Aging with Gracie

by Heather Hunt

  Jack climbed down from the ladder and wiped his palms on the legs of his jeans. The sight of Grace and her little side-kick had him chuckling. Talk about a couple of brainiacs.

  Although he was the one with the engineering degree, he was positive that if the two of them decided to put their heads together, they could redesign the whole building. Abby was turning out to be a cool kid, too. She was a little on the shy side, but in his opinion, she was a lot like Grace. That was enough to score points with him.

  “It’s okay,” he assured them. “The wires aren’t hot.”

  “Are you positive?” the girl asked. “I never made it to the electrocution part in my CPR class.”

  Jack couldn’t have cared less how far she’d gotten in the class, he thought as his mind went back to her little take-charge moment the day Grace had fallen and broken her arm. No matter how hilarious the scene had been with Abby ordering everyone around, Jack owed her his undying gratitude. Without her order for his assistance, or rather, his “muscles”, someone else might have had the good fortune of picking up Grace’s sweet little form and hauling her to the Emergency Room.

  The twosome was still standing in their tracks, waiting, he supposed, for some direction from him. He might as well hurry them along, he decided. As much as he enjoyed the sight of Grace all hot and sweaty from her workout, he would never finish in time to attend tonight’s Bible study if he didn’t get back to wiring in the new recessed lighting.

  “Don’t worry, Abby.” He waved her past the ladder. “Come on, Gracie. You, too.”

  Grace edged her way along the perimeter of the hallway in an effort to stay as far away from the wires as possible.

  Not that Jack blamed her. She had the worst case of clumsiness that he’d seen in a long time. For all of her beauty and educated poise, Grace was a disaster in the making. He had no doubt that upon his first lack of oversight, Grace would stumble upon something and set back the construction project for days...if not longer.

  That didn’t even take into consideration what she might do to herself if she had another accident! He gave her a quick head-to-toe and decided that he would have to work extra hard to ensure her safety. He’d started growing real fond of his sweet Gracie...even though she was currently glaring at him with her hands on her curvy little hips.

  “Why are you set up here?” She waved her hand to encompass the dusty mess he’d made on the new flooring. “You’re right smack dab in the center of the hallway!”

  “You don’t mean it,” he drawled.

  “Funny, Jack,” Grace tossed his way. “I’m just a little confused. I haven’t seen you doing this kind of work before.”

  “I sent my electrical crew up to Copper Hill this morning,” he explained. “There was a pretty bad fire up at a warehouse there, and the owner needed an emergency hook-up at one of his vacant plants.”

  “Oh, well, I suppose that it’s fine then, as long as you know what you’re doing.” She arched a brow and lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “You do know what you’re doing, don’t you?”

  Ignoring her question, Jack lowered his safety glasses and started back up the ladder. As much as he was starting to care for Grace, she had an uncanny ability to push his buttons. He’d already decided that sometimes, the best way to deal with Grace was to simply ignore her, even if it didn’t stop her yapping. The way he figured things, Grace had too much work on her plate to waste time badgering him. Eventually, she would give up, get off his case, and get back to her own stack of work. He’d simply grin and bear it. For now, anyway.

  Grace stood there for a moment before Abby pulled on her sleeve to get her attention.

  “Uh, Grace,” Abby glanced nervously at Jack. “I think that he’s ignoring you.”

  “But...”Grace sputtered as she looked from Abby to Jack.

  “Don’t worry about Mr. Ellis, Grace.” Abby finally succeeded in pulling Grace a short distance from Jack’s work area. “He’s really smart. I mean, like, he went to Georgia Tech. Surely he learned about engineering stuff there.”

  “Yes,” Grace nodded. “You’re absolutely right. I was a little obnoxious, wasn’t I?

  “Well,” Abby hedged.

  “You don’t even have to say it,” Grace sighed. “I suppose I need to apologize.”

  “You could probably do it tonight.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yeah, don’t you remember?” Abby gave her a goofy grin. “It’s the first night of our new Bible study. I heard Jack talking to Sally about it, and I’ve even talked my parents into coming.”

  Grace mentally scolded herself. How could she have forgotten! She’d just spoken with the church’s assistant pastor yesterday, and he’d agreed to do a weekly study in the Activities Room.

  Forming a Bible study group at Mansfield Park had been something that was important to Grace. Many of the residents went to their own church services, but some of them had no family or were unable to leave the home for long periods of time because of their physical limitations.

  “It completely slipped my mind,” Grace admitted with a guilty look. “I suppose your Mom will be here any minute to pick you up, won’t she? I probably need to run by the B & B to change, as well. I would have brought a change of clothes with me, but as we’ve already determined, I forgot about the class tonight. If I don’t change, no one will want to sit by me.”

  Abby laughed.

  “I know someone who wouldn’t mind,” she gave Grace a smug little smile as they reached Grace’s office.

  Grace thanked the Good Lord that her office was finally an inviting workspace. When Mr. Watson hadn’t returned for his assortment of furry friends, Grace had carted them off to a storage facility downtown and tossed the rest of his junk into the dumpster. It had taken her almost two days to clean out the clutter and sanitize the room, but she’d finally managed the task. Jack’s crew had painted the walls a beautiful deep cherry color and installed new flooring, and Grace had begged for and received a lovely antique desk and matching set of chairs from her mother’s attic. She loved how the office had turned out.

