Saving Gracie

by Kristen Ethridge

  “No, Gloria, I don’t. Jake told me he has to complete this stupid condo project in order to get the company’s board of directors to confirm him as the permanent CEO. If he doesn’t shut my school down ASAP, he’ll lose his job. Do you really think he’s going to let that happen?”

  Gloria shook her head. “No, I guess not. When did he tell you this?

  “Last night after church.” Gracie pulled another bill out of the stack.

  “I thought you said you weren’t going to talk to him.”

  “I wasn’t. Then my car wouldn’t start. He helped me out.”

  “I see.” Gloria slowly leaned back against the door to the office. Gracie could tell her sister picked up on something unspoken. “So he told you his life story while he jumped your battery?”

  Oh, he’d given her a charge last night, for sure. But Gloria didn’t need to know about that. “Well, no. We had to go to his nana’s house to pick up a part for the car.”

  “He took you to his grandmother’s house?” Gloria crossed her arms. Gracie started to feel as though she sat on the stand, not behind her desk.

  “I stayed in the car while he got the part from her garage,” she answered.

  “So, when did he tell you about his job? I know where the Peoples estate is. It’s not far from the church. You’d barely have time to have a good conversation.”

  Gloria’s ability to sniff out details kept her midwifery patients healthy and safe during pregnancy and labor.

  At present, though, it pushed her younger sister into the danger zone. Long ago, Gracie and Gloria promised not to keep secrets from each other. She couldn’t break that promise, even now.

  But would she really have to tell everything? She could still be truthful and not...well...almost-kiss-and-tell, right?

  “You’re tapping your pen, Gracie. What are you hiding?”

  “Nothing, really. We stopped at the beach for a few minutes while we were on the way to his house.” She pulled a bill out of the stack and started to write a check. If she was using the pen, she couldn’t very well tap it and tip off the sibling investigation squad any further.

  Besides, by watching what she was doing, she didn’t have to look at Gloria.

  “Mmm-hmm. So on your way to fix your broken-down car, you stop at the beach, where your business rival tells you he has to shut down your school or lose his job.” Gloria walked across the room as she spoke, coming to stand just across the desk from her sister.

  Gracie gripped the pen tightly and reached for another bill.

  “More or less.”

  The phone began to ring, cutting off Gracie’s fight not to incriminate herself any further. After a quick glance at the caller ID, however, she decided not to answer.

  “Aren’t you going to get that?” Gloria asked.

  “No.” The only person she wanted to say less to than Gloria was on the other end of the line.

  Gloria stretched to read the caller ID screen, then with one quick motion, punched the speakerphone button. “Hello.”

  “Hey, it’s Jake. I’m on my way over to your school. We need to talk. I know that moment on the beach complicated things...”

  “Graciela Garcia de Piedra! Eres loca? Did you kiss him?” Gloria’s outburst probably blasted out the speaker on Jake’s cell phone.

  “Gloria, I’m not crazy. Now hush.” Gracie shot a stern look at her sister and picked up the receiver. She would say as little as possible while in the company of her shocked sibling. “Okay, Jake. I’m just here doing some paperwork.”

  “Your sister’s there? Do you need me to wait?”

  “She was just headed to Surfside Beach.” Gracie tried to force confidence into her voice, but barely trusted herself around Jake after last night.

  “Okay, I’m on Gulfview. I’ll see you in about five minutes.”

  She laid the handset softly in the cradle, hoping Gloria would be as gentle with her.

  No such luck. “Graciela, what do you mean that you’re not crazy? After church you said you didn’t want to talk to him—but somehow, a few minutes later, you find yourself on the beach, having a ‘moment’? Explica, por favor.”

  “I didn’t kiss him. I promise. I don’t know how to explain it, Gloria. It just happened.”

  “Gracie, nothing ever ‘just happens’ to you. You’re the most deliberate planner I know. It drives you crazy to assist me with births because you can’t organize labor.”

  Gloria didn’t realize how perfectly her reminder fit the situation. Just as the natural process of childbirth seemed to take over Gloria’s clients, being there on the beach last night with Jake felt organic. Gracie could no more have held back from being attracted to Jake than a mother could keep from pushing on a contraction.

  “I know, Gloria. We’ll talk it through when he gets here. It’s not going to happen again.” Gracie tapped her pen on the desk in a quick rat-a-tat.

  Gloria quirked an eyebrow at the display of nervous energy. “Sure it won’t.”

  “I’m serious, Gloria. I know now he doesn’t have any help to offer me, regardless of what the City Council expects. I’m just going to tell him I understand that and I’ll find a solution on my own. I should hear about that grant any day, and once I get that funding, it’ll be tough, but I’ll rearrange some priorities and do what it takes to keep the school running...somewhere, somehow.”

  Gracie looked straight at her sister, making a promise with her eyes. “I’m going to meet with him right now and explain it, then I won’t need to see him again until the City Council meeting, when I’ll have to come up with something by myself.”

