Gracie didn’t want to remember the past, but Gloria was right. “Ugh. Don’t remind me. Why is running a business such a constant battle? I’m trying to help people live their dreams, the way Miss Martin helped me so many years ago by teaching me English when we first came to America. She helped me to do everything I could to reach my potential. I just want to do the same for others. It shouldn’t be this hard to do the right thing.”
“Well, what are you going to do? I couldn’t help but overhear.” Gloria stopped arranging the evening’s books and materials.
“I don’t know, Gloria. How do I fight the City Council?” Gracie nibbled on the nail of her pointer finger, a sign of nervous thinking she’d had since childhood.
The sound of footsteps outside the open office door shook Gracie out of her stunned condition.
“City Council? Why don’t you call Pastor Ruiz’s aunt, Angela, for help? She’s our representative.” Pablo Morales stopped near where Gracie stood. “Remember, Juan, when she helped you with that property tax issue a few months ago?”
“Oh, sí. She got it fixed muy rapido. Only took one phone call. I still have her number right here.” He pulled out a small black cell phone and punched a few buttons, then handed it to Gracie. “There. It’s dialing.”
Gracie tried to take a deep breath, but there wasn’t any time. Angela Ruiz answered on the second ring. Gracie didn’t even know where to begin. She still felt as though her world had been turned upside down. This building was her home and her school. And now she’d just received eviction papers, pending a City Council vote.
“Hi, Councilwoman Ruiz. This is Gracie Garcia at El Centro por las Lenguas on Gulfview Boulevard.” She tried to force as much normalcy in her tone of voice as she could. “Jake Peoples from Peoples Property Group just stopped by and handed me an eviction notice, effective once the vote passes at the next meeting. Is this vote a foregone conclusion?”
“He did what?” The councilwoman’s volume level escalated and Gracie had to pull the phone back from her ear. “Carter Porter assured me that Jake Peoples—your landlord—would work with you personally to make new arrangements. You were not supposed to be pushed out the door. I asked for the vote to be postponed out of respect for the work that you and a few other affected nonprofits do. Let me make a few phone calls. I’ll be at El Centro as soon as I can.”
The phone call disconnected, leaving Gracie as confused as before. Maybe when the councilwoman arrived, things would become clearer. But for now, she still had a class to teach. She walked the short distance from her office to the classroom.
“Okay, class. Let’s get to work.” She didn’t completely know how she was going to take on the City Council and the leader of one of the city’s oldest developers, but for the next hour, she knew she just had to focus on what she did best—teaching students.
A knock on the building’s front door interrupted Gracie as she wrapped up the day’s lesson. “Just a moment, class. Keep practicing your dialogues with your neighbor.”
As she walked down the hall, trepidation gripped Gracie’s heart. The last time she answered a knock at the door—only a few hours ago—she’d been unwillingly pushed onto the battlefield in order to save her school. What now?
“Hi, Gracie.” Councilwoman Angela Ruiz stood on the front porch. Behind her stood a woman Gracie recognized—Patti Cortez, a local reporter from KPPT-TV. “I brought along a friend of mine. This wasn’t what Carter Porter promised me would happen when I agreed to consider his proposal. I told him that he couldn’t expect my vote unless the companies would help businesses like yours move to areas outside these new zones. And clearly, that’s not happening.”
Gracie stepped aside, speechless at Angela Ruiz’s quickly marshaled support. “Come on in. I’m just finishing up a class, but you can wait in my office, if you’d like.”
Angela and Patti stepped inside, followed by a cameraman. “I want to get a story on tonight’s newscast. We need to let the people know this proposal is out there and let them tell their council members if they think it’s a good idea or not. That’s what good government is—the will of the people,” said the councilwoman as she came inside.
Gracie saw a white van painted with the KPPT-TV logo in the middle of the parking lot, with a round satellite dish on a pole pointed at the sky.
“Ms. Garcia, do you mind if my cameraman shoots some footage of you with your class? We can use it as B-roll in the story.” The reporter poked her head around the corner and looked in the classroom.
This was really happening. El Centro would be on the news tonight. People all over Port Provident would be able to hear her plea for themselves.
“If it’s okay with my students, it’s okay with me.”
Every head in the classroom was already turned toward the door. No more dialogues were being practiced. Clearly, everyone wanted to know what was going on. Angela Ruiz stepped into the room.
“Holá, everyone. Gracie and I need your help. There is a proposal in front of City Council right now that may mean the end of El Centro. I’m sure most of you have seen Patti Cortez on TV. If you’d like to be part of a story to help save businesses like El Centro, could you stay for a few minutes after class tonight?”
Heads nodded. The unanimous show of support bolstered Gracie’s confidence, which had been plummeting ever since Jake Peoples showed up on her doorstep. She took a deep breath; as she exhaled, she smiled for the first time in hours. She’d always supported her students. Gratitude overwhelmed her as she realized they were supporting her in turn.
“Thank you, everyone. I’m going to step into my office for just a second while the TV crew sets up, and then we’ll do this as quickly as possible.” Gracie’s words came straight from a grateful heart. “Councilwoman Ruiz, while we’re waiting, could you give everyone an overview of what the proposal before the City Council is, exactly?”
