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Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. Colophon
  3. ALSO BY RICHARD PAUL EVANS
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  7. Dedication
  8. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  9. Epigraph
  10. Grace
  11. THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL
  12. CHAPTER One
  13. CHAPTER Two
  14. CHAPTER Three
  15. CHAPTER Four
  16. CHAPTER Five
  17. CHAPTER Six
  18. CHAPTER Seven
  19. CHAPTER Eight
  20. CHAPTER Nine
  21. CHAPTER Ten
  22. CHAPTER Eleven
  23. CHAPTER Twelve
  24. CHAPTER Thirteen
  25. CHAPTER Fourteen
  26. CHAPTER Fifteen
  27. CHAPTER Sixteen
  28. CHAPTER Seventeen
  29. CHAPTER Eighteen
  30. CHAPTER Nineteen
  31. CHAPTER Twenty
  32. CHAPTER Twenty-one
  33. CHAPTER Twenty-two
  34. CHAPTER Twenty-three
  35. CHAPTER Twenty-four
  36. CHAPTER Twenty-five
  37. CHAPTER Twenty-six
  38. CHAPTER Twenty-seven
  39. CHAPTER Twenty-eight
  40. CHAPTER Twenty-nine
  41. CHAPTER Thirty
  42. CHAPTER Thirty-one
  43. CHAPTER Thirty-two
  44. CHAPTER Thirty-three
  45. CHAPTER Thirty-four
  46. CHAPTER Thirty-five
  47. CHAPTER Thirty-six
  48. CHAPTER Thirty-seven
  49. CHAPTER Thirty-eight
  50. CHAPTER Thirty-nine
  51. EPILOGUE
  52. A LETTER FROM RICHARD PAUL EVANS
  53. JOIN THE RICHARD PAUL EVANS MAILING LIST, GET A FREE GIFT AND HELP A CHILD
  54. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“I thought this way, no matter what happens, you could always have some of me near you.”

No matter what happens. Something about the way she said this frightened me. She handed me the scrolled up parchment.

I gently unrolled it. It was a poem written in her graceful handwriting. I read it aloud.

I WOULD
By Grace Webb

If only I could shine in your life as you have in mine. I would.

If only I could love you as deeply as you have loved me. I would.

If only I could heal your heart as you have healed mine. I would.

If only I could lead you to God as you have led me. I would.

If only I could give you the hope that you’ve given me. I would.

If only I could stay with you forever. I would.

We kissed and I held her until it was dark outside. Then I called my Aunt Marge’s house and asked to speak to my mother. She asked how I was feeling and if I had made myself something to eat. She said they would be home in about an hour. Grace helped me clean up. After we finished we went back out to the clubhouse and held each other and talked until we heard the Bee pull into the driveway. I suppose that was one good thing about the Bee; you could hear it coming a block away. I went back inside and climbed in my bed. My mother came in to check on me.

“Your eyes are red,” she said.

“I know. But I’ll be okay.”

Joel didn’t say anything to me. It was just as well. Grace was leaving in two days. I didn’t know how to begin to think about my life without her.

It was the best and worst night of my entire life.

CHAPTER Thirty-four

I have been preparing all day for my trip to Colorado.
I know it’s the right thing to do, but I can’t stop crying.
I’m going to miss him so much.

GRACE’S DIARY

THURSDAY, DEC. 27

Predictably work was boring, but it was not without some pleasure: Dean quit. I would have shouted with joy had decorum allowed; I did buy myself an Orange Crush to celebrate. I couldn’t wait to tell Grace. At eleven o’clock sharp I locked the back door, hopped on my bike, and pedaled home.

As I rounded the corner at the top of my street I heard a strange noise, a loud chirp followed by a blast of static. It wasn’t until I was two houses away from my home that I discovered the source; there was a black and white patrol car parked in my driveway. I wanted to turn around, but I didn’t; I didn’t know what to do. As I rode to the garage to put my bike away I wondered if I should tell Grace.