Working It Out (A Romantic Comedy)

by Rachael Anderson

  “Oh, and Grace?” Seth said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  “Me too.” Grace slowly lowered the phone from her ear, not sure what to think. The conversation had gone nothing like she’d imagined it would, but it was over. And now she had a date with Seth on Friday at six.

  Anticipation began to replace the unsettled feeling in the form of giddiness.

  GRACE OPENED HER door to find Seth standing on her front porch. Butterflies flapped in her stomach as she looked him over. Dressed in faded jeans and a sweatshirt that had seen better days, he looked casual—too casual—especially compared to Grace.

  Seth eyed her up and down, his mouth splitting into a lopsided smile. “You look gorgeous, as usual, but you’re probably going to want to wear something else.”

  Grace glanced down at her black skinny pants and new red shirt—the one she’d purchased a few days before in anticipation of this date. Other than the dress she’d worn at the auction, Seth had only ever seen her in workout clothes, and Grace wanted tonight to be different. Special. Not an old sweatshirt-and-faded-jeans type of a date.

  Evidently Seth didn’t read minds.

  One by one, the butterflies in Grace’s stomach stopped flapping.

  She leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms. “You seriously want me to change out of this fabulous shirt—which I bought specifically for this date, I might add, and into”—Grace gestured to Seth’s ensemble—“something like that?”

  His grinned widened as he took a step closer, resting his hand on the doorjamb next to her head. He leaned in close enough to make the butterflies take flight once more. “It is fabulous—especially on you. Which is why I’d hate to see it splattered in paint.”

  Grace frowned. Paint? What did he plan to do, put her to work on another room at Magnificent Minds? No, wait. Seth’s style ran more toward—her eyes narrowed. “You’re taking me paintballing, aren’t you?” The last time she agreed to go paintballing—way back in high school—her body had come away not only covered in paint but in bruises as well. Those paint-filled bullets weren’t exactly soft and gentle.

  “My ‘splattered in paint’ comment gave it away, didn’t it? Shoot. I wanted to surprise you.”

  Grace should have expected something like this. Planned for it, even. This was Seth, after all—someone incapable of doing the predictable thing. “We’re really going paintballing?”

  “Yes, and you’re going to have a blast.”

  “But what about your knee?” Grace said, grasping at any excuse to cry off. It didn’t matter that he already thought her overprotective.

  Seth pushed away from the door and leveled her with a look. “You’re not allowed to worry about that, because this is a date, not a therapy session.”

  Grace nodded, unable to think of another reason why Seth should be the one to change and not her. What was so wrong with a nice romantic dinner followed by a casual walk someplace equally romantic, like the Graham Arboretum? She’d pictured Seth holding her hand, putting his arm around her, and stealing a kiss or two or three.

  Not turning each other into works of abstract art.

  That’s what she got for making Seth plan the date. Come to think of it, he probably picked paintballing on purpose as revenge.

  Grace sighed and stepped back, opening her door wider. “Feel free to wait in here. I’ll be a few minutes.”

  She returned to her room and changed into some old jeans with a hole in one knee, as well as a thick sweatshirt she’d received for running a half-marathon a year before. Although Grace hated the thought of ruining her favorite sweatshirt, she hated the thought of welts on her skin even more. This was the thickest sweatshirt she had and would protect her better than anything else.

  With a heavy heart, Grace pulled back her hair, which she’d painstakingly curled into a ponytail, and removed her favorite dangling earrings—the ones she saved for special occasions. With one final glance in the mirror, she went to find Seth.

  Grace pasted on a smile and spun in a slow circle, showing off her latest, much less fabulous outfit. “This work?”

  “Cool sweatshirt,” Seth said. “You sure you don’t mind getting paint all over it?”

  Grace waved the comment away. “What, this old thing?”

  Seth pulled the door open. “Don’t worry, I have an extra one in my car that you can borrow. It’s been through a few paintball wars and is pretty thick.”

