“I never used to think about money all the time. I used to believe that, like the lilies of the field, God would provide everything I needed.”
Jake steered the car into a U-turn. “What’s changed, Gracie?”
“What do you mean?” Jake’s sudden deviation from the route back to her school made Gracie’s sense of control fall even more.
“I mean, why can’t you trust anymore?” He continued west on Gulfview, toward the end of the island. “It seems to me that not much has changed. You were pinning your hopes on that grant check long before my company’s condo project ever entered the picture.”
The reality of Jake’s words hit Gracie with full force, buffeting her with the impact of his truth.
“Gracie, when I was in Austin watching my career and my law practice go through the shredder, I thought I couldn’t stop moving. I was afraid that if I quit pushing forward, I’d lose my momentum and it would all crumble. It all fell apart anyway, and when the last card came down, the exhaustion of not taking the time for myself consumed me.” Jake pulled the car into the entrance to Surfside Beach. “You said your sister was here at the beach. I’m taking you for a break.”
Gracie began to protest, then stopped herself. Maybe Jake had the right idea. Maybe she needed a few minutes to refresh.
“Thank you, Jake,” she said simply.
“Which one is your sister’s car?” Jake pointed at the front edge of the sand-covered parking lot.
“Um...that one.” Gracie scanned the rows of cars. “The red Chevy SUV in the far corner.”
Jake gave the truck some gas, pushing it across the top of a patch of powdery sand. The maneuver marked Jake as an experienced beach driver. Going any slower on the soft surface would have been a sure way to get the heavy vehicle stuck.
“Here you go.” He pulled up behind Gloria’s car, applied the brake and unbuckled his seat belt. “Do you see her out there?”
“Actually, I do. That purple umbrella near the shore is hers.” Gracie looked forward to seeing no-nonsense Gloria, who always knew just what to say when her little sister needed words of wisdom. At the same time, Gracie felt reluctant to leave Jake’s presence. He’d proven to be so much different than her original assessment.
He wasn’t a heartless privileged son. Jake Peoples was a man who wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to take over his family’s company so he could set the record straight about his own life and to ensure that the business was run fairly. He believed in people, even sometimes to his own detriment. And he would go the extra mile to do the right thing.
They came from different worlds, but she and Jake had a lot in common.
The realization made Gracie smile.
“You look really pretty when you do that, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Smile. It lights up your face. You’re a beautiful woman, Gracie. Especially when you forget to be worried.”
“Oh, Jake, I don’t know about that.”
“You shouldn’t sell yourself short. Surely there’s been another man who’s told you that.”
She lowered her gaze. “Not for a long time.” She’d originally thought David found her attractive, but then discovered he really saw her as some kind of ugly duckling he needed to turn into his own version of a swan.
Jake had brought her to Surfside Beach for a break from the last few days of uncertainty. But more than that, Gracie wanted a break from the years since David, years where she’d guarded her heart and never let anyone close. But why should she trust Jake? He and David both came from the same kind of world—one where people didn’t speak with accents, didn’t wear blue collars, and vacationed in posh resorts of foreign countries—not in the modest neighborhoods of the relatives who worked at those posh resorts.
“Then someone’s missed an incredible opportunity.” His voice lowered, barely audible above the faint stirring of the car’s engine. His green eyes turned a
Jake steered the car into a U-turn. “What’s changed, Gracie?”
“What do you mean?” Jake’s sudden deviation from the route back to her school made Gracie’s sense of control fall even more.
“I mean, why can’t you trust anymore?” He continued west on Gulfview, toward the end of the island. “It seems to me that not much has changed. You were pinning your hopes on that grant check long before my company’s condo project ever entered the picture.”
The reality of Jake’s words hit Gracie with full force, buffeting her with the impact of his truth.
“Gracie, when I was in Austin watching my career and my law practice go through the shredder, I thought I couldn’t stop moving. I was afraid that if I quit pushing forward, I’d lose my momentum and it would all crumble. It all fell apart anyway, and when the last card came down, the exhaustion of not taking the time for myself consumed me.” Jake pulled the car into the entrance to Surfside Beach. “You said your sister was here at the beach. I’m taking you for a break.”
Gracie began to protest, then stopped herself. Maybe Jake had the right idea. Maybe she needed a few minutes to refresh.
“Thank you, Jake,” she said simply.
“Which one is your sister’s car?” Jake pointed at the front edge of the sand-covered parking lot.
“Um...that one.” Gracie scanned the rows of cars. “The red Chevy SUV in the far corner.”
Jake gave the truck some gas, pushing it across the top of a patch of powdery sand. The maneuver marked Jake as an experienced beach driver. Going any slower on the soft surface would have been a sure way to get the heavy vehicle stuck.
“Here you go.” He pulled up behind Gloria’s car, applied the brake and unbuckled his seat belt. “Do you see her out there?”
“Actually, I do. That purple umbrella near the shore is hers.” Gracie looked forward to seeing no-nonsense Gloria, who always knew just what to say when her little sister needed words of wisdom. At the same time, Gracie felt reluctant to leave Jake’s presence. He’d proven to be so much different than her original assessment.
He wasn’t a heartless privileged son. Jake Peoples was a man who wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to take over his family’s company so he could set the record straight about his own life and to ensure that the business was run fairly. He believed in people, even sometimes to his own detriment. And he would go the extra mile to do the right thing.
They came from different worlds, but she and Jake had a lot in common.
The realization made Gracie smile.
“You look really pretty when you do that, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Smile. It lights up your face. You’re a beautiful woman, Gracie. Especially when you forget to be worried.”
“Oh, Jake, I don’t know about that.”
“You shouldn’t sell yourself short. Surely there’s been another man who’s told you that.”
She lowered her gaze. “Not for a long time.” She’d originally thought David found her attractive, but then discovered he really saw her as some kind of ugly duckling he needed to turn into his own version of a swan.
Jake had brought her to Surfside Beach for a break from the last few days of uncertainty. But more than that, Gracie wanted a break from the years since David, years where she’d guarded her heart and never let anyone close. But why should she trust Jake? He and David both came from the same kind of world—one where people didn’t speak with accents, didn’t wear blue collars, and vacationed in posh resorts of foreign countries—not in the modest neighborhoods of the relatives who worked at those posh resorts.
“Then someone’s missed an incredible opportunity.” His voice lowered, barely audible above the faint stirring of the car’s engine. His green eyes turned a
Similar Books
