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Jake pulled up to Jenna's beachfront condo just before eight o'clock the next morning and honked the truck's horn.
"Coming!" She opened the front door and shouted, then ran back inside. When she came back out, she was holding a purple notebook.
Jake watched as she ran down the sidewalk toward the truck. She still seemed just as fast as in her high school days, when she flew from one end of a basketball court to the other.
In some ways, Jake couldn't believe his little sister was having a baby. Truthfully, it was hard to believe she was actually married. He remembered when she used to play house in the backyard with her teddy bears and tea sets.
"Hey, little mama," Jake teased. "You ready?"
"Yup." Jenna closed the door to the truck and buckled up. "I'd forgotten my notebook. I'm keeping all my notes about the pregnancy in it. I don't want to forget a single second of it."
She flashed him a wide grin, full of pride and excitement. Jenna was so excited about every little detail pertaining to this baby already. Jake had no doubt she would make a great mother and that this baby would have the loving, secure childhood Jake himself never did.
The trip to the Provident Women's Health and Birth Center only took about five minutes. It was a small building on the far corner of the property that made up the Provident Medical Center.
"The clinic is in the front of the building, and at the back are four birthing rooms designed to be like a room at home. They're close enough to transfer patients quickly and efficiently in case of an emergency, but far enough away that you don't have to feel like you're in a hospital."
He had to admit, the oversized craftsman-style building surrounded by oak trees and flowerbeds full of pansies in bright shades of yellow and purple looked like a much cozier place to start a family than the stark, hushed hallways of the hospital next door.
Once inside, Jenna stepped right up to the sliding-glass window at the back of the waiting area. "Hi, I'm Jenna Carson. I'm here for my appointment."
The receptionist gestured at a clipboard on a small ledge. "Just sign in and your midwife will be right with you."
Jenna scribbled on the paper, then walked over to a wingback chair next to where Jake was seated. "Uncomfortable, big brother?"
Jake tried to scoot back from the edge of his chair and pulled back at his collar. "It's all so...female...in here."
"Well, sure. It's a women's health clinic." Sarcasm coated Jenna's words and she rolled her eyes at Jake in the universal look of sisters who thought their brothers were a little crazy.
"But I'm not a woman. I'm not even married to one. This is all new to me."
A brown door next to the small sliding-glass window opened. The midwife looked up from the chart in her hand. "Jake?"
Gloria Garcia Rodriguez's eyes shot white-hot sparks in Jake's direction. "What are you doing here?"
Jenna jumped out of her chair and clutched at Jake's arm.
The sparks in Gloria's eyes intensified.
"Jake, do you know Gloria? She's going to be my new midwife."
"Oh, he knows me," Gloria said flatly. "I'm his girlfriend's sister." The emphasis on girlfriend was unmistakable. She stared at Jenna with disbelief starkly painted across her face. "So, you've orchestrated another surprise for Gracie?"
The words startled Jake. He'd only asked Gracie on an official date last night. But Gloria seemed to have gotten other ideas. And something told him this wasn't the time or place to deny Gloria's suspicions.
"Who is Gracie, Jake?" Jenna looked back and forth between her brother and the midwife. "And since when do you have a girlfriend?"
The silence made Jake feel the heat on both sides, as if he were a slice of bread in a toaster.
Gloria's hazel eyes stared at him intently, daring him to confirm her obvious suspicions about why he was attending a prenatal appointment. Jenna cautiously took a half step back, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Well, I officially asked her out on our first date late last night. With all the other family drama yesterday, I didn't have the chance to tell you."
Gloria gave him a look that would freeze water, then jumped in with the gusto Jake had come to expect from her. "It sounds like you have a lot of explaining to do, Daddy."
"Daddy?" Jenna repeated, then laughed. "You mean Uncle."
Gloria rested the clipboard on her hip. "Hmm?"
"Jenna's my sister, Gloria. I'm here because her husband is away on a business trip. And because I learned from some great people recently what it means to support your family."
Jake could hear Gloria's breath as she finally exhaled fully.
"Bien." She looked at Jake and let a smile slip across her usually measured countenance. "Now come on back and let's take this baby's first photograph."
