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"You're not getting much work done, big brother." Jake swiveled his chair around. When did Jenna walk into his office? "I didn't hear you come in."
"I noticed. You've been leaning back in that overstuffed recliner you call a desk chair, just looking out the window at all the other office buildings downtown. I walked by earlier to have lunch with Mitch, but his conference call ran long. You haven't moved for at least five minutes." She walked around and perched on the edge of Jake's desk. "Something wrong?"
"No. Just thinking about the condo project." He couldn't tell his sister he'd really been thinking about Gracie Garcia. Ever since he'd seen her on TV last night, she'd consumed his thoughts with the determination in her words and the flash in her liquid chocolate eyes. He respected her determination, even though it caused him problems. If he could figure out what made her tick behind those flashing eyes, maybe he could solve this issue with her sooner.
"I heard you talking with Mitch about it at dinner last night. Don't you two ever take a break?" She gave Jake a playful closed-fist punch to the shoulder.
"Jenna, I can't take a break. I decided to finally join the family company in order to prove that you and Nana can depend on me, no matter what our father always said. I know I'm not who he told everyone I was—and now I have to prove it to everyone else in this town."
He'd tried to get off the treadmill, to do something different. And look where that had gotten him. Right back to the same corner office, where he now had to work twice as hard—with no breaks—in order to make up for the one break that cost him almost everything. "Do you really think Dad, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather would approve if I took breaks from the company with their name on the door? With our name on the door?"
Jenna's blond ponytail bounced as she stood and folded her arms across her chest. Her stiff body language made her seem even taller than her usual inch under six feet. "Jake, lighten up. I didn't mean it like that and you know it. You've been so touchy since you moved back. You couldn't even enjoy Nana's big moment last night."
Jenna could stand there all she wanted with her arms crossed in disapproval. Jake could see he'd set off a little fuse in her. Did all women just stop speaking to him when they got mad? First Gracie, now his sister. Hopefully, Jenna wouldn't be contacting any reporters.
"I don't have the opportunity to be soft, Jenna. Too many people depend on me to make the right decisions and then execute them. That's business. People who listened to our father think I can't do this. But I have to prove them wrong. I'm a businessman."
"Well, I liked you better when you were just my brother. Those years in Austin changed you."
She had no idea. He'd tried and, still, he'd failed.
Just as his father always said he would. He knew that successfully leading this company would go a long way toward showing he wasn't the wayward son, doomed to failure, that everyone assumed him to be.
However, he'd learned a lesson—one he hoped sweet, idealistic Jenna never had to learn. If the family business failed, Jenna's husband would lose his job, too. Jenna and Mitch would get hurt. Nana would get hurt.
Jake could stomach the hurt that came with folding up his law practice. But he couldn't bear the thought of letting his mistakes affect the people who'd always loved and supported him.
"I'll always be your brother, Jen. But I have just a few more days to get the condo development plans in place so I can show the board that I am the right person to run this company."
"I don't know why you're so worried. Of course they'll approve your position. You're John Edward Peoples IV. The only other presidents of this company have been John Edward Peoples I, II and III. It's silly that you think they'd change more than a hundred years of tradition just because you spent a few years in Austin trying to practice law instead of working here with Daddy."
If only Jenna knew the real reason he'd stayed away from Port Provident all these years. Jenna had never felt the icy stare of their father's gaze. She'd never felt like an outsider in her own childhood home. She'd never lost her faith in the supposed unconditional love of a family. She'd never returned as a penniless prodigal, living on charity in her grandmother's carriage house, just to prove years of rumors wrong.
If only he had Jenna's faith in himself. In anything.
"We'll see, Jenna. For now, I'm late." Jake plucked his cell phone off the charger on the desk and reached for his keys. He didn't have a meeting on the calendar, but it was long past time to keep dwelling on old memories. He needed to check up on the condo project. The sales office would be opening soon and Jake hadn't done a final walk-through.
