I don’t know
– I haven’t been here in several years.   I think the last time was when my high school class came as a senior
trip.”
    Devlin
entangled his fingers with hers. “So it’s about five years then?”
    “Yes,”
she said. She’d graduated five years ago, went to her first year of college,
then dropped out, broke.   After working
full-time at K-mart and part-time as a waitress, she saved enough to go back to
classes.   At twenty-three, she wanted to
start living and if everything worked out she’d graduate in December.   “When’s the last time you came here?”
    He
cocked his head as he calculated. “Must’ve been in 1999,” he said. “It’s just
been a century or so.”
    His
quip about the date amused her, but she watched, wary in case it conjured up
anything unpleasant.   Nine years older,
Dev lived through hell in Iraq and sometimes it bubbled to the surface without
warning.   “I bet the place changed since
then,” she said.
    “Oh,
yeah,” Devlin said with a nod. “I think they’ve changed some of the rides,
probably even more, but overall it’s the same place I remember.   It was fall then too because it was just
before my birthday.”
    Gracie
knew his age but not when he was born.   “When is your birthday?”
    Laugh
lines crinkled in the corners of his dark eyes as he responded. “Halloween.   You know,
the day all the hard shell religious people say is the devil’s birthday.   It just shows I’m a devil for sure, huh?”
    Today
he joked about his nickname.   Sometimes
he didn’t.   “Were you really born on Halloween?”
    “Sure,”
he said. “If you want, I’ll show you my birth certificate.”
    “Driver’s
license will do,” she said, so he sat down on a bench and pulled out his
wallet.   He handed her his license and
Gracie read the date.   “Okay, so you’re
not joking,” she said. “It’s just a couple of weeks away.”
    “Don’t
plan anything,” he warned. “I don’t do birthdays anymore, Gracie.”
    She
lifted her hand to touch his cheek and sunlight caught the sparkle of the ring
he’d bought her in Eureka Springs. “You will with me.”
    For
a moment Gracie thought she’d pushed it too far, but when he smiled, she did,
too.
    “We’ll
see,” he said.   “Let’s go ride a
rollercoaster.”
    “No way! They scare me.”
    “So
did the motorcycle,” Devlin said.   “Come
on, ride Thunderation with me.”
    All
the way through the line, she fussed, but once they climbed into the cars and
were strapped in place, Gracie got quiet.   Although the coaster roared at tree top level, twisting, turning, and
dropping over the narrow track, Devlin loved it, and she caught some of his
enthusiasm.   It still frightened her, but
she focused on the fun and it wasn’t so bad.   Afterward, though, her head spun dizzy and when she headed for the
closest restroom, she got sick, a post ride hazard.