Secured Wishes (5 page)

Genie’s eyes stayed glued to the framed drawing, as Gracie passed it over. “I was inside the F.B.I headquarters in Abernathy, Texas a year and half ago, when a car bomb exploded in front of it, destroying most of the building. My friend, Steven, knocked me to the floor and covered me with his body, saving my life. He was killed in the process,” she paused, and Gracie felt like for the first time in her life, she had truly connected with someone. “I want to buy this.”

Gracie shook her head. “I don’t think that anyone else in the world could appreciate it the way you would, so you can have it.”

“I can’t just take it,” she said incredulous. “This is obviously how you make a living, and it couldn’t have been cheap to frame it like this.”

Gracie felt a smile spread across her face. It was true that the frame had been expensive, but she was no starving artist, and having someone love one of her pieces was just as important as making money. “Please, I want you to have it,” she insisted.

Genie chewed her bottom lip. “At least let me take you to dinner.”

“Done,” Gracie agreed immediately, then moved to wrap it up for her. When she turned back around, Genie was standing in front of another drawing smiling. “This one must have been inspired by a man.”

Gracie blushed and admitted. “It was the night Mary was killed. Bullets were flying from what seemed like every direction, and this man came rushing through the fray, scooping me into his arms. His eyes were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and I still see them every night when I close my eyes.”

“And what happened to this man?”

Gracie shrugged with a nonchalance she was far from feeling. “We spent one scorching hot week together, and at the end of that week we both went our separate ways. I never made any attempt to contact him again, and the same goes for him.” She didn’t bother mentioning that she wouldn’t have known how to either.

“But you miss him, right?” Genie said, hitting the nail on the head.

“Every damn day,” she admitted then chuckled lightly. “It’s just occurred to me that I have told you more about my life in the last few minutes than I’ve ever told anyone.”

“Well then, it must be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

CHAPTER FOUR

December

The heat blasting inside Smith Security Services was a welcome relief after the cold chill of the December air. The walk didn’t seem all that far when Gracie set out from her studio, but the wind chilled her to the bone. She really should have considered her outfit more carefully. Her wool pea-coat was warm enough, but the sweater dress, tights, and heeled boots, while adorable, did nothing to ward off the cold. She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering while attempting a smile for the receptionist. She was afraid the attempt came off more scary than friendly, but the woman smiled in return. Gracie glanced down at the woman’s desk, spotting a nameplate. “Good Afternoon Mookie, I have an appointment with Mr. Smith.”

A scuffing noise sounded from one of the office doorways, and Gracie peered over Mookie’s head to find two hugely muscular gentlemen jockeying for position in order to get to her first. Their height was the same and they appeared to be twins. They both possessed the same sweet brown eyes, but that’s where the similarities ended. Whereas one was clean cut, the other one’s brown hair was shaggy. He was sporting a beard, and his body was covered in intricate tattoos, making him the polar opposite of his brother, but when the pair smiled, she saw two men with the same gorgeous smile complete with straight white teeth and dimples.

Mookie turned in her chair at their approach, but she turned her back on them, rolling her eyes. “Mr. Smith is running a few minutes late, but apparently these two fools would be more than willing to keep you entertained until he arrives.”

Gracie chuckled. The one with the beard stepped forward, chastising Mookie without any real heat. “We are your bosses, Mookie. You’re not supposed to call us fools.”

“Please, child,” she said waving a dismissive hand. “I worked for Shannon’s daddy long before you were even born. I’ve taken you boys over my knee many a time, and I will not hesitate to do so again.”

Gracie laughed out-right this time, and both men smiled a bit sheepishly. The bearded one stepped closer, offering her his hand. “I’m Bob Sparks, and this is my brother, Weave. We’re co-owners with Mr. Smith.”

Gracie transferred her briefcase from one hand to the other before shaking his. “Gracie St. John,” she moved to shake the other man’s hand. The one named Bob held onto her hand a moment too long, but instead of making her feel uncomfortable, as it normally would, she found herself flushing beneath his attention.

