by Ines Saint
Something in her bristled. Not at him, but at herself. She hadn’t been prepared to see him, but it wouldn’t do to start off on unequal footing. She was twenty-six. She was a professional. And she’d been caught hiding in a closet. Taking a quick, deep breath, she tried to gather her wits before starting afresh. “Surely you’re aware of the extensive remodeling project that will begin here in three months? The firm I work for, Middleton Work Place Solutions, is in charge, and I’m the lead workplace designer.” She turned and pretended to look around the closet. “I’m checking everything out. Including the closets.”
“Workplace designer, huh,” he stated with a nod. “Creative, yet logical. It fits. I wondered how you’d find something that utilized all your talents.” Not yet ready to face Josh’s intrinsic kindness, she merely shrugged a little. “And you’ve been checking out the supply closet this entire time?” he continued. When she looked at him again, he was wearing a playful smile. Another thunderbolt hit her, and this time, it left her breathless. That was new, too. And it hadn’t been embarrassment. Fear, maybe? No, she could never fear Josh . . .
She swallowed past her reluctance to speak. “There’s, uh, a lot to consider. People don’t want to waste valuable time when they come in here looking for supplies. Organization should be logical. The most often used necessities should be easiest to find, and access, preferably at eye level . . .” she rambled on, repeating things she’d heard a closet organizer they worked with say, before finally trailing off and clearing her throat.
Everything she was feeling was awareness, she admitted with a sinking feeling. Something she hadn’t felt in years, but something she remembered well. For her, it would forever be entwined with deep, devastating feelings of betrayal and distrust. Their eyes met and she took a step back. He must’ve noted it, because his smile saddened and he took a step back, too. “You can come out, Gracie.”
Correcting him once more didn’t feel as important as it usually did. “Gracie” sounded good coming from him. The way it still sounded good coming from family. Josh Goodwin had been honorable. One of the few men she trusted, even though she hadn’t seen him in years. Maybe that was what her awareness was about. Eternal, multifaceted feelings of gratitude for some she hadn’t seen in a long time. Plus seeing him again was jarring, though not unexpected. But as her internal reasoning ambled along, her still-sinking stomach told her that wasn’t all there was to it.
It was all too much for her to try to figure out now.
She stepped out and caught the quick up-and-down glance he gave her, and it made her take stock of what she looked like. Honey-blond hair done up in a stylish, no-nonsense bun. Olive pencil skirt. Low heeled, knee-high boots. Off-white, fashionably bulky sweater. Tortoise-shell glasses. Nude makeup. Fashionable enough to look like she could fit the creative role she played, but nondescript enough to fade away and not draw attention.
“Who are you hiding from, Gracie?” he asked, looking straight into her eyes. There was warmth there. And she couldn’t handle it.
She looked away. “I’m hiding from disruptions,” she answered, and began walking down the hallway ahead of him, a mistake that left her feeling awkward and exposed. “I’m taking everything in. Silence and stillness is a must. Tomorrow I can start observing everyone at work and begin asking questions so I can incorporate everyone’s needs into the design. Tonight I needed to be alone.” She came to a stop at the end of the hallway and chanced another look at him. There was pity in his eyes. Her cheeks heated.
* * *
Josh set his briefcase down while he shrugged into his light coat. She was dismissing him, and boy, did he want to be dismissed.
Gracie, on the eve of his announcement. It was a worst-case scenario. The case that had defined his career had also almost derailed it, thanks to the lies and vitriol of both the people Gracie had been up against and the “important” people Josh had defied. A set Josh had once belonged to. It always brought up mixed feelings. Gratitude that he’d been saved from a meaningless life, but also the sickening feeling that justice and honesty didn’t always win, and that he was as vulnerable as anyone to injustice.
When Gracie turned to him, he was again taken aback by how much she’d changed—or rather, how much her gut-wrenching experience must’ve changed her, and his heart ached for her. I’m hiding from disruptions . . .
A ghost of the girl she’d once been. She’d even changed her last name. He picked his briefcase up again and stretched his right arm out to shake her hand.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s nice to meet you, Grace Dearborn. We sorely need the renovations and updates your firm has been hired to do. But I’d like to talk to Gracie Piper someday and find out how she wound up where she is. I often wonder about her, you know.” And with that, he left.
Inés Saint was born in Zaragoza, Spain. She’s bilingual and bicultural and has spent the last ten years raising her fun, inspiring little boys and sharing her life with the man of her dreams, who also happens to be her best friend and biggest cheerleader. Her greatest joys are spending quality time with family and close friends.