Jake stayed in the hallway while Gloria did the routine exam on Jenna. When the checkup was finished, she opened the door a crack. "Well, Uncle Jake? Are you ready to come in?"
Gloria bunched Jenna's loose blouse up and tucked in the elastic waistband of her new maternity pants, exposing the tiniest of baby bumps in her lower abdominal area. A computer sat on a stand next to where Jenna lay. Jake assumed that the ultrasound images would be shown on the flat-panel monitor perched on top.
"Are you ready?" Gloria asked Jenna with a warm smile.
Jenna nodded in reply. "Mm-hmm. It's still hard to believe this is all real."
"I do this every day, Jenna, and it never gets old. It's such a privilege to be able to see one of God's creations for the first time, and a few months later, help bring them into the world."
Gloria flipped a switch and then mouse-clicked her way through a few menus on the screen. The dim lighting in the room made Jake feel as if he was in some kind of sacred place. And then he thought about Gloria's words and realized that, in a way, he was.
"Gloria, how did you come to be a midwife?" Jake asked with honest curiosity.
She grabbed a clear bottle filled with blue goop and squeezed it around Jenna's belly. "Honestly, Jake, it's all I've ever wanted to do—since I was a kid. Where Gracie and I come from, there's more of a tradition of midwifery. Especially in the small towns and rural areas."
She moved a small white probe around in little circles and the sound of whoosh-whoosh-whoosh came clearly through the speakers.
Awe struck Jake with a force that made him catch his breath. He could hear the heartbeat of his niece or nephew. It sounded strong. It sounded perfect. It sounded like the rarest of gifts. Jake knew he could never thank Jenna enough for asking him to join her for this moment.
Maybe he'd been wrong all along. Maybe his family did have a lot in common with Gracie's. Just because his parents weren't the kind of parents he'd often wished for didn't mean that the links of love didn't stretch over generations. Already, Jake knew he would do anything for this little creature growing inside Jenna. And Jenna herself. He had a family to be thankful for. This baby had just taught him a very important lesson.
No wonder God chose the same kind of miracle to teach all of humankind.
"So, you never wanted to work in a hospital?" Jenna asked as Gloria took measurements of the baby's head, arms, and legs with repetitive click sounds.
Gloria took her hand off the mouse. "Well, I used to work on the Labor and Delivery floor next door at Provident Medical Center. But after I lost my son and my husband, I had a hard time returning to the hospital. So, I started working here."
Gloria's last name was Rodriguez, not Garcia, so Jake knew she had been married. He'd noticed last night at Huarache's that she wasn't wearing a ring. But he just assumed she had probably gotten divorced. Or maybe she just didn't want masa dough squishing around a diamond.
But he'd never guessed that Gloria had lost her husband. And a child.
No wonder she was so protective of the family members she still had, like Gracie.
"I'm so glad you've been pointing out what everything is up there. I know the round part is the head, but the rest is like Greek to me." Jenna wiggled a little closer to the screen for a better look, then giggled, still staring intently at her baby on the screen.
Gloria punched a few more buttons. "I'll print out the screenshots I've been taking. There are about seven or eight of them. You can take them, so your husband can see baby's first pictures when he gets home."
Jenna beamed. Jake couldn't deny the truth of the old cliché. Pregnant women really did glow.
"Hey, Gloria, can I have a copy, too?" Like Jenna, Jake couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I want to be able to show off the newest member of my family."
Gloria handed a small, shiny square of paper to Jake. He stared at it and began to memorize the features of this tiny little person.
Just twenty-four hours ago, Jake felt his world being pulled out from under him, like sand displaced by a wave. But in this moment, with his sister and Gracie's sister—and the next generation—Jake felt renewed. Like his niece or nephew, he had the opportunity to grow and develop and pursue his dreams, whatever they wound up being.
He buried the old Jake, the son who was never good enough. The new Jake had his whole life ahead of him.
––––––––
In spite of the rain, Gracie slept all night long...and then she overslept.
