The Way of Grace (Miller's Creek Novels) (25 page)

Gracie rejoined him
a few minutes later
, her fingers deftly knotting the red scarf she wore around her neck
. “Okay, I’m ready to go. Thanks for waiting.”

“
No problem.
Why don’t we walk to Granny’s since it’s warm out
side
?
”
That would keep her from running away too easily.

They
stepped
into the night, the
few
leaves still attached to tree limbs rustling
in the gusts of wind
. Matt struggled
with how to broach his questions about
Jason.
The last thing he wanted
was
to
pry
or make her angry
, but he needed to know.

Gracie cleared her throat. “
You’re like a toddler.
When
you’
re
quiet, it makes me wonder
what you’re up to
.”

He released a light laugh. “Are you calling me a kid?”

“Only in the nicest sense of the word.
So what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“I’m not sure you
wanna
know.”

An audible grunt of disgust sounded.
“And here we go again.”

He laughed as he spun around to look at her, walking backwards temporarily. “
Am I really that bad?”

She smiled
. “
Yes, but don’t hold back on my account. Besides, they say it’s not healthy to hold it in, and we do only have a short while before I
have
to get home.
”

Good point. Their time together
was
limited. “
In regards to holding back, I could say the same
about
you. B
ut
since you asked
,
I’ll go first
to
break the ice.”

Gracie’
s smile turned to laughter.
“
Oh, so v
ery kind of you.”

Matt
pressed his lips together
and fell into step beside her once more. “How long has Jason been a part of the Singles Bible study group?”

“Tonight was his first night. I invited him last week. Why do you ask?”

Matt shrugged. “
I guess I want to make sure
his intentions toward you are pure.” He waited for her to explode over the comment, but for
whatever
reason she didn’t.

Instead a sigh fell from her parted lips. “
Thanks for your concern, but
I think
Jason’s above-board. Though
I must admit that here lately I
seem to question
everyone’s motives.”

“Including mine?”

Gracie glanced over at him. “No.” She paused a second
, a teasing gleam sparkling in her eyes
. “
But that knowledge add
s it
s own set of concer
ns to my crazy thoughts.”

Matt beamed. At least she didn’t question his motives. Might not be much, but it was a start. “I think yo
u must be rubbing off on me, ‘
c
ause
I find myself
over-thinking
things, too
.”

“
Welcome to my world. What kind of thing
s
?”

He inhaled a deep breath. “
Like
what your relationship is with
Jason.”

Her face darkened
, but sh
e maintained a
steady calm
. “
We’re just
friends at this point, but
so you know, h
e
did ask
me out on a date for the weekend
, and I accepted
.”

The air he’d inhaled earlier now rushed from his chest and sagged his shoulders, his
worst fear
confirmed.
She just couldn’t fall for a guy like Jason. He gave his head a shak
e. No, he couldn’t
go there.
Though the thought of her going out with
Mr. Perfect
devastat
ed him, he refused to let it consume his thoughts. Not when he could enjoy this
beautiful evening with Gracie.

In comfortable silence t
hey made their way toward the Miller’s Creek town square
,
much of the neighborhood
already decked with Christmas l
ights.
Matt
raised his head to the starlit sky, the Christmas lights no competition for the star-studded heavens. “I c
an’t look at the sky—especially
this time of year—without a profound knowledge of God’s existence and sovereignty.”

She shivered beside him.

“Cold?”
He quickly removed his
zip-up hoodie
and placed it on her shoulders.

Grac
i
e smiled and snuggled deeper into the jacket. “Thanks.
”

A small sports car passed
slowly,
its motor purring,
a
nd then
braked to stop
a few feet ahead of them
. Gracie leaned forwar
d, her gaze honed in on the car,
and
gasped ever so slig
htly. The
vehicle
resumed its crawl, its
lights soon disappearing around a corner.

Something prompted him to grab Gracie’s hand, and she didn’t pull away. Instead, she tightened
her grip
. “Gracie, what’s wrong?”

R
eflected in the
street
lights, a single tear inched its way down her left cheek.
W
as that
fear in her eyes?
“I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed right now, that’s all.”

