Only You

by Denise Grover Swank

  She knew that all too well, too.

  “You deserve to have a great guy, Holly. Don’t settle for an asshole.”

  “You need to listen to your own advice,” Holly said without malice.

  A wobbly grin lifted Mel’s lips. “Maybe I told myself the same thing this morning.”

  Holly pulled her cousin into a hug. “I love you, Mel.”

  “I love you, too.” She dropped her hold. “Now you can run away like you always do.”

  “No I don’t—” She stopped, because she could see Mel was right about that, too. It had never occurred to her that avoiding relationships was also running away from them. “But in this case, I really do have to go. Nicole’s daughter’s baby shower is this afternoon.”

  “Do what? Her daughter’s baby shower?”

  “When your boss jumps, you ask how high.”

  “No, you find a new boss who doesn’t ask you to jump at all.”

  With any luck, she’d be able to start her own business in a few months. But her cousin misunderstood her silence, and when Holly stared to argue, Melanie patted Holly’s cheek. “That’s okay, little grasshopper. One fight at a time.”

  The day Holly quit would be more like Armageddon, but she’d worry about that later.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kevin was thirty-three years old. Old enough to tell his mother no, yet here he was parked in front of his parents’ house, about to play bartender at his sister’s freaking baby shower.

  He turned with a glare when his sister rapped on his passenger window. She jerked open the door. “Suck it up, buttercup.”

  “It’s a baby shower, Megan. It’s for a bunch of gossipy women.”

  “That’s a sexist statement, Kevin Vandemeer. You think a man’s responsibility ends as soon as he’s deposited his sperm?”

  He cringed, the statement hitting a little too close to home. “No.”

  “Whoa,” she said, her teasing gone. “What happened?”

  “Why do you think something happened?”

  “Because you look exactly like Dad did when he ran over the family dog.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Every minute you stay out here with me is a minute you don’t have to be with Mom.” She grinned. “Maybe that will help loosen your tongue.”

  “Fine. It’s about a woman.”

  “Your date last night? Yeah, I remember. I picked you up.” She paused. “Oh, my God. You’re not having second thoughts about her, are you?”

  “No, it’s my next-door neighbor.”

  Her eyes flew open and she looked more eager than he expected. “Oh? The cute one you mentioned last night.”

  “That’s the one.”

  She waved her hand. “So, wait. Did something happen last night?” When he gave her a questioning look, she added, “Was she the one who brought you dinner the first night?”

  He grimaced, acknowledging her leap.

  She gave him a mock punch in the arm. “Hey, we Vandemeers are more than just a pretty face.”

  “I’m not sure I’d be including me in the smart gene pool anymore.”

  “Oh, God. What happened?”

  “I slept with her.”

  Her smile fell. “But you just met her.” She shook her head, grimacing. “Sorry. You’re both consenting adults”—her gaze jerked up to his—“it was consenting, wasn’t it?”

  “Oh, my God! You really think I would do that?”

  “Not you, you idiot.” She smacked his arm again. “You were drunk as a skunk last night. Maybe you leaped before you looked and now you feel like you rushed things.” Then she hastily added, “Or maybe she took advantage of the situation and now you feel trapped.” But she looked like she didn’t believe the last one for a minute.

  “Save your sympathy. I was the asshole.”

  “What did you do?”

  He groaned and leaned back in his seat. “For some reason she thought it would be a one-time thing. And she admitted she didn’t randomly sleep with guys. And I didn’t mean for it to happen, but she was just so damn sexy. …”

  Megan grimaced. “Okay, maybe tell this story without so many details.”

  “Oh, I love the details!” A familiar voice said. “And here I thought this baby shower would be boring as hell.”

  Megan spun around and squealed. “Libby!” She pulled her friend into a tight hug, then set her loose. “Look at your cute little tummy. I’ve grown as huge as a whale in the last month since you’ve seen me.”

  “Huge?” Libby asked, shaking her head. “Please. But enough baby talk. I want to hear Kevin’s juicy details.”

  “Do you even know what we’re talking about?” Megan asked.

  “If you don’t want to hear something from your brother, it has to be about sex.”

  “He found himself a girlfriend,” Megan said.

  “Haven’t you only been home for three days?”

  He groaned. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Why?” Libby asked. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Nothing. At first. She seemed sweet and normal.”

  “Normal is so overrated,” Libby said.

  “Not for me,” he said. “I’ve had my share of crazy.”

  “So she’s pretty, sweet, and normal,” Megan said. “I fail to see a problem.”

  Kevin narrowed his eyes. “I’m pretty sure I never said she was pretty and I never said she was sweet. How do you know she’s those things?”

  Megan looked momentarily flustered before she said, “Last night you said she was cute. And you slept with her. That’s a given.”

  Something wasn’t adding up here. “You know about my past girlfriends, so sweet is definitely not a given.”

  Libby waved her hand. “Forget about that and move to the good part: You slept with her?”

  “Oh, my God.” Kevin groaned. “Yes, I slept with her.”

  Libby put a hand on her hip. “I also fail to see the problem.”

