Saving Grace (22 page)

She could borrow the money from him. The mere thought made her nauseous. She loved him for him, and not the money he could give her. What about an advance on her salary? The nausea got worse. Uncle Vernon was her responsibility and not Chord’s. Sure, he’d help, but she couldn’t ask him. If she did, the money she’d borrowed from him would always be between them…and he’d feel sorry for her.

She wanted his love, and not his pity.

No, she won’t ask him for the money.

She only had one thing left to sell…her father’s guitar. She’d had many a collector offer to pay her top dollar for the old Gibson. It had belonged to Jimmy Hendrix after all. The realization she would have to sell the only thing she’d ever had of her father’s broke her heart, but it had to be done.

Her sweet father of whom she only remembered bits and pieces. She’d sacrifice his most prized possession to save the man who’d loved and raised her. It was a fair bargain, but the sadness of losing an object so dear to her brought tears to her eyes. She’d sold her things before…but never this…never the only link she’d had to the man who’d made her.

With the back of her hand, she swiped at the tears. It was stupid to be this upset…it was a guitar, nothing more. Again she swiped, and then went back to scrubbing the already-clean pot.

“What’s wrong?” Chord’s arm came around her.

“Nothing. It’s stupid.” She sniffled.

“Clearly, it’s not.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

“I got a call from Shady Oaks today. Uncle Vernon is having more bad days than good. They can no longer care for him. I have until the end of the month to find other arrangements for him.” She wiped her dripping nose on a dishtowel. “Thank goodness Bella Verde has an opening.”

But she’d have to sell her precious guitar.

“What about the upfront money they want? I could lend it to you.” He just wanted to help, and she knew that, but she couldn’t bring herself to take the money.

“That’s sweet, but I have some money I’ve been saving. I can manage it.” She leaned back and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “Thanks.”

He looked puzzled. “You’re sure?”

“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it.” Tomorrow, she’d call around and see who wanted her father’s guitar. The fact that it was for a good cause didn’t diminish the heartache.

He wiped the last remnants of tears from her face. “How would you like to go to the Austin Women in Business dinner with me tomorrow night?”

“What? How are you invited to the Women in Business dinner?” Grace couldn’t figure that one out. True, he had lots of business functions, but the Austin Women in Business?

“I started going a couple of years ago. It’s a great place to meet chicks.” He smiled and waggled his eyebrows.

“Then I’m definitely going. What’s the dress?” Maybe she could wear her new black dress from his birthday party again? She really couldn’t afford to buy something new unless she could get something from the Lakeway Thrift Store.

“Black tie.”

Her heart sank. She had less then twenty-four hours to come up with a formal dress.

“I think it’s only fair to tell you Debra will be there. She’s on the board.” He winked at Grace. “I’m hoping for a pretty spectacular cat fight between the two of you.”

“You’re such an ass.” Grace punched him playfully on the arm.

“You think I’m an ass, I call it charm. Potato…patato.”

Now, she not only needed a formal dress, but to look gorgeous in said formal dress. Sure, she could do that…she rolled her eyes…on a budget of five dollars. Maybe she could borrow something? She racked her brain for someone she knew who’d have a formal dress. Summer or Sweet Louise?

They were new friends, but they’d all become close. Was it wrong to ask them for help? She bit her lower lip. She’d always had a problem asking for help, but she didn’t know what else to do.

“That’s some concentration you’ve got going on.” He nipped at her ear. “Looks like you’re trying to solve some nuclear physics problem.”

She forced herself to smile. “Nope, just trying to figure out what tonight’s excuse to the kids will be so we can have some quality adult time.”

“Feel like a walk? We could tour the neighborhood, and then double back and make out in the pool house. It’s almost finished.” He kissed her jaw and was making his way to her mouth.

In the last week, they hadn’t had sex in the house when the kids were home. Instead, he’d drop by for lunch while they were at school, or they’d go sit by the pool to talk and end up rolling around the back of the Suburban. The kids saw some PDA, but certainly nothing close to the amount of affection they showed each other in private.

“I think I could manage that. Exercise is always good.” She kissed him softly and deeply.