"Okay. But before you go, Jake, promise me this." Among many other exceptional traits, Jenna stood almost six feet tall, and the not-so-little sister had no trouble looking her big brother straight in the eyes at his own six-feet-two. She paused, but didn't say anything. A few seconds passed, marked by the ticking of Jake's wall clock. "What, Jenna?" "Just don't lose sight of what's really important."
––––––––
"I don't understand how you can't even try to help me resolve this issue. I've been a tenant of yours for years."
As he walked down the hallway, Jake heard a raised voice. Usually the office was a quiet place— employees of Peoples Property Group spent a lot of time in the field, and when they were in the building, they all had plenty of work to keep busy.
"Ms. Garcia, I've already explained this to you." Mitch's voice sounded stressed. "Your lease has a clause for termination if the city's rules and ordinances change. It's all right there in black and white."
So, after her little stunt on TV last night, Gracie Garcia decided to come to the office? She might have been looking for sympathy on the evening news, but Jake knew she'd find none in this office.
"So that's it? When the City Council votes, you're going to give me forty-eight hours to move out of the place where I've lived and worked for almost six years? And you're not going to help me find someplace else to go?"
Jake stopped and stood in the office doorway. His adversary didn't sound quite so aggressive now.
"Ms. Garcia, in the last year, your rent check has been received at least one week past due six times. You're not exactly a model tenant." Mitch caught Jake's eye and waved him in. "Jake, you remember Ms. Garcia?"
"We've met. And I caught your television appearance last night." Jake chose to stay in the doorway. He knew a thing or two about angry women—best to keep a safe distance.
"Is that what this is about? The story on the news last night? You won't help me because I talked to the media about your proposal to the City Council?"
Jake shook his head. "Not exactly, but you didn't exactly win any fans here. And, as Mitch said, there have been some issues. This turn of events is best for everyone. We'll get what we need to finish our new development and you'll get out from under a lease you obviously can't afford."
She looked from Jake to Mitch, then back to Jake. Her chocolate-brown eyes pleaded with Jake to change his mind. "It's been a tough year, I won't deny that. But I've been a good tenant. And I should be getting some grant money soon that I will be using to create a new revenue stream. Things will be getting better. Soon. Can you please find me another place or at least give me a letter of recommendation?"
Jake remembered his own recent past, of needing to make a change and struggling with the available options. But he had to defer to Mitch on this. Clearly, Mitch knew the account, while Jake had only been back at the company for a handful of weeks. Jake needed to be the CEO of the company, not a micromanager. It was Mitch's call. Even if Jake didn't feel altogether right about the decision.
As one of Port Provident's largest companies, he would have figured there was some mercy Peoples Property Group could show. But that was probably his "bleeding heart" talking, as his father always said. It was time for Jake to grow up and act like a businessman. Like Mitch.
Jake decided to remain silent, even though he didn't necessarily want to. He wanted to make things better for Gracie Garcia and her molten chocolate eyes. He didn't like being the reason they were dull and filled with sadness right now.
Absently, Jake wondered what he could do to put a twinkle in them. He knew that with her petite features, Gracie would be pretty when she smiled. He wanted to see if his theory was correct—but how?
Mitch cleared his throat, bringing Jake back to reality.
"No, Ms. Garcia, I'm sorry. We just can't," said Mitch, closing the folder containing Gracie's lease and other paperwork.
––––––––
A class on time management once taught Gracie to structure her day's plans in order of importance. After her last-ditch effort at the Peoples Property Group office this morning clearly failed, she had to come up with a new game plan. From now until the next City Council meeting, the only item on her calendar looked the same: find a way to save El Centro.
She expected her last, best hope to arrive at her post office box soon. A letter notifying the Gulf Coast Educational Foundation grant recipients about their upcoming grants should have been mailed last week, which meant it would arrive any day. If she postponed the GED program she wanted to start, the grant would give El Centro enough money to help Gracie secure a new location—without any help from Jake Peoples or his coldhearted company.