  “I spent the night at her house, but when I got up this morning, I found a bunch of wedding photos spread across her dining room table. Cutouts. Like she was planning a wedding.”

  “Ouch.” Libby said. “Little early in the relationship to be planning your wedding.”

  Megan closed her eyes, then opened them, staring at him for a moment as though carefully choosing her words. “What did she say when you asked her about it?”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  Megan narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean you didn’t ask?”

  “I woke up before she did and I had to take the cat home to the litter box—”

  Libby gasped. “You have a cat?”

  But Megan glared at him. “You didn’t.”

  Libby shook her head. “I can’t believe you have a cat.”

  Megan shot her an exasperated look. “Libby, focus.” Then she turned her steely gaze back on her brother. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

  Kevin cringed. “I panicked.”

  Libby’s eyes flew open as she realized what Megan had figured out. “Oh, my God. You snuck out?”

  “Her cousin saw me,” he said a little too defensively.

  “That’s supposed to make it better?” Megan demanded, getting irrationally pissed. “You are such a fucking idiot.” Then she stomped off to the house.

  He turned to Libby. “Why’s she so mad?”

  “Well…I would say she’s offended for all womankind, but I agree she’s taking it a tad bit personally.”

  “Matt thought I did the right thing.”

  Libby snorted. “Matt Osborn?”

  “Yeah…”

  “Did you ever wonder why he’s still single?”

  “How would you know…?”

  She shook her head. “I know things. But your sister’s wrong. You’re not just a fucking idiot, you’re also an asshole.”

  “I already said that I was.”

  “It obviously can’t be said enough.”

  “What should I do?”r />
  She laughed. “You’re asking me for advice?”

  “You three girls are the only ones I can ask. Megan’s pissed, and Blair’s libel to kick me in the nuts. That leaves you.”

  “Aww…so happy to be your first choice.”

  “Well?”

  “You’re screwed.” She started toward the house.

  “Libby!”

  She stopped and turned around to face him. “Okay, fine. What do you want out of this? Absolution? Because that’s not happening.”

  “No. I don’t know.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’d like to find out if she was really planning a wedding with me, I guess.”

  She put her hand on her hip again. “You realize how incredibly egotistical that sounds, right? You’re presuming a woman who knew you for three days was already planning your wedding? You’re just that awesome.”

  “When you put it that way…”

  “So presuming she’s halfway normal and it wasn’t your wedding, what outcome are you looking for?”

  “Another chance with her.”

  Libby burst into laughter. “That ship has sailed, Kevin.”

  He tried to ignore the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. “But what explanation could she possibly have for those pictures?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she’s helping a friend plan her wedding.” Libby looked back at the house. “Hell, think about your mother’s job. Maybe she’s a wedding planner.”

  “Oh, God. I’m an idiot.”

  “I thought we’d all accepted that as a given.”

  “I have to apologize.”

  “That’s a good start.” She grabbed his forearm and dragged him into the house. “But right now you have to deal with your mother.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Holly’s boss was more high-strung than usual.

  “I think the tables are too close together.” Nicole looked up at Holly, hesitation in her eyes. “Do you think they’re too close together?”

  “No, I think it’s beautiful.” And she did. They’d spent two hours setting up the round rental tables and chairs, covering both with white organza that caught in the breeze. The tops were covered with pale yellow and white flowers with plenty of greenery. A table for the elaborate cake and decorations sat under the gazebo, along with a table next to it for Megan’s presents. Nicole Vandemeer had the perfect backyard for entertaining—a beautiful pool in the center, a two-tiered deck, and well-manicured landscaping with lots of shade. Nicole’s plan was simple elegance, and she’d achieved it. It was equal to any socialite shower, which was exactly what she was going for. “It’s very classy.”

  Nicole clasped her hands together as she surveyed the backyard. “Thank you. I just hope Millie Leopold likes it.”

  “And Megan.”

  Her gaze jerked up. “Well, of course.” But Holly could see the guilt in her eyes. “I should go inside and see if the string quartet is here yet.” She wrung her hands. “They’re fifteen minutes late. The guests should be arriving and my son hasn’t even shown up to attend the bar.” She shook her head. “Doesn’t punctuality mean anything these days?”

  A string quartet for a baby shower seemed like overkill, but it was Nicole. “I’ll double-check the draping on the posts where they are playing. It looked like one was working loose. And the bar’s all set up, so all he has to do is show up.” The bar also seemed like overkill, but Nicole insisted that the guests needed to be served fresh mimosas. The juice had to be freshly squeezed.

  “Thank you.”

  She disappeared into the house, and Holly walked around to the other side of the pool to check the temporary gazebo Nicole had erected. Seconds later, Megan emerged through the back door, walking toward her as she took everything in.

  “It looks lovely, Holly,” Megan said as she stopped next to her. But she looked nervous, not that Holly blamed her.

  Holly hadn’t known Megan very long. After Megan moved back to Kansas City she’d run into Holly often when visiting her mother’s office. Megan had invited Holly out to lunch, and the two women became fast friends. However, after the first two lunch dates, Nicole made it very clear she didn’t approve of her employee socializing with her daughter. Megan was willing to meet Holly on the sly, but Holly couldn’t do it. She hated lying. Even to her unreasonable boss.

