Finding Gracie's Rainbow (22 page)

Gracie reached over and
grabbed the piece of paper that Carolyn had left on her desk. She
handed it to Addison without saying a word.

“
I’m not getting the full
picture.” Addison said as she looked at what was on the
paper.

Gracie saved the document
she was working on. “It seems that the story was sent to Horseshoe
Publishing.” She stood and glanced over at her friend. “They
offered that much money for it.”

“
So are you reconsidering
publishing it now?” Addison asked her as she put the slip of paper
back on the desk.

“
Oh, the temptation,”
Gracie started pacing the floor. “At least, I know you had nothing
to do with this.”

Addison nodded her head.
“That is enough money. . .”

“
To send Bea to a good
college with some to spare.” Gracie had been thinking about what
she could do with the money. “It seems I have some thinking to
do.”

“
If it were me, I would
have already given them an answer.” Addison stood and looked at the
clock. “Maybe having your apartment broken into was a good
thing.”

“
Forever a silver lining
in every cloud,” Gracie was frowning as she looked at her desk.
“They want a second book.”

“
That shouldn’t be a
problem for you. If you wrote one, you can write another.” Addison
was on her way out the door. “Time to go home.”

“
Sure, why couldn’t I
write another one?” Gracie looked down as she thought to herself.
“If I still believed in that stuff.”

She was preoccupied all
during Kim’s sermon and was brought out of her thoughts only when
Jackson touched her lightly on the shoulder. She jumped when she
realized that everybody was standing up around her.

Jackson was staring at her
as Bea smiled. “Where were you, Gracie?” He asked as Janet and
Chandler watched them.

She stood. “I’m right here.
Can’t you see me?”

“
We all see you.” He was
amused. “But your mind isn't with you.”

Gracie pursed her lips as
she started to walk away from them. She hadn't heard one word of
Kim’s sermon as she thought about nothing but what Carolyn had
talked to her about.

Jackson caught up with her
before she reached the doors. “Still giving me the cold shoulder,
Cinderella?” Jackson asked when she continued to walk.

“
Did you not want
separation?” Gracie stopped walking as she looked straight at him.
“I really don’t feel like talking right now.” She looked around for
her daughter. “Come on, Bea, it’s time to go home.”

Bea walked up to them and
hugged Jackson before walking off with her mother. Kim watched them
as she stood with their parents.

Janet looked at her oldest
daughter. “I don’t guess you know what's going on.”

“
All I know is that Steven
gave Jackson some advice.” Kim watched as Jackson shrugged his
shoulders before leaving the church in his own car. “Looks like it
might be backfiring.”

Chandler couldn't help but
laugh. “Steven gave Jackson advice about Gracie. Funny, I always
thought Jackson was the one that knew her better.”

Sammie had walked up to
them as they were talking. “Oh, the drama,” she laughed before she
walked off the porch of the church.

~

Gracie called Carolyn the
next day and told her that she would accept the offer. She could
almost hear the agent smiling at the other end of the phone before
she hung up. Why was she herself not happy? She stood feeling a
serious need to go walking.

Gracie glanced up at the
clock and sighed. It was going to be a long day. Addison knocked on
the door; smiling as she held the contract that Carolyn had just
faxed over to Gracie.

“
You did it.” She laid the
contract on Gracie’s desk. “You should be a little
happier.”

“
But I’m not happy.”
Gracie looked over the contract as she walked up to her desk. “I
bet Carolyn is though, she just made a hefty sum of
money.”

“
You're starting to bum me
out.” Addison sat down and watched Gracie straightening her already
neat desk. “Where’s the celebration?”

“
I’m sure there'll be one
after I tell my family.”

“
You haven’t even
mentioned the possibility of this happening to them?” Addison was
shocked. “I thought you had a close family.”

“
I do. I just haven’t felt
like talking lately.” Gracie started pacing the floor again. “I
don’t want to sign that contract. What if I regret having it
published?” She picked up the contract and glanced over it again.
“I need some work, Addison. What is our next deadline?”

“
The magazine comes around
again in a week, but until then we're in a slump.” Addison looked
at the appointment book and frowned. “You have someone name Foster
penciled in for a consultation at one.”

“
Foster?” Gracie asked as
she walked over to look at the appointment book. She stood over
Addison’s shoulders and peered over at the day’s schedule. “Salem
Foster. Our big boss from New York. “

“
Our boss?” Addison looked
down at the name.

“
I thought you had a
photographic memory, Addie. Yes, our boss.” Gracie smiled at her as
she thought about having something to do. “Quickly, call a staff
meeting. We need to make sure everybody has their stations neat
before he arrives.”

After the cleaning was done
and lunch was over, Gracie and Addison walked to the back of the
building where Gracie’s office was. Gracie looked over at the older
gentleman sitting in the waiting area. “Mr. Foster, we weren’t
expecting you for another hour.” Gracie shook his hand after he
stood.

“
The flight was early.” He
looked over at Addison as she sat down at her desk. “You may sit in
on this meeting.”

“
Yes, sir,” Addison
quickly grabbed a tablet and pen before following them into
Gracie’s office.

“
I’m slightly
disappointed.” He said after he asked them both to sit at the
conference table.

“
Sir?” Gracie looked up at
him in concern wondering what they had done wrong.

“
I received a telephone
call from Carolyn Young about a certain manuscript that one of my
employees wrote.” He looked over at Gracie. “She sent me a copy and
yes, I've read it.”

Gracie was studying her
hands as he talked. She looked up when she felt him staring at her.
“It wasn’t supposed to leave my apartment.” She mumbled.

“
That would have been a
loss.” Mr. Foster looked at her seriously. “Just tell me that you
didn't sign that contract for Horseshoe Publishing that Carolyn
sent over this morning.”

