Finding Grace: A Novel (32 page)

“
So…The boss says you play.
Is that right?”

She nodded, feeling a bit shy. “A
little.”

“
Would you play for
us?”

She opened her mouth to protest…but before
she could speak, the men all gathered around, encouraging her to
perform for them. Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. But
when they asked her repeatedly to play, she felt it wouldn’t be
right to turn them down.

With their eager eyes watching, she played
the first piece she could think of…one of Chopin’s most famous
nocturnes. Her fingers flew through it much faster than she wanted
them to. But when she was done, the applause they gave her made her
feel as if she’d given the best performance of her life. She
thanked them, and started to leave the piano bench, thinking she
had remained too long. But Thomas urged her to stay where she was.
He sat down beside her.

“
You have a real gift, Miss
Grace. And lovely piano hands, I might add. But have you ever
played Jazz?”

She shook her head, and he smiled.

“
Well then, let
these
hands show you what
they can do.”

He began to play, and the moment she heard
the infectious melody, she was captivated by it. He spoke as he
played, punctuating his words with rhythmic movements of his
fingers on the keys.

“
Jazz is a feeling. It’s a
frame of mind…a state of being. It comes from deep down in the
soul. It radiates out through the fingers, almost like they’re
under a magic spell.”

Toby came hurrying to her side, an eager
smile on his face. “It works with the feet, too.” He took her hand,
pulling her away from the bench. “Come on. I’ll show you what I
mean.”

As quick as he moved, it was difficult to
put up much of an argument. And he was so eager, so full of energy,
she found that she had little will to resist him. He led her up on
the stage, pulling over a chair for her to sit on. He smiled at
her, straightening his tie as if preparing himself.

“
Let me show you how it’s
done,” he said. “Observe the wonder that is me in
action.”

She sat there watching as he took several
steps back. He cued the band to play a tune. And then he danced,
moving with athletic grace like nothing she’d ever seen before. His
feet moved so fast she could hardly believe her eyes. And when he
finished, he went down on one knee in a flourish…kneeling right
before her. She was awestruck, her voice almost a whisper.

“
That was amazing. How do
you do that?”

He grinned, clearly pleased with himself.
“Natural born talent,” he replied.

She smiled. He certainly wasn’t shy, that
was plain to see. Neither was he modest about his talent. And yet,
as confident as he was, he wasn’t the least bit offensive. Under
his bravado there was an underlying sweetness that shined through,
and she couldn’t help being impressed by him. She liked him very
much, as she found she liked everyone she’d met. They were such a
close knit group, and so friendly, even to her. They didn’t know
her, and yet they’d welcomed her as if she was one of their own. It
made her forget the doubts she’d had just a little while ago.

It made her want to be one of them.

* * * * *

After settling some small matters with his
bookkeeper, Henry went out in the hall to listen to the music
coming from down below…and to see how Grace was getting along.
Leaning his hands on the railing, watching her as she sat in her
chair on the stage, he was quite surprised at what he saw.

She smiled. She laughed. The light of joy
shined in her every movement. How beautiful she was when she was
happy…and seeing it, he was stung with envy.

Why can’t she be that way
with me
? He wondered.

She’d known his employees less than half a
day. And yet, she smiled and talked to them so freely, particularly
with Toby. With growing unease, he watched the two of them onstage.
Toby danced for her, showing off the way he always did with pretty
girls, especially new ones. But there was something about him
showing off for her…and her obvious enjoyment of it…that made his
temper rise.

Toby was just a boy,
nineteen years old, with a baby face and a head of ridiculous curly
hair. What was so damned special about him? He could sing and
dance, but so what? And as for Toby himself, why did he have to
chase after
her
?
He’d always been a notorious rascal, flirting with and charming all
the women in the place. But why couldn’t he leave this one girl
alone?

Surely she wasn’t so unwise as to be fooled
by such a display. She was bright… intelligent. Could she really be
moved by such false flirtations? He didn’t want to believe she
would fall for such an act…and yet, there she was, clearly taken in
by it all.

He stood up straight, his fists clenched at
his sides. Who did they think they were, fooling around as if they
were mingling at a party? They worked for him. This wasn’t
playtime…and maybe they needed a reminder of just who was running
this show.

* * * * *

She was having a ball. The music was
delightful, but the company was even better. Toby wasn’t just a
great dancer and a sweet-natured soul. He was quite possibly the
funniest person she’d ever met. He told the most awful jokes, but
the way he told them, she couldn’t help but laugh. He had a great
gift for mimicry, doing spot on impressions of Thomas and other
members of the band. But when he started to do an impression of
Henry, she found herself covering her mouth, feeling a bit ashamed
for finding it rather funny. She was actually quite relived when
Henry suddenly appeared. Like a no nonsense teacher, coming into a
room full of rowdy students, he commanded instant attention.

“
Are we on a break, people?
I’m paying you to work, not to sit around. Get to it before I bust
some heads.”

Everyone scrambled to get back to business.
Unsure of what to do, she went to stand beside Thomas at the piano.
Feeling he was the best person to inquire after, she started to ask
him what she should be doing. But before she could say anything,
Henry came over with several sheets of paper, handing them to
her.

“
These are lyrics,” he said.
“They’re the songs you’ll need to learn for the show. Thomas will
teach you the words, the rhythms. Singing jazz isn’t what you’re
used to. It has a very different feel. Very unique. So you’d better
get to work on it right away.”

Looking down at the papers in her hand, she
was overcome with sudden apprehension. Thinking of who she was
replacing…knowing what Victoria would have thought of her for
it…she wondered if she’d made a mistake in coming here. She sighed
sadly.

