Then, the blessed sound of sirens. Eric wheeled around, and a group of cops converged on him.
“Drop your weapon!” When Eric didn’t move, the officer shouted once again, “Drop your weapon!”
Eric bent down and placed his gun on the ground. Before Grace could even blink, he was surrounded and on the ground, his arms behind his back as he was handcuffed.
Grace saw Jaime take a deep breath, leaning over to put his hands on his thighs. She didn’t think. She just ran out and wrapped him in a huge hug, burying her face in his shoulder.
“Grace…Grace, what are you doing here?” He hugged her back, so hard her ribs ached. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He tilted her face up so he could look at her.
“Adam heard gunshots and I didn’t think, I just knew I couldn't let you do this. You could’ve died.” She covered her mouth to keep the sobs from pouring from her throat.
“Jesus Christ, you fool.” Jaime kissed her, then kissed her cheeks, her nose, her chin. “You stupid little fool. God, Graciela, I told you to stay put!”
“And I told you this was too dangerous for you to do alone!”
After that, no more words were needed. They couldn’t stop touching each other, couldn’t stop kissing, like if they broke physical contact, one would disappear into the ether. Jaime could call her a fool over and over again, but she didn’t have the strength to get angry about it. They were both fools.
Everything moved quickly. Eric was taken away, and the remaining officers interviewed Jaime and Grace. One of the officers was none other than Sheriff Jennings, who gave them both a look like he wasn’t remotely surprised they were involved in something like this. Coming up to them, his hands at his belt, he scowled at the two of them.
“Can you tell me what happened here?”
Grace glanced at Jaime. He cleared his throat, and then replied in a level voice, “I’d prefer to get in contact with my lawyer before making any statements.”
The sheriff merely harrumphed, but nodded. Before he turned away, though, he said, “You’ve gotten into quite a number of binds around here, Mr. Martínez. One wonders how much longer you can stay in Heron’s Landing without burning the whole place down.”
Grace held onto Jaime’s arm, feeling him tense from the insult. Medics came to attend to them, which they both waved off. Grace just wanted to go home. After some more questions and then even more questions from Adam, Gavin and Joy, who had shown up soon after, Grace and Jaime headed back to his place.
“You’ll be all right?” Joy asked her. “You don’t want to come back to my place?”
Grace shook her head. “I’ll be all right. I’ll text you later.”
Grace’s phone started exploding with phone calls from her parents and pretty much everyone else in the town. No one could believe what had happened, and rumors swirled ravenously. One story said that Jaime had tried to shoot Eric in the head, while another said that Eric was a part of the mob and had been hired to take Jaime out on some hit job.
Grace talked briefly with her mother, assuring her she was all right.
“Come home as soon as you can,” Julia said, her voice wavering. “We miss you. We were so scared for you, honey. I know you and your father aren’t agreeing lately, but we both love you so much.”
Tears sprang to Grace’s eyes. “I know. I love you guys too. I’ll talk to you later.”
Jaime muttered something about eating. Grace wasn't hungry, but he seemed to need to cook something. She heard him puttering about the kitchen, swearing and chopping and sautéing what seemed like everything in his fridge. She sat on the couch and tried to wrap her head around everything that had happened.
Her brain wouldn’t work, though. She kept remembering the sound of those gunshots, the way Eric had pointed that gun at Jaime. She closed her eyes and it was all she could see.
“Don’t think about it,” Jaime said as he sat a plate in front of her. “You’ll drive yourself crazy.”
She stared at the grilled cheese in front of her, and her stomach turned. “I can’t eat anything.”
“At least drink something.”
She forced herself to swallow some water, which helped her feel a little bit better. But she just leaned her head against Jaime’s shoulder as he ate.
“My parents were in El Salvador right as the civil war began,” he said softly, not looking at her. “They’ve never told me everything they saw, but I know that some of their best friends and so many family members just…disappeared. When I asked them how they coped, they said all they could do at the time was look forward. If you look back, the past will take over your future.”
Grace rubbed his back. “I’m so glad you’re all right. The thought of you out there, that gun…” She choked back a sob.
He turned toward her, pulling her into his arms. “Don’t think about it. Don’t. It’s over. It’s over, Graciela. Even if they still charge me, Eric won’t be getting out any time soon for attempted murder. You’re safe, I’m safe.”
She shook her head. “You’re not safe if you end up going to jail, too!” She plucked at his shirt, like she could find the answers she was looking for in the weave of the cotton. “I want to help you. I want to, but how can I? You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”
Jaime just held her. They held each other as afternoon turned into evening.
Grace’s phone rang. Seeing that it was her mother again, she said, “I should probably go home.”
He nodded. “They’re worried about you.”
“Will you be all right by yourself?”
“Go, Graciela. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She leaned down to kiss him, and he hauled her into his lap, kissing her until she gasped for air. He murmured her name against her hair.
“I have to go,” she said, extricating herself from his arms.
He kissed her fingers before he finally let go.
Grace could barely comprehend the passing of time anymore. She didn’t see Jaime again until three days later, despite calling him multiple times. He’d told her he was busy talking to his newly hired lawyer, to the cops, and everything was such a mess that he hadn’t had time to come by to see her.
Although she missed him, she was glad to get home for a bit. Julia hovered over her, especially once she saw the bruise on her cheek, and Grace had cried in her arms for a while, a cleansing kind of cry that made her feel somewhat better. Carl—never particularly demonstrative—embraced Grace in a bone-crushing hug, and although there was still anger and frustration between them, she realized that her father loved her, in his own way. She’d hugged him back, hoping that they could return to what their relationship had once been.
On Monday, Christmas Day arrived. Grace had forgotten about it in the swirl of events, although the Danvers house was suitably decorated with the requisite tree, lights, and various Santa figurines. That morning, Grace came downstairs to find her entire family—including both brothers, Joy, and Emma—all in the living room. They exchanged presents and ate a Christmas breakfast. Grace had neglected to buy anyone a present, for which she apologized profusely. Julia had merely leaned over and rubbed her arm, telling her she didn’t need to worry about that.