47 Destinies: Finding Grace (22 page)

“I will.  Congratulations!” Grace called out as Brent was swept away by people in the crowd.

“Shall we find our seats?” Todd asked, slipping his arm into Grace’s.

“I think we are placed at one of the family tables,” Grace informed Todd. 

“Please tell me we aren’t sitting with Leslie.  Please?”  Todd teased.

“Cora wouldn’t do that to you.  Actually, the kids are sitting with Robert and Leslie.  We are seated with my parents and Cora’s parents.”

“Perfect!  Remind me to thank Cora later.  I owe her!”

Grace laughed.  Todd had every right to be uncomfortable with Leslie.  Grace was also still a little irritated with her.

Each table held a large arrangement of flowers which sat upon clear pillars in the center of the table so guests could see across the table while still admiring the centerpieces.  The lighting in the main room was dim and romantic.  Grace occasionally looked over at the children with Leslie and Robert.  Leslie seemed unusually involved with the children.  She had yet to even come over and say hello to Grace or Cora’s parents.  Leslie had a tight smile pressed firmly upon her face.  Grace assumed it was her displeasure with Brent’s choice of a bride and Grace’s choice of a boyfriend.  Grace was unfazed.  Leslie had no choice in the matter.

The seven-course dinner was served precisely at 6:00pm.  The first few courses consisted of seafood ravioli with a saffron sauce, filet of beef, sea bass, black truffle jus, creamed polenta, asparagus, green beans, and baby carrots.  They cleansed their palates with a lemon basil sorbet.  Next came the baby lettuce with goat cheese, poached pears, candied walnuts, cranberries and balsamic vinaigrette.  They ended the meal with a blackberry sorbet with berries in a Zinfandel wine sauce with an almond tuille.  It was divine.

“Brent and Cora sure know how to do food!  Have Cora’s cooking skills improved any?” Todd asked.

“From what Brent tells me, I think they will be eating out a lot,” Grace responded with a smile.

After the dinner was finished, Brent and Cora shared their first dance as a married couple.  The live band played their special song while Brent twirled Cora around on the dance floor.  Whatever he said to Cora caused her to burst into fits of laughter.  Even though they were surrounded by hundreds of people, they were completely lost in one another.  As their dance finished, other wedding guests joined them on the dance floor to a slow song.

“Grace Ann, may I have this dance?” Todd asked as he rose from his chair.

“Yes.  I would be honored.”  Grace rose and the couple moved out to the dance floor.  Todd placed one arm around Grace’s waist and his other hand on the small of her back.  He pulled her in as tight as possible.  Grace could feel the hardness in his tuxedo as he pressed against her.

“If only these darn clothes weren’t in the way,” Todd spoke suggestively to Grace.

“And there weren’t hundreds of people in the room,” she replied.

“I don’t mind an audience,” Todd shot back.

“Well, if you aren’t shy, then how about another kiss?”

People couldn’t help but talk about Grace and Todd.  They looked perfect together.  Even with Grace’s high heels, Todd still stood four inches above her.  His chiseled body attracted every woman’s eye in the room.  It didn’t bother the men since they were fixated on Grace. 

Grace’s mother went over to speak to Leslie.  “They make a striking couple,” Rose remarked.

Leslie could not deny their attractiveness.  “Yes, but are they right for each other?”

“Why do you ask?” Rose wondered.  She was sold on Todd already.

“For one thing, they are not socially or financially matched,” Leslie offered.  She had always gotten along well with Rose.  They understood one another and everyone’s place in society.

“I admit I was concerned at first.  But now that I have met Todd, I think they are incredible together.  Look at how happy he makes Grace.  A mother couldn’t ask for anything else.  If his financial situation doesn’t bother Grace, then it doesn’t concern me.”  What concerned Rose was the look on Leslie’s face.  She looked unhappy and determined.

“Something just isn’t right.  I refuse to stand by while everyone just readily accepts the man,” Leslie said as she walked off.  Before she made it too far, she literally bumped right into Cora’s mother, Tesa.

