Finding Gracie's Rainbow (48 page)

Kim looked at her daughter
strangely. “What are you talking about?”

“
Look at Gracie's eyes,
Mom.” Sammie watched her mother.

“
I believe that you're
right.” Kim smiled. “So tell us about it.” She stopped and thought
for a minute as Gracie stared at them both puzzled. “You and
Jackson looked a little closer yesterday at Church.” Her smile got
bigger. “You talked to Jackson!”

Annie looked surprised as
she looked at her roommate. “Did you really?”

“
I did, and I told him
everything, including the part where Christian kissed you. . .” She
paused as she pointed at Annie. “To shut you up.”

“
You so tried to switch
this conversation to me, and Jackson was there.” Annie frowned at
her. “What else did you tell him?”

“
I might have let it slip
that I loved him.” Gracie tried to say it soft enough for them not
to hear. She turned as she heard Bea squeal and run back over to
her from where she was sitting at the kitchen table.

“
I knew that Jackson was
Prince Charming.” Bea started dancing around the room when Garrison
rolled his eyes.

“
Here we go again.” He
mumbled walking over to Annie.

“
That’s okay, buddy.”
Gracie chuckled as she looked down at him. “Your mother has a
Prince Charming, also.”

“
Gross.” Garrison looked
up at his mother when she started to frown.

“
Gracie is joking.” Annie
looked down at him not really knowing how Garrison would feel about
a man in her life.

“
Am I?” Gracie glanced
over at her. “Have you not had time to read yet?”

“
No, Christian came over
because he needed to go over. . .” Annie stopped as she felt Kim
and Gracie staring at her. “Knock it off.”

“
Sounds like something to
me.” Sammie smiled in Annie’s direction before glancing at Gracie.
“I loved the book; especially, the part. . .”

“
No more. I want to read
the story myself.” Annie walked out the door with Garrison as
Gracie looked at Sammie.

“
You just said that
because I'm your aunt.” Gracie said as she glanced back over at
Sammie.

“
Actually, I had to pry
the book from her hands before she did anything else.” Kim informed
her as they walked to the door. “I heard that there’s going to be
another.”

“
Maybe,” Gracie walked out
the door and stared at Annie. “She really did love it.” Gracie
couldn't believe it even as she said it.

“
I'm sure I would if I was
given enough time to read it.” Annie started the car after Gracie
shut her door. “I thought about making you walk, but then I would
have to answer questions from Jackson.”

“
You poor thing,” Gracie
was laughing at her as they pulled into their driveway. Jackson
watched as they walked up the sidewalk. “Why didn’t you just go
in?”

“
I did and supper is
waiting.” Jackson watched as they stepped up onto the porch. “You
two don’t look like you spent the day in a court room.”

Annie walked past them into
the house and looked at the table listening to the soft mumble of
voices coming from outside.

Garrison walked up to
Jackson while he was still standing there with Gracie.

“
What’s up, sport?” He
tussled the little boy's hair.

“
Who is Price Charming?”
Garrison frowned as Gracie started laughing.

“
And on that note, I'll
leave you, so I can wash up.” Gracie smiled before she walked into
the living room. “You have a puzzled boy, cute but
puzzled.”

“
What now?” Annie watched
as Gracie plopped down on the couch.

“
Has he never
watched
Cinderella
with Bea? He wants to know who Prince Charming is.” She
twitched her lips trying not to laugh at Annie’s expression. “Get
ready for some questioning.”

Annie watched Jackson walk
into the door with Garrison following behind him.

“
We're watching
Cinderella
tonight,
ladies.” Jackson said looking straight at Annie. He watched as
Garrison walked into his bedroom. “Does his father have nothing to
do with him?”

“
His father moved up north
to find a job.” Annie crossed her arms in front of her. “You,
Jackson, are the only male influence the boy has.”

Gracie smirked as Jackson
looked at her. “I have a feeling that you had something to do with
this.”

“
It was actually my very
adorable daughter. What’s for supper?” Gracie stood and walked into
the kitchen.

“
Supper?” Jackson asked as
heard another car pull up into the driveway. “Set another place at
the table,” Jackson turned around and looked at Gracie. “Did
somebody invite Christian for supper and not inform the
cook?”

“
No.” Gracie and Annie
answered at the same time. Gracie walked to the door and let the
detective in. “I’m sorry. Is this business or pleasure?”

“
Both. I have some good
news, and I'll take pleasure in seeing your reaction.” He smelled
the food emitting from the kitchen. “Is Jackson here?”

“
Certainly,” Jackson
answered in his best Curly imitation. “Have you eaten,
Christian?”

Christian shook his head no
and then turned back to Gracie. “All of the charges against Susan
Cameron have been dropped, and her record is clean.”

Gracie smiled. “That is
very good news. I'm happy for her. Where will she go after the
trial is over?”

“
She has a sister down in
Florida that she intends to move in with until she lands on her
feet.” He looked over at the table and then at Annie. “Where is
that son of yours?”

“
He ran away from us
girls.” Annie informed him after she placed a glass of ice tea down
on the table. “Are you staying?”

“
Now that I’ve been
invited, I would love to.” Christian sat down at the table;
watching as Bea and Garrison sat down with them. He picked up a
roll from the basket in front of him, and Garrison thumped his
hand. “What?”

“
We bless our food first,
and then we serve ourselves.” Annie said as Christian looked over
at her.

He saw that they were all
holding hands. “Sorry,” he looked up and saw laughter in Jackson’s
eyes before they said the grace.

“
You are way too used to
the bachelor life.” Jackson said as they started passing the food
around. “And having no family. . .”

“
You said you knew what
family was.” Annie looked over Garrison’s head at him.

