Saving Grace Read Online Free PDF Page B

lunch?”  Sophia continued to stir her pot, and looked up under her eyebrows to Grace.
    “Yes.” Grace wondered why Sophia’s tone
    suddenly changed, and looked to the housekeeper with intrigue.
                  “I just wanted to make sure your grandmother wasn’t going to be entertaining that young man all to herself.  Something about that boy …” Sophia clicked her tongue and frowned.
                  “Who?” She curiously peeked through a crack in the swinging door, and saw Zach leaning toward her grandmother with a wide smile.  It was as if he was hanging on her Lilah’s every last word.  Grace got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, but blew it off.
                  She pulled back from the door and turned to Sophia once more. 
    “Zach?  You don’t like him? He’s harmless.”
                  “Are you serious about him?”  She asked.
                  “You’re nosy.”  Grace laughed and grabbed a spoon to sample her masterpiece.
                  “No, I just don’t get a good feeling.  I don’t like his eyes.  They’re too squinty.  They remind me of someone, but I can’t put my finger on it.”  She put a lid back on her pot, and leaned against the counter.  She watched for Grace’s reaction. 
                  “Well, I’m a big girl.  And grandmother feels we make a good pair.”  She grabbed a roll from the basket and took a bite.  “How do you know if you’re in love?”
                  Sophia belly laughed.  “By not having to ask my dear.  If you’re in love … you just know.  And if you have to ask … you’re not.”  Sophia grabbed the roll from Grace’s long fingers.  “Now don’t spoil your lunch.  Shoo!”  She pushed her toward the door.
                  Grace giggled and gave her a quick peck on her cheek.  She wrinkled her nose and turned to leave. 
                  Sophia spied through the crack in the door and questioned if young Grace knew how elegant she really was.  She looked as if she glided on air as she walked. 
                  The housekeeper took a deep breathe in and turned back to her duties.  She loved that girl and wanted only the best for her.  She hoped her grandmother could say the same.
                  As Grace entered the room, Zach and Lilah had their heads together, as if they were plotting.  Zach’s eyes diverted the instant he saw Grace, and he scrambled to stand, lifting his hand to help her sit. 
    When her hand slid in his, she felt … nothing.  She’d had truly hoped by now she’d feel something.  The truth was … the magic had been fading for weeks.  And after her conversation with Mercy and now Sophia, she wondered if she should just move on. 
    The hard part would be getting grandmother on her side.  Her happiness had always been of utmost importance to her.
                  Zach thought Grace looked like a vision, as she walked in the room.  She was smiling and looking into his eyes, like she never had before.  He was surprised actually, since after months of dating, it seemed that his charms had gotten him nowhere.  And in the last few weeks, he’d been questioning if she still was going to fall for him at all.
                  In moments like this, he wished he truly did have feelings for her, as she was a very beautiful girl.  It’s not that he wouldn’t mind having his way with her, but gaining her trust and her bank account was the agenda.  If sex became a part of it, then that would be a bonus.
                  “You look lovely.” He leaned in for a kiss, but his lips landed promptly on her cheek.  It wasn’t lost on him that she didn’t reciprocate, but to keep up appearances, Zach smiled warmly as they pulled away.
                  “Zach …  I didn’t know you were going to be