But even though she was running late, she lay in bed a few minutes more than necessary, stretching. Gracie enjoyed the feeling of refreshment. The grass and trees received what they needed from the heavens last night in the form of rain. She received what she needed from Heaven last night in the form of a reprieve for El Centro.
And Jake's words to her, too. Dating David had left her so unsure of herself. His words and actions had made her self-conscious about who she was and where she'd come from.
She'd met David on her first day as a student at Provident College, when he conducted one of the orientation sessions she attended. She asked a question at the end of the class, and they found themselves talking about aspects of college life.
He'd been so easy to talk to at first. As a graduate student who then got a job in academic advisement at Provident College, he'd initially been so supportive of her education. But then, as it became clear to her that her life's work would involve ESL education, he began to change. David told her she was wasting her time, that she'd need to choose a field that would garner more respect from others.
He said he had a reputation to uphold and she couldn't spend her time with "blue-collar people" if she was serious about a relationship with him because he was committed to moving up in his career of collegiate administration, where they would be surrounded by those with advanced educations. As he became more verbally abusive, Gracie found the only way to make a clean break from the relationship was to leave Provident College.
She started El Centro with no degree or much formal training, just a desire to help and mentor others. And even though she'd heard through the grapevine that David had left Port Provident last year for greener pastures, she still felt that scar on her heart and her self-worth every time she thought about returning to the classroom to complete her own degree—if she ever had the funds to again do so.
She'd assumed that since David's background was more similar to that of Jake's than her own, that Jake would hold the same opinions as the people who made up his world. Certainly, his initial desire to shut down her school did nothing but bolster that theory.
Of course, Gracie now knew Jake was different than she'd initially assumed. Jake's pedigree wasn't quite as advertised and she'd learned that he managed a bankruptcy judgment instead of a trust fund.
But last night, Gracie looked straight into Jake's heart. Titles and money didn't matter. A person with a caring heart and a newfound trust in God could become anything. Today marked the first day of that life for Jake, and Gracie felt so privileged to be a part of it.
She threw her feet over the side of the bed and rose, not wanting to waste another minute of this precious day. She showered quickly and got dressed, then went downstairs to begin setting up for the day's lessons. A full schedule of classes always filled her Saturdays. And on this particular Saturday, she knew thoughts of Jake would fill her mind.
"Miss Gracie?" Juan Calderon stuck his head in the classroom as Gracie pulled workbooks off the bookshelf. "Have you talked to Mr. Jake? My boss said he got fired yesterday afternoon. He was good for the company. I don't want it to be true."
The anxiety written across Juan's face touched Gracie. Jake once told her he wanted to change the bitter corporate culture his own father had built at Peoples Property Group. Juan's concern showed that even in his short tenure, Jake had made a difference in that regard.
"It is, Juan. The board of directors did not confirm him as CEO." Out of respect for Jake, Gracie left it there. God didn't want her to gossip, and she didn't, either. Too many other wagging tongues in a small town would take care of that soon enough.
"That's not good news, Gracie." Juan cast a glance at his brown boots, scuffed by the hard work of supervising landscape crews.
"No, not for Jake, it isn't. But there is a silver lining. El Centro won't be closing now, since they won't be expanding the condo project."
Juan looked up and smiled. "So, you'll still be teaching, Miss Gracie?"
"Absolutely. I'll be here for you, Juan, and all the other students." She carefully laid out the workbooks for those students.
"I'm going to go outside and wait for Pablo before class starts. He was wondering about Mr. Jake, too."
Juan ducked back out of the classroom and Gracie heard the front door quickly open and shut. Before she knew it, the room had filled up. Saturday morning's class was a favorite of Gracie's to teach. The men and women who came had been with Gracie for several years and were her most advanced group. They wanted to own their own businesses—students after Gracie's own heart.
"This is the last class before summer vacation, Gracie. What will we be covering today?" Carolina Sanchez pulled a spiral notebook from her white canvas bag. The corners of the blue cover frayed from use.
Gracie rolled the boxy black overhead projector on its wobbly metal cart to the front of the room. "Business plan basics. It'll be great for all of you to have something to work on during the break."
"Do you have room for one more?" A familiar voice came from just outside the door. Jake occupied her thoughts all morning, but she never imagined she'd see him before their date tonight.
