A Trusting Heart

by Shannon Guymon

  “Blaine. You’ve got a date Saturday night . . . No, this isn’t your bonus for the year, but if you impress everyone with how debonair you can be, I promise you that your bonus will be much larger than usual . . . Just meet me at my mom’s house and then we’ll all drive over together . . . Yeah, she has an Excursion . . . Oh, and see what you can pick up. My mom wants opera, but I’d rather go to a play. Check around.”

  Trevor hung up the phone and caught his mother’s eye.

  “If she doesn’t fall in love with me Saturday, then it’s going to be an uphill battle the whole way.”

  Cora clicked her tongue and shook her head. Her son was in for an eye opener. Love wasn’t a business deal. It was a complete gamble.

  “I couldn’t stand your father on our first date,” she informed him.

  Trevor groaned again.

  Sixteen

  DO I LOOK ALL right, Meg?”

  Megan turned around to see her sister standing in her bedroom doorway. Her shoulder-length brown hair was up in a twist with tendrils of hair framing her thin, expressive face. The dress was loose and flowing, hiding the fact that she needed to gain at least fifteen pounds. Her cheekbones stuck out about a mile, but her eyes were sparkling with excitement and anticipation. She looked radiant.

  “Linette, you know you’re gorgeous. You’re not the problem here, I am. I seem to have forgotten how to apply eyeliner.”

  Linette rolled her perfectly made-up eyes and walked over to join her sister in front of the mirror. She wiped the smudged eyeliner off expertly and grabbed the tube of liquid eyeliner instead. She applied it as if Megan were a canvas.

  “There. Now you look better than me and my date will probably be staring at you all night.”

  Megan tried not to blink as she let the liner dry, but couldn’t help sticking her tongue out.

  “If anyone is caught staring at me, it’s usually because I have something in my teeth.”

  “What a joke. Here I am, Art Deco standing next to the Mona Lisa. What are you complaining about? You’re beautiful; you always have been and you always will be.”

  Megan frowned critically at her reflection in the mirror, not believing it for a second.

  “Whatever. I’m the one Mom had to get the contacts for, bleach and perm my hair, and take to the tanning salon twice a week. Mom never tried to turn you into a Barbie doll. You already were one.”

  The two sisters laughed at their reflections as Megan reached for a tube of cranberry lipstick. Linette’s mouth began to droop as her old and relentless insecurities reared up again in the form of memories.

  “Mom just knew I was hopeless. Besides, I knew in my heart I would never have big hair like yours. There was no reason to try. You better hurry, though. Cora will be here with our dates in about fifteen minutes. I’ll bet you a million dollars she’s right on time.”

  Megan smacked her lips and shook her head, making her hair fall more naturally. She would just have to do. She tilted her head to the side and really looked at herself. Was Linette right? Did she really look okay? She had gone from caring too much about her looks to not caring enough probably. It was only Linette’s artistic touch that had her looking so well. The results weren’t half bad if she did say so herself. And the green silk dress didn’t hurt either. Thank you, Mom. Maybe you gave me two things; my life and this dress. Wait—three things. You gave me a great sister.

  “All right, I’m ready. And as long as we’re betting, I’ll bet you she’s at least five minutes early.”

  The two girls looked over at the clock and laughed as they heard the doorbell ring. Megan felt a little zing of adrenaline shoot through her system as she walked calmly towards her front door. It had been a long time since she had been nervous about a date. She just hoped Cora wasn’t going to be too disappointed when things didn’t work out. They never did.

  Megan ushered Cora in and a young man she didn’t know.

  She secretly hoped he was her date. He looked like a Greek sculpture she had seen once in a museum. His face had definitely been sculpted by a master. She caught herself staring so hard at the young man, she almost forgot about the other mystery man. As he stepped through the door, she felt her stomach drop to the floor.

  “Trevor?”

  Trevor smiled optimistically and held out his hand to shake hers. When she didn’t offer her own, he patted her left shoulder awkwardly instead.

