Aging with Gracie (21 page)

Although Grace nodded, she watched Elinor with concern. She’d never seen the woman so serious.

“One day, a new doctor came onboard. He was very handsome, and I was immediately smitten. Before long, though, I realized that his heart was just as wonderful as I found his features to be.” She smiled in remembrance. “From place to place, we worked tirelessly together, and eventually, we fell in love.”

“Oh, Ellie, that sounds so romantic,” Grace said.

“It was, dear,” Elinor nodded her head. “A month after meeting, we were married by the ship’s captain. Two months later, I discovered I was pregnant. We were overjoyed. Tom immediately began making arrangements for our arrival back in the states. He had simply taken a sabbatical from his surgical practice in order to go on the mission, so he would be able to return to that. He was from Nashville, so I wouldn’t be too far from my family. It seemed that everything was working out perfectly.”

She stopped then, and Grace noticed that her hands were shaking. She gathered the woman’s thin, pale hands in her own and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“You don’t have to go on, Ellie,” Grace told her.

“As a friend, I’d like for you to know, dear,” Elinor explained. “Anyway, when I was almost eight months pregnant, we arrived in Miami. We were on our way home when it happened. Just outside of Atlanta, we had a terrible accident. Tom was killed instantly, and I was badly injured.”

“The baby?” Grace asked before she could stop herself.

“Everyone thought she was fine, but a week later, I lost her too. The doctor told me that I would never be able to have any other children.”

Grace felt the tears spilling onto her cheeks. Elinor, having dealt with the disaster over and over again through the years, was visibly shaken, but more stoic.

“I was in bad shape, mentally and physically,” she told Grace. “Mari and Theo brought me home with them and took care of me. I simply wanted to die. They had to force me to live again. But here’s the thing, Grace,” Elinor handed her an exquisitely embroidered handkerchief, and Grace dabbed at her eyes. “I made it through that tragedy, and now, as I look back at everything, I am so thankful that God gave me the opportunity to experience true love. It is such a gift, Grace.”

“But you never remarried,” Grace commented. “Were you never able to overcome your grief?”

“In a way,” she nodded. “But I also found that my heart could be full again despite losing the two most important people in my life. I couldn’t go back to nursing. That pain was too great, but I inherited a sizeable amount from Tom’s estate, so I didn’t have to worry about money. I began working for Theo at the insurance agency, and I purchased the house next door to Theo and Mari. I was able to see their children and grandchildren grow up, too. Of course, I was the favorite ‘Auntie.’” she smiled.

“Of course,” Grace agreed. “I could imagine nothing less from you.”

“Well, that was our predictable, but satisfactory life until Theo had to come here. Mari couldn’t let him come here alone, and I couldn’t let her move without me, so we all moved in. I have to say, it was pretty bad with that old Watson fellow. We almost moved back, but Theo really needed the extra services like Occupational Therapy and all that, so we stayed. Thank God that He sent you to us!”

“Thank God that He sent all of you to me.” Grace stood up from her chair and stepped around the table to give the older woman a hug. “I think that He’s been doing so much more here than any of us could have imagined.”

“It’s grace, dear,” Elinor told her. “We certainly haven’t deserved His goodness, but thankfully, He gives it freely.”

Grace nodded.

“That’s what true love is like, too, Grace,” Elinor told her. “It’s free. We don’t deserve it, but God allows us to experience that wonderful emotion with someone special. I had it with Tom, and I think that you could have it with Jack.”

“I think so, too, Ellie,” Grace smiled. “Thank you for sharing your story with me. I will always treasure it.”

“And a treasure it was,” Elinor sighed. “You will have that kind of treasure, too. Just rely on God to guide you. You might not realize it, but God is capable of giving each of us a unique and special kind of joy. I’ll just have to pray that he gets on the ball with you and that fellow of yours.”

Grace laughed. True to form, Elinor was back to her quirky self. Grace gave the busybody another hug.

