The Way of Grace (Miller's Creek Novels) (4 page)

“That’s it, isn’t it?”

The self-sati
sfied smirk on his face gave Grace
the urge to whop him upside the head.
“So what?
That’s what you’re
learning how
to do, isn’t it? Figure out what’s eating people?”

“Yep.”
He added the omelet toppings, and folded it over effortlessly.
“Now the next question.
Why does it bother you so mu
ch that I figured it out
?”

Grace seethed
inwardly
. Why indeed? Maybe because it made her feel like she needed him, and she didn’t want to need him
.

He moved next to her, the hot skillet out in front
, and stopped, h
is
face
inches from hers, his eyelids half-closed. “Don’t worry, Gracie Mae. It’s okay that someone has you figured out. Trust me, it’s a good thing.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever been able to make me as angry as you do, Matt Tyler.
Ever!”
Grace pelted the
words
through tight lips
then moved toward the door.

Once more, he blocked
her way
,
holding the simmer
ing omelet
, the tantalizing aroma teasing her nostrils. “There you go again, running away.”

Rage exploded within
, but n
o way would she dare give him the privilege of being right.
She sent
a close-mouthed smile she didn’t feel and turned to take a seat at the small table.

Matt tossed a pot holder to the table and set the pan on it, then
procured two plates and
glasses
from the cabinet
. “Still like chocolate in your milk?”

Yes, but he didn’t have to know it
. “
No. I’ve outgrown that childish
habit.”

He cocked one eyebrow and poured two gl
asses of milk, dousing his
with a healthy dose of chocolate syrup.

Grace turned her head and looked the other way
, fighting her chocolate craving by reminding herself how
much
she hated her thunder thighs
.

Matt took a
long slurp from his glass, then released a satisfied sigh and licked his lips.
“Man, there’s nothing better than ice-cold chocolate milk.” He sat his glass on the table and
divided the omelet before delivering a portion to each plate. “Mind if I
bless the food
?”

“N
ot at all.”
She bowed her head. At l
east one part of his life seemed
headed in the right direction.

After he finished the prayer,
Grace
pulled a napkin from the holder and laid it in her lap, then
forked
into the omelet, cheese squeezing out from between
the fluffy layers. A few minutes later she wiped her mouth
and glanced up to
see Matt staring at her with the same
indecipherable look in his eyes.

“So
if you woke up early,
why didn’t you eat breakfast at yo
ur house
?” Ma
tt took another swig of
milk
, his eyes never leaving her face.

“No reason, really.”
She shi
fted in her seat. At least none she wanted him to know
.

“Your dad still pressuring
you?”

“What do you mean?” Grace scooted her chair away from the table and stood with her plate to carry it to the sink.

Matt
took hold
of
her arm as she whisked by. “Running away again?”

She jerked her elbow away. “
No
.
Just cleaning up my dishes.”

“I’ll take care of it later. Have a seat.”

Grace unwillingly acquiesced.
“
Papa
means well.
We just have different opinions of what I should do with my life.
”

He studied her face for a
long, uncomfortable minute, like
he
wanted to say something
, but wasn’t sure he should say it. Finally, he wid
ened his eyes
and changed the subject.
“So
back to the attorney thing.
Any thoughts on why it’s bothering you?”

“
Matt, y
ou’re not a therapist
yet,
and
I’m
certainly
not
your client
. D
on’t
feel like you have
to analyze
me and figure out all my
issues.
No
r should you feel oblig
ed to fix me.
”

His eyes widened
again, registering
hurt.
“Just trying to help.”

She took in the sincerity in
scribed on his face
. Why did he have to be so darn likeable? Grace
raise
d her gaze momentarily, focused
on a cobweb dangling from the ceiling
. And how was she supposed to talk about this with the brother of her boss? “It’s not easy to explain.
”

“Try me.”

“Okay, but you’d better not breathe a word of this to Andy.”

A teasing li
ght flickered in his
eyes. “If you’re not a clien
t, then you have no client privilege
s.”

Grace wadded
her napkin and tossed
it at him.

He caught it
effortlessly
in mid-air and laughed.

She pointed a finger at him. “I mean it, Matt.
Promise.”

“Okay, okay.” H
e waved hi
s hands, chest high, in surrender.

She inhaled a deep breath
, the lingering smell of breakfast still in the air, and rubbed her arms
. “
You know
I’ve wanted to be a
n attorney ever since Mama
died.”