  Grateful for his consideration, Grace smiled. “Thanks, I’ll probably take you up on that.” Even if this wasn’t the dream date she’d imagined, Grace would take it if it meant spending time with Seth.

  He drove out of the city toward Tacoma, finally stopping at an adventure park, touting the best paintballing experience ever. In the lobby, they ran into a group of people. Two of them Grace remembered as Garrett and Owen from the wheelchair basketball game and several she didn’t recognize. Seth made quick introductions, but Grace didn’t commit them to memory. She was too worried about being the only one who couldn’t remember how to load or shoot a paintball gun. Everyone looked so much more prepared and excited.

  Grace hugged Seth’s oversized sweatshirt to her, breathing in the smell and reminding herself why she was here.

  The door opened, and Alec wheeled himself inside with Lanna close behind. She wore military camo and a bright smile, as though she went paintballing every weekend. Was Grace the only newbie?

  “Grace!” Lanna pulled her in for a hug like they were best friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while.

  It made Grace feel marginally better. She shot Alec a look of surprise. “You’re paintballing, too?”

  “Lanna made me,” Alec said. “I tried to tell her I’d be an easy target, but she promised to find us a good hiding place.”

  Lanna’s hands came to rest on Alec’s shoulders, and she gave them a squeeze. “He’s my secret weapon. He’s going to be like one of those snipers who picks people off from a distance.”

  Grace’s heart swelled—not only at seeing them together, but the fact that her brother was here, ready to participate in a game designed for someone with two good legs. She couldn’t believe how far he’d come in such a short time. Grace owed so much to both Lanna and Seth. Did they have any idea how wonderful they were? How big of an impact they’d made on the lives of both of the Warren siblings?

  Grace’s eyes moved to Seth, who was at the counter, filling out forms. His shoulders looked so strong and capable. Even in his old sweatshirt, Grace had never felt more attracted to him. It hit her that Seth was all she’d ever wanted—all she never knew she wanted.

  When Seth turned and caught her staring, he waved her over and held out a pen. “They need your signature,” he said.

  Grace signed her name with a flourish, suddenly excited to see what awaited them in the fields behind the store. If her wheelchair-bound brother and petite little Lanna weren’t intimidated to play, she refused to be either. A surge of energy shot through her, and Grace suddenly felt like grabbing a gun and saying, “Bring it.”

  Outside, when the shrill alarm sounded, and as the initial shots rang out, Grace smiled. If she ever wanted to get Seth back for choosing the most un-romantic date ever, this was her chance. Seth was going down.

  COVERED IN PAINT and laughing, Grace waved goodbye to everyone as she ducked inside Seth’s car and flashed him a smile. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but that was incredibly fun. Thank you.”

  “Thank you for telling me to ask you out.”

  Grace wagged a finger at him. “I didn’t tell you to do it. I merely told you that I’d willingly go if you did.”

  “Thanks for coming so willingly then.” Seth leaned in close enough for Grace to feel his breath on her face. Her heart raced as he glanced from her eyes to her lips and back to her eyes as though challenging her to tell him to kiss her as well.

  Should she?

  Just as she’d made up her mind to do just that—r
egardless of the fact that she was covered in paint—Seth smiled and backed away. Grace’s heart sank.

  When he shoved his key into the ignition and started the car, Grace forced her thoughts back to her earlier, less-than-willing feelings. How much they’d changed. The sight of Alec completely doused in paint and still having a good time, along with the fun camaraderie of the group, had made the experience one Grace wanted to repeat. Yes, several of the shots had stung, but not nearly as bad as she remembered. It was as if Seth’s sweatshirt gave her an extra layer of protection that Grace was loath to part with. Maybe he wouldn’t notice if she “forgot” to return it.

  “Okay, so we have a couple of options,” Seth said as he pulled from the parking lot. “One, go to dinner looking like an art project gone wrong. Or two, head home to change and go for a really late dinner someplace nice.” He winked. “But only if you promise to change back into that fabulous red shirt.”