“I was supposed to talk to Mr. Smith today about hiring your company to cover my next art exhibition.”

Weave repeated her name softly. “Gracie St. John. I knew that name sounded familiar. I saw a few of your etchings hanging in an art gallery in Manhattan. They were wonderful.”

She felt herself blushing at the praise. “Thank you. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Smith’s wife, Genie, when she visited my studio, and once I learned about Smith Security I thought you would be a wonderful fit.”

He waved his arm in the direction of one of the offices. “Let’s go have a seat, and we can start discussing it while we wait on Shannon.”

Bob grabbed a chair as they filed into the small office. They crowded around what must have been Bob’s desk since after setting up the extra chair he moved to sit behind it. She eyed them both closely, but her eyes kept straying back to the one covered in tattoos. As the silence stretched on, one of the men finally cleared his throat and she felt heat flood her face. She stuttered an apology. “I’m sorry. I sort of live in my own world, and I’m always mentally sketching everything I see. I realize it is sort of unnerving if you’re not used to being around me, so again, I apologize.”

A half smile played across Bob’s lips. “Don’t worry about it. Anytime you think you’d like to sketch me for real, I’d be into that.”

“Really?” she asked, nearly bouncing in her seat at the thought. “Actually I’d love to do you both, if you’d be willing,” she groaned aloud when Weave barked out a laugh and she realized how her words had sounded. “I meant I’d like to draw you both.”

They both chuckled and a new voice entered the conversation. “Should I come back later?” She turned in her seat to find an unfamiliar face. This gentleman was golden-skinned, and his amber eyes were close to being the same shade as Jacob’s. His body bore the same muscular build as the other two men, and even his eyes smiled when he did.

“Hey, Shannon,” Weave was the first to speak up. “This is Gracie St. John; we were keeping her company while waiting for you.”

“I’ll bet.”

***

Mookie’s desk was empty as Shannon came through the door, which really wasn’t surprising considering the time. It was close to noon, and she usually took her lunch break around this time, but he hoped he hadn’t missed Gracie completely. A problem cropped up next door at his dad’s fight club, and he needed to clear it up right away. He knew he would be cutting it close and left word with Mookie, but she enjoyed a schedule that she kept to and no amount of cajoling could convince her to change. A bark of laughter sounded from Bob’s office, and he followed the sound, finding both Bob and Weave already boxing Gracie in. Genie described the woman perfectly, so there were no doubts on the woman’s identity. He should have known better than to leave her alone with the pair. The way she was blushing made him wonder for a moment what he was missing, but he wasn’t crazy enough to ask. He tried to shuffle her out of Bob’s office quickly, fearing one of them would do something to offend her, but she turned out to be harder to budge than he imagined. “I waited on you, Mr. Smith, so if don’t mind then you can wait on me a moment longer?” She smiled sweetly, taking the sting from her words.

“No problem, and please call me, Shannon.”

He used his shoulder to prop up the doorframe while he waited, and she turned her attention back to Bob and Weave. “My offer was a serious one if the two of you would be willing to consider it. I would pay you for your time,” she pulled a couple of business cards from her briefcase, handing them over. “Here is my number. I’m at my studio most hours, but my cell phone number is also on there, and I can be reached at that number any time of the day.”

They each took a card and looked it over before slipping it into their pockets. She gathered up her briefcase as she stood, and both men shot to their feet taking a turn at, once again, shaking her hand. He moved to let her pass through the door ahead of him, and when he looked over his shoulder both men were openly watching Gracie as she walked away. Shannon shook his head. Once he finally got her settled into his office, he closed the door, fearing they would continuously walk past if he left it open.

“Genie says you’re having an art exhibit in February and you were thinking about hiring us to keep your artwork secure during the show.”

Gracie opened the briefcase at her feet and began laying out several papers. “Here are some pictures of each piece that will be on display, along with an insurance estimate on each one. Some of my work is worth quite a bit of money, and normally I wouldn’t even attempt to put on a show on my own with only my pieces on display, but with the opening of my new studio, I thought this would be a good way to advertise my new location. Hopefully it will have the added benefit of bringing in extra revenue to surrounding businesses as well.”

