Chapter Eleven
Grace peeled off her garden gloves, banged them together a couple of times to get the loose debris off, and then shoved them into the oversize apron covering the front of her body.
The apothecary shop was closed on Wednesday. That was Ida’s day to sleep in, go to lunch, and then play canasta with her friends all afternoon until time to eat when they would have the potluck dinner of all the dishes everyone had made and drink a bit too much wine.
With the children at school and the shop closed, Grace was at loose ends so she decided she would do some work in the greenhouse. One smell of the fertile soil, the myriad plants, and fragrant blossoms and she was transported back in time to her childhood.
Both of her parents had shown endless patience, teaching their inquisitive child about all the plants, their properties, and how they could be used to help people heal or just feel better.
It all came rushing back to her as she wandered through the greenhouse, identifying the plants. This was what she needed. Something to put her energy into so she could stop obsessing about Beau. About the Kiss and about what he’d done for Theo.
Damn.
She had not been able to sleep for thinking about him. It was crazy. She was a grown woman with two children. It wasn’t like she’d never been kissed before. Yet that’s how she felt. But it was more than the kiss. It was what he’d done for her child.
Why couldn’t Tad have been that way? And why was Beau so kind and giving? Why did his acts of kindness touch her heart so deeply? Did she still have that much feeling for him, or was he just something or someone to latch hold of to keep her from feeling the sting of betrayal? She’d admit it had done a fair amount of damage to her ego to find out Tad was having an affair with Amy. Not that Amy wasn’t attractive, but no more so than Grace.
Or so Grace had thought. Apparently, she’d been wrong. Maybe Tad saw Amy as prettier, sexier, more fun or better in bed. Whatever, he definitely saw her as more desirable than Grace and had destroyed their marriage for it.
Which left Grace where? Ready to latch onto any man who paid her attention to her to salve her wounded ego? Was she really that shallow?
Thankfully, working in the greenhouse diverted her attention. Now, three hours had passed. She was a bit dirty, a little hungry and a lot satisfied at how much tidier the greenhouse was, and how much she’d gotten accomplished.
She was a bit excited about taking some of the cuttings to her dad’s shop and starting a new batch of oil. Grace hadn’t done that in a long time and hoped she still remembered how. She needed to ask her mother about the steam distiller at the shop.
In fact, Ida and the girls should be home anytime from lunch. Grace headed for the house to get cleaned up before they arrived.
She was standing in the kitchen, pouring a glass of iced tea to go with her sandwich, when someone knocked on the front door. Thinking her mother had forgotten her key, Grace gave no thought to her appearance. Scrubbed faced, wet-haired, and dressed in old gym shorts that had seen better days and an even older t-shirt, she ran to the door.
“Mama, I swear you’d forget— “Her words quickly stopped when she got a look at the handsome man standing on the porch.
“Oh, my God, no. John Luke?” She was shocked. “What in the world? Come on in.”
John Luke stepped inside, gave her a hug that lifted her off her feet, and grinned at her. “You’re as pretty now as you were when you were dating Beau. Damn, I had such a crush on you back then.”
“And you’re still the flirt you always were, just a whole lot bigger. And hotter. Jeez, John Luke, life’s been good enough to you for three people. So what brings you to my mama’s house?”
“You.”
“Me?” She gestured to him. “Come on. I just fixed a sandwich and a glass of tea. Can I fix you one?”
“Sandwich no. Tea, yes, thanks.”
“Okay, take a load off.” She got busy putting ice in a glass and pouring his tea, then carried it and hers to the table. “Oh shoot.” She backtracked to the counter to get her sandwich and then took a seat.
“All righty. Sure you don’t want something to eat?”
“Already had lunch, thanks, but don’t let me stop you.”
“When did I ever let anyone get in between me and food?”
John Luke laughed. “Well, there’s the truth if I ever heard it. Not that you’d know it to look at you.”
She took a bite of the sandwich and chewed it down enough she could speak. “So you came to see me? About what?”
“Actually, about your father.”
“My dad?”
“Well, a formula of his. I think he may have made up a whatever you call it way back when I was a kid. My mother gave it to me for hay fever. I think my son takes it, too. Oh, did you know I have a son? Michael.”
He pulled out his phone and accessed his photos, then handed it to Grace. She flipped through the images. “Oh, my. The apple didn’t fall from the tree, did it? He’s definitely a Legacy. Good-looking and those eyes, Lord have mercy, those eyes. You do know you’re gonna have girls crawling all over that boy if they don’t already.”
“We’ll see. For now, I’m happy he’s enjoying being a kid and learning to rope and play ball.”
“Do you and your family live here in Legacy?”
“No. I mean I do now, with my fiancée, Ily. But my ex-wife and son live in Houston.”
“And you live here? What kind of work are you doing?”
John Luke nodded and took a drink of tea. “I got hired by the Department of Justice before I graduated law school and spent almost sixteen years as an Agent for the FBI. When I quit, I moved back here.”
“Why did you quit? If I can ask.”
“I wanted to be closer to Michael.”
Grace pushed the half-eaten sandwich aside and put her arms on the table. “Why not just transfer to a field office in Houston?”
“It’s complicated.”
She got the message. He didn’t want to talk about it. “Okay, so back to this tincture you think my dad made. Do you remember when you started taking it? I know he has records and formulas, but I don’t know how he filed or categorized them so maybe having a year will help.”
“Oh, well—heck I don’t really know.”
“That’s okay. I’m going over to the shop in a little while and will look around.”
“Thanks, Grace. If you find anything—“
“I’ll give you a call.” She got up to fetch her phone. “What’s your number?”
They finished exchanging numbers, and she walked him to the door. John Luke pulled her into a hug. “It’s really good to see you. Maybe you could come over and meet Ily? Have dinner with us?”
“I’d like that. Talk to Ily and let me know.”
“I will.” He hugged her again and before he let her go another voice rang out.
“Well, good Lord and a quarter, Ida. She ain’t been separated five minutes and is already carrying on with another man?”
Grace would have torn away from John Luke at the words. She recognized the voice. Mrs. Irene Dodd. She tried to move away, but John Luke’s arms tightened around her. “No. We’re not doing a damn thing wrong, and we won’t give her the satisfaction of acting like we are.”
He held onto her a moment longer, then loosened his hold and kissed her on the cheek before pushing the screen open and stepping out into the gaggle of women on the porch. “Morning, ladies. Mrs. Ida.” He leaned down to kiss Ida on the cheek. “Have a good day.”
Grace mentally applauded and cheered and could tell from her mama’s expression that Ida was just as grateful to John Luke. Ida grinned and headed inside. “Come on in, girls. I’m feeling lucky today.”
With no reason or desire to hang around, Grace headed upstairs to get changed. She didn’t have a lot of time before school let out and wanted to get started on some new oils and check on that information for John Luke.
And to hell with Irene Dodd or anyone else who wanted to take cheap shots at her. She was tired of being sweet and meek and getting walked on. She was sick of being the Grace she had become when she was with Tad.
She wasn’t with Tad anymore, and she wasn’t going to be that person anymore. The woman she once was had the courage to face whatever came at her and meet life head on.
On impulse, she placed a call to Mysti. “Hey, Mysti, is this a bad time? Oh good, well, I won’t take up much of your time. I wanted to ask if you knew of any good attorneys here in Legacy. Divorce attorneys. Oh? Great! Yeah, just text me the information. Thanks a ton. Talk to you soon.”
Grace smiled as she put the phone on her dresser and looked into the mirror. Yes, it was time. She was going to be Grace Summerfield again. Starting right now.