Author's Note: This is a heavy chapter with a lot going on, but we are almost to the end. Only two more chapters await you after this one. Thank you for all the comments on the story. Please enjoy.
*****
"I'm so sorry for your loss."
Stephen steeled his insides and nodded before passing to the next person who sprouted much the same sentence as he had already heard. In fact, he had long lost count of how many times he had heard that sentence in the last two hours. There was something about losing a family member that had an incredibly numbing effect, to the point where you felt as if every non-essential interaction earned an auto pilot response.
Not to mention, he grimaced every time his eyes drifted over to Grandpa's casket. His body was laid out in his best tuxedo, and a peaceful look was painted onto his worn out face. It was a welcome change from the last month of struggle that routinely passed the contours of his face: those looks of worry, stress, and pain now replaced by silent tranquility.
Stephen shook his head slightly. Tranquility for him, but grief for the rest of us. Nights were the hardest part, as they had been when his cousin, Danny, past away. From the dark eyes of his mother and grandmother, they were in a similar boat. Even Grace, who had only known the man a couple short months, had a tough time about it. All were testament to how deeply Grandpa had been ingrained into their lives.
After catching up with several cousins who he hadn't seen in many years, Grace slipped in by his side, her hand catching his in a tight squeeze of affection. "Are you okay?"
Stephen nodded, "Yes, but I can't wait to get out of here."
Grace nodded, and her vulnerable face slipped back into a brave, public one as she looked back out upon the crowd at the wake. Stephen didn't have to explain and she already knew. These events were hardest on close family, while most distant family used it as an excuse to socialize and catch up on years lost.
Even most of these faces, he felt like he had seen recently. A good portion of them were at Jack and Shelly's wedding over a month ago. The newlyweds themselves were there as well, recently back from their delayed honeymoon.
"Stephen, I'm so sorry about your grandfather," offered Jack, with a comforting smile and a reassuring pat on the back. It was more of the same which, despite the good intentions, Stephen found himself aching for the wake to be over.
If he thought the wake was bad, Stephen was in for a surprise. Grandpa's funeral was one of the most harrowing experiences of his life. Having to say goodbye one last time to Grandpa's pale, lifeless body just about took everything he had. He would never forget the scene at the cemetery, with his casket being slowly lowered into the ground, while the entire family looked on in stony silence.
Most of the family, that is. It was the only time Stephen had seen his Grandma ever truly break down, heavily distraught and crying. He tried to put himself in her shoes, to imagine what it must be like to lose a partner after spending almost your entire life together. Every time, his thoughts and imagination came up short. Sliding over to her side, he wrapped his arm around the tiny woman, hoping to give even the smallest amount of comfort. She clung to him as the casket was fully lowered, the tears flowing heavily.
Stephen looked over at Grace, who gave him a knowing look at the distress Grandma was in. He tried to imagine what it would be like if Grace died, and how he would feel. The very idea shattered him to the core, sending shivers down his spine. Even after such a short period of time, Grace was fully integrated into his life, and as much a part of him as his lungs or hands.
Yet, take that feeling, and multiply it by sixty
, he thought to himself.
That's how Grandma feels right now
. His arms pulled tighter in a comforting embrace. She sobbed quietly, yet enough for him to feel the wetness against his breast pocket. The damp material clung to him in the same manner as she did.
After the funeral, everyone tried as best they could to go back to some semblance of normality. For Theresa Willow, that meant going back to her full work schedule, and spending even more time away from home in order to support the family. The twins went back to their friends, spending what was left of their summer at the local mall or parks.
For Stephen, it meant getting back to work, and doing his part to support the family. Thankfully, that was one front that was about to get a lot easier. It was just two days after the funeral, and Stephen and Grace were just casually napping in his bed when his phone began to ring.
"Hello," Stephen answered.
"Stephen, it's Eric Gates, from work. How are you?"
Stephen sat up straight, knowing the call could only be one of two things: a promotion, or a firing. He prayed for the former. "I'm doing alright, Eric. What's up?"
"Well, I hope it's no surprise why I'm calling. I'll cut to the chase. The manager position is yours, if you want it. I'm supposed to give you twenty four hours to think it over and let me know. But I wanted to share the good news as soon as I could. You really nailed that interview."
