Saving Gracie (8 page)

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 clutched 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.

Gracie pushed the negative thought aside. She needed to stay positive. Plus, a historic apartment about four stairs away awaited her inspection.

“Jake? Are you coming?” Melissa’s voice came from inside the apartment.

“Yeah. On our way.” Jake gave Gracie a playful shove. “Ready to see your new home?”

“Ready.” Gracie nodded. The dance of the butterflies in her stomach slowed at the sight of his white teeth bared in a boyish grin.

She was ready to know where her school would operate after next week. She was ready to know where she’d live. She was ready to learn if she received the grant money.

And above all, she was ready to stop wondering what it would be like if she let her guard down once more for an all-American, local native son.

* * *

Jake couldn’t help but notice the light in Gracie’s eyes as she looked around the efficiency apartment. The place reminded him a bit of his own snug lodgings in the former carriage house at his grandmother’s estate. Not a lot of room, but clean and bright and large enough for her to be comfortable here. And happy.

Seeing Gracie’s smile made his own mouth turn up at the corners.

Jake’s thoughts turned briefly from the intriguing woman in front of him to his father.
See, Old Man, combining some compassion with your career
can
be done. I can’t wait to get into that board meeting tomorrow. I’m going to be able to show them the condo deal is done and I didn’t have to hurt anyone in the process. Trust isn’t necessarily bad for business.

Now, Jake needed Gracie to reconsider his lunch invitation. Last night on the beach, he told her how he knew she cared about her students and they cared about her. But he carefully guarded the thought that he’d started to see Gracie in a new light.

Now that things seemed to be working out for both of them, he could allow himself to admit that Gracie’s students weren’t the only ones who cared about the feisty teacher with the sun-kissed skin. Before, he’d pushed those thoughts aside. He had to remember he still needed to pass muster before the Peoples Property Group board.

Even with that thought foremost in his mind, Jake couldn’t help but notice the other businessperson in the equation. Gracie didn’t take things for granted. She’d come with her family to Port Provident to create a new life. She’d built a business through hard work. And when that business came under threat, she hadn’t lied and played games the way the last client he’d worked with in Austin had. Gracie tackled the challenge head-on.

More than that, she’d relied on her faith and been open about it. Jake had never met an entrepreneur who consulted God instead of going to a board of advisors. He’d been raised to believe that churches were nothing more than buildings and showing up on Sundays was nothing more than an appointment on the calendar. You needed to see and be seen, then move on with the other six days in the week.

Jake knew he didn’t want to do business in the same cold, calculating manner as his father had. That conviction made him leave Port Provident in the first place, and even though his law practice hadn’t worked out, his convictions hadn’t changed. But Gracie’s partnership with God challenged Jake’s ideas of corporate relationships.

Somehow, Jake knew that long after the ink dried on the City Council’s resolution and they’d gone their separate ways, Gracie would not disappear from his mind.

“Jake?” Melissa pulled him back into the here and now. “As her current landlord, you’d be able to get a reference pulled together for Gracie, right? Could you do it by this afternoon?”

Jake noticed Gracie’s shoulders stiffen at Melissa’s question. She remembered Mitch’s admonishment the other day. He’d deferred to Mitch then, but knew he now needed to step up and be the leader of Peoples Property Group in both name and in action.

“Sure. I’ll call Anne. She or one of our other administrative assistants probably already has a reference letter on file that can be customized for Gracie. I’ll have her fax it over to you.”

Beyond the effect Melissa’s real estate listings had on Gracie, wouldn’t Carter Porter and the rest of the City Council be surprised when he showed up with an actual solution? Jake knew he’d pretty much surprised himself by taking this assignment seriously and solving the issue for both parties. Surely revealing this to the board of directors would demonstrate his work ethic. He’d found a solution when the local government only expected a minimal effort.

But could he explain to his hard-nosed board of directors that he had the pastor of a church to thank for the inspiration behind the plan?

“Gracie, you’re smiling. Do you like this location?” The sight made Jake even more glad he’d called Melissa.