You could tell a lot about the occupant of the apartment by the layout. To the left of the front door was a kitchen area with a counter and high-backed stools. There was no part of the room that served as a dining room, no table and chairs. Behind the kitchen at the back of the loft were the bedroom and bathroom, the only areas with walls. The rest of the apartment was one big room. The wall at the far end was completely windows. The wall along the back had windows along the upper half and bookshelves beneath. In the far corner was Grace's office, a hi-tech dream with the latest equipment and lots of it. The large open space in the middle had a couple of sofas and chairs arranged in comfortable groupings from which one could enjoy the magnificent ocean view or the video system. An up-to-date stereo system sat on the wall just inside the door, surrounded by, of course, bookcases. The floors were hardwood, wide oak boards with a glossy veneer. Bright, woven area rugs defined the seating areas.
Grace headed for the kitchen where she found a note from Nick, telling her that the coffee maker was set and ready - just hit the button...and...I'll call you tomorrow. She had to push down the thrill those words gave her when she realized that tomorrow was today. She looked around the kitchen. The dishes from last night were washed and neatly stacked on the counter. The pizza box was in the recycling bin and when she opened the fridge, she found the remains in a plastic container with a note - "Do not open until stomach growls." She laughed. What a sweet guy!
Well, you'd better get over that, she said to herself, he wouldn't be interested in a mess like you.
******************************Nick arrived at the studio expecting to get hell from the others and he was not disappointed. He leaned against the wall and let them have their say. Kevin started it off. "We are in a group business here and there were decisions that had to be made by the group...and you weren't here..."
Nick interrupted him. "Can those decisions still be made today?"
"Yes, but..."
"Then the world didn't end. Next!"
The others were shocked. No one ever spoke to Kevin like that. He was Train, their leader, the guy who always knew what was best for them.
Howie expressed concern that Nick knew nothing about this girl - maybe she was setting him up or something. Brian worried that it would be all over the Internet and rumors would spiral out of control. He wanted a plan, maybe a joint statement. AJ's concerns were a little more down-to-earth. "I'm a little worried, Nicky, that you are so hard up for a woman that you have taken to running them down with your car."
Nick laughed and gave AJ a high five.
"Tell us about it," said Brian, and even though Kevin looked impatiently at his watch, the others looked expectantly at Nick. And so he told them everything that had happened the day before. By the time he was finished, they all knew that something had happened to him beyond just meeting a new girl. They hadn't heard Nick talk this way about anyone since...well, since never. During the whole description, he had never once mentioned any of her physical attributes beyond 'nice legs'. This was totally out of character for him. Nick not only judged a book by its cover, he rarely opened the book to see what was inside. And now, he had described an entire afternoon and evening with a girl without mentioning height, weight, hair color or scale of one-to-ten.
"Is she pretty?" AJ wanted to know.
"Yeah, I guess. Yeah, when she smiles...oh yeah!"
"How old is she?" Kevin, the fact man.
"I think she might be a bit older than me." Glances exchanged all around. "Maybe 25. I couldn't really tell. But she just seemed to have her life together - this great apartment and her own business." They had all been impressed by her business. They all knew how to use a computer, but to actually design a site - that was way beyond them.
"And what about the fiancé?" Howie asked gently. "I mean, if they only broke up that morning..."
"He cheated on her," said Nick, matter-of-factly. That was enough. It was the one thing they agreed on. You cheated, you paid the price.
"Look," said Nick. "You guys are reading way too much into this. I never said I was interested in her. I was only telling you what happened. Can't a guy rescue a girl without it being some big, romantic thing?" More glances exchanged. No, Nick, they thought, apparently it can't.
They talked business for awhile, tossing around numbers and demographics, and then took a break at eleven. Nick left the room. As soon as he was out of earshot, the others all started talking at once. What do you think? Do you think he'll ask her out? Do you think she's for real?
Finally, AJ said, "How long will it be before Kevin wrecks it?" They all stopped talking and looked at him. Kevin? Wrecks it? What was AJ talking about? Kevin glared at him. "Face it, Train," said AJ, with a shrug. "Nick is your little brother and there isn't a girl out there that is good enough for him in your eyes."
"That's not true," retorted Kevin. "I'm sure he'll find someone wonderful some day. But he hasn't yet."
"Maybe yes, maybe no. But it should be his decision. If he decides to pursue something with this girl, you should stay out of it."
"Well, of course," said Kevin. "I would never interfere." The others all looked at each other. No one said anything and no one laughed. No one was brave enough for that.
******************************Nick had left the room because he wanted to call Grace. He hoped that she had slept well. She sure needed it after the day she had had. He figured she'd be awake by 11:00. She answered on the first ring.
"Style and Grace."
"Wow, that was fast! You sure learned how to get around on those crutches!"