Shannon looked over the pictures, barely suppressing the urge to raise his eyebrows at the price of each one. He must not have been very good at hiding his feelings because Gracie laughed. “Don’t look so horrified. I’ll never forget the first time my work went to auction. When the first piece sold, I nearly fainted, then I laughed all the way to the bank. It still amazes and humbles me that anyone would think so much of my work.”

“I saw the sketch you gave to Genie. I didn’t realize she would have been forced to take a mortgage out on our house to buy it; but none-the-less it is…” he paused, wondering how to describe one of the most heartbreaking things he’d ever laid eyes on, “powerful in its simplicity, if that makes any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense, and thank you. I think that was one the nicest things anyone has ever said about my work,” she paused for a moment, and a strange look passed over her face before she cleared her throat and continued. “So, what do you think? Do you think we could make this work?”

“Oh, absolutely. We need to work out more details of course, but I know that we have this date free, so I’m sure we can manage it.”

She stayed quiet for so long that Shannon glanced up from perusing the paperwork to find her staring at him, her eyes unfocused as if she weren’t really seeing him. He didn’t say anything to break her train of thought, instead he chose to wait until he saw her eyes clear, and he couldn’t help but smile when she shook her head, as if brushing away the cobwebs. “Where did you go?” He asked curiously.

“I’m sorry,” she said smiling ruefully. “You remind me of someone else.”

“I get that a lot,” he admitted. “Do you mind if I keep these? I’d like to go over them more thoroughly, and we can hammer out more of the details when it gets closer to the date.”

“That’s fine. Those are your copies, and I’m sure I’ll be in touch with Genie, so just keep me updated. It was nice meeting you.”

Shannon stood, walking her to his office door. “It was nice meeting you too. Genie has a lot of wonderful things to say about you, and anything that makes my wife happy, makes me happy.”

Gracie opened the door and stepped through. “You sound like a smart man.”

Bob was waiting outside his office, and Shannon said a final goodbye, recognizing his cue to bow out.

***

“Can I walk you to your car?”

Gracie hid a smile at the shyly asked question. For all his wild appearance, Bob Sparks seemed like a nice man. “I didn’t drive,” she admitted, and his disbelieving look nearly made her laugh.

“You walked? It’s like twenty degrees outside.”

“I know. It didn’t seem so bad when I first started out, but the wind is awful,” she admitted, shaking her head at her own foolishness.

“Maybe I could give you a lift instead?”

She chewed on her lip, unsure if she should accept or not, and before she could agree he added. “And maybe I could take you to lunch while we’re out?”

He really did have a sweet smile. “Will you let me sketch you afterwards?”

He put his hands on his hips before glancing down quickly at his toes as if he were hiding a smile. “Yes, if you will go to lunch with me, I will let you sketch me.”

“With your shirt off?” she added for good measure.

This time he brought his hand to his mouth, as if physically wiping away his smile, and she realized she had done it again. She said something he found outrageous, and she tried back-peddling. “I meant because of your tattoos. I don’t think I could do them justice with your shirt partially blocking them.”

“Actually, most my body is covered in tattoos, so I’d have to get completely nude in order for you to get the full picture.”

“Would you be willing to do that?” she asked, surprising a bark of laughter from him. Bob threw an arm over her shoulders and steered her out the front door. “Not on the first date. You’ll have to ply me with more than lunch if you want to get me out of my clothes.”

January

The high profile SUV gave Jacob a clear view of the line of brake lights in the distance, and inexplicably his thoughts drifted to Gracie. He was so tired of Florida, and he wanted to be where she was.

She flattened her palm against his, as if she were measuring the difference in their size. “What’s it like to be tall?”

Jacob let out a short laugh as her question cut through the silence. Her head was resting on his chest, and he linked his fingers through hers. “You ask the most outrageous questions.”

He felt her shrug. “I’ve never been tall, so how am I supposed to know if I don’t ask. Does it get tiresome looking at the top of people’s heads all the time?”