Chapter Sixteen
Over the following weeks, things for Marcus and Gracie progressed even more. When Gracie found out that Michelle had switched her class for Kendra’s, she knew Marcus was for real. She felt bad about having come between Michelle and Marcus. But Marcus had said that they were not a couple, and she had no reason not to believe him.
Walking through the entrance to Marcus’s house, Gracie was exhausted. She had taken the latter part of the day off to meet with Dillian’s sister, talking about his whereabouts.
“Thanks for inviting me to dinner. I am too tired to move a muscle,” Gracie told him.
“No problem. I figured you had enough on your plate right now between choosing a site and Dillian.”
Conversation skills alone put Marcus above the rest. Most men that Gracie had come in contact with were never able to talk about the other men in her life, let alone someone she had planned on marrying. Gracie could see that Marcus was a changed man. Not only in how he talked, but also in how he acted and how he had let God into his life. It made her proud to know that he had given his life over to God and hadn’t looked back. If there was one thing a man had to have in order to be her partner for life, it was to have a relationship with The Most High.
“So did you two have any luck?” Marcus asked. “How’s your search going?”
“Oh, it’s going,” Gracie slid her words out in a comical way. “Nowhere that is. I just think I need to leave it alone. If he cared or really wanted me to know—well, us to know—he would have talked with someone.”
“Do you think he could have been in trouble or something? Needed money?” Marcus asked with concern in his voice.
“I seriously doubt that. He was just about to purchase a boat! It was one of the reasons we started arguing in the first place. I think.” She was no longer sure about that detour in her and Dillian’s relationship.
“Oh.”
The subject was still rather sour for Gracie, even though she knew she would get through it better if she talked about it. She just needed more time. Even though Marcus had lent his ear and was all too ready to give her a chance to vent, Gracie didn’t want to run him away, so she eased the conversation in a different direction.
Later, as the two moved from the dining room into the living area, the silkiness of Marcus’s sofa and her comfort around him put her so at ease that Gracie fell asleep in mid-sentence. Half an hour later, she awakened, finding Marcus staring down at her in amusement.
“Oh, you’re up now?” he asked, before laughing.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She blushed when she realized her head rested in his lap. “You should have pinched me.”
“No.” He stroked her hair. “You obviously needed the rest.”
Marcus lowered his head in an attempt to kiss Gracie’s forehead. Without a second thought, she slid up so that their lips met. Although it wasn’t the first time they had kissed since their chance meeting, it was the most intimate. The kiss wasn’t lustful, but warm and tasteful. It was just right. It made them feel as if the kiss was long overdue.
Their harmless embrace progressed into a passionate longing. However, when their eyes opened at the exact same time, they mutually agreed that their passion needed to be halted before anything further took place.
“I’d better get up and get out of here,” Gracie said. She sat up and stretched, trying to get her thoughts together.
“Yeah, it’s getting pretty late.” Marcus tried to avoid looking at Gracie for fear that she could see how much he wanted her. “You’re welcome to take some leftovers for lunch tomorrow if you’d like.” Marcus felt the heat from his pants leave. The space where Gracie had laid her head had cooled, triggering him to get up from his seat.
“That’ll be great!” Gracie said with way too much enthusiasm.
She picked up her pager that sat beside her purse on the coffee table. There was a message from Kendra.
“Darn it!”
“What is it?” Marcus asked with a raised voice as he plastic-wrapped a lunch plate for Gracie.
“Kendra just text messaged me and said she won’t be in tomorrow, again.”
“What’s wrong with her, yo?”
Sharing a laugh with Marcus as he mocked Kendra’s east-coast-wanna-be slang, Gracie answered. “She’s been sick with a cold or something for about two weeks. I told her it was nothing but pregnancy, but she threatened me, saying I’m trying to jinx her.”
The shared laugh took her mind off of having to get up early to find a substitute for Kendra’s class.
As she prepared to leave, Gracie thought back on her evening with Marcus. She couldn’t understand how she was happy yet sad, all at the same time. She couldn’t get too excited about Marcus, especially as she sought closure with Dillian. It definitely wasn’t that she doubted that Marcus could be a good man, she just couldn’t move forward with the thought of Dillian turning out not to be her “good” man.
Guilt filled her and she made a B line to the door.
“What’s wrong? Is there something on your mind?”
“Uh. No, I’m good. I just better get out of here. Call me in the morning, okay?”
“And you know I will. Make sure you call me when you make it in the house.” He walked Gracie to her car in the cool of the night. They finished the night with a kiss and parted ways.