Finding Gracie's Rainbow (13 page)

“
I'm always here for you,
Gracie. I hope you know that.” Addison had actually grown close to
her as she had dated Steven. “I think all of Steven’s girlfriends
had a special place in their hearts for Steven’s baby sister. You
were always very entertaining, dancing around like a little
ballerina and spouting off about your fairy tales.”

“
How old are you?” Gracie
never thought much about their age differences.

“
Thirty-four,” Addison
opened the door, and they walked inside the apartment as Dylan
looked up at them. “I met Dylan when I was dating your brother. He
used to be one of your brother’s friends, too. Knew every one of
the guys Steven set you up with.”

“
You told him about
those?” Gracie glanced at Dylan. “How many friends does Steven
have, Dylan?”

“
I wish I could remember,
Gracie.” He looked at her. “I wondered if you would remember me
from when I hung out with him.”

“
Sorry to disappoint you.
I guess I should go and see how much damage they've caused.” Gracie
started to walk to the door when she heard Dylan say something else
to her.

“
I thought you would be
going out with Jackson by now.” Dylan grimaced at the look that
Gracie shot him.

“
Why would I be going out
with Jackson?” Gracie looked nervous as she waited for his
answer.

“
Jackson and I are still
close which I have recently informed Addison.” Dylan laughed at her
face. “Between him and Addison I could probably write your
biography.”

“
That’s reassuring,”
Gracie thanked them and left to drive back down to Kim’s house,
pulling up behind her parents’ car. Getting out, she wasn’t sure if
she wanted to go back into the house, but when she did Gracie
looked around her in shock as Paige, Janet, and Kim were
administrating first aid to Steven and Jackson.

Janet noticed the look that
Gracie had shot to the both of them and while not saying a word;
Gracie walked to the back to retrieve Bea. Bea glanced at her uncle
and Jackson and started crying before her mother told them all
good-bye before leaving.

Paige laughed at them as
they both watched Gracie leave. “You two had better figure this out
because right now Gracie means more to me than either of one you
knuckle heads.”

Steven looked over at
Jackson while Jackson glared over at him. “You're such a drib,
Steven.” He stood before Kim could throw any more alcohol on his
cuts. He jumped in his car and started driving.

Steven watched as his
family glared at him. “I get it. I promise to leave them
alone.”

“
Wow.” Paige had watched
as he talked. “Gracie’s got your number, buddy. You just told
another lie.”

“
And you are judging me.”
Steven looked at his wife wondering what made her think that he was
lying.

“
You made no eye contact
when you made that promise.” Paige glared at him. “Gracie isn't a
child, and if Jackson is her ‘Prince Charming’, then you best not
get in between it. Do you understand?”

Steven looked her in the
eye. “I promise.”

“
That’s better,” Paige
kissed him on the forehead. “And I'm holding you to that
promise.”

Kim watched in amusement as
Paige worked on Steven. “She has to be the perfect match for him.”
She whispered to Robert while they observed. “Where do you think
Jackson went off to?”

“
I know where I'd go if I
was Jackson.” He smiled as he watched the amusement cross his
wife’s eyes. “So is everything settled here?”

Steven looked at all of
them. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what has come over me in the past
couple of months.”

“
Maybe you’re feeling
guilty about the way you treated her when she was little.” Kim
looked apologetically at her parents. “Did you that Steven resented
Gracie from the day she was born?”

Chandler and Janet looked
at him strangely after Kim had mentioned resentment. “Resentment?”
Chandler asked his son in a tone none of his children had heard. “I
expected some jealously or embarrassment, but why
resentment?”

“
Because everybody fell in
love with that precious little baby who kept taking the attention
away from Kim and me.” Steven looked at Kim sternly for even
bringing it up. “Even the girls I dated fell for her.”

Kim laughed. “Excuse me,
Steven, but I was one of those people that fell in love with her.
I'm fixing to go into a sermon if you keep it up.”

“
Spare me.” Steven stood
and looked at Paige questionably. “Are you coming home with
me?”

“
I actually think I want
to hear this sermon. Sit down, Steven.” Paige told him. “Maybe it’s
time you heard all about yourself.”

~

Jackson knocked on Gracie’s
apartment door, and Bea opened it with shock and excitement before
Gracie could get to the door. She walked away as she saw who it
was. “I bought you another movie, Princess.” Jackson told her while
he studied Gracie. “Can you watch this in your bedroom while I talk
with your mother?”

Bea took the movie as she
looked over at Gracie, who nodded to her. Gracie sat at the table
after Bea shut her door. She looked over at Jackson, who had walked
over to the table and sat down across from her.

“
I didn’t start it.”
Jackson said as he rubbed his arm. “I tried to avoid him, but he
came outside to me.”

“
What exactly do you want
me to say?” Gracie looked down at her hands. “I hate being in the
middle of anything.”

“
Steven and I are both at
fault for that. The only difference is that I’m sorry.” He frowned
as she continued to study her hands. “Gracie, please look at
me.”

Gracie looked up, and he
could see the hurt in her eyes. He had seen that look too often
since Bea was born. “What are you doing here, Jackson?”

“
I wanted to make sure
that you were okay.” Jackson stood and walked behind her to massage
her temples. “I also see the headache you're getting.”

She let him work his magic
on her headache. It had always worked better than the pills. “Thank
you, that feels great.” Gracie frowned before he sat back
down.

He noticed that she had her
bills out of the table and glanced at the calculator tape. He
frowned when he saw more figures in red than in black. “Trouble
with your finances again?”

Gracie looked at him
angrily as she put the bills up. “You didn’t come over to talk
about my finances.” She turned the calculator off and tore the tape
as Jackson stood up beside her. He hugged her to him.