She turned and answered him simply with a smile.
"Since today is our last class before we take a little summer vacation, I thought we would cover the basics of writing a business plan. When we get back together next month, I'll expect you to have completed plans for the businesses you hope to open." She picked the first slide up off the top of the stack but didn't lay it on the projector's glass just yet. "Class, we have a guest today who can provide some great insight."
She gestured at the man who took her breath away every time she stole a glance in his direction. "Jake Peoples has a master of business administration degree from the University of Texas and another degree from the university's law school."
He shook his head like a dog after a run through a sprinkler. "No, Gracie, I don't think so."
Gracie often brought in guest speakers to share their expertise with her advanced classes, but never before had someone with Jake's background been in the audience. It seemed so logical to her that he would share his knowledge with this small and striving group.
"Why not?"
"I think you know why." The words gritted out through Jake's clenched jaw. His eyes took on the same mossy shade as the night before when he'd revealed the unexpected outcome of the board meeting.
She'd meant her words for praise, but Jake heard condemnation. Every time he'd tried to lead a business—first his law firm, then his short stint as CEO of Peoples Property Group—it had not ended well. Gracie didn't want to add to Jake's burden. If anything, she wanted to take it away.
He may not have found the right way to showcase his talent yet, but Gracie knew Jake was a smart man who genuinely cared about the people he served in business. If anything, Jake cared too much. And it was hard to fault someone who cared too much. As far as El Centro was concerned, Gracie knew she was guilty of the same thing. Why else had she panicked when faced with the Maximized Revenue Zones? If serving her students hadn't been at the top of her priority list, she wouldn't have spent every waking hour of the last week trying to think of one way after another to save her school.
Well, every waking hour she wasn't thinking of Jake.
"I understand, Jake. But feel free to chime in whenever you feel like it. I really think the class would benefit from what you've learned over the years." She laid another slide up on the projector, wishing she could make her heart's desire as clear to Jake as the neat rows of small black text on the illuminated screen. "These are tips from the Small Business Administration. You'll need to put together a description of the business, gather your financial data and attach supporting documents, like your personal tax returns and your resume."
Jake raised his hand, like a courteous student. He spoke slowly, as though he'd thought hard before deciding to finally speak. "Gracie, I have some really good templates for balance sheets and cash flow and items like that. Maybe I could set something up for the folks who are interested in learning more."
Relief washed over Gracie. She hadn't completely alienated him with her earlier request. It made her smile to see the highly educated businessman reaching out to help others get a solid start. "That would be great, Jake, since we're almost out of time with today's class. Would anyone be interested in meeting one-on-one with Jake during the break to talk about numbers in greater depth?"
Every hand in the room shot up, then chatter in both Spanish and English filled the small room as the class ended.
"We'll still see you around, Mr. Jake. We'll both be here for your budget class." Pablo said on his way to the door.
"Good. I know you will both go on to do great things. You're both some of the hardest-working men I've ever met."
"Thanks, Mr. Jake." Juan nodded with a shy pride at the compliment. "Maybe we'll see you at church again soon."
Jake winked at Gracie. "I think you'll see me tomorrow."
"I think so, too." Gracie grinned.
El Centro would remain open and she now had a wonderful man who wanted to be part of all the aspects of her life—family, church, school. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
Juan and Pablo said their goodbyes, and Gracie and Jake stood alone in the classroom. "I didn't mean to single you out," she said.
"I know you didn't. That's why I said I'd come back and help out. At the least, Johnny Peoples paid for me to get a very good education. I haven't been able to use it in the ways I thought I would, but as I listened to you teach, I realized that's no reason I can't share the things I know with others."
Jake clasped both her hands in his. She warmed at the simple touch.
"And now, Gracie Garcia, I want to share the rest of my day with you. Are you ready?"
She laughed at his mischievous grin. "Ready for what?"
"A genuine, official date. Go upstairs and grab your bathing suit and some sunscreen and some rubber soled shoes."
"Rubber-soled shoes?" Her mind rolled in somersaults. "What on earth do you have planned?"
