47 Destinies: Finding Grace Read Free

phone.  Part of her wanted to go out, but she just wasn’t ready to meet new people.  They would have questions about her life that she didn’t want to answer.  Grace wasn’t married.  Grace wasn’t working.  Grace had two young kids and that was her life.  Who would want to hear about that?
    Later in the evening, Grace received another call on the same subject.   She was not surprised when she saw it was her brother-in-law, Brent Locke.
    “Grace.  I know this can’t be true, but Cora is telling me that you don’t want to see your loving brother-in-law and hang out with us at a little old party,” Brent said sternly but with humor in his voice.  “I need you to say yes and join us.  Then hand over the phone so I can to talk to my nephew Mattias, man-to-man, about his first day of school.”
    “Brent, I appreciate the offer, but I am not up for going out,” Grace said, searching for a viable excuse.  Fooling Brent was not an easy feat.  He was persistent.
    “Are you ill?”  Brent asked.
    “No, I just don’t feel like being around people I don’t know,” Grace told Brent the truth.  He would get it out of her eventually.  Brent was someone Grace could confide in.  She could always count on him to be there for her.
    “Why?”
    “It is too difficult to explain,” Grace said quietly.
    “Grace, it’s time for you to get out.  You can’t hide yourself in your house forever,” Brent said gently, which was unusual for him.  He tended to talk straight at an issue, but with Grace it was different.  He wanted to shelter her from any more pain in her life.  But lately, Brent’s concern for Grace was increasing.  It had been over two years since his brother’s death and Grace wasn’t exhibiting any signs of moving forward.  Instead, she was beginning to slip away.
    “Does it have to be so soon?” Grace asked, hoping to postpone the inevitable.
    “Yes. It will only be for a few hours.  We will be at the house at 5:30pm on Saturday.  No more excuses.  Please hand the phone over to Mattias,” Brent said with authority.  Grace was stuck in a corner.  She couldn’t fight both Brent and Cora.  Together, they were quite a formidable team.  Grace was very happy that they found each other.  It was also nice for Grace to have Cora in her life.  As an only child, Grace never had the love of a sister.  Once Brent and Cora were married in the spring, Cora would officially be her sister-in-law.  Grace couldn’t wait! She was happy for them.
    Grace laughed to herself when she thought about the misunderstanding which also kept Cora and Brent apart.  Cora had mistakenly assumed that Grace and Brent were married.  Cora’s story was that Brent’s mother, Leslie, did not like her and led her to that lie, but Grace chalked it up as a mere misunderstanding.  Grace and Cora had very different relationships and, of course, divergent perceptions of Leslie.  No matter, Grace was happy and convinced that after the wedding, Cora and Leslie’s relationship would shift and they would all become one big happy family.  Well, at least they would be a family, Grace mused to herself.
    As promised, Brent and Cora arrived at precisely 5:30pm on Saturday.  Mattias and Bella were thrilled to see them.  After giving Grace a kiss goodbye, they promptly went into the living room.
    Grace didn’t have a chance to try another excuse.  She looked elegant in her beige linen pants, long-sleeved linen top, and small brown pumps.  She insisted Cora sit up front next to Brent.  They made an incredible couple.  Cora’s long black hair was an identical match to Brent’s.  They sweetly held hands.  It was impossible to hide their love for one another.
    “Grace, you look beautiful,” Cora said while reapplying her lipstick.
    “Thank you.  I love your shoes.  Where did you get them?”  Grace knew shoes and clothes.  She enjoyed buying, wearing and admiring all apparel.  Hopefully she could find some