The Way of Grace (Miller's Creek Novels) (18 page)

“Why?”

The woman
’s
machine gun
question
ing was getting old
.
Why the inquisition.
“For one thing, I owe Andy a huge debt of gratitude for all he’s done for me.”

“Such as
?”
Elena’s voice took on a curious undertone.

“I probably wouldn’t
be here if it weren’t for him
. He’s the one who made it possible for me to go to college
.”

Her
arched eyebro
ws rose above her sunglasses. “You mean h
e paid for your schooling?”

“Part of
it.”

Elena
grew quiet for the rest of
the drive, obviously
deep in contemplation based on
the squint
lines barely visible behind her
dark glasses.
A few minutes later they pulled off the
highway
and on to a tree-lined drive
. Once they cleared the trees a stately home appeared.

“Beautiful.” Grace breathed the word
in a hushed whisper
. A combination of river rock and cedar made up the exterior of the multi-gabled house
, and
lush evergreens flanked the
l
arge windows. This
place was the home of her dreams.
A monster roared to life inside her
.
Would she ever
be able to afford a hom
e like this?

Elena pulled to a quick stop a
nd hopped from the car.

Grace
followed.
Once inside,
she
glanced around the home’s interior. Exquisite furnishings and décor filled every room
. “Did you decorate this yourself?”

“Wish I had the t
ime. No, I paid someone
.”

“It’s very nice
.”

“Thanks.” Elena walked toward the back of the home
, swiveling her head from side to side as she peered in room after room
.
“Mom?”

“I’m
here.” An older and rounder version of Elena appeared
from a nearby doorway
, her face lit with a joyous light.
She held out a hand to Grace, her smile wide and generous.
“This must be the young wo
man you were telling me about.
Welcome to our home. I’m Consuela.”

Now the monster clawed its way to her heart, ripping it into ribbons.
As if all this grandeur weren’t enough, Elena Delgado had the privilege of living with her mother.
S
he
came to her senses and
took the woman’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Consuela.
I’m Grace.”

“What a lovely name
.”

Elena craned her neck t
o look past her mother. “Where’
s Jessie?”

The smile on Consuela’s face disappeared
, aging her instantly, like she shouldered a heavy burden
. “She’s back here.”

Grace followed the two into a
darkened room. In the far
corner sat a small wheel
chair
facing the window, and a tiny, dark head appeared above the back.

Elena moved in front of the chair, and her
face softened as
she knelt
. “How’s my girl?”
No answer.
She motioned for Grace to
join her. “This is my daughter
Jessie.”

Grace wasn’t prepared for what she saw
as
she stepped
up
next to Elena
. The girl’s body was twisted and turned in awkward positions, and her head lolled to one side.
Overwhelming compassion
, not just for Jessie, but for her caretakers,
welled in
Grace’s
heart.
She
smiled and leaned forward to
caress her arm. Hello there
,
Miss
Jessie.”

The girl
couldn’t speak, but
managed a half smile.

Elena chuckled. “She likes you already.” She stood and looked at her mother. “
After I
show Grace
the house
,
we’re having dinner and a tour of
the DA’
s office
. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back.”

The older woman
looked taken aback
. “But we’ve barely
s
—” She stopped in mid-word, apparently silenc
ed by something she read in Elena’s
eyes. “W
e’ll see you
later
.”

Grace stepp
ed into
the path of Elena’s stare
. “If you need
this
time with your family,
I can
do this some other day
.”

Elena waved a hand.
“Nonsense.
It’s not like we’ll be gone all night. Follow me. I want to show you something.”

A few seconds later,
Grace
stood in the center of a gigantic
room Elena
called a
walk-in closet
. She
pivote
d in a slow circle to take it all in
.
Not only was it
bigger than the bedroom she had at Papa’s house, but
was packed from top to b
ottom with clothes and shoes. The mahogany cabinetry,
lit with spotlights
,
gave the room
the appearance of an exclusive boutique
.

Elena
flutter
ed an arm around the space. “Isn’t this every girl’s dream closet? If
you’d told me ten years ago
I’d live in
this kind of house, I would’ve laughed in your face.”

