Aging with Gracie (20 page)

Chapter Ten

The Female Philosopher

Grace was walking through the building one morning around dawn a couple of weeks later when she heard laughter coming from the Gym. Although the sound didn’t concern her, the idea that someone was up at such an early hour did. She’d planned on coming in early for some quiet time on the elliptical machine.

She headed to the end of the hall to make sure the alarm system showed a green light before heading back toward the Gym. Because of all the weird occurrences at the residence, Jack had warned her to stay on her toes. They suspected that either Agatha North or Richard Watson was the culprit behind the mishaps, but so far, no one had been able to catch anyone in the act.

Jack had also hired a new security firm, and they were working to get a surveillance system installed, but installing wiring and cameras in so many locations took time. Grace hoped that the new cameras, coupled with the new locks and alarm system, would deter any future criminal activity. She and her staff were also keeping their eyes and ears open for anything unusual.

She peeked her head into the Gym and giggled at the sight. Her voice must have carried over the laughter of the other women because one of them turned her head in Grace’s direction.

“Come join us, dear!”

The call came from across the exercise room, and Grace fought back a grin. Even at this early hour, Elinor and Marianne were already conquering the inclines on their respective treadmills at a rapid pace. Although she’d been working out every afternoon with the sisters for the past two weeks, the sight of them in support hose, paired with spandex thongs of all things, still amazed her. It was as close to a sacrilege as you could get in the world of buff and brawn.

For crying out loud
, Grace thought.
Neither one of them even has enough flab to keep the floss between their butt cheeks
!

The thumping sounds of Christian rock music bounced off the walls. Grace shook her head, ruing the day she had disclosed to Marianne the location of the sound system. Now, there was something playing at all times during the day, and during the exercise hour, the music was kicked up a notch or two. Although Grace didn’t particularly care for some of the older tunes which occasionally hit the air waves, she had to admit that the pace of the walkers...and the people using them...had greatly improved in the common hallways.

Grace waved at the sisters and made her way to their side of the room. For the life of her, she could not understand how the people at Mansfield Park, especially the two women currently smiling in sincere invitation, had pulled her into their crazy little world. What was even more surprising to her was that she was loving every minute of it!

“Good morning, ladies.” Grace tossed her duffle bag onto an empty weight bench and headed toward the last treadmill.

She groaned as she realized that she had been left with the one farthest from the mirror. Not only would she be able to see just how pitiful her maximum incline was compared to theirs, but she would also see the entire workout in profile...and she’d decided two weeks ago that she no longer needed to see how much farther her backside eclipsed the taut curves of
their
nonexistent senior saddlebags.

On the bright side, from her distance, she didn’t have to watch each little jiggle of her own loose flesh as she tried to burn up every last calorie from the cheesecake she had eaten at dinner last night on her date with Jack.

She glanced at the mirror with disgust. Talk about humiliating! What could be worse than comparing your body to those of a couple of senior citizens...and coming up short...or in Grace’s case...wide?

Grace poked at the treadmill keypad until she found a speed and incline she could tolerate, then stepped up to begin her workout, grudgingly admitting that she had just about dealt with most everything in terms of the humiliation scale since her arrival at Mansfield Park. For crying out loud! She was working out with a couple of ladies fifty years her senior...and getting shown up in the process! Could there be anything else more embarrassing?

Unfortunately, there was...especially where the “sisters” were concerned.

Within minutes, Elinor started an interrogation into Grace’s love life. Over the past few months, Grace had come to accept the blatant nosiness of the residents, but sometimes, their comments were a little hard to take. The current topic was a prime example.

“So, you’re having relations with Jackson’s Ellis’ grandson,” Elinor commented between sips of bottled water, her toned legs not missing a stride. “That cute little Jackson the Third.”

“Uh, excuse me?” Grace managed. She was already sucking wind after only a few minutes of exercise, but she was not so out of shape that she couldn’t inject a bit of appalled ire into her response.

“She means─” Marianne chimed in, but Grace was quick in interrupt her.

“─I know what she means, Mari,” Grace gritted her teeth.

How embarrassing!

“Well, dear, we simply heard a rumor that you and Jack were─”

“─I understood that part of the question, too.” Grace tried for a sweet smile. “I’m just surprised that Ellie would ask me something like that.”

“We’re just concerned about you.”

“So you are?” Elinor interrupted her sister, her ears perked up like a bloodhound’s.

“Ellie,” Grace began but found herself quickly reverting to the tongue-tied terror of her first speech class.

After her recent conversations with Jack’s grandfather, Grace should have been a professional at this type of banter, but for some reason, Elinor always evoked feelings of insecurity in Grace. She supposed it was because the older woman projected such an air of formality. Of course, it could have been the bright red lipstick and penciled-in brows. They were terrorizing in themselves! Whatever the reason, though, she had the uncanny ability to bring Grace to a tongue-tied frenzy within seconds.

Grace’s relationship with Marianne was the complete opposite. Marianne had become like a grandmother to Grace from practically the beginning of their unusual friendship. It was as if they had gravitated toward one another. Grace had great respect for the woman, and she had sensed from the beginning that they had a special bond.

Part of it was their common interest in Theodore. Grace had fallen in love with the elderly man, and she was in constant awe of Marianne’s patience. As fit as she was, she could have been traipsing around the countryside doing whatever she pleased. Instead, she had accompanied her husband to Mansfield Park and had dedicated herself to seeing to his care.

Marianne had also greatly influenced Grace’s spiritual walk. Grace had always valued her relationship with Jesus, but, like many younger people, she’d had a tendency to put her personal agenda ahead of God’s. The weekly Bible study and her mid-morning devotionals with Marianne had opened her eyes to many of her own faults and had helped her understand that seeking God’s will for her life was more important than conquering the business world or achieving fame or wealth. It was this renewed spiritual strength that helped Grace finally formulate an answer to Elinor’s question.