  “Bien.” Reaching out, Gloria patted Gracie on the hand. “I’ll let you take care of business. I’ll be at the beach for a little while if you want to join me when you’re through.”

  Gloria turned toward the office door.

  “Okay. This shouldn’t take long, and then I need to run by my P.O. box to check for that grant letter. I’ll call you later and see if you’re still down at the beach. A little break with some sand and sun sounds like just what the doctor ordered to take my mind off things.”

  After Gloria left, Gracie tried to collect her thoughts in the few minutes before Jake’s arrival.

  Last night, he said things between them weren’t personal, only business. Then with no warning, everything turned very personal. Too personal.

  These days, Gracie couldn’t afford many extras. She knew about prioritizing. And even though she’d thought of nothing else but last night’s moment in the moonlight, the price was too high. Saving El Centro was the only thing that mattered.

  She needed a plan. She needed new options. She did not need Jake Peoples. She didn’t need anything that took her away from running her school and remaining available to her students. Attraction and relationships, even of the casual kind, didn’t have a place in her life’s budget. When she’d broken that rule and made time in her life for David, she got shortchanged. She wouldn’t let that happen again.

  In order to save her school—her life’s work—she couldn’t.

  The bell on the front door jingled, breaking into Gracie’s thoughts.

  The instant Jake walked through the office door, his presence filled the small space. Even though he was dressed casually in khaki pants and a navy knit polo shirt, Gracie’s breath caught a little in her throat. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He looked polished.

  He looked unaffordable.

  “Gracie, I need to apologize to you...”

  Jake’s words began to flow out with a rush, but Gracie interrupted. “Really, Jake, if we just—”

  He cut her words off. Two strides closed the distance between them. “Gracie, you don’t need to say anything. This is my fault.” He leaned against the desk, using his hand for balance. He came so close to Gra
cie that she could feel the heat his body generated.

  She couldn’t help but stare. Five fingers, with neatly trimmed nails. The faintly defined muscles in his arm showed the effort of a man who worked out, but not to excess.

  Remembering how much she’d let her guard down and wanted those arms to hold her last night made Gracie’s eyelids slide closed.

  She didn’t want Jake to apologize.

  “Gracie? You can’t even look at me now?” Jake’s voice cracked.

  “No, Jake. That’s not it at all. It’s just...just my head.” Gracie flicked her wrist dismissively.

  He looked at the piles of papers scattered across the desktop. “Paying bills usually gives me a headache, too. I know how you feel.”

  She hoped not. If he truly could read her mind, they’d have an even bigger mess on their hands.

  “Thanks,” she said softly, unable to think of anything else.

  “I have an offer to make to you.”

  Gracie forced herself to look up. His green eyes reminded her of the ink on a dollar bill. The harsh reality remained that she needed more dollars and less Jake. “What do you mean?”

  “Remember when I told you last night that Pastor Ruiz’s words made me realize I hadn’t treated you fairly?”

  “Yes.” Gracie nodded. She remembered every step and every syllable of that walk on the beach.

  “Well, it’s true. And I stayed up last night trying to figure out what to do about it.”

  At least she hadn’t been the only one awake all night. “I don’t understand, Jake. You told me the condo project had to be built and you needed this land.”

  “That’s correct, Gracie. But I went through our property list last night, looking for a place where you could move.”

  “But the other day, Mitch Carson said your company had no other place to move me and he wouldn’t give me a letter to even talk to other potential landlords.”

  “Mitch doesn’t run the company. I do. Something may work out. It may not. But the last CEO of Peoples Property Group didn’t always treat people fairly and I do not intend to follow in his footsteps.”

  For all her earlier determination about making things work, Gracie knew it would take more than a property list. She possessed no savings and, until she checked her post office box, no notification of receiving the grant money. “Jake, that’s nice of you, but nothing about my situation has changed. I need a place for the school and a place to live, and I just don’t have the funds to move right now.”

  Gracie knew of only one solution: a miracle.

  “I remembered all that and took it into account. The bad news is that Peoples Property Group doesn’t have anything available that meets your needs.”

  Gracie’s heart sank before she’d even realized her hopes had risen at Jake’s words. “Is there any good news?”

  “Yes. I called my friend Melissa Miller this morning. She’s a local real estate agent, and she’s pulled a few current listings that might work for you. I thought we could meet her and go look at them.”

  Jake lifted his hand from the desk and took Gracie’s. Her heart skipped a beat from the brush of his palm against hers. Then it skipped another beat at the thought of a possible solution to her problem.

  “When?”

  “She’s available this afternoon. I know we didn’t get off to the right start. And then there was that mess at the beach.”

  Gracie wasn’t sure she liked their near-kiss being dismissed as that mess. But any kind of relationship with Jake was out of the question. Even though Jake had fallen on some personal tough times, men who grew up in historic estates in Port Provident did not get involved with women who didn’t have the money to save their own business.

  And women who were trying to prevent their life’s work from being crushed shouldn’t think about the men turning their world upside down anyway. She had to maintain her focus. For years, singular vision kept El Centro open in spite of precarious finances and other challenges. Gracie scolded herself silently. She couldn’t abandon a philosophy that had worked for her for years.

