Page 14 of Forbidden Kisses
“Not a date. More of a business meeting.”
“Shh. Don’t ruin this for me. I haven’t had any sparks with a man in forever. And you and Jack used to put off sparks every time you looked at each other in high school. Tell me everything. Everything you ate, said, did.”
Grace ran a hand over her face. She wasn’t used to sharing the details of her life with anyone. “I had fish, one too many hush puppies, and then Jack drove me back to the office, okay?” In the very same pickup truck he’d gotten when he was sixteen.
“Well, I’m glad you now have daytime hours. That means we can hang out more often.”
“That’d be nice,” Grace said, meaning it. She looked up when her mother made a noise from the back bedroom. “I have to go. Talk to you soon?”
“You bet.”
Grace hung up the phone and headed down the hall. “Mom?” She glanced inside the room and leaned against the doorframe. “What are you doing?”
“Knitting.” Her mother’s hands shook as she held tightly to pink metallic knitting needles. Yarn spilled onto the floor.
“You don’t knit.”
“It’s supposed to help with my fine motor skills. The doctor told me to work on those. See, I listen,” her mother said, focusing on her task.
“Right.” And this time Grace hadn’t had to beg her mother to take the doctor’s advice. That was an improvement.
“I’m making a baby blanket. I figure by the time I finish this thing, you’ll be married with a grandchild on the way.” Her mother’s gaze flicked up.
“Not without an immaculate conception.” Grace shook her head and laughed.
“How was work?” her mother asked, returning her attention to the needles and yarn.
“It was fine.”
“I still don’t like you working there. There’s no way those people will treat you right.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom.”
“Did you…see Pete?”
Grace walked across the room and sat down on the bed. “No. Not yet.” And as far as she knew, Jack hadn’t even told his father about her being the new office manager yet. He’d promised her he’d tell the rest of the family, though, before another encounter like the one with Sam happened. No more surprises.
Her mother nodded. “I’ve been thinking about this new arrangement you have. If you’re dead set on doing it, maybe some good can come out of it.”
Grace watched her mother’s hands tremble harder. A symptom of her disease or her anxiety on the subject? “Yeah?”
Her mother stopped knitting and looked up. “I screwed things up with the Sawyer family, Gracie. I was young and stupid. I’ve had a lot of time to think about those years. Maybe this Parkinson’s stuff is my punishment.”
“Mom, that’s not how it works.”
“No, let me finish. I need your help.”
Grace folded her hands in her lap. She was used to entertaining her mother’s dramatics. “What kind of help?” she asked, knowing she’d probably regret it.
“I need you to make things right between our families before I die.”
“Mom! You’re not dying. Don’t even talk like that.” Grace reached for her mother’s hand.
“Shh. I know I’m not dying today. Not unless I take a fall on these knitting needles.”
Grace laughed. “That wouldn’t kill you.”
“You working for the Sawyer family can fix things.”
