by Lila Bruce
Oh…my…God, Grace thought to herself.
“Kendra,” she said tightly, pushing back the urge to throw a fork in the direction of her best friend.
“Here we go,” the waitress interrupted, setting down plates in front of Rachel and Kim. “Be careful, the plates are very hot.”
What small hope Grace had that the other women at the table would turn their attention to their dinner was quickly dashed when Kendra asked, “So how is Jessica? You know, I don’t think I’ve really seen her since just after we graduated high school.”
“Oh she’s good. You know she was in Texas for the longest time, doing all that with peppers.”
“I’m sorry,” Kendra said, holding a chip suspended halfway to her mouth. “Doing all what with peppers?” Grace too had stopped playing with the burrito on her plate and was looking questioningly at Kim.
Kim had just taken a bite. The other women stared at her as she chewed and then swallowed before continuing. “I can’t tell you exactly. She’s as bad as her brother sometimes when it comes to talking about things. Something with peppers and hybrids and such. I don’t know all the details. After their mother died last year she started talking about coming home, and then a few weeks ago she called and said she was on her way.”
“Well,” Grace said.
“So Grace,” Kim said, turning her attention from the plate of food to the woman seated across the table. “What did you think of Jessica this morning? She certainly has changed since high school, hasn’t she? I bet you didn’t even recognize her.”
Grace suddenly felt like vomiting.
“Yes Grace, what did you think of Jess this morning?” Kendra was staring intently at Grace, ignoring the glare she was getting in return.
“It was certainly a…shock to see her,” Grace said, trying to think of something to say. “I really didn’t recognize her.”
“That’s what a lot of people have been saying. I think it’s the glasses. Remember, she always wore those horribly thick glasses in high school? She got that laser surgery right after college. It has made a world of difference I think.”
“Interesting,” Kendra drawled. Grace rolled her eyes.
“Oh will you look at what time it is?” Grace said. “I really hate to cut this short, but I have to get up early in the morning for a meeting. We really better get going.” She began to look around for the waitress, motioning for the ticket.
“So, you said that she isn’t seeing anyone?” Kendra was decidedly ignoring Grace. “No…men in the picture?”
“Nope,” the other woman said, shaking her head. “She is very much single. Absolutely no men in the picture. You know Jess, her interests are…well…elsewhere when it comes to that subject.”
Grace felt her face flush as both women looked across the table at her.
“And I bet she has a nice personality too,” Kendra smirked as she spoke. Grace was sure that her best friend was getting entirely too much pleasure out of this.
“Oh, Aunt Jessica is really nice,” Rachel popped up from beside Grace. To this point, she had been sitting quietly, eating tacos and listening to the adults speak.
Great, Grace thought. Now it’s three on one.
“Here is your ticket,” the waitress said, cutting in. Grace could have kissed the woman as she placed the receipt on the table. “Anything else I can get for you girls?”
“No, that’s it, thank you,” Grace said quickly and snatched up the receipt. She grabbed her purse and flashed a smile at Kim. “It was so good to see you again. And you too Rachel. We’ll have to get together again real soon. We really have to be going.”
Kendra opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it after seeing the look on Grace’s face.
“You two enjoy the rest of your evening,” she said as she rose from the table. Rachel waved at them with one hand as she ate a taco with the other.
“Thanks,” Kim said. Grace smiled once more and then retreated to the front of the restaurant. Kendra and Kim watched she quickly disappeared from sight. Kim turned to Kendra and said with a conspiring twinkle in her eye, “Come by the bakery some time. We can do coffee and…catch up.”
“Oh don’t worry,” Kendra said as she began to walk away. “You will definitely be seeing me again soon.”
Chapter Five
There’s no way she wants to see me again. Jessica worried to herself as she parked her car in the lot adjacent to AGM Designs.
She sat behind the wheel of the black BMW for several minutes, staring at the light blue building with neatly landscaped shrubbery surrounding it. A white wooden sign with cursive letters sat neatly in the grass by the sidewalk. It had been a week since the encounter at the bakery, and Jessica had not been able to get Grace off her mind since.
This is probably a mistake.
She’d hoped that the other woman would show back up the bakery after their awkward encounter so that she could apologize for enjoying her Freudian slip as much as she had. After a week had passed, she decided that if she was going to see Grace again she would have to be the one to make the next move. Granted, their meeting at the bakery had been a little more embarrassing for her that it had been for Jessica. Well, she thought, a lot more embarrassing for her.
Jessica remembered Grace from high school. Grace was older than she was, graduating in her sister Megan’s class two years ahead of hers. She was one of those girls back in high school. The kind that dated football players and popular boys. Nothing about the Grace Donnelly she remembered would have led her to think that she was ‘family’, as one Jessica’s former girlfriends liked to say. But everything about Grace’s reaction to Jessica’s comments at the bakery the other day set off the gay-dar.
Cedar Creek being what it was, it took little to no effort for her to find out where the other woman lived, where she worked, and that she was currently single. And now here she was, sitting in the parking lot of Grace’s business.