  Grace smiled, wondering what he’d say if she chose option one—not that she ever would. The thought of Seth leaning in to kiss her paint-splattered face didn’t sound nearly as romantic as it did moments before. Maybe that’s why he’d backed off. She sneaked a glance at him. He was planning to kiss her at some point, wasn’t he? Because that part was non-negotiable.

  “Two,” she said.

  Seth’s face split into a grin. “I was hoping you’d choose that one.”

  Once Seth dropped her off, Grace quickly showered and changed then applied her makeup. When she pulled out her hair dryer, her favorite song came on the radio so she sang along, raising her voice to be heard above the sound of the whirring. A feeling of giddiness and anticipation swept through her as she sang and even danced.

  Behind her, the bedroom lights flickered on and off as a deep voice rang out from what sounded like the hallway outside her bedroom door, “Grace?”

  She simultaneously yelped and jumped, dropping the hair dryer. It clattered onto the granite vanity top with a loud bang. Grace stared at it for a moment before she had the presence of mind to turn it off.

  “Sorry, did I do that?” Seth’s voice came again. He didn’t sound the least bit sorry.

  “You could say that,” Grace returned, trying to slow her racing heart at the same time she raked her fingers through her windblown hair.

  “You decent?”

  “Yeah, but I might strangle you, so I’d keep my distance if I were you.”

  Seth’s head poked around the side of the door with a grin fixed on his face. “Hey, gorgeous.”

  How could she not smile at that? Grace shook her head, looking at him through the mirror. “You could have knocked, you know,” she teased.

  His handsome body came into full view as he leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and folded his arms, still watching her. “I did. I also rang the doorbell. I even poked my head inside and called your name, but you didn’t hear me. I thought it would freak you out if you walked into your front room and found me sitting there, so I was trying to let you know I was here. Didn’t work so well, did it?”

  Grace reached for her curling iron and turned it on. “Not so much. But I’ll forgive you if you let me finish getting ready.” When he didn’t move, she raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to stand there until I’m done, aren’t you?”

  “I can’t seem to take my eyes off you.”

  Grace set down the curling iron and turned, placing her hand on his chest as she pushed him backwards. Over the years, she’d developed a fool-proof system that gave her hair those relaxed, beachy-looking curls. But in order to do it, she had to part her hair into sections and create a few haphazard-looking ponytails—sort of Pippi Longstocking meets Cindy Lou Who. She wasn’t about to let Seth see her like that—not on their first official date.

  “Why don’t you go and make yourself comfortable on my couch? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  “If I promise not to stare, can I stay?” Seth asked. When she started to shake her head, he added, “C’mon, I’ll be bored sitting out there all alone. I can keep you company while you finish doing your hair.”

  Grace let out a breath and felt herself caving. Why hadn’t she hurried faster in the shower and not taken quite so much time to do her makeup? Then she would have heard Seth’s knock and been ready. “Fine, whatever. Just no jokes about how I curl my hair.”

  Seth raised an eyebrow. “How do you curl your hair, exactly?”

  She pointed a finger and said, “No jokes,” before grabbing her curling iron once again.

  Seth gave her a half smile before disappearing from sight. With a sigh of relief, Grace quickly sectioned off her hair, creating four lopsided ponytails, and started curling away.

  “Hey, is this you standing on The Great Wall of China?” Seth’s voice sounded. Apparently he was examining the picture frames that lined the top of her dresser. The snoop.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow, you and Alec look so young. It’s strange seeing him standing on two feet.” He paused. “Are those your parents with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  A clink and shuffling sounded before Seth’s voice came again. “The Louvre, Sydney Opera House—and is that you sitting on the elephant? Talk about a well-traveled family.”

  Grace couldn’t argue that. Her parents loved to travel. From the time she and Alec were little until the day of his accident, they’d vacationed at least two times a year. Iceland, New Zealand, a safari in Africa, a cruise in the Caribbean—you name it, Grace had probably been there at some point.

