Finding Gracie's Rainbow (17 page)

“
Better late than never,”
he mumbled when he noticed the headache start to form in her eyes.
He started to massage her temples as he still stood where she
sat.

“
You really don’t need to
do that.” Gracie told him as she took a bottle of Excedrin out of
her purse.

“
Yes, I do.” Jackson felt
the tension as she sat there. “Try to relax and close your eyes
like a good girl.”

Annie smiled as she walked
over to the couch to sit down with the children.

“
You can stop now.” Gracie
opened her eyes as she started to listen to the next message. “I
need to finish this.” She pointed over to the couch and watched as
he walked away pretending to pout. “I need to change my number.”
She mumbled to herself after she listened to the next message.
Looking up from the paper she had been writing on, Jackson noticed
that her eyes were angry. “Would you like to listen to this one
before I erase it?” She didn't place the phone on speaker this time
as she handed the phone to Jackson.

After listening to the
message, Jackson stood feeling very angry as he looked at Gracie.
“Could he have gone into more explicit detail about what he wants
to do to you?”

“
I think that would be
considered Rated X.” Gracie took the phone from him. “I need to. .
.”

“
Go on another walk.”
Jackson finished for her. “Do you want company?” He watched as she
shook her head no. “I shouldn’t have asked. After listening to
that, I need to go on a walk.”

Gracie looked over at Annie
as she shooed them away. “Go ahead, you two, I'm enjoying this
lovely movie.”

They walked out the front
door, and Gracie could feel the tension in her neck and shoulders.
Jackson watched her as they walked past Kim’s house.

“
I can't believe it.”
Gracie finally broke the silence as she tried to relax.

Jackson couldn’t believe it
either, but he didn't want to say anything yet. He learned when
Gracie had been younger that she needed to say everything before
one spoke.

“
The graphics would make a
great novel.” Gracie frowned as she looked over at Jackson. “Can a
person actually do all the stuff he mentioned?”

Jackson nodded to her
question as they continued to walk.

“
That’s very reassuring,”
Gracie caught back up to him as they passed her house. “I would be
lying if I said that I wasn’t scared.”

“
And I wouldn’t believe
you if you said it.” Jackson was trying to figure out a solution
for her problem. “It’s too bad we don’t have a photo to show the
security officers.”

“
I can describe him.”
Gracie offered as they continued to walk. She smiled as Jackson
looked at her sideways. “He was cute.” Gracie admitted to him. “And
I'm one for remembering details.” She waved as she saw Kim watching
them. “Detour.”

“
I’m not done walking
yet.” Jackson frowned at Gracie when she looked at him.

“
Why?” Gracie was feeling
better but could see that he was still troubled.

“
Because all I'm seeing
right now is a motion picture of some guy I haven’t met doing
unmentionables to you.” Jackson looked at her seriously. “You
better go so she doesn’t get upset with you.”

“
Jackson?” Gracie called
before he walked another step. “You know that I wouldn't let him do
that- don’t you?”

“
Willingly, but you heard
the same story I did from Robert this afternoon.” Jackson started
to walk away as Gracie watched him.

“
Way to make me feel
better, chump.” She thought to herself before she walked over to
her sister. Kim and Gracie both watched as Jackson walked up the
court.

“
What’s going on, Gracie?”
Kim turned her attention to her sister.

“
We just had another
development.” Gracie told her about Dallas calling and leaving
messages on her cell phone. “I’m not too hard to find thanks to
Google.” Gracie hugged her. “You’re going to be late for
church.”

“
You aren't coming
tonight?” Kim watched as Jackson started walking back up the court
towards her house.

“
I still have company. I’m
just being a bad hostess.” Gracie walked to the end of the driveway
as Jackson stood there waiting for her. He waved at Kim before
walking back down to Gracie’s house. “I'm sure that Annie has a
picture of him in that file she has.” She mentioned when Jackson
remained silent.

He stopped and looked at
her in amazement. “I didn’t think about that.”

“
I told you I’m a stickler
for details. I just needed a minute to think.” Gracie started
walking again as she talked.

After going into the house,
Gracie sent the children outside as she and Jackson talked to
Annie. Annie had the file in her purse and took it out to search
for a photo. She pulled out the picture and handed it to Jackson.
“He looks sort of like Mark.” Jackson mumbled as he studied
it.

“
He does?” Gracie glanced
at it and sat down on the couch. “Tell me that isn't the reason
that I decided I like him.”

“
I hope not.” Jackson
looked over at his cousin after answering Gracie. “Is there
anywhere we can make a copy of this?”

Annie was thinking before
Gracie informed them that her printer was a scanner and copier.
They made a copy of the picture, and Gracie placed it in her
briefcase to take with her to work in the morning. She looked up at
Jackson as he stood there watching her.

“
I'm going home now, and I
hope I don’t dream of you and Dallas.” Jackson looked very serious
as he talked.

“
Here's hoping that
neither of us does.” Gracie smiled at him. “Maybe he was just
spouting off with the mouth because word got back to him that he
was caught lying at the mill.”

“
Do you always have to try
to find the silver lining, Gracie?” Jackson started to walk out of
the house after Annie and Garrison walked of the house in front of
him.

“
That’s how I keep my
sanity. Try it some time.” Gracie answered as her hand rested on
the front door.

“
Lock up.” Jackson studied
her before he walked to the car.

~

Addison looked up as Gracie
stopped at her desk, “Gracie?”

“
I might be in a little
trouble.” Gracie motioned for Addison to follow her into the
office. She sat behind her desk and opened the briefcase while
Addison watched. Gracie took out the picture she had copied and
handed it to her friend. “Friday night’s date.”