There was a cough in the background. Grace turned around to find CoCo grinning like the cat who’d eaten the canary.

“I was just about to come find you.” Chord kept his arm around Grace but was talking to CoCo. “Can you babysit the boys tomorrow night? Grace and I have a dinner thing.”

Grace grinned. She’d been prodding Chord to give CoCo a chance at babysitting. She wasn’t a little girl anymore, and she wanted more responsibility.

“Yes, I can do tomorrow night, but I’m busy on Friday. I have a date.”

Silence snapped through the air.

CoCo knew that she’d dropped a bomb, and she was waiting to see what would happen next.

“With whom?” Grace was pretty sure Chord wasn’t capable of speech so she asked for him.

“Adam Marks, he’s a senior and quarterback of the football team.” CoCo was proud of herself.

“Do you like him?” Grace didn’t have a good feeling about this.

“He’s okay. I’m not delusional enough to believe he really likes me, I know it’s because he wants to meet dad, but I’m okay with that. I’m not that into him either.” Grace sounded so matter-of-fact.

“Why go out with him?” Chord had finally recovered his voice.

Grace shook her head. “Because he’s a senior and quarterback of the football team. He’s the prince of high school, and every girl wants to be a princess, at least for a little while.”

Men really didn’t get it.

“Yeah and he asked me out. I’ve never been on a date—well accept for Marty, the old guy—and I thought it might be fun to go out with someone closer to my age.” CoCo was very adult. The fact that she was telling them instead of just sneaking out was huge.

“What is he…like eighteen? You’re fourteen. Do you think that’s wise?” Chord’s hands fisted. Grace knew that was a sure sign he was about to lose it.

“Come on. We’re not destined to fall in love and end up screwing in the back seat of his car. It’s just dinner and a movie. I’ll be home early, and then I’ll probably never talk to him again. It’s just a date. Grace has been showing me some self-defense moves. If he tries anything, I’ll take him down.” She walked over to her dad, and took his hand. “It’s just dinner and a movie. We’re not going to a party or going to shoot heroin…it’s just a date. I want to go.”

CoCo was probably the most levelheaded teen Grace had ever met. With the exception of the night she’d met the girl, CoCo made smart decisions.

Chord took several deep breaths. “Okay, I understand your wanting to go, and I appreciate your telling me. Just promise me there will be no alcohol and that you’ll take the pepper spray I gave you last year with you.”

“Done.” CoCo turned to Grace. “Feel like some shopping?”

She glanced at the clock on the microwave. “If we leave now, we can hit a couple of stores before they close.”

“Absolutely.” She patted Chord’s hand, and then stepped out of it. Maybe she could find something on the clearance rack that would work for tomorrow night.

Chord was fit to be tied. CoCo on a date? Wasn’t it enough he agonized over Grace being pregnant, and now he had to worry about CoCo dating? At least his blood test was clean. It was a relief he could offer Grace a clean bill of health.

But CoCo out on a date…with a senior.

He walked into his home office—which he now kept unlocked—thanks to Grace, opened his MacBook Pro, and typed in Adam Marks Lake Travis High School.

There were thousands of hits. Most were articles about football. Chord opened the first one. Marks had been the starting quarterback since his sophomore year. Now that he thought about it, he had heard the name. He should attend more local football games, but it was hard to watch the games in peace once people recognized him. Once the psycho football parents found out he was at the game, they hounded him about watching their kid play.

He scanned the article. The kid liked to run the ball. Chord nodded to himself. He could respect a QB who ran the ball. Since Lake Travis was the current Five A State Champs, clearly Marks knew what he was doing.

But did he trust a horny teenager—um, almost man—with his daughter? Hell no. In Chord’s mind even Jesus wasn’t good enough for his baby girl.

So this boy was dating his daughter to get to him? Chord scratched his chin manically. The little bastard wanted to meet the team, well, by God, he’d introduce him.

CoCo was more or less The Lone Stars’ little girl. All of the veterans had watched her grow up, and most of them, at one time or another, had babysat her. She belonged to them almost as much as she belonged to Chord.

Adam Marks wanted to meet the team, well he was about to be on a first-name-in-your-face basis with all of them.

