Saving Gracie by Kristen Ethridge Page A

“I don’t understand, Jake. You told me the condo project had to be built and you needed this land.”
    “That’s correct, Gracie. But I went through our property list last night, looking for a place where you could move.”
    “But the other day, Mitch Carson said your company had no other place to move me and he wouldn’t give me a letter to even talk to other potential landlords.”
    “Mitch doesn’t run the company. I do. Something may work out. It may not. But the last CEO of Peoples Property Group didn’t always treat people fairly and I do not intend to follow in his footsteps.”
    For all her earlier determination about making things work, Gracie knew it would take more than a property list. She possessed no savings and, until she checked her post office box, no notification of receiving the grant money. “Jake, that’s nice of you, but nothing about my situation has changed. I need a place for the school and a place to live, and I just don’t have the funds to move right now.”
    Gracie knew of only one solution: a miracle.
    “I remembered all that and took it into account. The bad news is that Peoples Property Group doesn’t have anything available that meets your needs.”
    Gracie’s heart sank before she’d even realized her hopes had risen at Jake’s words. “Is there any good news?”
    “Yes. I called my friend Melissa Miller this morning. She’s a local real estate agent, and she’s pulled a few current listings that might work for you. I thought we could meet her and go look at them.”
    Jake lifted his hand from the desk and took Gracie’s. Her heart skipped a beat from the brush of his palm against hers. Then it skipped another beat at the thought of a possible solution to her problem.
    “When?”
    “She’s available this afternoon. I know we didn’t get off to the right start. And then there was that mess at the beach.”
    Gracie wasn’t sure she liked their near-kiss being dismissed as that mess. But any kind of relationship with Jake was out of the question. Even though Jake had fallen on some personal tough times, men who grew up in historic estates in Port Provident did not get involved with women who didn’t have the money to save their own business.
    And women who were trying to prevent their life’s work from being crushed shouldn’t think about the men turning their world upside down anyway. She had to maintain her focus. For years, singular vision kept El Centro open in spite of precarious finances and other challenges. Gracie scolded herself silently. She couldn’t abandon a philosophy that had worked for her for years.
    “Are you ready to go?” Jake jingled the keys in his pocket.
    The Bible spoke over and over again about the value God placed on hard work. He didn’t reward idle hands. She’d done everything within these four walls to keep El Centro open. Maybe God brought Jake here today to show she needed to make a renewed effort, this time outside her comfort zone. Just as Pastor Ruiz had said yesterday. Stay focused, but look for new horizons.
    “I think so. These can wait.” Gracie pushed the bills aside, then reached below the desk for her purse.
    For the first time today, she felt like smiling. Glancing Heavenward, Gracie prayed silently as she locked the front door behind them. Please, God, help me see the plan You have for me and for El Centro. Show me where we need to go.
    * * *
    Gracie saw the For Lease sign in the window of the fourth and final property on the real estate agent’s list. The first three locations showed great potential for living and learning, but all seemed far out of her price range—even with the possible grant funding. But this last building, on the edge of Port Provident’s historic downtown district, came with a lower price tag.
    “As you can see, this location is no-frills.” Gracie found herself impressed with Melissa Miller. So far, she’d been straightforward and honest about each place they’d looked, giving Gracie