A truck pulled into the parking lot. After yesterday, she'd recognize it anywhere. It pulled past her, then turned around before driving to the dirt lot a block away. Just what she'd expect from Jake Peoples. He'd do whatever he wanted, and never notice the people on the sidelines.
"Miss Gracie!" Pablo Morales's voice carried across the parking lot. He stood next to Juan, and both waved enthusiastically in her direction.
It took a few minutes for her to cross the entire lot. Her shoes crunched the gravel under her feet, making a satisfying sound as she walked toward the small group. Grinding, staccato. The perfect complement to her mood. Every step seemed to build her resolve to give Jake the piece of her mind she didn't have the courage to give while she stood in the Peoples Property Group office.
"We were talking with Mr. Jake about El Centro," Pablo stepped back so Gracie could join their circle of conversation. Her shoulder brushed Jake's forearm as she walked up. The starched cotton of his sleeve felt cool on her arm.
"If you want to know what the school is really about, Mr. Jake, you should come visit a class. We both missed class last week due to work, so we'll both be up here tonight for a makeup session. You should join us," Juan said.
"And if you want to see how the school has changed the community, you should really come up to our church tomorrow night for the Wednesday service," Pablo continued. "Most of the members of the church have worked with Gracie in one way or another."
Jake cleared his throat. "Thanks for the invitation, but I don't really think that's necessary."
"Did you hear us on TV last night? We said this school benefits you because it benefits us. You can meet our families and friends and see how they benefit, too." Juan joined in, leaning on a shovel almost as tall as Gracie herself. "The school isn't just about the lessons. It's about building a community."
Gracie gave a reflexive nod. Juan was right. Her school provided more than just books and lessons. But what would Jake care? His business card might read Developer, but all he appeared to want to do was tear things down.
The sun shone brightly in Gracie's eyes, causing her to squint. Through her eyelashes, she could see Jake's eyebrow rise and a corresponding shoulder shrug.
"I'll see." Jake's voice sounded distant, as though he spoke to someone else.
"Where's your church?" Gracie's jaw dropped open in shock. Then she spoke without thinking. "On Fifty-First Street, three blocks west of Broadway. The service starts at five-thirty."
What was she doing? She'd just given Jake Peoples directions to their church, so he could further infiltrate her life. How could she confront him now? She couldn't very well tell off someone who said he was thinking about joining her and her students at church. What kind of witness would that make her?
He moved on without another word and looked back at a small pink building where Juan and Pablo had been working. "I want to take a quick walk-through of the condo sales office. I'll need to sign off on the project before we open it up this weekend."
"This weekend? What do you mean?" Gracie said, looking quickly between Jake and the structure at the end of the parking lot, then back to Jake as he answered. "We're going to start staffing our sales office for the condo project this weekend. It's almost the start of summer and we want to be able to sell units at prebuild prices to people while they're here on vacation."
The flame inside Gracie that was just barely simmering after the church discussion now bubbled up to a rapid boil. "Have you no shame? Angela Ruiz said you're supposed to be trying to help El Centro. Now I find out you're moving full steam ahead on bulldozing my home and my school before the City Council even holds a vote? You never intended to help me or my school, did you? You lied to the City Council."
"I did not, Gracie. I met with you personally at your school to deliver the news, exactly as I told Councilman Porter I would. Apparently, there was a misunderstanding between your representative and mine. But I never said I was going to stop our project. It doesn't make any sense for my company to put the condos on hold while we wait for a decision."
The hairs on the back of Gracie's neck stood up. His reply came across so arrogantly. Exactly as she'd expected.
She needed him to slow down and provide some kind of assistance, just as Angela Ruiz had assured her he would. She didn't have much time or many options otherwise. What would get Jake's attention? What could she say to make the big bad businessman not see her little school as necessary collateral damage?
Help me to see this situation as you see it, Father. Help me to know what I should do.
Jake wordlessly turned and began to walk toward the sales office. Pablo and Juan followed behind their boss.
"Mentor me."
Jake stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. His expression, one eyebrow raised, one lowered, gave his answer without a word. Gracie could see it on his face. He thought she was nuts.