She laughed, "No, Nick. I have a headset phone, so I can talk and work on the computer at the same time."
"Oh, I see. Well, um...good morning!"
"Good morning to you."
"How are you feeling? Did you sleep well? Does your leg hurt?"
"Okay, Dr. Carter, here's the report. Feeling a little shaky...probably the after-effects of the pain pills. Slept like a log...also probably the pills. Leg hurts a little. Very frustrated by the crutches. And you sir, are an absolute angel."
"No, I'm not. I just wanted to do the right thing."
"Well, it was very sweet. I mean, doing the dishes and everything."
"Hey, I said I couldn't cook. I didn't say I was a total loss in the kitchen. I did dishes when I was a kid." Careful, he thought. Don't remind her how young you are.
"I'm glad to hear you didn't have a misspent youth. You know, leave home at thirteen and join the circus, or a pop group."
"Sometimes, they're the same thing," he said grimly.
"Uh oh, did you get in trouble for helping me and missing the meeting?"
"Well, it's not like I got sent to the principal's office." Dammit. Another kid reference. What are you doing, Nick?
"But they didn't appreciate your Good Samaritan act as much as I did?"
"No...well, they're glad you're okay and everything, but they worry. There's a lot of weirdos out there and..."
"...and I might be one of them. I understand that perfectly. Would they like a note from my mom?" She was laughing. "Or copies of my college diploma? Maybe a sample of my DNA?"
Nick laughed. "Yeah, Kevin would probably like that. He worries the most."
"He's the oldest. I guess it's his job."
She could hear voices in the background. Come on, Nick, time to get back to work.
"Well, I guess you have to go. Thanks for checking up on me."
"Listen, I...I was wondering...get lost, AJ! Listen, Grace..." Suddenly, all she could hear was muffled sound and the odd word...'Kevin'...'now'...
"Grace?" said AJ's distinctive voice.
"Yes?"
"What color is your hair?"
"Light brown."
"Eyes?"
"Dark brown."
"Age?"
"25 next month."
"Height?"
"5'6"."
"Weight?"
"None of your damned business!"
"Okay. Cool." And the connection went dead.
******************************Grace spent the rest of the day learning how to do things the most efficient way with the crutches, and talking on the phone. Matt called at noon. Don't hang up, he said quickly. I just want to see how your leg is. She gave him a brief description of the mishap and told him she was fine.
"Look, Grace, that guy...you know, it might not be a good idea...you know, to jump into something too soon."
"Matt, I'm not jumping into anything. He helped me out and he brought me home. End of story. And it's none of your business anyway."
"Of course, it's my business. I love you. And you love me. I know you do. As much as you can love anyone. I was wrong. I know that. People make mistakes, Grace."
"Yeah, well, you made a big one."
"I know that, and I know it will take time for you to forgive me. I'm willing to give that time, but I want you to give it too. Let's not tell your parents yet. There's no need to worry them unnecessarily. And don't take up with someone else too soon."
"Look, Matt..."
"And who was that guy, anyway? He looked familiar, but I couldn't..." He heard the click as Grace severed the connection.
******************************Grace called her mother right after that. She didn't mention the engagement, just told her about her foot. She could hear the maternal instinct kick in all the way from Ohio. Was she okay? Did Grace need her to come? What did the doctors say? What did Matt say?
Grace listened to the barrage of questions and waited for her mother to pause for breath. Then she jumped in and reassured her that she was fine, no Mom, stay there, Dad needs you more than me, three to four weeks in a cast and then maybe some physiotherapy.
Grace had learned early on how to have a phone conversation with her mother. Joan Barrett sat in Ohio (actually she rarely sat, but was on the move the entire day) and thought of things she wanted to say to her daughter. When they would have their weekly chat, she would fire off a set of questions and Grace would answer as many as she could before the next batch came rolling down the wire. Her older sister, Julie, was a naturalist working in Australia and Joan had no access to her. Grace had to do double duty as a daughter.
Interspersed with the questions were bits of maternal wisdom and information about her dad. Have you been to any good shows? Dad and I went to see Star Wars. Why don't you get a real job? The special effects were good. Are you eating okay? Dad says he thinks you'd like it.
Grace thought of these weekly calls as contests. Could she give her mother the true answers to her questions and still maintain her own dignity and independence? Or would she let something slip that would have her mother sprinting to the airport?
What Grace did not realize was that her mother was much better at this contest than she was. Her mother listened carefully to every phrase and nuance, but mostly she listened to see which questions Grace chose not to answer. And today, it was the question about Matt.
"Are you really okay, honey?" Genuine concern floated over the air.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine. I just have to learn some patience. It's not my best thing, you know. Or yours, for that matter. I can't picture you on crutches."
They laughed together and Grace told her mom she was going to take a pain pill and have a nap. Tell Dad not to worry. I'm fine.