T
hat wasn’t all
, and he knew it
, but
more questions
would only push her further away. Matt forced himsel
f to hold back
. M
aybe if he didn’t push, she’
d find th
e strength to open up
.

Granny’s Kitchen greeted them with
delicious aromas and friendly
down-home hospitality
.
Around the café, familiar smiling faces lifted hands to acknowledge their arrival, followed
by
words of welcome.
How many nights during that summer two and a half years ago had they
spent time here
just enjoy
ing
each other’s company?

Gracie made her way to their booth, and Matt followed, praying silently for wisdom and guidance during their conversation. There
was so muc
h he
n
eeded to know, b
ut had to trust
God would
help her open
up
in His timing
.

After ordering their hot chocolate from one of the elderly twins who owned the place, Matt turn
ed
to Gracie. “So
other than the snafu today,
how’
s the new job
?”

“It’s okay.”

“Any regrets?”

She
pondered the question
then gave
her head a vehement shake. “
I’m doing the right thing. No one else may understand or accept it, but
this is what I’m supposed to do
for now.”

Matt’
s eyebrows r
o
se
. Good for her. She’
d made a decision based on what she thought was right, and not in some convoluted effort to please everyone else. “I’m proud of you, Gracie.”

Now
it was her turn to look surprised
. “You are?
”

“Sounds like you took this job
for the right reasons
.”

A frown made waves above her sad brown eyes.
“This was one
of those decisions
I knew would
make
some people
un
happy with me.” Gracie lowered her gaze. “I
t may not ma
ke anyone
happy,
including me, b
ut it’s still something I’m supposed to do.”

“Why wouldn’t it ma
ke you happy? Y
ou’ve a
lways w
anted to be a prosecutor.
This is your chance
.”

“Yes, but something tells me it’s not going to be as enjoyable as I once
thought
.”

“
Every job has its ups and downs.”

Sh
e
gave a non-committal shrug
. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

He slur
ped from
the steaming cup,
allowing
the chocolaty liquid to roll around on his tongue while her words
filter
ed
through his brain. There was so much more she wasn’t saying.
Just how much grief had the Delgado lady unloaded on her
? Matt
placed
his
mug
on the table and leaned forward on
crossed arms. “So what’s it like working for
your new boss
?”

Graci
e didn’t look u
p
.
“I’m learning a lot.”

Well, that was intentionally vague.
“How so?”

“She’s
good at what she
does.” Gracie looked
at him,
her expression
immediately
revealing
she woul
dn’t budge past
ambiguous
comments.

But he was on to something here and he knew it.
The fact that she wasn’t talking was proof.
“And the work?”

A wry grin
splattered across
her face. “Well, except for
not having the faintest idea on how to file a brief
, I’ve enjoyed it.”

A chuckle bubbled out
. “They didn’t teach that in L
aw 101?”

Now she
laughed,
a sound that immediately lightened
the heavy tug on
his spirit. Good. She was
moving out of her
melancholy, at least for now
.

“Unfortunately
,
no.
I was thinking the same thing earlier today when I climbed the
county courthouse steps
. I can’t believe
I spent so much money on law school
,
and they didn’t
teach something so
basic
.
The nice lady who helped me said she did it all the time for newbies like me.
”

“Gla
d to know there are still decent people in the world.”

Her smile disappeared behind a mask of darkness
. She didn’t speak, but
sipped her cocoa
, once more hiding from him. Finally she spoke, but only to change the subject. “
What about you?
Are you enjoying the work with the equine therapy ministry
?”

“
It’s good.
At least for now.”

Her eyelashes fluttered downward, effectively veiling her thoughts.
“What made you
decide to stay here instead of going on the road with a band
?”

Did he dare tell her? “Like you, it was just one of those things I knew I had to do.”

She raised
narrowed
eyes
. “I know Trish and Andy both really need you right now.”

“Yep, but they’re not the only ones.”

T
his time she held his gaze
. “I’m a big girl, Matt.
I can take care of myself.”

“A
gree
d
, but it never hurts to have a
backup
.”

A lazy smile curled her lips. “So you have my back?”

His chest throbbed.
“Always.”
God, help her
know it’s true.