Lost and Found on Foxglove Street (The Foxglove Street #9)

Chapter 34

34

Ryan drove back to his house on Riverside Road, his heart thumping inside his chest in anticipation of what he planned to do when he got there.

He’d known this was what he wanted from the moment he’d watched Grace cuddle Stanley in her arms after the little dog was found in the woods earlier that day. Seeing the tenderness on her face and her obvious affection for the scrappy terrier had melted the final icy shards of resistance inside Ryan’s heart.

The words his grandmother had uttered at the train station as they’d hugged goodbye had only strengthened his resolve.

Don’t wait to tell Grace how you feel, my boy, his grandmother had whispered. Whether she stays in Hamblehurst or chases after that job in York, you must take the risk and let her know how you feel about her before it’s too late.

His grandmother’s advice was sage, as always, but on this occasion, her words had only hurried him to do something he already wanted to do.

When they returned to his house and went inside, Stanley scampered to his bed in the kitchen-dining area, where he promptly curled up and fell asleep.

“Today has taken it out of the little guy,” Grace laughed.

“I’m not surprised,” Ryan said, and held out his hand. “Come with me.”

Her expression was curious as she slipped her hand into his. Ryan led her to the sofas in the seating area and asked her to sit down, and told her he’d be right back.

In his study, he picked up his acoustic guitar along with the blue leather notebook his grandmother had given him. Opening the cover, his eyes flicked over the lyrics to the song he’d written.

Lost And Found.

A smile crept across his face when he realised he’d rehearsed the song so many times inside his head since writing it, that he already knew the lyrics by heart. He no longer needed the notebook to remind him of any part of the song.

Returning to the living area where he’d left Grace, he sat on the sofa opposite and propped the guitar across his thighs.

When he let out a long breath to calm himself, he had another realisation—he didn’t need to calm himself. He was ready for this moment.

And he was ready for the risk he was about to take.

As he tuned the guitar, he looked up into Grace’s intent expression and smiled.

“A few nights ago, I played music for you, music you inspired me to write,” Ryan said. “But I wasn’t ready to share the lyrics, for reasons you already know. But I’m ready now.” He let out a soft laugh and added, “I think I was always ready, from the moment I wrote those lyrics, but I just didn’t realise it.”

From her spot on the other sofa, Grace held his gaze, and he saw the expectation and excitement in her eyes, the emotions flashing across her face as she waited for him to begin.

Electricity sizzled in the air between them, and when Ryan played the first chord of the song he’d written for the woman sitting opposite, its warmth and tenderness filled the room.

Ryan strummed the guitar and began to sing, the opening verse telling the story of a broken heart lost in a cold and lonely world.

The shift to the chorus brought the release of the major key and the plaintive call of a man who was falling in love.

And once he reached the bridge and the final crescendo of the repeated chorus, Ryan knew he’d opened his soul and laid everything on the line.

Lost and found, your heart is my home.

Lost and found, your heart is my home.

Lost and found, your heart is my home, my home, my home.

Ryan sang the last words, his voice breaking with emotion, and played the final chords that brought the song to a close. As the guitar strings stilled and the music faded, he looked deep into Grace’s eyes.

A week ago, the idea of sitting here in his house singing this song to this woman he’d only just met, singing these crushingly honest lyrics to this woman he’d only just met, would’ve seemed crazy.

To do so while staring deep into her eyes would’ve struck him as crazier still.

And yet it didn’t feel crazy at all. It felt completely perfect.

There was no awkwardness, no embarrassment, no forced smiles.

Instead, there was the quiet bravery of the shared moment and the sense that something profound had happened between them, something that could never be undone.

The silence spun on for a few moments longer before Grace spoke.

“Ryan, that’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard in my life,” she said, her voice soft and filled with tenderness. “I already loved the music you played before. But the lyrics… they’re incredible.”

“I wrote them for you,” Ryan said. “Those lyrics are about how you make me feel. I thought it would be hard to do this, to play this song for you, to sing this song for you. But it wasn’t. It turns out it was the easiest thing in the world.”

Her eyes glistened with emotion. “I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless.”

“Listen, I don’t want you to feel like this is some huge declaration you need to respond to,” Ryan said, setting aside his guitar. “I shared the song I wrote with no strings attached and no expectations. Grace, I know you have big opportunities ahead in your life, and I know this job opening in York might mean you decide to leave Hamblehurst. I don’t want you to think I played that song to sway any decision you make. I played it because I want you to know how much you’ve come to mean to me.”

Grace studied his face for a long beat. Rising from the sofa, she crossed to where he was and sat down beside him. She ran her hand along the line of his jaw and looked into his eyes before leaning close and kissing him.

The kiss started slow and sweet, but was swiftly filled with passion and longing. When they parted at last, Ryan could barely breathe thanks to the emotions she’d unleashed inside him. His heart hammered against his chest as he ran his fingers through her tumbling hair and inhaled the soft scent of her skin. He trailed another lingering kiss across her mouth and her cheek before lifting their joined hands and kissing her fingers.

When he looked up at last, Grace’s expression was bewitching, a mixture of passionate dishevelment and something else more subtle that he couldn’t quite pin down.

“Ever since we met, you’ve come to mean so much to me too, Ryan,” she said. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this much for someone so quickly. And after only knowing one another for a few days, I’m not about to start second-guessing what might happen in the future between us, because I’m having too much fun right now to worry about that. But I do know one thing.”