Ok, so now I sound like a stalker, Jessica thought to herself.
She opened the car door and stepped out, sliding the car keys into her jeans pocket. Jessica looked at her reflection in the car window, straightened her hair and pulled her blouse down. In her mind she went over the script she had planned to explain the visit and hoped that the real reason would not be terribly obvious.
What the hell, nothing to lose, right?
Taking a deep breath, she headed to the building where Grace worked, taking only a few strides to cross the small parking lot.
The blue wooden door gave a little ring as opened it and walked inside. Instantly, her senses were hit with the almost overpowering smell of flowers. Roses maybe, or was that lavender? The reception area was bright, natural light filtering thru sheer curtains that hung from the tall windows. Baskets of flowers and potpourri dotted the tables that sat beside a floral pattern couch and matching chair. A mahogany coffee table littered with magazines sat in front of the couch. A dozen pair of women’s eyes smiled up at her from the magazine covers, inviting her to read about what men really want in the bedroom. For just a moment, she thought about turning and running back to her car.
“Can I help you?”
She looked up from the magazines to see a tiny blonde woman dressed all in yellow and wearing impossibly tall high heels smiling at her.
“Yes, is Grace Donnelly in?”
“She’s in her office, and I think on the phone. Can I tell her who is here Miss…?”
“Taylor. Jessica Taylor.”
“Do you have an appointment Miss Taylor?”
For a moment Jessica felt her stomach turn. Maybe this was a bad idea, she thought. “No, no appointment. I’ve recently moved back to town and am looking to remodel an old home. A friend recommended Ms. Donnelly.”
The tiny woman motioned her to the couch with a smile.
“Please, have a seat,” she said. “I’ll go round up Grace for you.”
****
Holy fucking hell.
Grace stood paraly
zed at the doorway, her eyes fixed at the vision in blue that sat in the antique high back chair, quietly flipping through a magazine. For a week she had tried not to think about her reaction to Jessica Taylor. Tried – unsuccessfully – to keep her out of her dreams and fantasies. And now here she was live and in person in the AGM reception area.
I’m going to kill Kendra.
She wasn’t sure how, but Grace was certain that her so-called best friend was behind this unexpected visit in some way.
Ex-best friend.
She must have made some sort of sound, because Jessica’s head suddenly perked up and she looked over in Grace’s direction. With a smile that threatened to melt Grace’s knees, Jessica stood up and took a step towards her.
“Hello Grace,” she said softly.
For a moment Grace just stood staring back at her. After what felt like an eternity she was finally able to remember how to form words.
“Hello…Jessica isn’t it?”
“It is. I hope I haven’t caught you in the middle of something,” she said, just a hint of Texas mingling with her Georgia accent.
“Oh no, not at all. It’s actually been a little quiet around here today. So, what can I do for you?”
For just a second Grace was certain she saw a look of hesitation flash across the other woman’s face.
“Well, a couple things really.” Jessica shifted slightly and Grace couldn’t fail to notice when she wiped her palms along the side of her faded blue jeans. “You know…well, you may not know, but my mother passed away a little while back.”
“I did. I really hated to hear that, she was a very sweet woman.” As Grace spoke, Jessica’s green eyes suddenly seemed to shimmer. Grace’s stomach lurched and she could feel a warmth burn across her chest. It was obvious that Jessica was still grieving the loss of her mother, and Grace had to resist the unexpected urge to pull the younger woman into her arms. Instead, she motioned Jessica back into the reception area and towards the couch.
“She was, wasn’t she,” Jessica said quietly as she eased down onto a floral printed cushion. Grace simply nodded and sat in the chair opposite, smiling sympathetically as Jessica took a breath and collected herself. “Anyway, in the…will…she left our grandparent’s house to me. It’s a solid old house, but no one has lived there for years. It needs a lot of work, but honestly I’ve been putting it off.”
“Oh, I see.” Grace hoped her embarrassment was not obvious. Of course Jessica was there to talk about a design job. How could she have been so stupid to think the beautiful woman sitting on the couch in front of her was there for any other reason?
“I’ve been staying with my brother and his family, but I really need to get something started on the house and get out of their hair. I haven’t the faintest idea where to begin on the remodel and your firm comes highly recommended.”
“Oh I understand. And you said it’s an older home?”
“It is. I’m not sure if you are familiar with it or not. It’s the old farmhouse off Reece Road, about a mile past the railroad tracks. It has an old stone fence around the front of the property.”
Grace nodded, picturing the home. It was a beautiful property, at least from the outside.
“I know it. I didn’t realize that was your family’s property, though.”
“It is. That house and the land around have been it the family for well over a hundred years.”
“Oh wow. And how long has it been empty?”
“For a while. My cousin lived there for a bit after my grandparents passed away, but I’d have to say at least five or six years. Maybe more.”
That was going to be a huge job then, Grace thought to herself. Not just simply interior design, there would be some serious remodeling involved. Certainly old plumbing and electrical systems that would have to be brought up to code. The sort of job that could easily run into a couple months. The thought of working with Jessica – the object of her daydreams who so obviously did not feel the same the way – was just not something that Grace really wanted to volunteer for.