Angela nodded and began to explain as Gracie retreated to the safety of her office to collect her thoughts.
“What’s going on out there, hermana?” Gloria set a textbook down on Gracie’s desk. “All of a sudden, everyone seemed to be talking at once.” A midwife at the birth center near Provident Medical Center, Gloria was escaping from the hustle and bustle of the center and using the quiet of Gracie’s office to prepare for some upcoming continuing education classes.
Gracie leaned against the closed office door and gave her nail a good, nervous chew. “I want to pinch myself, Gloria. A TV crew is here to do a story on saving El Centro. Angela Ruiz brought them.”
“A story on the news—about El Centro? Well, that’s nothing short of a miracle.”
Gloria was right. The developers and council members supporting this crazy proposal would have to take notice. A smile began to work up the corners of Gracie’s mouth. This felt like a plan, a concrete plan to show Jake Peoples just what El Centro por las Lenguas meant to real people in the Port Provident community.
Her school—her livelihood, her mission—would still be open until the City Council’s next meeting. And in that time, she just had to show the man who actually owned her building that this proposal he supported was a bad idea, one that would cause Gracie to lose everything she’d worked years for.
“Jake Peoples and others like him who think nonprofits should just be moved off into a dusty corner need to see they’re wrong. They need to see the faces of the people whose lives are changed by the work done by nonprofits.” She could hear her voice becoming louder as her heart filled with passion for her school. “People who share the same dream Mamí and Papí had when they made the decision to come to America and give our whole family the chance at a better life. They sacrificed for me, and I want to repay that sacrifice by doing the same for others.”
Gloria stood and gave her sister a hug. “Then you have to make the most of this opportunity. You have to let the people of Port
Provident know why you matter.”
Gracie knew the fight for El Centro promised to be a David-and-Goliath type of struggle. Thinking of it in those terms, though, made Gracie pause. It tempered her fighting spirit and scared her all over again.
She didn’t have even a slingshot to wield. Jake Peoples was a BOP, local slang for “Born on Provident.” Born on this island into one of the oldest families in town, he carried a birthright of privilege. And obviously members of the local government were just waiting to do his company’s bidding.
When Gracie Garcia came into the world in a rural hospital in Mexico, she had a blue collar instead of a rattle.
What was she thinking? In Port Provident, Texas, Jake Peoples wasn’t just any man, he held a pedigree of royalty.
How could a working-class woman change the heart of a king?
“Lo necesito...” Gracie said, her voice barely over a whisper.
“What do you need, hermana?”
“I don’t know, Gloria. I need...” Air rushed from Gracie’s lungs in fear as she faced the reality ahead. She’d never been on TV before. She’d never had her home and livelihood threatened like this before. How could she do the work that needed to be done when she didn’t even know where to begin?
“You need prayer.” Gloria stood and walked to her sister, then took her hand and held on tight as she began to speak.
Gracie felt taller and stronger as her sister’s words poured over her. “Thank you. I feel as if maybe I can fight this battle. You’ve made me feel as if I’m not in this alone.”
“You’re not, hermana.” Gloria still held tightly to her sister’s hand, and squeezed again. “I’ve had your back since you were born, Graciela.” Gloria placed an arm around Gracie’s shoulders and squeezed. “Somos familia.”
* * *
Jake walked up the stairs at the Port Provident Garden Club, the scene of tonight’s Historical Foundation awards dinner. He grimaced as he remembered being dragged to numerous functions here while growing up. Members of his family had been attending events at this place, the most exclusive club on the island, since it opened. Even so, Jake never felt as if he belonged here, because he never felt as if he belonged at any place that welcomed his father with open arms.
A chill ruffled the back of his neck, even though the weather felt like early summer. Jake never fully knew why his father’s presence always made him uncomfortable, but at places like this, he still felt a nagging reminder of the icy coldness that had defined their father-son relationship.
Some things never changed, apparently. His father had died several months ago, but returning to Port Provident’s most exclusive dinner club made a chill of self-doubt run down his spine, and he hadn’t even run into a single person he knew yet.
“Jake!” Jenna waved her arms high above her head. Catching his eye, she waved him over to a table near the podium at the front. So much for his desire to lay low and not stir up any memories of his father in this old place. Slowly, he made his way to the space his sister had set aside for him.
Nana greeted him first, with a warm kiss on the cheek. “I’m so glad you were able to make it tonight, Jakey. Tonight wouldn’t have been as special without you here.”
“I wouldn’t have missed your big evening for anything, Nana. You’ve done a lot of good work for a lot of people over the years through the Peoples Family Foundation. I am so proud to see your life’s work recognized by this community.” He admired how his grandmother used generosity and a giving spirit to make sure countless citizens had better lives.
“Jake...you’re not going to believe this.” Mitch grabbed his brother-in-law by the arm. “You’ve got to come with me.”
“Mitch, what are you talking about?” Jake tried to make sense of why he was being led from the banquet hall like a show pony. “The dinner’s about to start. Where are we going?”
