Saving Gracie (16 page)

“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 were 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 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 past 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 résumé.”

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 stepladder 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.