Ryan searched her gaze, wondering what was coming next.

“I know I don’t want to move to York, or anywhere else for that matter,” Grace said, an amused smile now lifting her mouth.

The unexpected comment had Ryan’s eyebrows shooting up his forehead. “You don’t?”

“No, I don’t. A couple of weeks ago, I might have chased after that job opportunity and thrown myself into doing everything possible to get further up the career ladder, especially after the disappointment of the promotion setback where I work right now. But this last week has changed everything. It’s changed me . And I don’t want to change back to who I was before.”

She squeezed his hand, dropping her gaze to their entwined fingers before continuing.

“For so long, the only thing that mattered in my life was work and my career and getting ahead,” she said. “All I wanted was job security because I wanted to feel safe, and so I poured everything into work. I thought I could worry about friends and family and a social life and a love life once I got to where I wanted in my career.”

Grace shook her head, her expression troubled. “Now I realise I wasn’t living a full life, not even close. You helped me realise that. Spending time with you has changed everything. You changed everything.”

If the lyrics Ryan had written for Grace had left her speechless, then her words now had the same effect on him.

“Being with you makes me happy, Ryan,” Grace said. “I didn’t realise until I met you that I hadn’t been happy before. Not even close.”

The smile she gave him was like sunshine on a summer’s day.

“And I should be honest and admit that your grandmother played a part in all this too,” she said, her expression now filled with gentle amusement. “All these day trips I’ve been on with the two of you, they’ve been wonderful. Pottering around in the countryside, lingering over endless cups of tea and coffee in pretty cafes, enjoying late lunches and lazy dinners, talking and laughing and just having fun . It’s been a long time since I’ve done those things. When I’m not working at the hotel, I’m engrossed in my studies and learning and swatting up on the hospitality industry, and while I still love my job and will always love the career I have, wherever it takes me, I’d lost sight of the fact that there is far more to life than work. Spending this time in your grandmother’s company reminded me of that.”

“Grandma does know how to enjoy herself,” Ryan said with a grin.

“She has spirit. She has a passion for life. She has friends and family all over the place, and so many people who love her. She came through illness and grief in order to keep living and keep experiencing the world. Even when she felt tired after our outings, she simply rested and gathered her strength so she could keep doing what was important to her, and experience the things that brought her joy. Being with her these past few days has shown me how very small my own life is in comparison. It’s time for me to change that.”

Listening to Grace as she talked, it was impossible to miss the light sparking in her eyes. Ryan lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it again.

“I’m glad you won’t be applying for that job in York,” he said. “So very, very glad. But I also know you were upset by the promotion process stalling at work. Are you sure you don’t want to consider your next steps a little more?”

“Ryan, I love working at the Hamblehurst Manor Hotel,” Grace said. “I don’t want to leave. The promotion process is only being paused, and I just need to learn to be patient. Maybe it’s even a blessing in disguise. The next step up the ladder there will involve far more responsibility than I have right now. I want to think of this time as a gift, time for me to do more with my life than I’ve been doing with it, and to fill it with more of the things that matter most. Friends. Fun. Romance.”

She grinned at the last word and placed a soft kiss on Ryan’s lips.

“And there’s something else I need to make room for in my life, too,” Grace said, and nodded to where Stanley lay sleeping on his bed. “I can’t let Stanley go. You were right when you said as much a few nights ago, although I wasn’t willing to accept it then. I kept telling myself I was just feeling sorry for the little dog and that once he went back to his rightful owner or went off to be rehomed, I’d be okay with it.”

Grace let out a soft sigh as she continued looking at the sleeping dog.

“But when Stanley ran away today, and I thought he was lost again, I was devastated. The idea of never seeing him again crushed me. And when we found him in the woods at last, that’s when I knew I wanted him to be mine.”

Now they both looked over at the scruffy dog, who was dreaming in his sleep, his paws twitching.

“When he came hurtling into my life a week ago, I just thought he was a temporary inconvenience, albeit one I quickly found a soft spot for,” Grace said. “Now, I can’t imagine life without him. He was lost and I found him and now I don’t want to let him go. So, I’m going to adopt him and give him a wonderful home.”

Ryan smiled. “He adores you as much as you adore him.”

Grace laughed. “With all the walking he seems to expect, I won’t have time for the endless hours of study I’ve been used to at home, and that’s not a bad thing. There will be practicalities to work out, of course. I’ll have to hire a dog walker for when I’m doing long shifts at work, but I can sort all that out in time.”

“He can come round to my house when I’m working here and you’re in need of a dog sitter,” Ryan said. “He’s already made himself at home.”

Grace smiled again. “He’d love that. So would I.”

Over in his bed, Stanley let out a yip as his dreams continued and his little legs ran faster in his sleep.

“We have Stanley’s seal of approval,” Grace said as they both laughed.

Ryan pulled Grace close for another kiss before they settled back on the sofa, content in each other’s arms as everything they’d said began to sink in.

He’d opened his heart to her when he’d sang Lost And Found . The depths of his feelings for her drove him through the fear about how she might respond. And yet he’d known in his heart that he had nothing to fear, because the connection they’d shared since the moment they met had told him that something special was happening here.

The past week had changed him, and it had changed Grace too. As they drew closer together on the sofa, Ryan imagined them both standing on the cusp of a bright new dawn, waiting for the sun to rise.

Waiting for the future they’d decided to embrace—together.