“Me too,” Grace whispered as he left the room. Moving to her desk, she found a phone there and punched in the phone number she had known since she was five. The phone rang and she closed her eyes, imagining the rings traveling down phone lines across the country.
“Hello?” Annie's soft voice came across the line and Grace broke down in tears.
“Hey,” she finally managed to whisper.
“Grace? Are you okay?”
“Mo—Grandma, I'm fine. Damien is my dad. I just needed a couple of days here with him before I called you. I wanted to know if he was or not. He ran a DNA test just to be sure, but he said I looked just like Ma—Mom. You have to understand how weird this all is for me.”
“Oh, Grace, honey, I'm so glad to hear your voice. Archie! It's Gracie!” she called. “Can I put it on speaker, honey?”
Grace swallowed and leaned back against her chair. “Sure, go ahead.”
Archie's booming voice soon hit her ears. “Hey, Gracie.”
“Hi, Da—Grandpa,” Grace mumbled back.
“I want you to know something, Gracie. I was wrong. I should've never put my hands on you, and I hope you can forgive me. I just…I worried you were going down the same path as your mom and I got scared.”
Grace closed her eyes and blew out a breath. “I understand.”
Annie spoke, “What is your dad like, honey?”
“He's ah, unique. I like him. I think I'm gonna hang out here for a while to get to know him.”
“What about school?” they both yelled and Grace winced.
“I will start something out here.”
“But Yale!” Archie groaned.
“Yeah, but I need to get to know my dad, maybe put some roots down here too. You know, Grandma, you were right, even wild roses need to have something to cling to. I'll always have you guys, but I have my dad here too. Maybe I can fly up for Christmas or something, we'll figure it out. I just...I feel like I'm in the right place and I want to explore this feeling.”
“Honey, what about that boy?” Annie queried and Grace fought against the pain that ripped through her chest.
“We're better off apart. It was a onetime thing and we knew that.” Forcing the words out, she begged her heart to believe them.
“Just don't put all your roots down in one spot, Gracie,” Archie mumbled. “I miss my girl.”
“I miss you guys too and you can save this number. I'm going to be a secretary for Dad. I needed a job, and he's willing to pay me, and he said he would pay for college too. I bet I could find something here.”
“What does he do?” Annie asked and Grace blushed as she lied to her mother.
“He's a director.”
“Oh, any movies I've seen recently?” Annie’s voice sounded funny, as though she was about to laugh. Grace wondered if Annie knew who Damien really was.
“I'm not sure. I'll have to get back to you on that. Hey, I need to get going, I need to email Christina...” she started and Annie cut her off.
“Oh no, wait a minute, she gave me her number just in case you called. You got a pen?”
Grace opened a couple of drawers on the maple desk and found a pen and piece of paper. “Sure do.”
“Four-six-three-five-seven-two-nine-four-two-eight.”
“Got it,” Grace assured her. “Thanks, guys. I love you.”
“We love you, Grace,” they both chorused. “Talk to you soon.”
“Talk soon,” Grace promised. She hung up and then picked up the receiver again to dial Christina. The phone rang a few times and her bubbly friend picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Christina.”
“Grace? Oh my God! How are you?” Grace closed her eyes as she smiled, imagining Christina sitting cross legged on her bed, her big blue eyes wide with shock.
“I'm...living. How are you?”
“Lonely. I miss my favorite nun.”
Grace swiveled in the chair and chuckled. “I miss you too.”
“You're not gonna believe this, but with the whole mess in the paper, you know who was behind it?”
Grace fought against the ache that started up again in her chest. “I don't want to talk about it.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry. You're not dealing with it well, are you?”
Grace bit her bottom lip and then suspired. “I'm dealing with it the best way I can. It's for the best.” A pause hung pregnant on the line and Grace checked to make sure the call was still connected. “Christina?”
“Yeah, sorry,” Christina said softly. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Nothing. So where are you?”
Grace frowned as she realized her friend was keeping something from her. Not wanting to spoil the light mood between them, she ignored it. “I'm in Phoenix. With my biological dad.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. And you can't call me a nun anymore...I just watched a porn being filmed.” Grace laughed.
“What? Holy shit, are you serious?” Christina squealed.
“I'm serious. My dad directs porns. I also know all about fluffers now.” Grace smirked.
“Oh, wow. You are no longer a nun. May Nun Grace rest in peace.”
Grace laughed hard and they talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. Standing from the chair, she walked around the room, touching the beautifully bound books on the shelves and pausing to stare out the window. Leaving the room, she walked back to her bedroom and closed the door before crawling up on her bed and pulling out her diary.
Dear Diary,
I need a new one of you. I think this is going to be the last entry in this one. The chapter of my life here is over and it's time for a new beginning. I'm not Gracie anymore. I'm not a nun anymore. I'm Grace and I'm going to live here with my dad for a while and figure my life out. It still doesn't make sense, but I've got roots and somewhere to cling to. I have a hope for tomorrow, and a belief that even though the door with Drake closed that something else wonderful will happen down the road. He taught me what it was to feel beautiful and precious, and I'll carry that memory with me for the rest of my life. Happily ever after only happens for little girls in fairy tales. Not for girls like me. But maybe I can find a happy for right now, here with Dad. We have so much time to make up for, and I look forward to it. I'm going to end this here, with a fond farewell to the girl who started at Yale, fell in love with her professor. Who had it all burn down around her and who rose from the ashes and found that life is still sorta worth living. She's pretty damn special and I hope I never forget that.
Grace
To Be Continued…
Discover other titles by
Scarlett Jade
The Rhythm of the Heart Series:
September Tango
November Foxtrot
February Waltz
Just a Little Taste Series:
Love at First Bite
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Wild Rose Series
Saving Grace
Finding Christina (Coming Soon!)
Raising Cain
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Saving Grace (Wild Rose Book 1) Page 17