He pulled out his phone and sent out a broadcast text. “CoCo has her first date on Friday night. All who want to meet the little bastard—my house at six. Bring weapons. Grace is making chocolate cake.”

It took all of five seconds for him to get close to forty responses.

When Alice had left, his team had become his family. Now his family was upset at the prospect of some little fucker laying his hands on CoCo. It was heartwarming.

Now, with that out of the way, he opened his email.

The Mary Poppins dress he’d ordered for Grace should be here in the next week or so. He clicked on the next one. It was from Alice.

Chord, we need to talk. I want to see my kids. Call me
.

Yeah, like that was going to happen. He had sole custody of the kids, and as far as he was concerned, Alice would never see his kids again. She hadn’t loved them, had put them through hell, and didn’t give a damn about them. It didn’t take a genius to figure out all she wanted was money.

He hit delete. Her seeing the kids—never going to happen.

He closed the computer. The thought of Alice just pissed him the hell off. Thank God the hurt had passed, and now he was just plain mad. She’d used him and his kids to get whatever she’d wanted.

Thank God he had Grace now. She would never use him or his kids. She loved them. She hadn’t said it, but she did.

Did he love her?

He drummed his fingers on the lid of his laptop. Maybe…probably…he hoped so. It’s not that he didn’t care about her, it’s just he didn’t want to label the emotion too soon. He’d thought he’d fallen for Alice, but by the time the infatuation faded, she’d been pregnant, and they’d been married.

Would that happen with Grace?

Would the excitement of love wear off leaving them both unfulfilled and unhappy?

More than anything, he wanted to believe it wouldn’t. But deep down inside he knew it would. The newness would go away, there would be nothing but bitterness, and then she’d leave. Just like Alice, and just like his mother.

But Grace wasn’t like either woman.

It didn’t matter, if life had taught him one thing, it was that nothing lasted forever.

An emptiness filled every molecule of his being. There would be a time in his life when Grace wouldn’t be around. It hurt so deeply emotions and words couldn’t convey.

He shook his head. This was wrong. Grace was different. She would always be around, and someday they would make it permanent. She deserved nothing less.

A tiny bit of doubt lodged itself smack dab in the middle of his resolve.

***

“You should buy that one.” CoCo looked at Grace through the dressing room mirror at Nordstrom’s. The dress was lovely and gold and almost six hundred dollars.

Grace studied her reflection. It was perfect and way out of her price range.

“I can’t.” She ran her hands over the smooth, silk one more time.

“Why not?” She pulled on a baby blue sundress that was the same shade as her eyes. It was knee length, the top was fitted and ended in a full skirt. It was both modest and a little sassy with a portion cut out of the back.

“You’ll need a different bra if you’re considering that one.” Grace liked it on CoCo. Chord was going to hate it, but it didn’t matter what CoCo wore on her first date, Chord was going to hate it.

“I like it better than the red one.” She nodded to the dresses piled on the chair.

Reluctantly, Grace slipped off the dress and carefully hung it up. She slipped on her jeans and T-shirt. She bargained with herself, if she got eleven thousand for her father’s guitar, she’d come right back here and buy this dress. She sighed. No she wouldn’t. She’d prepay as much of Vernon’s rent with any overage. It was the smart and practical thing to do. Damn it, she was tired of being practical. For once she wanted to be frivolous, but money for her was hard to come by.

CoCo picked up the gold dress and handed it to her. “Dad’s buying. He slipped me his credit card and told me to buy you a dress.”

If Chord had slapped her in the face, it couldn’t have hurt more. “That’s kind of him, but I pay my own way.”

CoCo rolled her eyes. “It’s a gift. Not charity. Dad likes to buy stuff for his ladies.”

That was a punch straight to the heart. Chord bought things for his hordes of girlfriends? Was she was no different? She was part of the faceless crowd. She loved him, didn’t that make her different?

Nausea gripped her, and she grabbed the wall for support.

“That’s what dad said when he slipped me the card on the way out the door. He said he wanted to buy us nice things because we’re his ladies.”

Well, that was different. He was only talking about her and CoCo. It was kind of sweet actually.