  “What are you doing here?” Megan demanded softly. Trevor cleared his throat, looking towards Cora, as if she could help him.

  “I’m Cora’s son, Megan. I’m your date for the night.” Megan turned to have his statement verified by Cora. This was too much of a coincidence. This was too much, period.

  “Is this your way of getting your five thousand dollar dance? You didn’t have to go through the charade of having your mother put her house up for sale. I can’t believe you did this. Don’t you have better things to do?”

  Megan said the words to Trevor, but she was looking at Cora the whole time. She felt completely betrayed. She had believed Cora was her friend. Cora was nothing but a front for her son. How completely manipulative. How sick!

  Cora walked uncertainly over to Megan’s side and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Megan, sweetie, don’t take it like this. We didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to get to know you better. Everything is real. You are my realtor. My house is for sale and I am your friend. Trevor does happen to be my son and, yes, he does happen to be interested in you. Is that so wrong?”

  Megan glanced at Linette for support, but wasn’t surprised to find her sister and her gorgeous date in a corner, talking quietly. If only she could switch dates.

  “Fine. Let’s go,” Megan mumbled in exasperation.

  She grabbed her purse and walked out the front door, leaving everyone else to follow. She was so furious, she could spit. Right at Trevor. The nerve of him. If he had liked her so much, then he should have asked her out in high school, for heaven’s sake. Even though she had been dating Dylan, he could have at least tried. Well, he had missed his chance. And to think of all the manipulating he had done to get here. It reminded her of her parents. Sick. Sick. Sick.

  “Megan, maybe we should talk before we all go out?” Megan turned to see Trevor standing a few feet away from her, looking slightly ill. The last time she had seen him had been in a darkened ballroom. Outside in the light of day, he was even more handsome.

  “Sorry, no time. We have to go pick up Drew, your mother’s date. He’s expecting us right about now, as a matter of fact.”

  She didn’t add, but couldn’t help thinking, the sooner they left, the sooner she could get home. Trevor looked as if he could read her mind and turned a little greener.

  The ride to Drew’s house was deathly quiet. Linette and her date, Blaine, had apparently caught on that something was very wrong and they kept silent. Drew was standing on the street curb with several red roses in his hand. All five of his kids peeking out the front window of his white colonial style house, grinning and waving. Megan’s face cracked into a smile as she saw that he’d had his hair cut and his suit looked as if it was freshly dry cleaned. Drew was obviously looking forward to tonight. Megan wished she were.

  Drew climbed into the front seat next to Cora and smiled at everyone as introductions were made. Megan wished she and the other young people would disappear and leave Cora and Drew alone together. Drew deserved a wonderful night out, although she wasn’t sure he deserved Cora.

  “These are for you, Cora. The first time I saw you, I knew red was your color.”

  Cora turned an attractive shade of pink and reached over to take the roses. She looked them over carefully, smiling as she smelled them.

  “You’re right. Thank you so much. I can’t remember the last time someone gave me roses.”

  Everyone turned to stare at Trevor as his voice seemed to boom out from nowhere. “Sure you do, Mom. Wasn’t it when Dad found out you were pregnant with me?”

  Megan gave T
revor a look that would have made most men wither. Trevor only looked slightly aggravated.

  Drew’s smile lost some of its brightness as he turned to face Trevor.

  “Your dad was a lucky man.”

  Trevor grumbled something unintelligible and didn’t say another word as Cora drove to the restaurant she and Trevor had picked out for the evening. They had chosen La Caille, a very exclusive and very expensive French restaurant. Megan remembered having her wedding breakfast there. She and Linette exchanged queasy looks before following their dates inside. Eating here was going to bring back a lot of memories. She still remembered Dylan standing up and making a toast to her, while she had been composing her farewell letter to him in her mind.