“I see. You know Jessica, that’s going to be a huge job.”
“Yeah, I figured it would be.” Jessica smiled a little sheepishly.
“It could certainly stretch out over several weeks, if not months. Just the permits, the things that would need to be updated…”
“I know it’s going to be a big job. I’m not in any huge hurry to get it done, but I do want it done right, no matter what that entails.”
God those eyes. Grace swallowed and found herself again at a loss as Jessica’s eyes seemed to dance as she smiled.
“I understand, but I do want be up front with you on what you are looking to get into. It would take a lot of resources and time…” Grace wondered what she could say to dissuade Jessica from the project, from hiring her, from being so close that she could smell the trace of jasmine that drifted off her skin.
“Again, I understand that.”
“….and money. I mean just the code upgrades alone are likely to run several thousand dollars.”
“Money is no object.”
Grace smiled and nodded at Jessica. “I understand that it’s your family home and you really want to do this, but I’m really not exaggerating the potential cost. I’d be remiss if I wasn’t completely up front with any prospective client about…”
“Seriously Grace. I appreciate that you look out for your clients, even prospective clients, like that. I’m assuming that you have an idea that because I’m living with my brother and helping out at his bakery that I have limited resources, but when I say money is no object…” Jessica’s emerald eyes sparkled as she reached a slender hand out, resting it on Grace’s knee. “…money is really not an object.”
“Well as I live and breathe, Jessica Taylor!”
Grace and Jessica both jumped, startled at the sudden outburst that came from the hallway. Both women quickly looked in the direction of the voice. Grace twisted her lips and shook her head as Monica bounded into the room.
Of course, someone said money, Grace thought to herself. She loved her friend and partner dearly, but Monica had a serious one track mind when it came to the subject.
“Why I haven’t seen you since, well I don’t when,” the perky blonde woman continued, approaching Jessica like a long lost friend. It was obvious to Grace, however, that from the look on Jessica’s face she had no idea who Monica was.
“Jessica, you remember Monica Nolan. She graduated from high school the same year as your sister and I. She and Ashely Stevens are my partners here are the firm.”
“Of course she remembers me, Grace, don’t be silly.”
Grace noticed as Jessica cocked her head to one side and then narrowed her eyes. She guessed then that Jessica had indeed remembered Monica. Homecoming court, cheerleader, tennis team, most likely to be pretentious. Monica’s sphere of friends rotated so far away from Jessica’s in high school that Grace was actually surprised that her partner knew the younger woman’s name.
“I do. However have you been Monica?” Jessica said in a tone that sounded to Grace like it would be perfectly at home at a South Texas country club.
“Wonderful, Jessica. Thank you for asking. Now, did I hear that you have an old home that you want restored? I don’t know why Grace has you out here in the reception area. Come on to the back and we can all sit and talk about what you want done and what we are going to do to make it happen.”
Chapter Six
“No way in hell is this happening.”
“Jessica…”
“Don’t ‘Jessica’ me. I said no.”
“But this is a great offer. The board…”
“The board can kiss my ass.”
“We have to seriously consider this offer. The savings in production cost alone…”
“Jeremy,” Jessica said brusquely into the phone, “I said no. This is my company and my decision.”
“I understand that Jessica,” her business manager replied from the other en
d of the call. “But I would be remiss if I did not lay out to you all the benefits of accepting this offer.”
What the hell is it with people and the word ‘remiss’ this week? Jessica thought to herself.
“I am ending this discussion, Jeremy. Have a wonderful day.” With that Jessica ended the call and dropped the phone on the kitchen table. She sighed and looked up, grimacing as she realized that her niece was sitting on the other side of the table quietly eating a bowl of cereal. Well fuck. “Rachel, don’t tell your mother I said ‘ass’ in front of you and I’ll make it worth your while.”
The eight year-old took a bite of Frosted Flakes, chewed thoughtfully, swallowed and then said, “You also said ‘hell’.”
Jessica couldn’t help but smile.
“Then I’ll make it really worth your while.”
“Okay. I sure would like to see Magena.”
“What the hel…I mean, what is Magena?”
“A movie. It comes out Friday.” Rachel took another bite of cereal.
“Is it a movie that your mother would let you go see?”
Mouth full, the child nodded.
“Is it a cartoon?”
“Yes.”
“Are there any other movies you’d like to see that are not cartoons?” God Jessica hoped so.
“Not really.”
Of course not.
“Is it something that I could drop you off at and then pick you up afterwards?”
“No. I’d be kidnapped and sold into slavery.”
Really?
“Rachel they don’t have slavery anymore.”
“Yes they do. I saw it on the television on that show that has the watch that ticks. They said three thousand two hundred and eighty-seven girls are kidnapped and sold into slavery every day.”
“Isn’t that show on past your bedtime?”
“I had to get a drink of water.”
As the owner and chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 company, Jessica had a great deal of experience in negotiating contracts with some of the best corporate attorneys in the country. She was sure that her eight year-old niece could run rings around the whole lot of them.