Addison went over to
Gracie’s desk and picked up the contract noticing that Gracie had
indeed not signed it. “There was a verbal agreement, sir.” Gracie
said as she watched him tear it up.

“
No, there wasn’t. Carolyn
called me first, and I asked her not to call them.” He sat down and
pulled his own contract out of his briefcase. “I don’t expect you
to write another book, although that would be nice.” Laying the
paper in front of Gracie, he added. “All I want is the
ending.”

Gracie looked down at the
amount he had on the contract. “Are you sure about this, sir?” She
asked glancing over at Addison. “What if it turns out to be a dud
and doesn’t sell one copy?”

“
Please, call me Salem.”
He smiled as he handed Gracie a pen. “It will sell and if it
doesn’t, I know where to find you.”

She looked at the contract
carefully before signing it as Addison watched. Gracie handed it
back to him, and he placed it in his case before looking back at
her smiling. “Congratulations, Gracie.” He shook her hand. “Close
up the office, we're going to celebrate.”

Addison smiled broadly at
Gracie before she went to set the phone to answer by voicemail for
the rest of the day.

Gracie was in a daze as she
grabbed her cell phone to call Kim and explain to her that Mr.
Foster was taking the entire office out to dinner, and she'd be
late picking up Bea. She wasn't ready to explain anything
else.

Addison walked up to Gracie
after she ended to call to her sister. “Why didn’t you tell
her?”

“
Because when one of us
has big news, we call a family meeting so everybody hears it at one
time.” Gracie tried to smile. “Where are we going?”

“
He wants to go to San
Luis.” Addison walked out of the office with Gracie. “So are you
still going to work here?”

“
Why wouldn’t I?” They met
up with the rest of their coworkers in the parking lot after Gracie
locked the doors. “Let’s go celebrate.”

“
I’ll meet you over
there.” Salem Foster said as they walked over to them. “I need to
pick up the missus from the mall. She loves to hit every mall
wherever we go.” He shook his head as he took off.

Gracie told Addison to
order her a drink as she went into the bathroom to freshen up. Her
cell phone started ringing while she was drying her hands. “Hello,
Jackson.”

“
Where are you?” He heard
the background noise as Gracie had walked back into the dining
area. “Too noisy to be your office.”

“
I closed the office. I'm
at San Luis having dinner with the entire office staff.” She walked
over to the table and noticed the drink sitting at her place.
Gracie took the phone from her ear. “What in the world did you
order me, Addie?”

“
A strawberry daiquiri,”
Addison said loud enough for Jackson to hear over the
phone.

Gracie placed the phone
back to her ear. “I'm going to let you go so I can murder her. Oh,
wait, what was the reason you called?”

“
You don’t drink, Gracie.”
Jackson smiled as he made plans to ride over to San Luis just in
case it turned out that she would need a ride home. He never
answered her question.

“
You’re right. I don’t
drink but maybe one won’t hurt me. Talk at ya later.” Gracie sat
down at the table and tasted the drink.

“
Hey, it’s your party.”
Addison elbowed her. “Time to loosen up a bit.”

“
Fine.” Gracie smiled as
she took another sip. “It is good.” They ordered their food, and
Addison noticed that her friend was starting to relax. She had
started talking with the others as she watched the waitress place
another drink in front of her. Gracie glanced over at her friend
who smiled innocently pointing to the end of the table.

“
Seriously two was too
many.” Gracie found that she couldn't help but to drink a little
more. She glanced up as Jackson walked into the restaurant. She
stood and swaggered towards him as Addison watched. “Ouch, I think
that she's just a little tipsy.” Addison mumbled as she watched
Jackson steady her.

“
Are you ready to go home,
Cinderella?” Jackson looked over at Addison as she held three
fingers in the air. “Tell everyone bye.”

Salem Foster stood with his
wife and shook her hand. “We’ll have to do this again
sometime.”

“
Sure thing, Mr. Boss. I
mean Mr. Salem. Sorry, I mean Mr. Foster.” Gracie laughed as
Jackson walked her out to his car. “I feel so funny.”

“
Of course you do.”
Jackson watched as Gracie fumbled with the seat buckle. He shook
his head as he buckled it for her. “So what was the celebration
about?”

Gracie was quiet as she
started thinking. “I honestly can't remember.”

Jackson shook his head
again as he helped Gracie get out of the car after they parked in
her driveway.

“
You know what, Jackson?”
Gracie looked serious as she stood beside him. “You are a really,
really great guy.”

“
I know and you're
plastered.” Jackson looked at her as they still stood at the door.
“Are you going to give me the key?”

“
Sure,” Gracie frowned as
she realized that she didn’t have her purse or her briefcase. “I
think I left them in Addie’s car.”

Jackson walked over to the
side of the house, coming back with an extra key. He opened the
door and pulled her inside.

“
Did I tell you that you
were a great guy?” Gracie asked again after she sat
down.

“
Yes, you did.” He walked
over to the counter in the kitchen and started brewing a pot of
coffee. “We're going to sober you up some before I go get
Bea.”

“
Bea. She’s very special.”
Gracie closed her eyes.

Jackson took a mug of
coffee over to her. “Come on, Cinderella, it ain't bed time
yet.”

“
I’m not asleep. The
light's hurting my eyes.” Gracie took the mug from him as he turned
on the lamp and turned off the light.

“
How’s that?” Jackson sat
down next to her.

“
Better.” Gracie took a
sip of coffee. “I was only going to have one.”

“
What happened?” Jackson
was studying her.

“
Salem and his wife
thought I needed more.” Gracie looked over at him. “Thank
you.”

“
Anytime. Drink your
coffee while I walk up to Kim’s.” Jackson stood.