  The hostess showed them to their seats quickly, handing them each a menu. Megan made up her mind then and there: she was ordering anything and everything she wanted. She was going home with as many doggie bags as she could get out of him. Besides, he was a millionaire. He could handle it. Megan smiled savagely at the menu, planning what she would be eating for the next week. She and Linette would be eating in style tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

  Trevor felt his stomach flip-flop nervously and wondered if he was going to make it through dinner, let alone the play Blaine had picked out. He glanced at Megan to see if she still looked as coldly furious as she had ever since setting eyes on him. To his surprise, she looked like she was having fun. Maybe she had had a chance to think things through. Maybe she was even starting to see tonight as the romantic night he had planned it to be? Megan’s eyes passed over him for only a second, but the temperature change was immediate. She might be having fun thinking of dinner, but the only fun thing she wanted to do with him would probably include instruments of torture and death, probably.

  “So, Blaine, what do you do for a living?”

  Blaine looked away from Linette to focus on Megan’s question. He smiled charmingly at her and winked at Trevor.

  “I guess you could say I’m Trevor’s slave. I’m at his beck and call night and day. Ain’t that right, boss?”

  Trevor didn’t even have to look at Megan to gauge her reaction to Blaine’s teasing. He could already tell she believed Blaine’s outrageous statement. His mother was looking at Megan, however, and her expression looked hopelessly distraught.

  “Remember that bonus we were talking about, Blaine? Why don’t you tell everyone here that you’re just kidding? We wouldn’t want anyone to take you seriously, would we?”

  Blaine looked confused. “I wasn’t exactly kidding.”

  Trevor stared furiously at Blaine, planning all the many ways he was going to make him suffer. After everything he had done for the ingrate!

  “All right, slave, who sent you to Majorca last month, just because he felt like it?”

  Blaine’s charming smile was swiftly back in place. “Did I say I minded being your slave?”

  Linette and Drew laughed politely but still looked askance at him. This was a nightmare.

  Megan chose Cora next. “So tell me, Cora, do you always orchestrate elaborate ways to get your son dates?”

  Cora’s face turned white and she took a sip of water before looking at everyone at the table. Linette, Blaine, and Drew were looking at her expectantly, sensing the tension at the table. Megan’s tone had been pleasant, but her eyes looked as if she wanted to cry.

  “No, as a matter of fact, this would have to be the first time. Maybe if I had had more practice at matchmaking, you would be having a better time tonight.”

  Drew looked from Megan to Cora to Trevor in confusion.

  He felt a little uneasy as if he were an actor in a play, but no one had bothered to give him a script.

  “There are no complaints here. As a matter of fact, I’d have to say I’m the luckiest man in the whole restaurant.”

  Cora’s thoughts were dragged away from Trevor’s dilemma to the very charming and handsome man sitting right next to her. Cora smiled back at Drew and realized that tonight didn’t have to be a complete disaster. She had a very charming and kind dinner companion and, since there was nothing she could do to save her son’s evening, she might as well enjoy herself as best she could. And to Drew’s complete delight, she focused completely on him.

  Blaine and Linette had the same idea, and spaced out everyone but themselves after ordering from the waiter. No one even blinked an eye when Megan ordered four entrees. Megan and Trevor looked at each other cautiously knowing they were stuck.

  “I’m feeling a little like a fifth wheel here. What about you?” Trevor whispered in Megan’s ear.

  Megan sighed loudly and threw down her napkin before rising from the table. She could do something about it. There were two other couples here who were more than willing to have a great time. She didn’t have the right to put a damper on their evening, just because she had the bad luck to be stuck with a creep. She found the hostess and asked if they could have a different table. Within seconds, they were escorted to an intimate alcove away from everyone and everything. Just the two of them. Alone.

  Perfect, she thought wryly.

  “I hope your sister appreciates your sacrifice.”

  Megan almost smiled. “She would do the same for me, I’m sure. Just out of curiosity, why did you do all this? You could never bring yourself to ask me out in high school, so why the sudden interest?” Megan asked.

  Trevor closed his eyes and wondered what to say to her. The truth? It couldn’t hurt him at this point. He was out of the game anyway. He’d just make Blaine return the ring for him. The little slave.