  “What are you talking about?” Grace asked as she checked her phone for messages.

  “Mr. Ellis.”

  “Jack?” Grace’s forehead wrinkled at the thought. Surely she hadn’t given her burgeoning feelings away. Of course, it was hard to get anything past Abby. That kid had eyes like a hawk!

  “Duh! He likes you, Grace.” The pre-teen rolled her eyes. “Even I can tell that, and I’ve never even had a boyfriend.”

  “You think so?” Grace decided to hear Abby’s view of the situation. Sometimes kids had an amazing ability to cut to the chase. To see things when adults were too involved to keep a rational mind.

  “Sure do,” she nodded. “And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “You like him, too!” With that, Abby grabbed her backpack and hightailed it toward the front door. “Gotta’ go, Grace,” she called on her way out. “My mom’s here.”

  “Saved by the bell,” Grace murmured before grabbing her own tote and heading home to change.

  •∞•∞•

  “So, as Paul told the Hebrews, we must look toward Jesus. He is indeed “the author and finisher of our faith.”

  The young minister was almost finished with that night’s lesson, and Grace had found his words encouraging. She seemed to be constantly bombarded by Satan lately, and she knew that the only way to get past the things of the world was to look to Christ.

  Lately, Grace had found herself in awe of God. It was amazing to think that God had everyone in the palm of his hand. That He knew even the number of hairs on each person’s head.

  Grace felt that having the assurance that her Heavenly Father was watching out for her was certainly a gift...especially when half the time, she had no idea what she was doing...particularly at Mansfield Park.

  “Let’s close our session with a hymn,” he suggested. “Any suggestions?”

  “Amazing Grace?” Jac
k murmured under his breath.

  Grace held in a giggle and gave him a stern look. He had plopped down beside her a few minutes after the study had started, whispering an apology about a plumbing disaster at one of his other work sites.

  “Sweet Hour of Prayer,” Marianne suggested. She clasped Theo’s hand. “It’s always been one of my husband’s favorites.”

  The joy on Marianne’s face as the group sang the hymn made all of Grace’s work in organizing the Bible Study worth it. While Marianne and Theo were Christians, they had been resigned to watching televised sermons due to Theo’s tendency to wander and blurt out whatever happened to be on his mind.

  Now, they were able to have a lesson in which they felt they could be a part. Not only that, but almost twenty other residents had decided to attend, as well. With the additions of Jack, Sally, Abby, and her family, the attendance was close to thirty!

  When the song was over, the group began to disband. Grace excused herself from Jack’s side to offer her thanks to the minister and to say her goodbyes to Abby and her parents. She then busied herself with making sure that the residents made it back to their rooms for the evening.

  Jack was still there when she returned. He held out her Bible and flipped off the lights, then followed her toward the foyer.

  “This was a great idea, Gracie.” The sincerity of his comment was evident in his eyes. “The folks around here needed something like it. To be honest, I needed it tonight.”

  “Bad afternoon?”

  “Just the headache of running a business.” He raked a hand through his dark hair.

  “I hear you,” Grace agreed. “Sometimes I feel like packing my bags and heading home.”

  “No way,” he laughed. “You’ve come too far for that now.”

  “I’m not so sure,” she shrugged.

  “Then listen to this news bulletin Emma Grace Woodhouse.” He gave her a pointed look. “You’re a rock.”

  “A rock?” Her eyes filled with confusion.

  “A rock, Gracie,” he confirmed. “You’re solid. Stable. Tough.”

  He watched her face lighten up as a smile surfaced in response to his compliment.

  “You think so?”

  “I know so,” he took her hand. “You just need to realize it. God has given you a strength that you are only beginning to utilize. When you finally see it in yourself, you’re going to be amazed!”

  “Thank you, Jack.” She blushed and nervously tucked a curl behind her ear. “That was really sweet.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze.

  “Now, how about you wait here while I check all the doors and make sure everyone is settled,” he suggested.

  “Okay,” she agreed.

  “Who’s on duty? I don’t want to scare the daylights out of them by wandering around.”

  “Sophie is here tonight,” she told him. “She’s probably in the middle of handing out the night-time medications.”

  “Alright, then,” he said as he moved toward the front hallway. “I should be back in a few.”

  “I’ll be here.” Grace smiled as she watched him swagger down the hall.

  “Well, wasn’t that sweet,” a sour voice disturbed Grace’s daydream. A familiar face walked out of the dining room and into the foyer. Agatha North.

  “Isn’t today you day off, Ms. North?” Grace asked, more than a little concerned about the woman’s presence. Everyone suspected that neither she nor Mr. Watson, who Grace had recently discovered was the woman’s fiancé, had resolved their anger with Grace.

  “Is there something I can help you with?” Grace posed a different question.

  “I just had a few things to do around here.” The woman’s answer was evasive, and it put Grace on edge even more than she’d been.