Well, maybe so.
Nuts about her school. Crazy about her students. She would do anything to save El Centro. She'd even throw herself at Jake Peoples's feet.
She knew she needed a bold idea to save her school.
Maybe she just needed a way for Jake to see that her school was more than documents in a folder at Peoples Property Group.
Gracie always felt proud of what she'd accomplished in building El Centro. It filled the need in her soul to help others. She took pride in what her students accomplished because of the lessons they'd learned there.
But if she didn't make Jake see her school as valuable, next week all she'd have left was her pride.
Surely she hadn't just asked him to be her business mentor.
Not only did he not have the time, he wasn't about to step in and solve someone's problems. Again.
"No. I can't."
"No, you can't?" Gracie threw him a sideways glance. "Or no, you won't?"
"Does it really matter? No still means no, either way." Jake could barely explain his reasons to himself beyond the fact that he wasn't taking on anything in his life right now that wasn't a sure thing. This condo project was his shot to prove years of gossip wrong and he would allow nothing—not even a determined teacher with a molten-chocolate gaze—to stand in his way.
She took three big steps, stopping so close he could smell her perfume. Floral, with a hint of baby powder. A delicate scent, but her defiant posture showed that Gracie Garcia was not a shrinking rose.
"Yes, it does. I was told you gave your word to help me. I've now asked for your help. If you can't help me, that's one thing." She met his eyes with a straight stare. The irises of her eyes deepened in color from cocoa to the finest dark chocolate. "But if you just won't help me, well, then, you don't understand what's important in this life."
Her words struck him like a punch to the gut. Wasn't that almost exactly what Jenna had told him earlier? That he needed to remember the important things in life?
Nothing in his life had priority over securing his family's future. The most important thing was being named permanent CEO of Peoples Property Group.
That meant coming up with a solution to the problem presented by Gracie Garcia, not finding her a lifeboat. She wouldn't understand it, but he had to keep himself from drowning right now.
"You don't know me well enough to tell me what I do or do not understand." He roughed up a couple of pebbles under the sole of his shoe, standing his ground. "I understand that I have a business to run. And I understand I have a school to get out of my way so I can get a swimming pool for a condominium built in time to make my board of directors happy." Frustration forced the words out of Jake's mouth before he had a chance to think through what he was saying.
"Oh." Her hand flew over her mouth, cutting off any further reply. She stared at him, eyes wide as the harvest moon that would sometimes hang low over the nearby Gulf of Mexico. And then, in her eyes, Jake saw the faintest accumulation of moisture begin in the corners.
"Gracie, I'm..."
"No, you're not." Even as close as they stood to one another, he could barely hear her whisper.
Jake reached out and placed his hands on her arms, then quickly dropped them. As his palms brushed over Gracie's bare skin, he noticed that she felt cold, in spite of the sunshine overhead. He shouldn't have touched her—he only wished he could reach out and steal back his chilling words. But he couldn't. Besides, he'd only spoken the truth. This whole situation came down to nothing more than a business deal. It wasn't personal.
But the look in Gracie's eyes, now brimming with tears, told him she viewed things as extremely personal.
"Gracie," Jake started. He didn't intend to be anyone's business mentor, but he could teach her, right now, that his actions had to do with his obligations to his job and nothing more.
"No, Jake. I don't want to hear some fancy words you learned in a class for your MBA. When you hear P&L you think of a profit and loss sheet. I think of people and love." She stepped back, putting more distance between the two of them. "I have to go to the post office. My fight for my students isn't over. Keep your fancy schools and big-time degrees. You're the one who needs to be taught a thing or two."
Gracie squared her shoulders, still dotted with gooseflesh, and walked away with all the stoicism of a soldier on the front lines.
"So, first she asks me to be her mentor, then she says she wants to teach me a lesson," Jake mused out loud, more to himself than the other two men. "Is she crazy, or something else?"
"Oh, she's something, all right, Mr. Jake." Juan nodded his head. "You'll see."