"I feel awful," she said, turning to Thomas.
"I feel like I'm stepping in someone else's shoes while they're
still wearing them."

He just smiled kindly. “She’s in California,
doing what she wanted to do. She left us in the lurch, and if you
don't take her place, someone else will. Out with the old, in with
the new."

She frowned at that. “That seems kind of
cold.”

Henry shrugged. “That’s this business. And
by the way, you’ll only have about two weeks to be ready. I hate to
rush you, but I can’t keep my patrons in limbo. Like they say, the
show must go on.”

She sat down on the bench, her shoulders
slumping at the daunting task before her.

“
Two weeks,” she said. “I
don’t know if I can do this.”

He came to stand close to her. She slowly
looked up, and saw him smirk. He shook his head.

"Don't be so insecure. It doesn't suit you.
You’re capable of a lot, you know. You just don’t give yourself
enough credit.”

The warmth of his compliment touched her…and
as she watched him turn away, a smile slowly crept across her face.
With just a few words, he’d eased her nervousness. How did he do
it? What magic did he possess, to sweep away her doubts the way he
did?

She watched him as he walked along the front
of the stage. He was talking to one of his directors, reviewing a
paper in his hand. There was something so beautiful about him. The
way he moved, the way he stood…especially in profile. His presence
alone was enough to render her speechless. As she had so often, she
wondered how she could keep her senses being around him.

Henry Shaw,
she thought
. If you only
knew the power you have over me
.
You’d never let me live it down.

* * * * *

After such a great day in their company, she
was sad at the thought of leaving. She watched Toby as he cleaned
his trumpet and put it in its case, preparing to leave for the
night. He turned to her with a sweet smile.

“
What are you doing for
dinner tonight?” he asked. “If you’re hungry, maybe you and I can
grab a bite.”

She blushed, both honored and stunned at his
asking. He was, after all, still just a stranger to her. And yet,
part of her wanted to accept the invitation. She liked him very
much. But she regretfully declined his offer.

“
I’m sorry,” she said. “I
can’t go. My brother and sister-in-law are taking me out
tonight.”

He shrugged. “Maybe tomorrow night.”

She smiled shyly. She didn’t want to hurt
his feelings, but she shook her head.

“
No thank you. I don’t think
my brother would like it. He’s a little bit protective.” At first
she was a little worried how he would react. She wondered if he
might get mad, but he didn’t. He was kind about it, smiling as he
teased her.

“
Have a good time then, for
me. I’ll be at home, broken hearted that I wasn’t
invited.”

She laughed, saying goodbye to him as he
left with the others.

She did not see Henry, who had been standing
nearby the entire time. When she turned around, she was surprised
to find him there, looking at her with a rather dark
expression.

“
Is something wrong?” she
asked.

There was a long pause before he answered.
“Nothing.” He turned away for a moment. Then he turned back. “Do
you need a ride home?”

She shook her head, a little nervous quiver
fluttering in her belly. The feelings she had were so very
confusing. She feared being alone with him. And yet, if he had only
insisted a little harder about taking her home, she might actually
have gone. But she remembered her plans with Jack and Alice.

“
My brother and Alice are
meeting me here. Matter of fact, they’re probably waiting for me
right now.”

From the back of the room, there came a
familiar voice calling. She turned to find Jack waiting.

“
Sis, are you ready to
go?”

She looked back to Henry for a moment, and
saw him walking away. Why did she feel as if she were abandoning
him? She could have sworn that just before he turned away, she saw
a hint of disappointment in his face. For some reason, it pained
her to think that her refusal might have hurt his feelings. She
wanted to go to him, to ask if he was all right. But she knew she
couldn’t. He wouldn’t have admitted to having his feelings hurt,
even if they were. So she turned to Jack and made her way towards
him. As she neared him, she heard Henry’s voice behind her.

“
Tomorrow, at
noon?”

She turned to him, nodding her head. He
nodded back, and disappeared from sight.

* * * * *

In his office, Henry tried to distract
himself by picking up papers and studying them, but he found it
useless. His mind was too full of other matters. He tossed the
papers aside as he sat down in his chair, letting out a deep
sigh.

His hopes had been high at the start of the
day. Then his plan had backfired on him. He’d brought her here,
wanting her close so he might interact with her, even if it was
only on a professional level. But he’d also hoped that by being her
boss, she would depend on him in some way…and maybe in time, her
dependence on him would grow into closeness.

He couldn’t have imagined how she would
blossom so suddenly. He wouldn’t have thought that others, men in
particular, would be as enchanted by her as he was…and that she
would be so charmed in return.

How the hell could he have known that
someone would ask her out on a date? And worse, she might have
accepted, if it weren’t for having a prior engagement. In truth,
he’d been quite fearful that she would accept the invitation…and
even after he’d heard her decline, the fang of envy still bit him
hard.

It had been so long since he’d been envious
of any man, and he’d forgotten how bad it could be. The sting of it
made him want to smash something with his fist.

He shook his head at his musings, wondering
just when he’d become such a hopeless fool. He rose from his chair
and left the office, walking down the hall and down the stairs
toward the front doors. He needed to think and clear his head, and
he was glad his important matters had been settled for the day. Any
other small things could wait until tomorrow. Quickly he locked up
the place, and took a slow walk towards the El-Train.

He wasn’t quite certain what he would do
about her. Not yet, anyway. It would come to him in time. But
between now and then, he didn’t intend for her to be swayed by
someone else. He couldn’t have everything his way, but he was still
the boss. He had authority, and he damn well intended to use
it…even it was to his own advantage.

Chapter 17

“
New Heights”