Addison looked at it. “And
how are you in trouble?”

Gracie had saved the
messages and played them for Addison as she sat back feeling the
tension build back up in her shoulders. After the last message
played, Addison stared at her in shock.

“
There’s more.” Gracie
then proceeded in telling her what Robert and Annie had told her on
Sunday.

“
Isn’t Annie Jackson’s
girlfriend?” Addison asked after she stood and walked over to the
coffee pot. She poured two cups before walking back over to the
desk.

Gracie laughed at her.
“Annie is actually Jackson’s cousin.” She thanked Addison as she
took the cup of coffee she offered.

Addison picked up the
picture again and after studying it, placed it into the color
copier. “I'll make sure all the security officers have a copy and
place one in the cafeteria.”

“
Thanks Addison.” Gracie
glanced over at the monitors to make sure they were on. “When can
we expect Carolyn and her author?”

“
They should be here
within the hour.” She answered while she waited for the copies. “We
got your back, Gracie.” Addison smiled as she left the
office.

Gracie found it hard to
concentrate as she kept a vigil on the monitors. Her shoulders were
really aching before she picked up the manuscript that they had
agreed to publish. She started reading it again as she absently
answered her phone.

“
How are you doing,
Gracie?” Jackson asked as he was in between patients.

Gracie was silent about a
minute before she answered. “I can’t concentrate on what I'm doing.
Other than that, I’m doing fine. How about you?”

“
You have a headache?”
Jackson could hear it in her voice as he read over one of his
charts.

“
Sometimes I think you
know me too well.” Gracie stood and walked over to the conference
table where she laid the manuscript and contract down.

“
You remember that. Steven
is headed out your way. I told him about the messages that were
left for you, and I can’t leave today.” Jackson listened as Gracie
sighed.

“
I hope he doesn’t mind
waiting. I’m having a working lunch today.” Gracie heard Addison
buzz the office, and she looked up. “I’ll talk to you later,
Jackson. My appointment just arrived.” She hung up as Addison
walked in with Carolyn Young and Gaige Forrester.

Gracie shook both of their
hands as they settled down to talk about the book and go over the
contract. They were easy to work with, and Gracie found herself not
thinking about her own problems as Gaige was very
entertaining.

She looked up at the clock
after they left and Steven knocked on the door, looking at her with
worry before Addison stepped up to him. Addison paused, standing
right next to him. “She’s really tense, Steven.”

“
Thanks, Addie.” Steven
walked into the office and watched Gracie as he sat down. “Are you
alright?”

“
I’m fine.” Gracie turned
around to him. “I wish someone could simply snap their fingers, and
all of this will just vanish into the thin air. Can you do that,
Steven?” Gracie turned her attention back to the monitors. “Oh,
guess who just showed up.”

Steven stood and walked
over to where Gracie was staring at four screens. “I don’t see
anybody.”

“
That’s because your wife
is in the building already.” Gracie laughed at him. “God, my
shoulders hurt.” She walked over to the desk and pulled out her
bottle of Excedrin. “And I have lived on these all day.” Gracie
threw the bottle back down without taking any. She sat down and
swiveled around to look out the window.

Paige walked into the
office after chatting with Addison. “Steven, aren’t you supposed to
be at work?”

“
I took off half a day.”
Steven glanced at Gracie before he turned his attention back to
Paige. “I thought I could walk her out to her car.”

Gracie swiveled back around
to look at them. “We all walk out the doors together. I'm a firm
believer in the buddy system.”

“
You’re hurting bad.”
Paige stared into Gracie’s eyes. “Have you taken
anything?”

“
All day, I've taken
something. I think that I'm going home and soak in a hot tub.”
Gracie stood and glanced at the monitors.

“
Maybe you should call
Jackson.” Steven said as they walked out of her office.

“
Honestly, Steven, I'm
more than capable of taking a bath by myself.” Gracie tried to
smile as Paige laughed.

“
I meant for a massage,
smarty.” Steven put one finger lightly on her shoulder and listened
as she screamed in pain.

“
I’ll be fine.” Gracie
walked with them out to the cars and started to pull away before
Steven stopped her.

“
We’ll pick up dinner and
come down to your house.”

Gracie nodded as she drove
away, calling Kim to tell her not to send Bea down to the house
until she saw Steven’s car.

Paige called Jackson’s
apartment and listened as Annie finished talking to Garrison before
answering. “Hello.”

“
Annie, is Jackson there?”
She waited as Annie went to check while she was holding the
phone.

“
He just pulled up.” Annie
answered her.

“
Tell him to get over to
Gracie’s.” Paige spoke as she walked from her car over to
Steven’s.

“
Is there an emergency?”
Annie was watching as Jackson walked up to the
apartment.

“
You can tell him Gracie
is so stressed out she can’t see straight. Steven barely touched
her shoulder, and she screamed in pain.” Paige added. “I've seen
him work those headaches away, and that’s what she
needs.”

“
I'll give him the message
now.” Annie placed the phone into its cradle as Jackson walked in
the door. “Gracie needs you.” She told him everything that Paige
had just told her.

He looked at Annie. “Get
Garrison, I'm too sleepy to drive.”

Garrison ran to the car
when he heard where they were going. Jackson slept on the way, only
waking when Annie threw the car into park.

He only had to take one
look at Gracie before taking her hand and leading her to the couch.
He stood behind her and started massaging the muscles in her
shoulders. “How did you get so bad?”

“
I couldn’t get rid of the
headache.” Gracie answered as she felt his fingers working her
muscles. “I can use a heating pad.”

“
Wouldn’t be as much fun.”
Jackson smiled while he worked. “It’s starting to work. Just close
your eyes and relax.”