“Leslie!  I’ve wanted to speak to you all day.  What a beautiful wedding!” Tesa said as she hugged Leslie.  It took everything within Leslie not to cringe.  “Steven wants to see you as well.”

“Yes, it was very lovely. I will catch up with you both later.  I promised Brent that I would find Bella so they could dance together,” Leslie lied as she walked off.  Cora’s mother was left with confusion.  Brent was already dancing with Bella and Mattias.  She brushed it off.  The mother of the groom was always tense.

Leslie walked outside for a breath of fresh air.  She had spent some time on the Internet learning as much as possible about Todd.  From her research, she didn’t uncover anything unusual.  It was disappointing.  She knew he was hiding something and it seemed to be connected to his family.  Leslie had watched Todd and Grace together all day.  It was obvious that Grace’s feelings for Todd had grown even deeper.  She was hoping to have an ally in Rose, but that was not going to be the case.  Even Brent had warmed up to Todd.  Leslie was the only one that hadn’t been conned by the man.  It would have been beneficial to have someone else’s help.  Leslie smiled when she came up with the perfect solution.  She was going about the situation all wrong.  She didn’t need someone in her family to help her; she would go right to the source.  It would be just a matter of time before Leslie would learn what Mr. Todd Harcourt was hiding from them.

The wedding reception continued throughout the night.  All of the traditional wedding events occurred without a hitch: the cutting of the cake, garter toss and bouquet toss.  Bella and Mattias began to slow down around 9:00pm.  Leslie offered to take them home since she had a terrible headache and the music wasn’t helping the situation.  Grace thought it was an excuse to leave the festive atmosphere, but didn’t say anything.  Robert did not seem upset that she was leaving and it gave Grace more time to spend with Todd.

While Grace was preparing the children to leave with Leslie, Todd took the opportunity to have some private time with her parents.

“While Grace is busy with the children for a few moments, I would love to speak privately with you.  Could we go on a brief walk outside?” Todd asked politely.

“Yes, of course,” Rose answered for both of them.  She was intrigued and hopeful by the opportunity to hear what Todd had to say to them.

“I want keep this conversation between us for now.  I have some things I want to tell you that I am not ready for others to know,” Todd said in a low voice.

“You have our word, Todd,” Rose replied thoughtfully.  “We firmly believe in the value of someone’s word.”

Grace’s parents and Todd left the room.  Leslie eyed them suspiciously as they left.  She was going to make sure she called Rose the next day to find out what was going on.  The last thing Leslie needed was another disastrous engagement in the family.

When Todd, Rose and Grace’s father re-entered the reception after their discussion, Rose had an enormous smile on her face.  There was no doubt in her mind that Todd was the perfect match for Grace.  He shared his heart with them, which meant a lot to Rose.

Rose watched as Todd and Grace resumed dancing. Their energy was electric.  After Todd spoke privately with her and her husband earlier that evening, Rose was even more determined than ever to protect Todd and Grace’s relationship.  She was a very feisty southern woman, and nobody messed with a southern woman on a mission.

G
race was replaying her favorite memories from the wedding when Tuesday rolled around.  She was still literally caught up in the sparkle, energy and feelings of Cora and Brent’s love.  Brent and Cora left for Europe Monday morning.  Weeks before the wedding, Cora kept talking about her excitement to experience Europe with her new husband.  It was sweet to think of Brent as a husband.  Cora’s love softened him; it was a special sight to see.

Bella was also daydreaming about the wedding.  She wore her little tiara as often as possible.  Grace heard her telling her friends at preschool all about the wedding.  It was precious to hear how Bella viewed the event.  She was a very expressive child.

Grace was full of anticipation for the evening ahead.  It was the first time she was going to Todd’s place, which seemed peculiar since they had known each other for over nine months.  Of course, because of the children, they usually spent time at her house.  She couldn’t wait to see where Todd lived.  Grace felt that a person’s surroundings told a lot about him.  Even though she wanted to see his place, Grace also felt a small measure of anxiety looming over her.  While they didn’t often discuss finances, Grace didn’t want Todd to feel any embarrassment about his place.  How much money he made was not important to Grace.  She was going to make time to discuss it that night, unless of course there wasn’t any time to talk.  Grace hoped for the latter.

