Chapter Twenty-Three - GRACIE

Gracie paced across her living room. She had changed out of her dress into pants and a loose top. She thought it more appropriate for a movie. But she was suddenly doubting this date with Mark would actually happen.

Gracie liked Mark. A lot. This past week had shown her a side of him that no one else seemed to know or understand. He was one of the sweetest, most selfless people Gracie had ever met. It didn’t hurt that he was completely adorable, in his own unassuming way.

But would he have the guts to tell his dad about them? If his dad was anything like Mark had described, then her and Mark’s relationship would be dead by dinner.

Gracie’s nerves were on fire by the time 6:29 rolled around. She stood in front of the door, as did all her siblings and her parents, much to Gracie’s chagrin.

Six-thirty came and went.

There was no knock.

Gracie’s heart fell. She had never allowed someone into her life so completely as Mark had burst into hers. And he was already gone—

Two raps at the door interrupted her internal monologue.

Gracie looked at her phone. It showed 6:33.

“Open it,” her twin sisters squealed.

It was almost too much to hope. If it wasn’t Mark, she didn’t think she could handle it. But they weren’t expecting anyone else on a Sunday evening, so Gracie braced herself and opened the door.

Her breath caught. There Mark stood, in the same white polo shirt with the red paint stain. He held a single red rose.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said. “I had some catching up to do with my dad.” He then grinned. “Would you mind if we stopped by my house after the movie? He’d really like to meet you.”

Gracie couldn’t contain the joy that exploded from her. “Of course,” she said, jumping forward and flinging her arms around Mark’s neck.

“Ouch,” he said with a grunt. “This rose still has its thorns, you know.”

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry,” she said, pulling back. She took the rose from him and hurried inside, where she placed it in a small vase. When she returned, she threw herself at him once more. “Is that better?”

“Much,” he said with a smile. He didn’t even seem to mind when they were surrounded by her family, and they joined in for a group hug, with Gracie and Mark at its center.

* * * * * *

Gracie woke with a smile, the sunlight streaming through her open window shades. It was early and she didn’t need to be up quite yet, but nothing was going to be able to keep her down today.

The night before had been amazing. She’d gone to the movies with Mark and held his hand throughout it. They’d even shared a tub of popcorn like a real couple. He had chosen a romantic comedy because he’d thought she’d like it, though he’d overanalyzed the couple’s relationship throughout the whole thing. He’d said he was trying to get a handle on what he should and shouldn’t do. It would have driven anyone else crazy, but she thought it was cute. Mark had kept saying he didn’t want to accidentally mess things up. At this point, she didn’t think that was possible. It was official: Gracie had fallen head over heels for Markus Brown.

She hummed as she slipped out of bed and got dressed for the morning. Gracie didn’t even mind that in another moment she’d need to get her siblings up and ready for school. Except, just as she was pulling her hair back in her usual headband, she heard pans clanging downstairs. She groaned. What were they up to? Hopefully nothing that would take too long to clean up.

Gracie hurried downstairs but stopped when she reached the kitchen entryway. It wasn’t any of her younger siblings that was messing around—it was her mom.

“Uh…aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Gracie asked, more than a little confused.

“Nope,” her mom said with a grin. She spooned batter onto a griddle, and it immediately began sizzling. “I told them the new schedule doesn’t work for me, and that if they want me, they’ll have to give me the original part-time schedule we’d agreed to.” Her mom then slid a tray of bacon into the oven.

“What’s that smell?” Noah asked, running into the kitchen. He skidded to a stop. “Mom!” He ran and hugged her legs. “Are you home forever?”

Her mom seemed taken aback by the question. “Yeah, buddy. I’m home forever,” she said quietly.

As far as Noah knew, this was true. Their mom would be there when the kids left for school, and she’d be there when they returned.

Gracie put on an apron and used a spatula to remove the pancakes and place them on a plate. “What about the extra money you would have gotten from working full time?” she asked as they worked together. “Or the medical benefits?”

Her mom paused and looked at Gracie, a half-cracked egg in her hand. “We already have everything we need. It wasn’t fair of me to place that kind of burden on you, and frankly, I was miserable too. I’d much rather see my family happy.”

Gracie would have hugged her mom at that moment, if not for the raw eggs. “I thought…I was afraid I was being selfish for wishing you weren’t working so much.”

Her mom choked up as she finished cracking the egg into a frying pan. “I am so sorry I ever made you feel that way. And it reaffirms that I made the right decision, because you should never feel selfish for wanting to be a normal teenager—one that’s not suddenly a mother of six.”

The last two days had been the best of Gracie’s life. Things couldn’t possibly get any better. But then her thoughts went to her new plan that included college. She knew this was probably not the best time to bring up college tuition, but it wouldn’t be fair to wait until the last minute and then spring it on her parents at her graduation next year.

“Um…Mom?”

Her mom flipped the eggs, oil dripping from their edges. “Hmm?”

“I know what I want to do after graduation.”

“Did you figure it out this last week on your school trip?” her mom asked, her eyes bright.

“Yeah,” Gracie said. She hesitated, not wanting to put a damper on her mom’s day.

“What is it?” her mom pressed, rinsing off her hands and drying them on a dishcloth. She turned to Gracie expectantly.

“I want to help people through art. I’m thinking of going to school so I can be an art therapist.”

Her mom clapped her hands together, and her whole face opened up in excitement. “That’s wonderful. I couldn’t have picked something better for you.”

Gracie dropped her gaze to the pancakes in front of her. Air bubbles formed on the top and she flipped them. They were a perfect golden brown on the other side. “The thing is—I have to go to college for it. It requires a master’s degree.”

Her mom nodded, as if she understood, but her excitement never waned. “That makes sense. It’s a lot of responsibility to have someone come to you in a vulnerable state.” She didn’t seem to grasp the point Gracie was trying to make.

“That’s going to be a lot of money,” Gracie said, hating that she had to be so direct. “I’m going to apply for scholarships, of course, but it’s not guaranteed.”

Gracie’s mom placed a hand on her arm, and Gracie looked up to meet her gaze.

“You have worried enough for the past couple of months. No more. You need to be excited about hanging out with your friends, and Mark, and the movie that is coming out next week with whoever that guy is you used to cut out pictures of.”

“I haven’t done that since I was twelve,” Gracie said with a laugh.

“The point is, you are going to bless others with your artistic gift, and right now, that’s enough. Don’t worry about the money. Worry about being you. The rest will take care of itself.”

Gracie hugged her mom, then pulled back when she realized the pancakes were burning on one side. “I’m still applying for scholarships, though,” she said.

“Of course,” her mom said. “Just don’t let it stress you out to the point that you give up on your dream. Things will work out.”

Gracie ate her pancakes, bacon and eggs that morning without worrying if the twins had their shoes or if everyone had a lunch. And when she walked into school and Mark greeted her with a kiss at her locker—in front of all her friends—she knew her mom was right. Everything was going to turn out just fine.