“Yeah.
Go on.”

“I just didn’t see it working out this way. I thought I’d
be a prosecutor.”

“So you feel like you’re working for the wrong side of the law?”

Grace nodded. “I love
Andy like a brother, and
owe him so much. I wouldn’t be an atto
rney if it weren’t for him.
”

“But you feel obligated
to work for him when your passio
n is to put
the bad guys behind bars.”

“Exactly.”
She gave her head a shake at the conundrum. “And I don’t know what to do about it.”

Matt placed his elbows on the
table and rested his chin on his laced fingers. “Maybe you’re looking at it all wrong, Gracie. You’re focused on the situation rather than why you feel the way you do.
Have you stopped to think about why you want to be a prosecutor?”

The reason
flew into her brain instantly, and she straightened
. “I guess
for Mama, t
o keep someone else from goi
ng through this, and to achieve
just
ice for others
.”

“T
o
avenge her death?
”
The question was
half-whispered, but even then
sounded cold, almost un-Christian.
“Don’t overthink it, Gracie.” Matt’s tone held warning. “I see
your brain spinning from here
. Don’t try to assign meaning and morality to your motivation. Just accept it and move on from there.”

“But it does explain my nightmare
.” The agitation in her voice surprised her. “
Don’t you see? It’s as if Mama’
s trying to remind me of that night so I’ll make the right decision. Maybe I need to
look for a different position, o
ne that’
ll put me on the prosecution. Maybe I’m not cut out to defend guys I don’t completely
trust
.”

“Whoa, girl, you’re
gonna
strip some gears bouncing around that fast.” He stood and moved to the sink with his plate
, nabbing hers as he passed
. “When it comes to life, A plus B
doesn’t
always equal C. It’s just a jumping off place. Give it some time.”

There it was again. Matt and his
“lo
que
será
, sera”-
approach to life.
“You would say that. You want me to work for Andy. He’s your brother.”

The
dishes Matt carried
crashed into t
he sink, and he made a quick tri
p back to the table. “
That’s not
at all why I said what I did
. Just
think through things a little more carefull
y. I don’t believe your mother’
s trying to communicate with you from the grave, and neither do
if you think through it
.” He softened his demeanor. “But the dilemma
you’re facing
is enough to make you dream about the accident
.”

“Think through it? That’s the best advice you can give? A minute ago you were telling me not to overthink.”

An exasperated sigh fell from his lips. He squatted near her chair
, enclosed her hands with his own
,
and gazed up into her eyes. “Gracie. It’s me, remember? I know you. Don’t stress and worry
about
making the right decision
. Pray about it. You belong to God. He’ll put you where He wants you.” His smile grew tender. “And I have no doubt that you’ll be an awesome attorney, no matter which side of the courtroom you sit on.”

Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked furiously to keep them at bay. How good it
felt to have someone offer
encouragement
—to remind her
God was in control
—even
if it were
Matt
.
She lowered her gaze to collect herself before glancing back up
at
him
. “Thanks
.”

He helped her to her feet a
nd moved close
to embrace her in a hug
, the scent of his cologne toying with her
frazzled
emotions
.

Grac
e sidestepped
a
nd reached for her glass
. There was no way she’d
let this move past a friendly level
. H
e was more than likely
here for a short time
.
T
hen
he
’d
be off chasing
his
fantasies
once more
.

Sh
e
deposited the glass in the
stainless steel
sink
with a clunk
.
Besides
, she had her life plan to think of—
a plan
that did
n’t include a
gypsy
like Matt.

2

T
yler, Dent, and Snodgrass.
Hold, please.” Gracie s
ing-
songed
the words then punched another button
.

Matt’s mouth lifted
at one corner.
If it bothered her that
she had
to play receptionist when she’d earned the right to be an attorney, she didn’t let it show.
Her professional façade was
stoically
plastered in place.

He
sipped the fragrant
coffee and allowed his eyes to trail her
every move
. Blast it all! He
hadn’t been as prepared
for seeing her again
as he’d thought
.
But why?
Hadn’t he endured enough torture the first time?
Besides, h
e was
n’t here to find a woman. He was
here to help Andy and Trish in the short term while he figured out what God wanted him to do, to hopefu
lly find a way to pursue both
his passion
s—music and
counseling
.