"Freedom."
––––––––
With Gracie by his side in the passenger seat, Jake pulled the truck underneath an arch reading "Port Provident Boat Club."
Gracie looked one way and back the other, taking it all in.
"Have you ever been here before?"
She shook her head. "No, I haven't."
"Good, mission number one accomplished. I'm bringing you someplace new." He pulled into a parking space and stopped the car. "Okay, stay right there."
He ran past the tailgate and came around to open her door. Jake knew he wasn't Prince Charming— illegitimate sons never got the keys to the kingdom, as he'd painfully learned this week—but he could still see to it that Gracie was treated like a princess today.
"Madame." He bowed with a flourish worthy of becoming the fourth Musketeer.
Gracie playfully slapped him on the head and laughed. "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking you out on the water for the afternoon." Jake reached behind the passenger seat and grabbed the canvas bag he'd made Gracie pack before they left her house.
He held her hand as they walked down a small pier connecting the floating marina to the parking lot. Their footsteps echoed loudly on the wooden planks as they turned down a narrow passageway covered by an industrial-looking metal roof. Boat slips jutted out on either side as far as the eye could see.
"You have a boat?" Gracie stepped cautiously.
"No. I just happen to know people who do." He guided her around a puddle of water on the walkway. "Bankruptcy court would never have allowed me to keep such a luxury."
Jake stopped three slips before the end of the row. "Here we are."
The boat was a beauty. White hull, blue stripes. It had a cobalt-blue bimini top covering most of the back half of the boat. Named The Getaway Girl, it wasn't the fanciest boat at the Port Provident Boat Club, and the size fell solidly in the midrange of the others moored around it, but it did have a small room and a bathroom down a short flight of stairs located just behind the elevated console.
"Your chariot, Madame." Jake gave another exaggerated bow, then rose and extended his hand.
Gracie reached for it without taking her eyes off the floating beauty in front of her. Chips, sodas and cookies lay arranged under a wire mesh tent atop the small table in the back seating area. A vase filled with two dozen roses of every color—pink, yellow, white and red—sat primly in a short vase wedged securely into a cupholder on the table's corner.
"How did you do all this?" she said as he helped guide her up the small step ladder and onto the deck.
"Well," Jake said, climbing onboard, "let's just say you're not the only one with an awesome sister. This boat belongs to Jenna and her husband. Mitch likes to take it out for overnight fishing trips on weekends. But he's out of town today."
"I've never been on anything like this before, Jake."
"What do you mean?" He crossed to the side of the boat and released the moorings. Walking quickly around the vessel's perimeter, Jake made sure everything was ready to go, even though he knew Jenna had just set up the surprise and would have left The Getaway Girl seaworthy.
"We used to own a little aluminum boat when I was a girl. Papí would take it out fishing, but it didn't even have padding on the seats. This is amazing."
"Not as amazing as the woman I get to spend the afternoon with." Jake climbed up to the console and took a seat behind the wheel. "Come on up. Let's go. You can be my first mate."
He watched her walk toward him, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her delicate face shaded by a hot pink sun visor. A floral-printed bow on her bathing suit was tied around her neck, and she wore a loose cotton cover-up. Gracie might be stunned by the boat, but Jake felt in awe of her.
He'd bestowed the title of first mate on her for the afternoon but had to beat out of his head the thought of her becoming his true first mate for life. A woman like Gracie—strong, determined, full of faith and spirit— didn't deserve a man like him—a man who so far had only demonstrated he couldn't make a success out of anything he tried to do.
Except today. He would be successful at making her smile today.
Jake turned the ignition and the boat rumbled to life. Gracie wrapped her fingers around the edge of the seat. "Are you ready, First Mate Garcia?"
"Aye aye, el capitán."
After an afternoon of cruising around Provident Bay, Jake decided to drop anchor. A few orange streaks began to gather in the sky. The sun would be setting soon. He had one more surprise planned.
"Why don't you go back to the table and grab us each another soda out of the cooler? I'm going to run downstairs for a second."
Taking the stairs two by two, Jake didn't waste any time. He found the box his sister had carefully set in the boat's tiny kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the last few items he needed and ran back upstairs with the box.