“
You never asked if I had
one.” Christian answered as he finally took a bite of the roll he
had grabbed. “You talk too much.”

“
Don’t.” Annie watched as
Christian was looking at her strangely.

Gracie noticed the look
that passed between the two of them but didn't say a word about it
as Bea was telling Jackson about falling asleep in court.
“Christian won the game he was playing with Annie.”

“
What game was that?”
Jackson looked at his friend as he shoved food into his mouth.
“Gracie?”

“
I plead the fifth.”
Gracie was still watching them. “Since you cooked, doesn’t that
mean that Annie has to clean?”

“
Your house,” Jackson was
puzzled as he looked at her.

“
I vote that Annie and
Christian clean up the mess.” Gracie looked over the table at
them.

“
Why is that so important
to you right now?” He watched as Gracie stood and walked over to
where he was sitting. She whispered something in his ear and he
pushed his plate away. “Sorry, guys, you are cleaning.” He followed
Gracie outside.

“
Something feels different
about those two.” Christian watched as Bea broke out in a smile,
and Garrison moaned.

“
May I be excused?”
Garrison looked at Annie.

“
You may.” Annie looked at
Bea. “And you’ve eaten enough to get down also.”

“
Yes, m’am.” Bea stood and
started to run to the back door.

“
Bea, play inside for a
bit." Annie stopped her before she drew close to the back door. She
looked over at Christian. “Gracie finally told Jackson
everything.”

“
Really?” Christian was
smiling as he looked at the table. “Cleaning up for six is a lot
different than cleaning up for just one.”

“
Man up, Detective.” Annie
smiled at him as she started stacking the plates. “That is why we
have dishwashers.”

Christian looked over at
her then. “Annie, will you go out with me?”

“
Yes,” Annie answered as
she watched Gracie walk back into the house.

“
Did you say yes?”
Christian started to grab the plates from her.

“
Boy, it really takes a
detective to figure that one out.” Gracie watched Christian jump.
“I'm just saying that it wasn't rocket science.” Jackson looked
puzzled as he walked into the conversation. “I won that bet,
Jackson. Divvy up.”

“
Seriously?” Jackson took
fifty dollars out of his wallet and handed it to Gracie before he
glanced over at Annie. “You said yes?”

“
For Pete’s sake, that has
already been established. I said yes.” Annie looked at all of them
as Garrison walked out of his room. “Now that we have that
straightened out, can we please finish washing the
dishes?”

“
Go for it.” Jackson
started calling for Bea. “Bring out the
Cinderella
movie.” He walked over to
Garrison. “You’re going to watch.”

“
Why is he going to watch
that?” Christian was listening as he wiped off the
table.

Annie stepped over to the
table and watched as Garrison sat down on the floor looking over at
his mother for her to say something. “Don’t ask, and you missed a
spot.”

~

The next day, Gracie
listened as the prosecutor was questioning Bea. She was willing all
of her strength to her daughter, especially when Bea glanced at her
father. Gracie found herself fidgety as the defense attorney
started drilling her daughter. “Can’t you stop some of that
questioning? She doesn’t know what he's talking about.”

He looked up at the same
time Gracie stood. He gently pulled Gracie back down in the seat as
he objected. “Your Honor, may I approach the bench?”

“
Sir, Your Honor, I don't
know where the defense is going, but you have a little girl who is
crying and a mother who was about to bring herself into contempt of
court.”

“
You're right. There is no
point here.” He motioned for the defense attorney to approach the
bench. He told him very kindly to dismiss Bea from the witness
stand.

Gracie hugged Bea tightly
to her. “It’s over Bea. You did a very good job.” She took a
Kleenex and wiped the tears off her daughter’s face. “Go home with
Annie now.”

“
Yes, m’am.” Bea walked
over to Annie and took her hand. Christian was watching them, and
he looked at Jackson. They listened to Susan’s testimony, and then
it was Christian’s turn.

They judge recessed the
court for lunch after Christian stepped off the stand. He was
watching Gracie as he stood next to Jackson in the hall. “She's
ready to bolt.” Christian said as he blew on a cup of coffee he had
bought out of the vending machine.

“
But she won’t. She's
still upset about how Bea was treated.” Jackson looked back over at
Christian. “So are you done with your part now?”

“
Yes, but I think that I'm
going to stick around.” He was watching Janet, Paige, and Kim
talking to Gracie as Steven made his way over to them.

“
What’s going on?” Jackson
asked Steven as he finally sat down on one of the benches scattered
throughout the hall.

“
The pep talk, I usually
try to avoid them.” Steven looked down at Jackson. “Gracie was
ready to fight this morning, wasn’t she?”

Jackson didn't answer that
question but instead asked Steven a question in return. “Why are
they giving her a pep talk?”

“
She’s taking the stand
next.” He glanced at Jackson. “You didn’t know?”

“
The trial is moving
pretty quick.” Christian admitted as he finally tasted his coffee.
He wrinkled his nose, “Almost as good as the precincts. Go over to
her, Jackson.”

“
I'm not sure that's a
good idea.” Jackson noticed that Steven was glaring at
him.

“
You really need to stop
thinking that you know what Gracie wants or needs.” Steven studied
his family and gave Jackson a push after he stood up. He saw
Christian smiling. “What is so funny, Christian?”

“
I was just remembering
the line of names that Annie called him the other day.” He walked
over to the water fountain and dumped out his coffee.

Gracie was watching as
Jackson made his way to them. “Are you ready?” He asked as he stood
next to her.

“
For it to be over,”
Gracie was staring at the courtroom doors, and he could feel her
growing tense. “This is like waiting for my turn at one of those
piano recitals.”