Was she fishing for compliments or showing off?
“The whole house is beautiful.”

A broad smile flitted to Elena’s
face
. “
I hope this doesn’t come across as forward and rude, but I have some clothes I no longer wear.
Would you be offended if I offered them to you?”

Heat crawled to her cheeks and the tips of her ears
.

“Please don’t be embarrassed.
” Elena
laid a hand on Grace’s shoulder
. “I remember my first days as an attorney, school loans to
repay,
and a woefully poor-paying position.”

Sw
ift suspicion ripped through Grace’s
veins, but she managed to answer in a normal voice.
“I’m not offended. I could use some new clothes.”
To add to the pile she charged to her cr
edit card last weekend?
Where would she put them?

The other woman smiled brightl
y. “Great, and while we’re at it
, I’d love to take you under my wing. What do you say?
Wanna
be my protégé?”

A
nervous
giggle escaped before Grace could control it. Never
had she felt so included, but she couldn’t help but wonder about the unspoken price tag, not of dollars, but return favors. “I’m honored
you would offer.”

“
I have
some things
that will make you look like you dropped a thousand bucks
.
Let’s start
with this section
.” She pointed toward one corner of the closet.

Grace gasped. “But they look brand new.”

“Most of them are. I bought them and never wore them becaus
e I lost weight
. I never got around to returning them, but I think they might be your size.”

Grac
e pushed
aside her reservations
and con
centrated on the task at hand
. The next
several minutes
were
spent trying
on various outfits, and
her
stack of clothes grew larger and larger.
“Thank
you so much for all this.” Grac
e
pirouetted in front of a thre
e-
way mirror in Elena’s bedroom,
modeling a slinky pant suit perfect for New Year’s Eve.
“
It really is too much. I’d be glad to pay you a little out of each check . .
. ”

“Nonsense.”

Grace peer
ed at her through narrowed eyes.
How could she ask the question burning within
without offending the woman?
“
If you don’t mind me asking,
w
hy are you doing all this
?”

An uneasy laugh
flowed from Elena’s immaculately made-up mouth
. “
Let’s just say you remind me a lot of myself
at your age
.
But enough of this.
L
et’s
get packed up
and
head to town.”

Only a thin line of daylight was left on the western horizon as they left the house. L
ocked within the cramped confines of
Elena’s sports car,
claustrophobia descended on Grace. She searched
for topics to
break the uncomfortable silence
.
It would be all too easy to sit and ponder questi
ons about Elena to pass the time
, but she n
eeded to get to know this woman—
for multiple reasons.
“
Thanks again for the clothes
. I don’t know how I’ll ever
be able to repay your kindness.
”

Elena leaned her head back an
d laughed
. “I’
m sure I can think of something
.”

Grace shifted uncomfortably.
Exactly what she feared.
When they finally arrived at the DA’s offi
ce in downtown Morganville, sh
e
almost
cheer
ed
, so ready was she to be out of the
clutches
of
the
black leather
interior
.
Questions
spun
in her head
like a carnival ride
.
How could Elena a
fford such a lavish lifestyle, a
nd why was she being so generous
?

Once inside
, Grace relaxed
somewhat, though the old building seemed to take on a life of its own after hours
. Elena’s
now
chatty
conversation
contrast
ed greatly
to the
uncomfortable
silence
she’d
experienced on the
drive
in
.

The petite attorney
showed Grace around the office complex
and ended in her
personal
office. “And h
ere’s where I work.”

T
astefully decorated with a
cherry desk and credenza,
matching
b
arrister bookcases
filled with leather-bound law books
lined the back wa
ll
. The
off-white plush pile
carpet whispered as they walked across it.

“Very nice.”
Grace
spoke
the words
in a mut
ed voice
,
no longer surprised by
beautiful space
s
.
Her previous jealousy had w
aned, replaced by hopelessness.

Elena raised one brow. “I could see you working in a space like this.”

Grace shook her head.
“I don’t know . .
. ”

“
You’d
be
much
more satisfied
working for the DA
than in defense
.
And there are ways to supplement your salary
to get those loans paid off sooner so you could move out on your own
.”

Goosebumps pricked the flesh of her forearms
.
“Like what?”