  “Are you ready to go?” Jake jingled the keys in his pocket.

  The Bible spoke over and over again about the value God placed on hard work. He didn’t reward idle hands. She’d done everything within these four walls to keep El Centro open. Maybe God brought Jake here today to show she needed to make a renewed effort, this time outside her comfort zone. Just as Pastor Ruiz had said yesterday. Stay focused, but look for new horizons.

  “I think so. These can wait.” Gracie pushed the bills aside, then reached below the desk for her purse.

  For the first time today, she felt like smiling. Glancing Heavenward, Gracie prayed silently as she locked the front door behind them. Please, God, help me see the plan You have for me and for El Centro. Show me where we need to go.

  * * *

  Gracie saw the For Lease sign in the window of the fourth and final property on the real estate agent’s list. The first three locations showed great potential for living and learning, but all seemed far out of her price range—even with the possible grant funding. But this last building, on the edge of Port Provident’s historic downtown district, came with a lower price tag.

  “As you can see, this location is no-frills.” Gracie found herself impressed with Melissa Miller. So far, she’d been straightforward and honest about each place they’d looked, giving Gracie both the positives and the negatives.

  The former location of the State Street Title Company didn’t boast fancy floors or custom fixtures. In fact, the trio’s footsteps echoed with each footfall on plain concrete. Overhead, white rectangular fixtures lined up in rows for simple, functional illumination.

  But the windows across the front and side of this corner location more than made up for the limited amenities. Natural light flowed across the room, making the featherings of dust in the air dance and sparkle.

  “I can see myself teaching in here. The open floor plan would suit a classroom layout well. And that little room in the back corner could work for an office.”

  The agent nodded agreeably. “I thought you might like this location. And as I mentioned on the drive over here, there’s a small efficiency apartment upstairs. The rest of the building has been converted to luxury lofts, but the previous owner kept a small residence for himself. He had a heart attack before he could finish renovating this space downstairs. His family hopes to lease this space and the living quarters together, even though the historic renovations aren’t as far along as those done on other properties in this area.”

  “Can we see the apartment?” Jake asked. He’d remained largely quiet while they’d toured the properties, letting Gracie ask the questions. She hadn’t expected his quiet presence to be comforting. He allowed her to be in control, but she knew if she needed his assistance, it would be there.

  “Absolutely.” Melissa threw a pageant-worthy smile at Jake. “Gracie, do you want to see anything else downstairs?”

  Gracie looked around the room one last time and almost breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time in days, it felt like a viable option lay in front of her.

  Or at least she hoped the option would prove legitimate. Earlier, Melissa gave Gracie a paper with details about the property, including the monthly rent. Although a slight increase above what Gracie currently paid to Jake’s company, with the grant money, she might be able to afford it.

  The key word, of course, was might. Which rhymed with tight. Which Gracie’s budget would undoubtedly be if she moved in here. Gracie tried doing some simple math in her head. She wanted to know if she could make this location a reality before pinning her hopes on it.

  She paused to think.

  “Oof.” Jake stumbled into the stationary Gracie.

  Reaching out to steady himself on the narrow stairs, Jake c
lutched Gracie’s waist. Facts and figures took flight from her head as her heart leaped in her chest. Instinct guided Jake’s movements more than anything, but Gracie’s own reflexes melted at his touch.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, not really meaning it.

  “Don’t be. I should have been more careful. I was just admiring the woodwork on this banister. This building survived the Great Storm of 1910. I’m always blown away by the craftsmanship in the historic homes and buildings here in Port Provident.” He slid his palm slowly back and forth across the dark mahogany, almost caressing the grain. Gracie wondered if she could possibly harbor jealousy toward an inanimate object.

  In fact, if she didn’t know better, she’d think she was developing a crush on Jake, the way these thoughts kept popping up in her mind. She’d do well to remember that crushes never worked out for her.

  “I like this building,” he said. “If the apartment suits you, it could be a good option.”

  Gracie nodded in agreement. “I’ve been trying to add up all the numbers in my head, but math never was my strongest subject. I need a calculator and a notepad.”

  His hand patted her shoulder blade solidly. “You’re in luck. I happen to love math. Maybe we could go to lunch after we’re finished here, then go back to your office and see what the numbers say.”

  If she said yes, she could bask in the light of his green eyes all afternoon. But although he’d brought the torch of reconciliation to her school today, Jake Peoples remained her rival. As of this moment, they both needed the land where El Centro por las Lenguas stood.

  She appreciated that he now took his promise to her and the City Council seriously. But even though she’d told him more than once she didn’t have any money to spare, opening up the spreadsheets and showing him the full precariousness of her financial situation would feel like giving battle plans to the enemy.

  “Oh, Jake, I don’t know. I think I need to digest all this myself, first.”

  Besides, any number crunching needed to include the amount of grant money, a number she did not yet possess.

  A number she might never possess.