“
Why don’t we give us a
chance?” Jackson kissed her before she could answer.

She pulled away from him,
looking into his eyes. “I told you why.” Gracie tried to wiggle out
of his arms as he laughed at her.

“
Did you? That sounded
like a cop out.” He bent down and this time Gracie kissed him back
before she realized it.

“
Dang it, Jackson,” she
gasped as she pulled away again. “I told you we had to stop kissing
like that.” This time she succeeded in leaving his hug. “We can’t
do this.”

“
I can’t find a reason not
to.” Jackson sat back down at the table. “I know you feel
something, or you wouldn’t kiss me back.”

“
I. . .” Gracie looked at
Bea’s door. “I can’t get involved with you.”

“
And you still haven’t
given me a good reason why.” Jackson moved his neck around in a
circle when he felt tension starting to mount. “Up until now, I’ve
loved you without saying a word.”

“
But you feel a need to
say it now.” Gracie let a sigh of exasperation. “Don’t do this to
us.”

“
We need to know.” He grew
pensive as he watched her. “What is your hang up about
it?”

“
You're the only real
father figure that Bea has had. If we get involved and it doesn’t
work out, what exactly is that going to do for Bea?” Gracie asked
reaching for a bottle of Excedrin. “This will lead to more
heartbreak than I can deal with.”

Jackson knew that Gracie
was making sense as he turned to look at Bea’s door. “But what if
it does work out, and Bea has a stronger influence?”

Gracie shook her head. “I
would rather just be your friend, Jackson. It’s safer.”

“
And you always play it
safe.” Jackson looked at her again watching as she finally took the
pills that were in her hand. “Fine, I'll be a friend.” He stood and
walked back over to her. “But not before this,” he took the glass
that Gracie was holding and placed it on the counter. He focused on
her face and bent down to her lips letting go of all the passion he
felt for her in that one kiss. He felt it when she started to
respond to him. He slowed the kiss down and deepened it at the same
time while he backed them into the counter. Neither one of them
tried to pull away from the other; at least not until Gracie came
back to her senses.

“
Jackson.” She mumbled not
being able to break free from him as the kiss continued. She lifted
her arms and instead of pushing him away she brought him closer to
her. “We can’t do this.” She finally pushed away from him as they
stared into each other’s eyes.

“
Your eyes almost look
smoky.” Jackson told her as he tried to compose himself. “Now we
can just be friends.” He watched her with amusement.

“
If you want to be,”
Gracie started pulling food from the cabinets to fix supper for
Bea. “Will you be staying for supper?”

“
Are you inviting me?”
Jackson sat down at the table.

“
You’re already here.”
Gracie stared at him. She was trying very hard to get that kiss out
of her mind. She watched as Bea’s door opened and her daughter
started dancing towards them. Gracie smiled at the way Jackson was
playing into her narrative of the movie she had just
watched.

While they ate, Gracie
didn't say anything as she listened to Bea control the conversation
at the table. She smiled at Jackson when he turned to look at her
while continuing to answer Bea’s questions.

“
Are you coming over to
Kim’s house on Friday night?” Bea asked after she finished talking
about the movie.

“
What’s going on Friday?”
Jackson asked as he looked over at Gracie, who mumbled that she had
a date again. “Even after he pulled that stunt today?”

“
I promised before he
pulled that stunt, and I always do what I promise.” Gracie started
clearing the table, and Jackson helped her. “Besides he said this
would be the last one.”

“
I hope so.” Jackson
looked at the boxes that were lined up against the wall. “We could
go ahead and move some of those boxes over to the
house.”

“
We can?” Gracie looked
around her. “I have to rent a truck, and it'd be cheaper if I move
everything at once.”

“
I know someone with a
trailer, and you won’t have to spend a dime.” Jackson smiled at
her.

“
That sounds like a good
plan,” Gracie was relieved.

Chapter 7

Addison looked up when
Gracie walked over to her desk with a manuscript in her hands.
“This one is a keeper.” She placed it down and told Addison to send
the agent an offer. “I couldn’t stop reading it. I even took it
home with me.”

“
Really?” Addison looked
at the stack of papers that was rubber banded together. “I thought
we were going through a dry spell.”

“
Loved it. Mr. Foster
wants to offer $300,000 advance plus royalties.” Gracie started to
walk away from her.

“
Gracie?” Addison stopped
her. “Steven called and wants to know if you're still on for
tomorrow night? He has promised to grovel if he needs
to.”

Gracie turned around,
shaking her head as she smiled at Addison. “As much as I would
absolutely love to see him grovel, I think that I'll just let him
stew for a little while.” Gracie was feeling mischievous. She had
already informed Addison in on everything except Jackson’s visit to
her apartment. “I hope this one is different.”

“
Somehow I think you left
out a part of your story, but I'm willing to wait.” Addison laughed
as she started to type out of the rough draft of the contract for
Gracie to approve. “How come you haven’t written a book
yet?”

“
When do I have time?”
Gracie started walking again. “Besides, who would publish
it?”

Addison looked back at her
computer. She knew that her friend had a way with words, and Gracie
had always been able to make up some good stories.

Gracie was feeling good on
the way to her mom’s house to pick up her daughter. “Hey,
Princess,” Gracie twirled Bea around when she walked into the
living room. “How was school today?”

“
It was great.” Bea smiled
back at her mom. “But boys can be mean.”

Gracie raised her eyes.
“What are you talking about?”

“
Austin Colby pulled my
pony tail.” Bea watched the amusement in her mother’s
eyes.

“
He likes you.” Gracie
looked around for her own mother and walked to the kitchen where
one would always be able to find her. “Where’s the
beast?”