Saving Grace (Madison Falls) by Lesley Ann McDaniel Page B

a hiding place. “You mean the theatre might not be here much longer?”
    Nancy’s eyes welled and her voice caught as she spoke. “I know it doesn’t bring in the crowds like it used to, but it’s such a part of this town. How could anyone tear it down?”
    Grace wanted to ask if they’d considered doing better shows. She chose her words carefully. “So, if Pirates is profitable, Mr. R. might reconsider?”
    Nancy rolled her eyes in an arch as if considering the notion. “That would be a start, I guess. He knows no one would want that casino. Besides, it’s got to make him sad to think about losing this building. It’s been in his family for generations.”
    Grace weighed her words. “You could resuscitate the place, but it needs a facelift. It’s pretty old—”
    “Built in 1882. Same year the railroad came through.” Nancy’s face fell in defeat. “We can’t afford to do anything to it. We’re running with no profit margin as it is.”
    Grace’s mind started to click. “Well, maybe he could find another buyer. Someone who wants to keep it going as a theatre.”
    Nancy shook her head. “That’s no good. He’s already had other offers. Trouble is, the highest was only two hundred thousand.”
    Grace cringed. That was low. About the cost of a storage unit back home. “And Langley?”
    “He offered a million , give or take.”
    “A million?”
    “Yeah. Give or take.”
    “Wow,” Grace said. “That’s quite a difference.”
    “I’ll say. Nobody else is going to offer that much for these poor old buildings. I mean, look around. Nothing’s up to code. The plumbing, the wiring. We’re just lucky we haven’t had a fire in all these years. Mr. R. can’t afford to fix it.” Nancy folded into her chair, burying her face in both hands.
    Grace’s heart fluttered in sympathetic vibration to Nancy’s grief. “Isn’t there some sort of historical designation—”
    “We’ve tried that route.” Nancy straightened, her arms flourishing in front of her like a novice maestro. “Apparently Montana has an overabundance of history. If the price is right, people will sell their souls.”
    A tremor shot across Grace’s back. It was true. She’d learned that from Kirk.
    Nancy covered her face again and Grace tried to think of something she could say to offer hope. “I’m…um…sure it will work out for the best.”
    Nancy looked up, her eyes rimmed with red, and her face drawn with pain. She held a beat before speaking, her voice now barely above a whisper. “I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”
    Grace’s chest tightened at the realization that this building meant more to Nancy than just a job.
    Aggrieved silence hung in the air between them. Poor Nancy . Grace knew how it felt to have the one thing that meant the most to you ripped from your grasp. If only she could fix this for her. Take away that awful ache that had been her own constant companion for too long. Her eyes pooled with despair. She wanted to help, but the best she could do was to hold off on giving Nancy another dose of bad news. The resignation could wait.
    “Look, I’m sure this will work itself out.” Grace took a step back, her familiar anguish threatening to take center stage. She needed to get away before Nancy questioned it.
    Nancy smiled sadly. “Thanks again for saving the day.”
    Offering a feeble smile, Grace turned to go.
    “Oh, and Grace?”
    She turned again.
    Nancy looked drained. “Nobody really knows about this yet. I’d appreciate it if you kept it under your hat.”
    Choking back her looming emotional detonation, Grace nodded agreement.
    She took the few steps down the hallway to where it opened to the lobby. The muffled bellowing of the performance in the next room assured her of momentary privacy. Pausing to collect her emotions before continuing on outside, she lowered her face into her hands.
    “Don’t tell me they’ve reduced you to tears on your first night.”
    Grace snapped to