  But then Alec’s accident happened, and vacationing didn’t seem as exciting to Grace as before, especially not when Alec refused to go. So she’d refused as well. At some point, their parents resumed vacationing without them, always issuing invitations to both her and Alec even though they knew they wouldn’t be accepted.

  The pictures covering her dresser now served as a bittersweet reminder of happier times and how much things had changed. Every time Grace looked at them, she couldn’t decide if they should be displayed on her dresser or locked away in the attic.

  Through the mirror’s reflection, Seth appeared, holding one of Grace’s favorite and most hated pictures—her and Alec, standing on top of a run at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia. “This is my favorite,” he said.

  A stab of pain hit Grace in the chest. No matter how many times she’d wanted to throw that picture against the wall, break the glass and burn it, she’d never been able to bring herself to do it. That had been one of the most fun and memorable trips they’d taken, but the pain of loss was still as biting as the cold wind that had blown that day. Grace forced her eyes away from the reflection as she fought against the rising emotion.

  “Nice hair,” Seth said, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.

  “Shut up.” But Grace couldn’t muster the teasing tone to go along with the words.

  Seth’s smile disappeared as he looked down at the picture. “This wasn’t the day that Ale—”

  “No,” said Grace quickly. “It was the last trip we took before his accident—a day that will never happen again no matter how much I want it to.”

  Seth leaned his shoulder against the doorframe as he studied her, this time with a look of consideration. “No day can happen more than once. You know that, right?”

  Grace nodded. She knew exactly what Seth was saying, and he was right. Even if Alec still had two working legs, that moment could never be repeated. That was life.

  At least Alec still breathed, still talked, still smiled—unlike Lanna’s brother, who was buried somewhere in the ground. Grace needed to remember how lucky she was to still have her brother around.

  Two large hands landed on Grace’s shoulders, and Seth turned her around to face him. “You okay?” he said.

  She nodded again, meeting his gaze with a question in her eyes. More than ever, Grace wished for his strength and positive outlook on life. “How do you stay so happy and optimistic when your best friend’s life was taken away
?”

  Seth blinked. “Wow, that’s a pretty heavy question coming from someone with four pigtails.”

  With a laugh, Grace pushed him away and quickly tugged the elastic bands from her hair, letting it fall to her shoulders. “There. Better?” she said.

  “Much.” Seth tugged on one of her curls and gave her a look of appreciation. Then he shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets before clearing his throat. “I think the difference between me and you is that I don’t blame myself for Mike’s death. He got cancer. Yes, it sucked that I couldn’t do anything to change that, but I never blamed myself. You, on the other hand, think that just because you coerced Alec into going skiing that makes his accident your fault. But you didn’t force him to make that jump. He did it, and now he’s living with the consequences of that decision. I wish you could believe that.”

  “I do—or, at least I’m starting to, thanks to you.” Grace stepped toward him and placed her hands on his arms, running her fingers up and down his defined biceps. “Everything changed so drastically after his accident. All the happiness we shared as a family was sucked away, leaving us with no other option but to cope. But ever since that first wheelchair basketball game, I’ve seen snatches of the old Alec emerge. It’s like you’ve opened a portal and allowed some of that happiness to return.”

  Grace paused, moving her fingers up to play with the collar of his shirt. “I know I’ve misjudged you and pushed you away again and again, but I’m really glad you didn’t go far. The truth is, I’m falling for you.” There, she’d said it. She’d laid her feelings out of the table for him to take or leave. Somehow, though, she wasn’t worried.

  Seth searched her eyes for a moment before interlacing his fingers with hers and slowly dipping his head. Their foreheads touched, and he placed her hands behind his neck before circling her waist with his own. Grace’s heart sped up as he pulled her against him and dropped his head further to nuzzle her neck. Shivers ran down her spine and goose bumps broke out all over her body. Her breath caught in her throat as his lips slowly made their way from her neck to her mouth, landing there with a tentative touch. Her fingers brushed through his hair as he deepened the kiss, pinning her against the counter.