  “I wanted to in high school, but I was too gutless to do anything about it. I promised myself if I ever had the chance again, I wouldn’t waste any time. And when I saw you at the reunion, it just seemed perfect. You’re single, I’m single. Why not?”

  Megan’s mouth hardened into a straight, thin line. “You don’t even know me. This is crazy.”

  “Sure, I know you. Well, a little bit. Okay, I just have a few memories, but why shouldn’t that be a good reason to want to go out with you? We were in the same biology class in the ninth grade. We had two classes together our junior year, and senior year we had government and seminary together. I watched you every day. I saw things most people didn’t. You always acted so haughty and snooty around your little clique and they ate it up. They couldn’t get enough. You were the quintessential cheerleader. But it was just an act. I saw the time when no one was looking and you went up to Robby Seaver, that boy who had downs syndrome and you told him what a cool guy you thought he was, and how proud you were of him for getting that medal in the special Olympics. You made sure none of your friends saw you, but you did it. But my favorite was the time you stood up to your boyfriend in front of everyone. And, boy, did you pay for it. Justin Webster, the one kid everyone picked on, accidentally knocked Dylan’s lunch out of his hands, and Dylan of course started to beat the snot out of him. You put yourself right in between them so Justin wouldn’t get hurt. You’re the one who ended up with the black eye that day.”

  Megan closed her eyes as the memory of that day came back to her.

  “That was an accident,” Megan whispered fiercely.

  Trevor said nothing as he looked at her with his dark serious eyes. The waiter brought their food at that moment and asked politely if she would like the chef to keep the rest of her entrees warm in the kitchen. Megan had the grace to blush, but nodded her head regally. Her first pick was lobster. Trevor had ordered steak of all things. Why go to a French restaurant and order steak? It was just as she suspected: the man was insane.

  “For a while, I couldn’t believe it myself. Megan Garrett, the head cheerleader, a nice person?”

  Megan cracked the lobster angrily as what he said started to sink in.

  “So why didn’t you ask me out? I don’t believe you were gutless for a second. Not Trevor Riley, seminary president and defender of all goodness and light.” Megan looked him square in the face and saw him flinch. She knew exactl
y why.

  “I didn’t fit in with your image, did I, Trevor? I bleached my hair and had the best perm this side of Salt Lake. My finger nails were so long and red, you would have rather died than introduce me to your mom. I’m right, aren’t I? You were so good at seeing the inside, but you still couldn’t get past the outside. You were too good for me, weren’t you?”

  Trevor sighed and wondered if the evening could get any worse. He had planned to have a wonderful evening. He had hoped to bypass all of the high school baggage and move on to the future. This was not turning out at all the way he had expected it to. There went all of his mom’s grandbabies.

  “I had a little problem with pride when I was in high school. I admit it. A big problem, actually. I thought I had an image to uphold as seminary president. I was on my mission and asking myself why I still couldn’t stop thinking about you when I realized what an idiot I had been. Do you remember getting a letter from an Elder Riley in Guatemala?”

  Megan had her mouth full at the moment, but nodded her head. She did remember. She just hadn’t put Elder Riley together with Trevor the Seminary President.

  “I thought if maybe we could start writing each other while I was on my mission, then we could get together when I got home. The one time you wrote me back, all I got was one sentence: ‘Don’t get worms.’”

  Megan covered her mouth with her napkin, giggling over the memory. If she had only known, she probably would have written a different letter.

  “Oops.”

  Trevor smiled back at the woman still giggling at him. She was stunning when she smiled. Actually, she was stunning even when she was looking like she wanted to kill you.

  “So did you?”

  “Did I what?”

  “Get worms.”

  It was Trevor’s turn to laugh.

  “Yes, I did. And I always blamed that letter for it. The very next day, I found out I had parasites in my stomach. I won’t bore you with the details, but they almost had to send me home. It was horrible. I still can’t eat chicken feet soup without gagging.”