Granted Wishes (The Granted Series Book 1)
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Authors: Tanya Vought
Tanya Vought
Booktrope Editions
Seattle WA 2015
Copyright 2015 Tanya Vought
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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Cover Design by Shari Ryan
Edited by Majanka Verstraete
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.
Print ISBN 978-1-62015-713-8
EPUB ISBN 978-1-62015-735-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015901348
To Dylan & Mary
You both amaze and inspire me each day!
I want you both to know that you can achieve any goal/dream you wish for!
So wish and dream big! Love you both to the moon and back!
Xo
**AND**
To C&C
My two amazing author besties!
I love you both madly. Without your love, support, friendship and belief in my story… I wouldn’t be here today!
I’m forever grateful to you both… and can’t thank you enough!
THE DARK,
SOMBER SKY
matches Gracelynn Calhoun’s disposition. Her heart beats rapidly in her chest as she grips the steering wheel of her Hyundai Accent. From her windshield, she notices the barren trees that once held her favorite fall foliage. Looking at them makes her feel just as empty as the trees in the Layton Hills Cemetery. She releases her right hand from the steering wheel, and clutches her angel necklace as tears pour down her cheeks. She closes her eyes, continuing to hold the necklace, remembering the day her beloved gave it to her. She lets go of her necklace, opens her green-grey eyes and wipes her cheeks.
While walking to her beloved’s tomb, leaves crinkle under her favorite pair of black, high-heeled shoes. As she reaches the stone, tears trickle down her face and she drops to her knees. She immediately starts cleaning around his grave, removing all debris.
She stares at the gravestone, and drags her fingers over the intricately carved angel wings. She reads aloud, even though she doesn’t need to. “Angelo Grant Calhoun. 11/28/1980 – 11/30/2012. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” More tears stream down her face. She reaches up and touches the top of the stone, resting her hand in the middle of the stone, like she’d be touching Angelo’s heart. “I miss you so much, Angelo. How can I move on with my life…move on without you?” she cries to the gravestone. “I love you so much. I wore your favorite dress and shoes, hoping that you’d see me today. How crazy is that?” She laughs through tears, wipes her cheeks with her hand and grabs her necklace. “I still remember the day you gave me this,” she expresses to the gravestone. “How can I move on when you were my whole life? I’ll love you forever and always.” The wind picks up suddenly and all the leaves that she had just cleaned up go flying around her. She looks around now, with the leaves in her hair, and hears disembodied laughing. She tries to pick the leaves out of her hair, now full of dead foliage. She looks around the stones, but spots no one else. “I’m losing it. No one is here, Gracelynn. Get a grip,” she tells herself as she stands back up, and continues to clean herself off.
She bends down to wipe her beloved’s stone again, and her phone rings. Startled, she falls down and lands on her butt. “Good grief,” she shrieks. Her phone rings again, and she opens her small purse to take out the phone. It’s Ben calling. She stands up and looks around, hoping there isn’t anyone around who witnessed the entire ordeal. “Hello, Ben. What can I do for you?” she asks as she brushes the back of her behind, wondering what he wants.
“Hello, Gracie,” he purrs into the phone.
Oh boy. This must be a doozy for him to talk like this on the phone. “
Cassie and I have some things we’d like to go over with you. When are you coming in?” This time around, he sounds monotone, neutral. She glances at her watch, and realizes she’s late for work. “Oh man, Ben, I’m sorry I’m late. I didn’t realize the time. I’m at th
e cemetery and I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she tells him while wiping her right hand down her dress in a nervous gesture.
“Oh, Gracelynn. I’m such an ass,” Ben says through the phone. “I forgot you were going there this morning. Take all the time you need and I’ll see you in say, a half hour?” he asks her and hangs up, leaving Gracelynn more confused than before.
She kneels back on the ground, places her phone back into her purse, and talks to her beloved, telling him everything that has been going on. She realizes fifteen minutes later that she should go. She places a kiss on her fingers and puts her hand on the front of the stone. “I love you, Angelo. Until we meet again,” she says through tears as she leaves him, knowing she has to head into work, unsure of what’s to come.
* * *
Driving away from the cemetery leaves Gracelynn heavy-hearted. She pulls up to the Layton Hills Pain Management Clinic and parks in the far back lot. She parks her car, clutches her necklace and gives herself a pep talk. “You got this, G. Whatever Ben has to say, it’ll be okay.” She lets go of her necklace, removes her high-heeled shoes, grabs her black-laced flats from the passenger seat, and slips them on. She quickly grabs her name badge, purse and keys before leaving her car.
Entering the Pain Clinic, even after ten years of employment, she’s still in awe of the architecture of the building. Large, glass windows showcase this building with tall columns. Rich mahogany desks, filing cabinets and a wishing well on the far back wall give the entrance a positive and uplifting feeling. As she continues to walk through the sliding glass doors, the young receptionist smiles and wishes her a wonderful day.
She walks down the hall to her small corner office. She opens the door, turns the light on and removes her coat and purse. Just as she is about to sit down at her desk to get started for the day, a knock on the door alerts her. “Come in.” Ben and Cassie, walk into the room, their faces a mask of pain. They try to smile at her, but neither smile reaches their eyes.