Grace smiled and bit her lip.  She had some romantic plans for Mr. Harcourt.  Nothing and no one was going to interfere.  Her parents were still visiting and her mom emphatically encouraged Grace to stay the night at Todd’s and come home in the afternoon.  Since the wedding, her mom was even more supportive of her relationship with Todd.  Her mother’s approval meant the world to Grace.  Nobody knew her better than her mama. 

Grace went shopping for the perfect lingerie for her overnight date with Todd.  It had been a long time since she went shopping for intimate apparel.  The selection was so varied that Grace splurged and bought lots of lacy silky outfits, knowing deep in her heart that there would be unlimited nights with Todd.  Grace slipped one of the little pieces in her purse and smiled.  Todd would surely be very pleased.

Grace followed Todd’s directions which led her over to the Marina District.  She was tremendously surprised when she got into Todd’s neighborhood.  Grace parked her car and walked up to his building on Vallejo Street.  It was located in the middle of a rolling hill.  The building was fairly modern with four floors.  Each floor boasted large windows to capture the stunning views.  Grace was impressed as she rang the buzzer.

Todd’s voice came over the intercom, “Is that you, Sexy Legs?”

“No, it is her twin sister, Hot Lips,” Grace teased.

“Hmmm.  Grace told me that she is an only child.  I didn’t know Grace had a sister.  Come on up and let me get a look at you,” Todd replied as he buzzed the lobby door to let her in.

Grace walked inside the lobby and admired the marble tile.  Grace stepped into the waiting elevator and pressed the ‘4’ button.  When the elevator doors opened, Todd was there to greet her.

“You look a lot like your sister Grace, but you look even more dangerous,” Todd teased.

“Do you always buzz up strange women?”  Grace questioned.

“No.  Actually, you’re the first woman I have had over since my divorce.  Melissa and I lived here in this condo when we were married.  It was the only asset I kept from the divorce.  She hated the place.  She routinely complained that it was too small.  I didn’t have the heart to part with it.”  Todd was quiet for a moment.  “Please come inside.  Have you heard from Cora?”

“Yes.  I received a text on Monday evening saying they arrived safely in Europe.  She knows that I worry.  It is my motherly gene.  I can’t help it,” Grace defended.

“Speaking of mothers, I think your mom likes me.  She’s even letting her daughter have a pajama party at my place,” Todd grinned as he put his arms around Grace’s waist.

“Oh Mr. Harcourt.  I didn’t bring any pajamas.  I hope you took a nap today because you might not get a wink of sleep!”

“Promises… promises.”

“A southern belle always keeps her word,” Grace replied as she slowly traced her lips with the tip of her tongue.

“I like the sound of that promise.  Let me give you a quick tour.  Let’s rush through dinner and then skip right to dessert.” Todd was more than ready for the evening to begin.

“You can be the tour guide for once.”

“It won’t take too long as there is a living room, kitchen area, one bedroom and one bathroom.  The entire building was modernized a few years ago.  Melissa had the kitchen redone.  I’m not sure why; she rarely cooked.  It’s actually pretty funny now.”

Todd was right when he said it was all modernized.  There were hardwood floors throughout the kitchen, dining room and living room.  The kitchen was bathed in cherry wood cupboards, tan walls and matching furnishings.  Plates were visible through the glass windows in some of the cupboards.  Molding accented the floorboards and the ceiling.  The remodel spared no expense.  A small wooden table with four matching chairs encompassed the dining room.  Shiny copper pots exuded tantalizing smells into the air.  While the place was small, it was unbelievable classy.

“Do you like it?”  Todd asked cautiously.

“I love it.  Show me more!”

Todd handed Grace a glass of white wine and continued the tour.  The living room was larger than Grace expected and boasted a gas fireplace with a huge wooden mantel.  Dark brown leather sofas with decorative pillows formed almost a square around Todd’s flat screen television.  The main attraction to the entire place was the spectacular panoramic view.  The windows were from the floor to the ceiling and covered most of the walls.  The views included the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and the marina.