The Way of Grace (Miller's Creek Novels) Read Online Free

indecipherable look in his eyes.
    “So if you woke up early, why didn’t you eat breakfast at yo ur house ?” Ma tt took another swig of milk , his eyes never leaving her face.
    “No reason, really.” She shi fted in her seat. At least none she wanted him to know .
    “Your dad still pressuring you?”
    “What do you mean?” Grace scooted her chair away from the table and stood with her plate to carry it to the sink.
    Matt took hold of her arm as she whisked by. “Running away again?”
    She jerked her elbow away. “ No . Just cleaning up my dishes.”
    “I’ll take care of it later. Have a seat.”
    Grace unwillingly acquiesced. “ Papa means well. We just have different opinions of what I should do with my life. ”
    He studied her face for a long, uncomfortable minute, like he wanted to say something , but wasn’t sure he should say it. Finally, he wid ened his eyes and changed the subject. “So back to the attorney thing. Any thoughts on why it’s bothering you?”
    “ Matt, y ou’re not a therapist yet, and I’m certainly not your client . D on’t feel like you have to analyze me and figure out all my issues. No r should you feel oblig ed to fix me. ”
    His eyes widened again, registering hurt. “Just trying to help.”
    She took in the sincerity in scribed on his face . Why did he have to be so darn likeable? Grace raise d her gaze momentarily, focused on a cobweb dangling from the ceiling . And how was she supposed to talk about this with the brother of her boss? “It’s not easy to explain. ”
    “Try me.”
    “Okay, but you’d better not breathe a word of this to Andy.”
    A teasing li ght flickered in his eyes. “If you’re not a clien t, then you have no client privilege s.”
    Grace wadded her napkin and tossed it at him.
    He caught it effortlessly in mid-air and laughed.
    She pointed a finger at him. “I mean it, Matt. Promise.”
    “Okay, okay.” H e waved hi s hands, chest high, in surrender.
    She inhaled a deep breath , the lingering smell of breakfast still in the air, and rubbed her arms . “ You know I’ve wanted to be a n attorney ever since Mama died.”
    “Yeah. Go on.”
    “I just didn’t see it working out this way. I thought I’d be a prosecutor.”
    “So you feel like you’re working for the wrong side of the law?”
    Grace nodded. “I love Andy like a brother, and owe him so much. I wouldn’t be an atto rney if it weren’t for him. ”
    “But you feel obligated to work for him when your passio n is to put the bad guys behind bars.”
    “Exactly.” She gave her head a shake at the conundrum. “And I don’t know what to do about it.”
    Matt placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his laced fingers. “Maybe you’re looking at it all wrong, Gracie. You’re focused on the situation rather than why you feel the way you do. Have you stopped to think about why you want to be a prosecutor?”
    The reason flew into her brain instantly, and she straightened . “I guess for Mama, t o keep someone else from goi ng through this, and to achieve just ice for others .”
    “T o avenge her death? ” The question was half-whispered, but even then sounded cold, almost un-Christian. “Don’t overthink it, Gracie.” Matt’s tone held warning. “I see your brain spinning from here . Don’t try to assign meaning and morality to your motivation. Just accept it and move on from there.”
    “But it does explain my nightmare .” The agitation in her voice surprised her. “ Don’t you see? It’s as if Mama’ s trying to remind me of that night so I’ll make the right decision. Maybe I need to look for a different position, o ne that’ ll put me on the prosecution. Maybe I’m not cut out to defend guys I don’t completely trust .”
    “Whoa, girl, you’re gonna strip some gears bouncing around that fast.” He stood and moved to the sink with his plate , nabbing hers as he passed . “When it comes to life, A plus B doesn’t always equal C.