Read Aging with Gracie for Free Online

long and ugly, and she needed the fortification. The pain medication was doing the trick for her pain, and she had yet to feel the drowsiness the label had warned about. She was primed for some serious verbal warfare!
    “I have an MBA, you know. And while I love shopping, my sporting interests lie more along the lines of contact sports. I play tennis, but I’m also pretty decent at basketball and soccer.” She gave him a smug grin. “And for your information, Jack Ellis , I wasn’t in a sorority. The only organization I am a member of is Phi Beta Kappa, although I doubt you would even know what that is.”
    “Au contraire, Princess,” he popped back. At her raised brows, he added, “While I don’t remember having that one at Tech, we had smart kid clubs, too.”
“Touché.”
“Okay, you win.” He held up his hands then waved one of Mrs. Elderman’s linen napkins. “I surrender. White flag and all.”
“Smart man,” Grace said past a satisfied smile.
“So, since it seems that we’re going to be working together on this project, how about you let me in on your plans.”
    “Well, to be honest, the assignment came as a surprise to me.” Grace lifted her napkin from her lap and began to twist it nervously.
    Jack followed her actions with hawk-like eyes, taking in her every movement.
    “I found out about it last week,” she admitted. “I’ve reviewed the files, though, and I think your firm’s master plan is great.”
    Jack rewarded her with a pleased smile.
    “I was there today to get the lay of the land. Of course, I never expected that I would find myself actually lying on the land.” He didn’t laugh, so she continued.
    “I just wanted to look around and see what needs to be accomplished first. As a contractor, you should know more than others how things are never as they appear on paper. Especially when there are people involved.”
    “Keep talking” he said as he shoveled a bite of cobbler directly from the serving bowl into his mouth.
    “You should know that I have very biased views on retirement homes. To be honest, I hate them. The thought of my Nana or Grandpa in that place in almost unbearable.” She closed her eyes on the thought. “This project has been dropped in my lap, though, and I plan on doing my very best. I know people think that Daddy is simply making a job for me, but I’m really good at what I do, Jack. Succeeding is important to me. If I fail, not only will I lose face, but my father will be criticized for his decision to hire me. That just isn’t an outcome I’m willing to live with. Not to mention that those poor, pitiful folks, people just like my grandparents, are living in a terrible situation. The Bible says that we are to respect our elders. Take care of them.”
“You can say that again,” he nodded and scooped up another spoonful of dessert.
Noticing that her cobbler was headed for nonexistency, she dipped her spoon into the warm concoction and took a bite.
“Oh, this is heavenly,” Grace sighed. She closed her eyes and savored the combination of sweet sugar and tart apples.
“Mrs. Elderman has a way with apples,” Jack agreed.
    “Anyway,” she continued despite her increasingly slurred speech. “I was only there for a short while today, and I recognized that things just weren’t right. It was so...” Grace seemed lost for a moment.
    She had raised her spoon in the air to emphasize a point, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what she had been about to say. Her mind was a complete blank. Whether her sudden speechlessness was caused by the combination of sugar and cinnamon or the effects of the medication, Grace was unsure. What she did know was that she was suddenly feeling very foolish. And more than a little giddy. She took another bite of cobbler to disguise her cluelessness.
    Jake watched as she licked her spoon, his eyes darkening to a steely blue in the dim light of the bedside lamp. He wondered if she recognized how pretty she was.