“You just do that, Ellie,” Grace laughed. “I’m sure God will get right on your request.”

“You just wait, Grace. You’ll see.”

Grace only hoped that God would allow things to work out with Jack. How amazing it would be to have a love, a treasure, like Ellie had described. It would be a true gift, and knowing the story of Elinor’s past, would make her treasure her own love for Jack even more.

Please God. Please give me that gift. Please let Jack love me
, she prayed silently as she and Elinor finished their soothing pot of tea.

Chapter Eleven

A Lady Named Susan

The day of the Open House finally dawned, and Grace had been bustling around since the early morning hours overseeing every last detail. Presently, she was precariously perched at the top of a ladder, one bare foot on the top rung, the other foot barely grazing the back curve of a freshly upholstered Queen Anne chair that had been delivered the day before.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a woman enter the foyer. She didn’t have a clear view of the visitor, just a glimpse of nauseatingly straight, honey blonde hair. Before Grace had even had a chance to see the rest of the package, she had ascertained that the woman was trouble. She felt it from the roots of her wavy, dull brown hair to the tips of her cute red toes.

She glanced toward her toes and groaned, noticing that one of them was not quite a cute as she’d thought. As a matter of fact, it was a horrible-looking, dark shade of purple. The combination of red polish and purple skin was not the best, and she had Lola to blame.

The older woman’s arthritis had gotten so bad over the past few weeks that she’d been using a walker instead of her gold-tipped cane. Unfortunately, she had accidentally planted one of the walker’s tennis-ball-covered front legs onto Grace’s toe. It had been two days ago, but the toe was still so sore that Grace could barely touch it...hence, the bare feet.

What made the injury even more tragic was the possibility that Grace wouldn’t get to wear her strappy new stiletto sandals for the party. Months ago, she’d promised Jack the she would shock him with some fancy footwear. Now, she would probably end up wearing a pair of orthopedic flip flops instead.

The residents, particularly the women, were convinced that her toe was broken, but Grace had refused to have an X-ray. Her previous visit to the Emergency Room had been bad enough of a trial, and ever since then, she had personally boycotted the place. Furthermore, Jack had given her such a tireless speech about broken toes and tape and grinning and bearing it that she had done just that.

Well, maybe I hadn’t grinned
, Grace thought to herself.
But I had at least stopped sniffling.

Grace’s eyes went to the entrance again. The visitor’s expensive-looking, red wool coat flapped a warning as she sashayed through the oversized doorway of the main living room and began pulling off a pair of black leather gloves.

“You there,” she said in a haughty voice as she flipped an errant lock of hair over her shoulder with practiced ease. “Are you the maid?”

Grace tightened her fingers around the blown glass star she’d intended for the top of the room’s ten-foot-tall tree and fought the urge to let loose with her best “
You talkin’ to me
?”
impression.

Instead, she realized how close she was coming to needing another visit to the E.R. Knowing that she would never be able to tolerate getting stitches in her hand, she loosened her grip on the delicate ornament. She did not, however, climb down from her lofty height in order to execute the curtsey the woman seemed to expect.

“May I help you with something?” Although she knew that the woman would not appreciate the effort it took, Grace managed to paste a smile on her face. After all, she could be the family member of a potential customer.

“No, I’m not sure you
can
help me.” The blonde patted her palm with the gloves in an irritating rhythm. “I’m looking for someone.”

Grace brightened a little. The woman couldn’t be too bad if she was visiting a resident in weather like they were having today. It was freezing outside. The woman wasn’t familiar to Grace, but that didn’t mean anything. Many of the residents had family members who lived out of state, and several of them had phoned to say that they would be visiting for the holidays.

“Do you have a relative here?”

“Of course not.” She arched a perfectly shaped, subtly shadowed brow.

She might as well have said “as if.” Grace would have received it better. It was certainly better than the snobbish, sophisticated act this woman was doling out. Grace moved to speak, but the woman interrupted her.

