Loving Grace Read Online Free PDF Page A

it back on the shelf—the article list on the cover
caught her eye.
    Make yourself over in fifteen easy steps.
    Snorting, she turned to the page, looked at
the amazing before and after photos. In another twenty minutes, she
was writing down a list of cosmetics and clothing that went with
her skin tone and body type.
    She told herself it was because she was used
to a schedule to having her day mapped out, that she was bored. She
was soon dressed and leaving the apartment, going first to the drug
store and then a few clothing stores. When she arrived home loaded
down, she knew for certain she was out of her mind. Not able to
decide since they hadn’t carried the exact things suggested, she’d
bought all sorts of items and articles of clothing, which were now
piled high in the middle of the bed.
    Around noon Seth called, to say he was
settled in. she assured him she’d check on his place. And no, she
still didn’t know if or when, she was leaving town. Grace had four
weeks of free time, the first break since high school. She had
dreamed of a vacation and now that it was here, she had no idea
what to do with herself. She was so much at a loss that she was
reading magazines she would have laughed at before, and buying
things she wouldn’t dare put on her body.
    A day later Grace checked on Seth’s
apartment, rolling her eyes at the mess he’d left while packing.
The TV was on for Christ sakes and the sink overflowing with
dishes! Grumbling she took off her coat and pushed up her sweater
sleeves. Starting in the kitchen, she began to clean.
    With no idea how to turn on his super stereo,
she turned up the TV instead, leaving it on a music channel playing
Christmas tunes. She worked steadily but didn’t touch his bedroom,
other than to toss clothing he’d laid out to pack and discarded,
back through the doorway. She’d seen that big bed and the cluttered
lacquer dressers, she wasn’t touching it. He had plenty of females
here and she didn’t want to find any details or evidence of what he
did with them.
    His office was the dining area, and there too
she merely put things in order and shook her head at the gadgets
and surveillance stuff stacked on the floor to ceiling shelf. His
answering machine was blinking, he’d call in and get the messages,
however it was the scribbling on a legal pad that made her sit in a
chair, and yes, snoop.
    The name Noel Hawthorn and then Elisa Zeller
were right there. There was a quoted hourly rate, a list of
addresses with notes and everything about Noel from the car his
chauffeur drove to his normal routine, and the schedule at the
gallery.
    Grace chewed her lip and picked up the file
under the notes.
    “That liar!” she grunted, seeing photos her
brother had taken, obviously working on the Hawthorn case when he’d
said he hadn’t.
    Nevertheless, the slick black and whites of
Noel were no less striking than his TV image. She carried them to
the sofa. Her brother had followed the painter for three weeks and
found nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, his notes stated that
other than an occasional appearance at the new gallery, he rarely
left the loft. Grace went over and took the expense book from the
desk and the rest of the notes on Noel. It was benign stuff,
delivery boys and a string of models that checked out as legit.
    Something in the expense book puzzled her
though, she noticed her brother had dinner with Elisa Zeller at
some pretty ritzy DC restaurants and also, that he had a lot of
question marks by her name. She had no idea how Seth tagged people,
it could be innocent, yet...it was as if he had more questions
about her, than he did about Noel.
    Later, sipping coffee and looking out the
window, Grace noticed it was snowing, and at the same moment, she
admitted her mind seemed to be stuck on Noel Hawthorn since the
night at the club.

     

Chapter Five

    Back at her own apartment, near midnight, she
was appalled at herself, looking at the things she’d brought home.
Grace