"Wow, that's incredible!" Stephen practically laughed, watching a look of confusion form on Grace's face as she tried to decipher his conversation. "I can let you know my answer in the morning."
"Sounds great, Stephen. This going to come with a huge increase in pay for you. You're salary now. I'll send the details over to your email in the next ten minutes. But if you want the job, just give me a call back."
"Will do, thank you Eric. I really appreciate the offer. I'll let you know at my earliest."
"'Atta boy. Talk soon, Stephen!"
Stephen hung up the phone, and excitedly fist pumped the air above him. By now, Grace had figured out the gist of the conversation and came bounding into his arms. "You got the job?!"
"I got it, baby," Stephen grinned, hugging her tightly against him.
"I knew you could do it! See, you should always listen to your sex genie," she teased, sticking out her tongue.
"Sex genie? I thought you were my girlfriend?" Stephen chuckled.
"Well, that too. And partner. And future wife, but who's counting all of that?" She giggled, counting off each title with a flick of her fingers.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Stephen's phone vibrated with a new email. He turned on his computer and printed out a copy of the offer letter to let him examine it more closely.
"Holy crap, Grace!" He exclaimed, looking at the provisions. "They are going to give me a $48,000 year salary for the position! That's more money than I've ever seen in one place! Plus full medical benefits, too! This is so cool!"
They read the offer letter together from front to back, while his eyes bulged at the possibilities in front of them with a much higher salary. Not only could he spare more to help his mother, but he could finally change his living situation as well. No longer would Grace have to hide during late hours just in case his mother poked her head in.
"Do you realize what we can do with this?" He asked her, pointing again at the total.
"You mean, get a place of our own? I'm already one step ahead of you, babe," she laughed, before falling back down on his bed. "I hate having to pretend we don't sleep together every night."
"So do I! We can finally get our own place together. Move in like a real couple," he smiled.
"I'd love that so much, Stephen," replied Grace, her eyes glistening with excitement.
"Perfect. Let's start looking then," he grinned.
The very next day, bright and early, he called Eric to give him his affirmative confirmation about coming aboard, which was taken very well by the entire management staff. After all, he had been a well liked employee, with a good head on his shoulders, and who cared deeply about the store.
"Welcome to management, Stephen!" Eric exclaimed, the pride evident in the inflection of his words. "Why don't you come in later today and sign the paperwork? I'll also need you do some brief training on order management before we can get you into the thick of it. Sound good?"
"Sounds good, Eric. I'll see you in a few hours!" Stephen replied, hanging up the phone.
That afternoon, Grace with Stephen made their way to the store, making the short drive together as they had many times before.
"I can't believe my boyfriend is the manager now," Grace teased, looking and fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Manager in training is more like it," replied Stephen, ironically.
"Yeah, but manager nevertheless. Now, you have
power
," she giggled, really emphasizing the last word.
"I think you like this more than I do," he chuckled, looking over to see her squirming in her seat.
"What can I say? The thought of my powerful boyfriend does really turn me on," she noted, shooting him a sultry gaze.
"Is there ever a time you aren't turned on?" He cracked.
Grace seriously thought about that for a moment, putting her finger up to her chin. "Last Monday, for about five minutes," she answered all too seriously, before splitting her cheeks with a wide grin, "But I'm always ready for you, babe." Grace reached across the console between them, giving his cock a subtle squeeze through his khakis.
"Later tonight," he laughed, shooting a casual grin over to her mischievous eyes.
"Too far away," she playfully pouted.
They pulled into the lot at Price Chopper and quickly parked the car. As was usual on the days Stephen worked, Grace subtlety disappeared, assuming her invisible form so as to not raise any questions with his colleagues. While he could still feel her presence, she was completely blind to all, including him.
"Hey Stephen," waved Abby, almost as soon as he walked into from the vestibule. "I hear you are the new 'head honcho' around here!"
Stephen couldn't stop himself from grinning, "Yeah, I just accepted the job this morning. Wait, how do you know about it already?"
She leaned in close, as if it was a carefully guarded secret, "Frank told me just about an hour ago. Guess they are all excited to stop doing double duty after so long a time."
"I guess word travels fast around here," he chuckled to himself.
"Just promise not to restrict my hours or anything, okay?" She laughed, throwing him an exaggerated wink at the end. Grace let out a huff, obviously not pleased by the woman's display of casual flirting.