“You think that I would actually descend to this level?” the woman asked. “This place is appalling.”

“Excuse me?” Grace grabbed the sides of the ladder with white knuckles and glared at the woman.

“The thought of living in a place like this,” the woman droned on as she waved a manicured hand through the air. “After all, there are other perfectly acceptable options available for old people. Honestly! In my opinion, estate planners are falling down on their jobs. Completely missing out on a major market.”

Grace raised her brows in question as the woman continued her spiel.

“They should offer families package deals to somewhere like
Alaska
when a family member gets old.”

“Are you saying that we should just haul our family members into the Arctic and leave them on the side of the Iditarod Trail?” Grace asked in disbelief. “
Lady
, I have no idea who you are, but there is something seriously wrong with you.”

“And just who are you to get all philosophical and ethical on me.” The woman rolled her eyes and tossed her shiny hair over her shoulder. “Really! It’s not a hard concept to grasp. It may have been the only thing I learned in my college Anthropology class, but it certainly stuck with me. For years now, scientists have been spouting off about that “survival of the fittest” concept. Anyway, what’s the point of shelling out millions of dollars on old people. Of course,” she asserted as she glanced around, “All of those
old people
pay your salary, don’t they?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Grace conceded. “That still doesn’t alter the fact that you are certifiably
insane
!”

Grace was typically not so forthright, nor so tactless, but the woman seemed to be such a cold-hearted witch that Grace had responded before she could tame her tongue. It was bad enough that she looked like a runway model. That was simply the first strike against her! But for her to harbor such negative opinions about a group of people that Grace had come to love and respect...well, that was simply the last straw!

“And you, young lady, should show more respect for you betters.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Grace could not believe the nerve of the woman.

“Of course not!” She tossed her head again, and Grace saw a flash of diamonds at her ears. “If you knew who you were talking to...”

“I
would
?” Grace was beginning to enjoy the banter. She’d sparred with the best, primarily Jack, over the past few months, and she was practically a professional now.

“You would hop down from that ridiculous ladder and offer me some assistance. I told you before that I’m looking for someone.”

“
Someone
? I don’t believe we have anyone by that name here.” Grace wondered aloud. “Are you planning on me reading your mind?”

She recalled a verse from Proverbs about a soft tongue breaking bones. It was one of Marianne’s favorites. Of course, Grace knew that her temperament was decidedly less restrained than that of her older friend. Regardless, she recognized that her smart mouth was about to cause even more trouble. Grace decided she’d better try and use a little more tact before she said something she would regret.

“I’ve come to surprise my fiancé.”

Before Grace had a chance to comment, she heard a familiar voice calling her name from down the hall.

“Gracie!”

Jack. Thank God
!

Despite the fact that he’d caught her red-handed doing something he’d specifically forbidden her to tackle, she turned toward the hall entryway with a smile. His face was fixed in a resigned frown, and she knew that he’d seen her up on the ladder from his position in the hallway. She was in trouble now. He had specifically restricted her from all climbing activities just an hour before.

She glanced at the beautifully decorated tree and knew that it would not be a good enough excuse to get her out of trouble. She grinned to herself as her lips tingled at the thought of the ways he would punish her.

His face was dark as he entered the room.

“What in the blazes are you doing up there?” His footsteps echoed throughout the room as he stomped across the hardwood floors. He stopped right below her and grasped her leg. “Are you looking to kill yourself?”

“I couldn’t reach,” she started to explain, but she recognized from the crease on his forehead that there was no chance that he was buying her explanation.

She tried to blame his attitude on the construction worker in him...the crew chief always looking out for the safety of his team...but, in her heart, she knew the real reason. He was simply concerned for her welfare. She felt a rush of guilt that she had worried him.

Jack ran the fingers of his right hand up her leg and rested his hand under the curve of her hip. He was wearing a pair of thick, yellow suede work gloves, and they scraped against her jeans. Grace almost took a nosedive from her place on the ladder at the sensation.