  “There certainly is a lot to do to keep this place going,” Grace acknowledged. “It seems like the work is never done.”

  “You have no idea,” Agatha North smirked. “You come up here and expect to have things fall in your lap. You waltz around this place like you were some kind of princess expecting everyone to do your bidding. Just like that carpenter fellow who was just in here.”

  Grace moved a step toward her office, but the woman followed her every movement.

  “You have no idea what it takes to run a place like this. People like you make me sick.”

  “That’s enough, Ms. North,” Grace warned her as she reached for her phone.

  “You haven’t even...”

  “Ms. North,” Grace interrupted, not letting the woman finish whatever wickedness she was about to speak. “I have a great deal of respect for the challenges nurses face. I also know that my decision to fire Mr. Watson did not set well with you.”

  The other woman gave her an evil look, but Grace continued.

  “Unfortunately, though, I feel that the quality of your work here seems to indicate that you aren’t happy with your present situation any more than I am happy with your contribution to this facility.”

  “Happy?” the woman’s voice began to rise in volume. “What’s there to be happy about in a place like this? I spend all day taking care of old people. How much worse could it get?”

  The woman’s attitude and the anger she seemed to harbor was a concern, but Grace was not dissuaded.

  “You know, when I found out that I had to come here, I felt the same way,” Grace told her. “I knew nothing about old people, and I certainly didn’t want to work with them. But you know what? I had no idea how wonderful serving these people could be. God has placed a great task upon us, and we have to do our best in taking care of the residents here. After all, we will be old someday, too.”

  “How dare you speak of God to me!” the woman shrieked. “I heard part of what that stupid minister said tonight, and I could barely tolerate it. I don’t even believe in God.”

  “That is a very sad view to have Ms. North, because the God I serve is a powerful and loving God,” Grace knew the woman was beyond hearing any discussion of spirituality, but she couldn’t just stand by while Agatha North defamed God.

  “You know what?” Agatha North looked as if a light bulb had come on in her mind. “It sounds like you are discriminating against me based on religion. I could drag you into court for that,” the woman warned.

  “I don’t think so, Ms. North,” Grace told her. “The new contract you signed when The Woodhouse Corporation purchased the property specifically states that our company is a faith-based organization. We have always put Christ at the center of our business, and we will continue to do so. Furthermore, your religion or lack thereof has nothing to do with my reasons for terminating you.”

  “You’re firing me?” the woman screamed.

  “As I was saying,” Grace continued. “I am terminating your employment with Mansfield Park because you have been doing a sorry job.” The nurse attempted to interrupt again, but Grace raised a hand to silence her. “Not only have you endangered the health of our residents, but your insubordinate attitude and your blatant disregard for the words of a very dedicated minister are completely unacceptable. Now, you may take five minutes to retrieve your personal belongings from the nursing office, and then I will require you to leave the premises.”

  The woman stomped away to collect her purse, and a few moments later, she exited the building with a slam that shook the glass in the front door. At the sound, Jack walked out of the common room.

  “How long have you been there?” Grace asked with a sigh.

  “Long enough,” he answered.

  “I thought about calling you,” Grace admitted with a shiver. “I was started to get a little scared. That woman is definitely unstable.”

  “I would certainly agree with that assessment.” Jack raised his hand to her upper arm to rub away the chill.

  “I don’t like that part of the job, but I couldn’t keep her on any longer,” Grace told him, the mixed emotions evident in her worried green eyes. “She was unsafe, Jack. I couldn’t continue to expose everyone to her wra
th. There’s no telling what harm she’s capable of inflicting.”

  “Hey, Sugar, you don’t have to justify any of this to me.” He pulled her against his chest for a hug and looked down into her eyes. “I’m proud of you, Gracie. It’s really not about you anymore, is it?”

  “Is that a compliment, Jack Ellis?” She gave his arm a gentle pinch.

  “Call it what you like, Princess,” he linked her fingers with his. “I think you’ve started to understand that there’s a higher calling here.”

  “You’re right, Jack,” she agreed. “God’s will becomes even clearer with every passing day.”

  She leaned into the strength of his arms and laid her head against his shoulder. She’d never really been comforted like this, and she was amazed how such a simple act of kindness could calm the emotions tugging at her heart.

  “He has a way of making each of us face reality, doesn’t He?” Jack chuckled, and Grace felt the echo of his laugh against her cheek. “Just when I think I know what He wants from me, I feel convicted about something else.”

  “I think it’s called spiritual growth.”

  “You don’t mean it,” Jack threw out one of his frequent quips.

  “Jack,” she began to scold him, but when she looked up, she found his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

  He placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

  “Well, I, for one, am certainly glad that God put you in my path, Gracie Woodhouse,” He grabbed her hand and gently tugged her toward the exit. He wanted to make sure Nurse North had driven off the premises before he locked the door. “I’m not sure I’ve ever had such an enjoyable work experience.”

  “Work experience?” She gave him a playful pout. “You think I’m a work experience?”

  “Like I said, it’s all about growth.” Jack smiled. “Give it time, Princess, and I think we’ll find more in this little place than either of us could have ever imagined.”