“Ellie,” Grace tried again. “First, I don’t think that we should be discussing whatever relationship I might have with Jack.”

“I knew it!” Elinor executed a quick jump and clap that would have put Denise Austin to shame. “I can just tell by looking at that man.”

Grace crammed her ear buds into her ears while trying to stay upright on the treadmill. Elinor’s response was drowned out by the music.

“I did not hear that!” Grace called out to no one in particular as she drifted toward the back of the machine. She picked up her pace, nudged the volume up a notch, and began to sing along with Barlowgirl.

So much for spiritual strength
, her conscience nagged her.

“Now that’s just childish,” Elinor’s voice penetrated through the sound of a guitar solo.

Grace popped out her right ear bud.

“Excuse me?” She attempted a churlish look. “How much more juvenile can you get than the locker room smut coming from your own mouth?”

“Oh, dear, that was a good comeback.” Marianne, caught between the two, leaned back in order to allow Grace’s face-off with Ellie. “And quick, too, for someone so young. It’s taken me years to learn how to spar with Ellie. Bravo, Grace!”

For once, Grace ignored Marianne.

“Listen, Ellie,” Grace continued. “I really admire you and Marianne, but my relationship with Jack is really none of your business. However, since I don’t want you to think badly of me, I’ll address your question.”

The sisters watched Grace with interested eyes.

“First of all, I am not having “relations” with Jack Ellis nor have I ever had “relations” in my entire life.” Grace felt her face flush, but she continued. “Yes, I hope to someday experience that with Jack, but I’m holding out for marriage. Both of us deserve that, not to mention the vow I made to God long ago to remain pure.”

“Oh, Grace, that was beautifully put.” Marianne said with tears in her eyes. “What a precious gift.”

“I was just wanting to set things straight,” Ellie tittered. “I really didn’t think anything was going on.”

“Something
is
going on,” Grace admitted. “It’s just not what you were thinking.”

“Are you in love with him?” Marianne reached over and put her hand over Grace’s.

“I think I am,” Grace nodded her head. “I’ve never been in love before, so I’m having a hard time dealing with all of the emotions. Plus, I don’t want to get hurt. Jack has such a charismatic personality that everyone is drawn to him. He really has a good heart, though. I see God working through him in so many ways. It’s been kind of hard to resist telling him about my feelings.”

“Well, then, that sounds excellent. He is indeed a lucky man,” Ellie said with sincerity. “When are you going to make it official?”

Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. The two of you are the first people I’ve told.”

“You really haven’t told Jack?” Marianne squealed.

Grace shook her head.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Ellie piped in. “Life is too short as it is. You don’t have forever, you know.”

“Actually,” Marianne smiled.

“You know what I mean,” Ellie scoffed. “By the way, I’m sorry for being so nosy.”

“I know, and I forgive you,” Grace grinned. “As for talking to Jack, I’ve been thinking of bringing it up the night of the Open House.”

“But that’s almost a month from now!”

“Hush, Elinor,” Marianne gave Grace’s cheek a grandmotherly pat. “Oh, Grace, I’m so pleased for you. You deserve this happiness.”

Grace wondered what exactly she had done to deserve such happiness, but she wasn’t going to complain about it. As she poked her ear bud back in place, she closed her eyes and imagined just how Jack would react to her announcement. In a perfect world, he would fall down on a knee and declare his own undying affection...but when was life perfect? Grace could only pray that Jack returned her feelings. She wasn’t quite sure how she would go on if he didn’t.

•∞•∞•

A few days later, Elinor approached Grace as she was discussing carpeting choices for the suites with a sales representative from a company in Dalton.

“Honey,” Elinor stood at the doorway of Grace’s office. “When you have a moment, could we talk?”

“Of course, Ellie,” Grace closed the sample book on her desk. “We’re finishing up here. How about we meet in the dining room for tea in about fifteen minutes?”

“Thank you, dear,” Elinor smiled and walked away.

Grace finished her meeting with the salesperson and quickly checked her e-mails. Finding one from Abby, she smiled. She quickly typed off a response.

Abby had been overwhelmed with schoolwork during the present semester, so she had only visited the residence a handful of times. Grace was keeping tabs on her through e-mails, and Abby and her parents continued to come for Bible Study on Tuesdays, but those brief interactions weren’t quite the same as having the young apprentice working with her. She’d never had a younger sister, and she missed having the youngster around! She had a completely different perspective of things that Grace found refreshing, and at times, enlightening. Fortunately, school would be letting out for the holidays soon, and Abby would be able to visit more often.

A few minutes later, Grace entered the dining room to find Elinor sitting at a corner table. A small teapot was steaming in the center of the table. When Elinor saw Grace, she began to pour each of them a cup.

“So, what’s going on?” Grace asked as she sat down. She took a tentative sip of the hot tea.

“I just wanted to apologize again for my lack of decorum the other day in the gymnasium,” she told her. “I was completely out of line. You were right. Your relationship with Jack is none of my business. I suppose I’m becoming a little less circumspect in my old age.”

“Oh, Ellie,” Grace took her hand. “I’ve already forgiven you. I know that you and Marianne are concerned about me, and I appreciate it, but this is something that I have to work out on my own.”

“Could I share a story with you?”

“Of course,” Grace told her.

Elinor took a fortifying sip of tea as she began.

“I was forty years old the first time I fell in love with a man. I was working as a nurse on a medical relief ship. We worked mainly in Third World countries and would pull into different ports and provide aid to the people there. Mari and Theo were already married with kids, so I kind of felt obsolete around here. When I was working, I felt like I was contributing something. And for the most part, I didn’t worry about being single. I had a mission, you see.”