Beth gave her assistant a weak smile. “Well, I certainly hope so. Cam has thrown his full support behind us, too but I still worry that we won’t be welcome in Royal society for much longer.”
“Anyone who turns their back on you, turns their back on me, too. We don’t need them in our lives.”
“Bless you, Gracie. You’re my rock.”
“And speaking of rocks. How’s Sebastian coping?”
Chloe noticed there was more than a little interest in the tone of Gracie’s question. Maybe there was some exasperation there, too? She wondered what that was about.
“You see him as a rock?” Beth said with a giggle.
“Yup,” Gracie said lightly. “He’s strong, reliable and generally immovable once he’s on a course of action. This business will be tearing him up inside.”
“He’s doing everything he can to get to the root of who’s responsible. Together with Sutton and Miles, they’re constantly having meetings. Not having access to the WinJet offices and computers anymore is frustrating them intensely.”
Chloe flitted a glance to Beth and then across to Gracie. Did Gracie know the full extent of what was happening? Chloe had the impression from Ava and from Miles’s reticence to discuss the matter with her in much detail, that the family had closed ranks on talking about what was going on with outsiders. But then again, as Beth’s assistant, maybe Gracie wasn’t considered to be an outsider. Not like Chloe was.
Beth must have noticed the concern on her face because she said, “It’s okay. Gracie is up to speed on everything. I trust her with my life.”
“And Mrs. Wingate, how’s she managing?” Gracie asked with obvious concern.
“Well, you know my mom. Always presents like a swan gliding along the surface without a care in the world, while all the time she’s pedaling flat out beneath the surface of the water. I have noticed, though, she’s leaning more and more on Uncle Keith. I can’t say I’m happy about it. Aunt Piper assures me that Mom just sees him as a friend. I can only hope she’s right, because as a partner, Uncle Keith is all wrong for her.”
Beth shook her head. “Look, we didn’t come here to talk about Wingate business. We came here to celebrate you. So let’s celebrate.”
“Good, I’m in a mood to celebrate. Shall we have champagne with our lunch?” Gracie suggested.
“Champagne for lunch. I’m in! What are we celebrating?” Chloe asked.
“Gracie recently had a healthy win in the lottery,” Beth disclosed quietly. “She’s just received her check and I’m expecting her resignation any day now.”
“Healthy win? It was an obscene amount of money,” Gracie confirmed with a broad grin. “And as to my resignation, I haven’t decided what to do yet, so you’re stuck with me for a while longer.”
“Wow, congratulations, Gracie! How does it feel to be a winner? I don’t know if I could even comprehend how to manage something like that, although I’d probably start with sending my mom on a fabulous vacation,” Chloe said with a happy smile.
Gracie grinned back. “Well, I’m doing something like that. I’m sending my mom and baby brother to Florida to live near my aunt. I’m buying them a beautiful house and sending my brother to an exclusive private boys’ school, where he’ll get the opportunity to really make something of himself.”
Chloe could feel the enthusiasm and joy pouring off the other woman as she shared her plans. “That sounds fantastic. They must be so excited. And will you go down there, too?”
“Right now I’m undecided. What with the ball and everything, I don’t feel like it’s a good time to abandon Beth.”
“For which I’m grateful, Gracie, but you can’t put your life on hold for me. You need to follow your own heart. Find a man to love and want to settle down with. Have a family.”
Gracie’s eyes grew misty, and Chloe couldn’t help but feel that she was very probably thinking of one particular person. Was it Sebastian?
“You know I’ve always wanted kids, but with all the guys suddenly turning up in my life since the lotto win, I’m not sure if I could trust anyone not to be with me just for my money. Sometimes I think it might just be easier to make an appointment with our friend Doctor Garrett at the fertility clinic and have a baby on my own.”
The ladies laughed together, but Chloe couldn’t miss the note of seriousness in what Gracie had said. It made her pause for thought. Ever since she and her mom had left Texas, they’d lived on the bare minimum. She’d dreamed of having enough money one day to be able to go shopping for groceries without having to count every penny. To live like a Wingate, basically. But it seemed money brought its own problems, too. It was a side of things she hadn’t really considered before.
* * *
It was late afternoon when she and Beth returned to the Wingate estate after what had turned into a truly lovely afternoon with Gracie. The longer she spent with the women, the more she realized, all differences in their upbringings aside, they could truly be friends.
Chloe had never had a large group of friends growing up. Her mom had been relying on her to make something of her life, so she had done whatever she could academically and on the track to ensure she’d be eligible for scholarships, which meant she hadn’t had the time to socialize like her peers. But an afternoon like this one? Well, it had served to remind her that her life hadn’t been as balanced as it probably should have been. As they started up the long driveway, Chloe turned to Beth, who was driving.
“Thank you so much for includ
ing me today. It was really lovely to meet Gracie and to spend time with you both.”