"Gracie?"
"Up here."
She turned around and waved at him from the bow of the vessel. The setting sun lit her normally dark hair with highlights, turning it the shade of molten copper. Barefoot, in a halter-top bikini and matching board shorts, Gracie seemed as though she'd been on the water her whole life.
"You look beautiful." The words sounded too simple to describe the true picture she painted.
The corner of her mouth twisted in a half smile. "Thanks."
"You do. I know you said you haven't heard that in a while, but you need to be told that every day— because it's true. Especially right now."
He wanted to make her understand just how much he meant the words, but holding the box interfered with the moment. So, he set it down on the ground and went about executing the rest of his plan.
He had to get this right. One tablecloth, spread out across the deck. Two of those new flameless candles he'd seen advertised on TV. Two of his sister's best crystal stemware pieces. One giant bottle of sparkling water and a lemon twist for each glass. Two plates from his sister's wedding china, along with a pair of matching fabric napkins snug inside pearl-encrusted napkin rings.
He set everything carefully on the heavy silk cloth, challenged somewhat by the constant soft bobbing of the boat on the water.
"What are you doing?" Gracie walked over and knelt beside him.
"Dinner." Jake smiled. In the middle of the bay, it was difficult to pull off a fancy dinner, so he hoped the atmosphere and the china made up for the main course. "BLT submarine sandwiches and potato chips. Nothing but the best for my crew."
She laughed, then stopped. "I couldn't have asked for more. This is amazing."
"Well, there's more." Jake reached in once more and pulled out a plastic container. A dozen green stems peeked above juicy red luxury. "Chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert. Jenna made them herself. Actually, she made all the food."
Jake carefully poured the bubbly water into each champagne flute. "A toast."
Gracie raised her glass.
"To a woman whose faith that all things are possible made an unbearable few days bearable." He clinked his glass lightly against the side of Gracie's. "Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for being you."
"Oh, Jake."
The calm in Jake's heart turned to a little bit of panic at the pause in her words. What was she trying to gather her thoughts to say?
"Thank you for bringing me out and arranging this wonderful day. No one's ever gone to this much trouble for me. When I first met you, I didn't think I could really trust you. I thought you were going to crush all my dreams for my school and never even give a second thought to the damage you were causing. I misjudged you."
Gracie and Jake talked some about that first meeting—not even a week ago—and companionably ate the dinner Jenna had prepared. In typical Jenna fashion, the BLTs were clearly made with love. She'd built each sandwich on fluffy French loaves, spread them with pesto and garnished both with fresh mozzarella cheese. They weren't ordinary BLT sandwiches, and this was no ordinary evening.
Waves lapped against the side of the boat and their sweet sound fit the moment more perfectly than any symphony. "I don't know what I'm going to do next, Gracie. Too many of my dreams have been lost this last year. I placed my trust in a client who lied to me and cost me my business and more. I tried to earn back the trust of the board of directors at my family's company, only to find out I couldn't give them the only thing that mattered to them—DNA—and I didn't even know it."
Jake paused, looking around, and then focusing back on Gracie with intensity. "I don't think I told you that I'm going to be an uncle—Jenna's expecting—and the more I think about what having another generation means in my life, the more I want to make sure I get things right. I went with Jenna to her prenatal checkup today—she's a patient of Gloria's, believe it or not—and I got to hear the heartbeat of the next member of my family. Then I came to your school and talked with your students. It's all made me realize I enjoy connecting with people the most. I may not have been the most successful attorney during my time in Austin, but I allowed myself to believe my client's false story simply because I wanted to help others. I still do."
Gracie wiped her hands after finishing her last bite of BLT. "I know you'll find something that suits you. Maybe you could teach business classes at the college? I had to leave my studies there because of...personal reasons...but I've always hoped I could finish my teaching degree so I can continue to help others."
"I have to find a job sooner rather than later. I do have a settlement I have to pay as part of the bankruptcy." He paused. "Seeing the enthusiasm of your students today made me realize that whatever I do, I need to do something that touches individual lives."