  She gave Megan a sympathetic look. “I know you would have preferred something much more casual.”

  “This was my mother’s doing, not yours. Thanks for giving up your Saturday to come help.” She glanced over her shoulder, then back.

  Holly looked down, feeling embarrassed over her earlier grumbling. “I’m happy to do it. Oh, and by the way, if your mother asks, I called you yesterday and made one last effort to find out the baby’s sex.”

  “Thanks for helping me with that, too.”

  “Anytime.”

  Megan hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something, but then she lifted her hand to the silky bow at Holly’s neckline, straightening the length. “You look very pretty today.”

  Holly looked down at her pale-green-and-white-polka-dot sleeveless dress. Was it too much? The full skirt allowed a breeze to cool her down, something important since she’d been outside for a few hours already. Thankfully, the late June day wasn’t too hot. “Thank you. But you’re the special guest. I’m supposed to stay in the background.” She waved to Megan’s pale blue dress. “And you look stunning. Pregnancy agrees with you.”

  “I love being pregnant. I’m really happy.” But she sounded distracted as she glanced over her shoulder again.

  Who was she looking for? “I can tell,” Holly said, surprised by the surge of envy that rose inside her.

  Megan turned serious. “There’s something I have to warn you about.”

  Holly chuckled. “That your mother is upset over the string quartet? I know.” Then she gave her a sly grin. “I’ll see if I can get them to play something contemporary to shake things up. Got any requests?”

  “No. That’s not it. I did something maybe I shouldn’t have done.” Megan paused, then grabbed both of Holly’s hands, giving them a tiny shake as she stared deep into her eyes. “I just want you to know that you are a remarkable, beautiful woman. You deserve someone special. Insist he treats you right. And if he doesn’t, then that’s on him, not you, okay?”

  Holly’s eyes widened. Was she wearing her shame from last night like a scarlet letter? But then, what did she have to feel guilty about, anyway?

  Nicole poked her head out the back door. “Megan, I need you for a moment.”

  Frustration washed over Megan’s face as she called out, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Now, darling.”

  Megan looked torn, casting a glance back at her mother, then a guilty one at Holly. “Holly, I don’t know how to tell you—”

  Holly’s phone rang in her dress pocket. “You go deal with your mother while I take this.”

  “But I—”

  As she pulled the phone out of her pocket, she saw the number of the retirement center appear on the screen. “Go. This might be about my grandmother. I need to get it.”

  “Megan!” her mother shouted. “Now!”

  Megan nodded, but she didn’t look happy to be walking away, which Holly attributed to concern. Megan knew about Holly’s grandmother and her deteriorating health, even though Holly had begged Megan not to tell her mother. Despite Megan’s protests, she worried Nicole would think her grandmother’s health would be too distracting for Holly to do her job well. Nicole Vandemeer abhorred any signs of weakness.

  Megan looked over her shoulder, then back at Holly, her guilt palpable. “I really am sorry,” she mouthed as she walked away.

  A ball of anxiety churned in Holly’s stomach, but Megan took off before Holly could ask what she was sorry for. Was Nicole upset with her? What had she done this time?

  But she was more worried about the reason for the phone call. “Hello?”

  “Holly?” her gr
andmother asked. “When are you picking me up?”

  Holly blinked in surprise. Had she forgotten an appointment with her grandmother? “I’m sorry, Grandma. I’m helping my boss with her daughter’s baby shower.”

  “Vickie’s daughter’s too young to have a baby.”

  “Not my boss from the Marriott. My new boss.”

  “What new boss? Did you get a new job and not tell me?”

  Tears stung Holly’s eyes. “No, Grandma. I’ve had it for almost a year.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  The doctors had told her to mention the present, and if her grandmother got frustrated to let it go. There was no reasoning with her, but it also probably meant she hadn’t forgotten a prior arrangement. “Where were we supposed to go?”

  “You said you wanted to see Swan Lake. I bought the tickets and everything, but I thought they were in my drawer…” Her voice faded. “Who stole my tickets?”

  Holly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her grandmother had saved up to take her and Melanie to see Swan Lake when they were in middle school. “Gran, I’m going to ask the nurses to help you look.”

  “What nurses?”

  She swallowed the burning lump in her throat. The quartet was on their way toward her and she had to help them get set up or Nicole would be furious. “I’ll find someone to help you, okay?”

  But her grandmother hung up on her first.

  She called the nurses’ station to fill them in, and they assured Holly not to worry, that they would take of her grandmother.

  Stuffing her phone into her pocket, she forced a smile as she greeted the quartet and showed them where they would spend the afternoon. As she watched them, she told herself that there was nothing she could do for her grandmother right now. If anything, Holly’s presence was usually more upsetting to her grandmother when she was having an episode. Holly had to trust the staff to take care of her.

  But she was still an anxious mess. She needed to pull herself together.

  Nicole emerged with a tray of appetizers, looking remarkably calm since the shower was about to start and her son hadn’t made an appearance yet. If push came to shove, Holly figured she could fill in at the bar.