“The lobby. There’s a TV down there. You have to see what’s on TV.”
“But Mitch...” Jake’s head spun, far beyond confused, as the pair walked down the stairs. “I don’t even watch TV. You know that. I don’t want to miss Nana’s award.”
His brother-in-law turned a corner, then stopped short, causing Jake to trip over his own feet.
“You don’t want to miss this, either.” He pointed at the large TV on a pedestal in front of them both. Councilman Carter Porter also stood riveted to the screen.
Jake did a double take. On the screen was the same face framed by chocolate-brown hair he’d thought about during the entire drive to the Port Provident Garden Club. City Councilwoman Angela Ruiz flanked Gracie Garcia on the left, and the ESL teacher stood surrounded by at least fifteen other people. One held a sign. He locked his gaze on the words painted in red letters.
“Save El Centro!”
“Turn the volume up.” Jake’s words came out sounding more like a bark than a request. He’d been wrong to question Mitch earlier. This definitely qualified as must-see TV.
It also qualified as the opening shot of a war over 1900 Gulfview Boulevard. How could Gracie have done this to him? He went to her school today to talk face-to-face. And this was how she repaid him? Public protests on a local newscast?
“Carter, what is going on here?” Jake spoke to his friend without looking in his direction. “I thought you said Angela Ruiz was on board as long as I personally explained things to the owner of the school. I thought you were supposed to be helping me get through this.”
“I am helping you, Jake. I brought your proposal before the City Council. I had enough votes lined up before Ruiz started asking questions. She’s just new and trying to prove herself. Things will work out. Remember the district championship football game our senior year? You threw that pass with just a few seconds left. It started to pop out of my hands, but then I locked it down and ran it into the end zone.” Carter clapped a palm of camaraderie on his former teammate’s shoulder. “This is the same thing. We’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve never given up on you, even when you went to Austin. Don’t worry, I’m going to score another touchdown with you on this one.”
Carter’s reminder reassured him. Gracie’s little stunt would not keep him from the game-winning score Jake needed in order to ensure the success of the condominium project that would, in turn, ensure his confirmation as permanent CEO of Peoples Property Group.
This was now war. Gracie Garcia’s students might be waving homemade signs of white poster board on television tonight, but Jake promised himself that before the next City Council meeting, they would be waving the white flag.
Chapter Two
“You’re not getting much work done, big brother.”
Jake swiveled his chair around. When had Jenna walked into his office? “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I noticed. You’ve been leaning back in that overstuffed recliner you call a desk chair, just looking out the window at all the other office buildings downtown. I walked by earlier to have lunch with Mitch, but his conference call ran long. You haven’t moved for at least five minutes.” She walked around and perched on the edge of Jake’s desk. “Something wrong?”
“No. Just thinking about the condo project.” He couldn’t tell his sister he’d really been thinking about Gracie Garcia. Ever since he’d seen her on TV last night, she’d consumed his thoughts with the determination in her words and the flash in her liquid-chocolate eyes. He respected her determination, even though it caused him problems. If he could figure out what made her tick behind those flashing eyes, maybe he could solve this issue with her sooner.
“I heard you talking with Mitch about it at dinner last night. Don’t you two ever take a break?” She gave Jake a playful closed-fist punch to the shoulder.
“Jenna, I can’t take a break. I decided to finally join the family company in order to prove that you and Nana can depend on me, no mat
ter what our father always said. I know I’m not who he told everyone I was—and now I have to prove it to everyone else in this town.”
He’d tried to get off the treadmill, to do something different. And look where that had gotten him. Right back to the same corner office, where he now had to work twice as hard—with no breaks—in order to make up for the one break that cost him almost everything. “Do you really think Dad, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather would approve if I took breaks from the company with their name on the door? With our name on the door?”
Jenna’s blond ponytail bounced as she stood and folded her arms across her chest. Her stiff body language made her seem even taller than her usual inch under six feet. “Jake, lighten up. I didn’t mean it like that and you know it. You’ve been so touchy since you moved back. You couldn’t even enjoy Nana’s big moment last night.”
Jenna could stand there all she wanted with her arms crossed in disapproval. Jake could see he’d set off a little fuse in her. Did all women just stop speaking to him when they got mad? First Gracie, now his sister. Hopefully, Jenna wouldn’t be contacting any reporters.
“I don’t have the opportunity to be soft, Jenna. Too many people depend on me to make the right decisions and then execute them. That’s business. People who listened to our father think I can’t do this. But I have to prove them wrong. I’m a businessman.”
“Well, I liked you better when you were just my brother. Those years in Austin changed you.”
She had no idea. He’d tried and, still, he’d failed.
Just as his father always said he would. He knew that successfully leading this company would go a long way toward showing he wasn’t the wayward son, doomed to failure, that everyone assumed him to be.
However, he’d learned a lesson—one he hoped sweet, idealistic Jenna never had to learn. If the family business failed, Jenna’s husband would lose his job, too. Jenna and Mitch would get hurt. Nana would get hurt.
Saving Gracie Page 2