Her smile gave him strength as he began turning this new corner in life. "Are you ready to pull up anchor? I want to head back for the marina before it gets dark. If anything happens to the boat, Mitch might not forgive me. And I'll be picking you up bright and early for church tomorrow."
"Yes. Let's get everything cleaned up." Gracie shook the bread and chip crumbs from both plates overboard. Not much else was left—they'd eaten every scrumptious bite. Carefully, she laid the delicate plates and glasses back in the box.
A few minutes later, Jake joined Gracie at the bow. She stood silently, taking one last look at the splashes of orange and yellow in the sky. Jake slipped an arm around her waist, grateful for the moment.
He turned and looked Gracie in the eye. Her gaze reminded him of a chocolate lava cake he'd once had at a fancy restaurant—sweetness on the outside and warm pudding on the inside.
It was a wordless moment, and she seemed to be searching him as much as he was searching her. He knew what he was looking for—and needed to know if she felt the same way.
Carefully, he pulled her close.
Suddenly, he could no longer see the chocolate in her eyes, but could taste the sweetness in her kiss. She didn't pull back and Jake made the moment last a little longer, enjoying the feel of the breeze, the sway of the water and the tenderness of the woman in his arms. He felt stirred to the soul.
When the kiss ended, they stood in a companionable silence, Gracie's head resting on Jake's shoulder as they gazed at the sky with its deep gold and orange streaks that cut through the clouds and shimmered on the water.
He couldn't feel much certainty in his life right now, but he knew he'd never question or regret this moment.
Gracie turned toward Jake and broke the silence. "Did you ever hear back from Councilman Porter?"
He couldn't decide if the burnished sky or her copper highlights shone with more fire. "No, I didn't. But I told him not to call unless there was a problem. So, it looks like everything's taken care of for Monday's meeting."
"Good. That's the icing on the cake of a perfect weekend." She smiled with a brightness that put the setting sun to shame.
"And the weekend's not over yet."
"What do you mean?" Gracie looked at him with genuine interest. It felt good to know she didn't want the moment to end, either.
"Have you ever been to Summer Street Fest downtown? It's tonight."
Gracie shook her head. "No, I haven't. Usually when there's a festival like that in town, the crowds at Huarache's are pretty strong, so I wind up helping out with a couple of shifts at the restaurant."
As Jake intertwined his fingers with Gracie's, he noticed that her hands—like everything else about her— were soft. He loved that Gracie wasn't jaded. She still saw the sparkle of sunshine in life.
"I haven't been there in years," Jake said. "But I can't think of anyone I'd rather go back with."
He squeezed her soft palm once, then twice. She returned the gesture and the electric frisson that shot through him caught Jake by surprise.
He couldn't deny it. He'd fallen for Gracie.
––––––––
After a few hours at Summer Street Fest, eating ice cream and window shopping in all the stores downtown, Jake walked Gracie to her front door. "Sweet dreams. I'll see you in the morning. I'll be here about forty-five minutes before church starts so we'll have time to pick up doughnuts or a breakfast burrito on the way."
"That sounds great. Thank you for such a wonderful day, Jake. I'll never forget it."
She unlocked the door and stepped inside. He waited on the porch long enough to hear Gracie turn the lock and see the hall light come on.
Satisfied that she was safely inside, Jake climbed in the truck and turned toward home. One of his favorite songs, a Creedence Clearwater Revival classic, came on the radio. Jake rolled down the window and let the sea breeze blow through his hair.
His whole world had come crashing down during the last twenty-four hours, and yet he felt like celebrating.
Time with Gracie changed his whole outlook on life. The cell phone he'd casually tossed in the car's cupholder earlier started to ring. He almost didn't want to answer it because he was having so much fun singing.
But it might be Gracie and he didn't want to miss hearing her voice one more time tonight. "Hello?"
"Jake, it's Jenna." Her voice quivered.
"Everything went great today—thank you again for all the help. The boat's safe and sound. Don't be so worried."
He laughed at his sister panicking over her husband's pride and joy.
"I'm not calling about the boat, Jake. It's Nana. She's had a heart attack. You need to get to Provident Medical Center right now."