Ben clears his throat. “Hi, Gracie. Is this a good time for Cassie and I to speak with you?”
Gracelynn closes her eyes and sniffs, smiling. Oh boy, he’s brought the big guns out for whatever he has to tell her. But at the moment, she doesn’t care because she can smell her favorite pumpkin spiced latte.
She opens her eyes and smiles, this one almost reaching her eyes. Almost. “Sure. Don’t mind the clutter,” she tells them as she clears off her two chairs in front of her desk. Ben smiles and shows her the coffee he had hidden behind his back. “To what do I owe the honor of seeing you both today?” Gracelynn asks.
Ben coughs and sits down and Cassie immediately follows. Ben casually looks around Gracelynn’s small, disorganized space. “I love what you’ve done with the new office space, G.”
She laughs. “Close your mouth, Ben.”
He chuckles. “Why don’t you close yours with this?” he asks her as he finally hands her the coffee. That gets a snicker from her as she tips the coffee to her lips and closes her eyes, enjoying her drink.
“Thanks for my caffeine fix, guys. What can I do for you both?” she asks as she opens her eyes and sets the coffee down. Ben and Cassie look at one another, as if waiting for who will speak first. It instantly makes Gracelynn nervous.
Cassie looks directly at her. “There’s no easy way to say this, but we need to discuss your job performance.”
Oh dear! What did I do now? I knew it. I should’ve looked for another job…
Gracelynn places her hands in her lap, gripping her dark dress for comfort.
“Gracelynn, stop. We’re here to help and want the best for you,” Cassie tells her kindly.
“Please breathe, and don’t worry what we have to say…. it isn’t that bad,” Ben chimes in.
Gracelynn looks at him, takes a deep breath and before she can take it back says, “Okay, guys, get it off your chests.”
Cassie shuffles a few papers in her hand. “You know we both love you, right, G?”
“We want you to live and experience joy again, sweetheart. We want you to enjoy life again and we have something for you.”
Now that does it. Who do they think they are? Don’t they know what happened to me? What I’ve had to endure? They should be lucky I didn’t pick up alcohol instead of just working my butt off all the darn time!
She keeps gripping her dress, which will probably be completely disheveled by the time Ben and Cassie leave the office.
Trying to maintain her composure, she grits her teeth, looking them both square in the eye. “Okay, now while I appreciate this ‘we love you and care about you’ stuff, what are you actually trying to say?” Tears prickle in her eyes. “I thought you both were my best friends, the very people who would support me no matter what, so why now?” She wipes her eyes.
“Let me say this, Gracelynn,” Ben tells her. “You’re a fabulous person. I love and respect you as a friend. I know the pain and suffering you’ve had to endure, and are still enduring. It’s been three years. I loved Angelo too.” Gracelynn trembles at the name, recalling the death of her husband. “He was a wonderful man and friend of mine, and I know you miss him, G. But it’s been three years. We’ve given you time. We’ve supported you. But…it doesn’t seem to get better. You’re not performing your job duties to the best of your ability. You’re neglectful, sloppy, and careless. I’ve never seen you like this. And quite frankly, it pisses me off.” Ben never curses, let alone at her, so Gracelynn knows she’s in trouble for real this time. He leans over her desk and grabs the photo of her and Angelo. “See this happy person? I miss her, as does everyone else. I want you to shine and allow life to go on, despite your loss. It’s easier said than done, I know. But if you were anyone else, I would have had you fired a while ago.” He sets the photo down, sits back into his seat, and tells her she needs to take a four week vacation.
Now she’s truly upset. Her mind races at a million miles an hour.
Why, why today? Why when it is this close to the holidays, are they making me leave my job? Leave to go God knows where and be alone for Christmas? Why would they do that to me?
She clenches her hands together.
“You want me to take a vacation, Ben? You do realize that it’s the end of November? Where will I go?” She crosses her arms again, making her look like a bratty child rather than the thirty-two-year-old woman she is. Ben stares at her and does the same. “Gracelynn, I need you to take
this
vacation. Think of it as time off to find yourself. Let go of all the anger, frustration and loss. Get it out of your system once and for all.”
Gracelynn tries to reason with what he’s saying, but she’s livid. So much for trying to stay rational and accept what Ben had to say, she lets the rage of her red hot-headed temper take over. “What do you mean, Ben? I’m here early every morning and late every night.” Her hands come flying out from her desk in frustration. “I love my job. And what if I choose to not take this so-called vacation? What then, Ben?” Ben leans over the desk, closes his baby-blue eyes, pulls his honey-blonde hair between his fingers and opens his eyes again. This time, a devilish flicker shines in his eyes.
“Well, then we may have a problem.”
She ignores his statement. “What if I’m fine with the way things are? I like my life and the way I’ve been living. I don’t have a social life, but who cares? All I need is a good bottle of wine occasionally, my Kindle and the both of you! You can’t force me to leave for four weeks,” she yells at the two of them. “You can’t make me leave my job, you can’t!” She gasps, placing a hand over her mouth, realizing she’s just yelled at her best friends. She runs out of her office, leaving Ben and Cassie speechless. She runs down the corridor and enters the women’s restroom hoping that no one else is witnessing her unprofessional emotional meltdown.