Meanwhile I’m the idiot playing along like I never really loved her. Like I haven’t loved Kasey Graham my whole life.
“Beau!” My sister squats down next to our chair, her eyes drilling into mine. “This is a joke right? Tell me this isn’t true.”
I wrap my arms tighter around Kasey. I hate lying, but I’ll protect her no matter what. “I’m sorry, Nat. It’s true. I’m totally in love with Kasey.”
My sister grins at me. “Well. It’s about time.”
11
Kasey
“D
id you hear that, Brady?” Natalie turns to him and makes a few kissy-face noises. “My brother and your sister are totally in love!”
“Yep. That seems to be the case,” he says. “Mission accomplished.” They both start to high-five each other, then they switch to down-lowing, as if that’s even a thing. Next they do a weird hip bump dance, frolicking around like they just won the lottery.
I fly off Beau’s lap and spin around to glare at him because—what the heck?
“Did you know about this, Beau?” A flush creeps up my throat, spreading to my neck and then my face and oh my wow. “Please tell me you didn’t set me up again, or I might have to murder you right here. In the first degree.”
Beau’s mouth hangs open and his face is white as my blouse. Either that or the lights from the fireworks make him look like he’s seen a ghost. Or that he is a ghost. Wait. Is that it?
Are we dead?
Pretty much nothing else makes sense to me right now. And our parents seem just as baffled. They’ve moved into a semicircle formation, staring at us, sparklers hanging at their sides.
“Kasey!” My mom’s the first to start talking. Shocker. “I thought you and Beau didn’t like each other. Isn’t that what you told me?”
“Yes!” Mrs. Slater chimes in. “That’s what I thought too.” Her gaze shifts between me and Beau and Nat and Brady. “Have you kids all been drinking? Or...” She whispers. “Are you doing the drugs?”
This finally gets Natalie to stop dancing. At least her body stops. Her eyes are still totally dancing. “Did you just say doing the drugs, Mom? That’s hilarious. But I can assure you that’s not the case here. Right, Brady?”
“Affirmative.” Brady salutes her.
My mom turns to Brady. “Then what is the case here?”
“Hold on.” Brady offers Beau a hand up from the folding chair. Once Beau’s standing, Brady claps him on the back. “Here’s the thing, my man. Nat and I figured out a long time ago that you and Kasey were into each other.”
Natalie leans in. “This is true.”
“We also knew you’d never get together if we suggested it. So Nat and I decided to act like we hated the idea, figuring you two would be too tempted not to fall for each other.”
Nat nods. “Also true.”
Brady slings an arm around her. “The real trick for Nat and me was hitting just the right level of sibling disapproval. We wanted you to feel like a relationship was irresistible. Even inevitable. But not impossible.”
I guffaw. Loudly. “Ha!” The group shifts their focus to me. “Your little plan didn’t work, Brady. None of your plans worked.” I turn to my mom and Mrs. Slater. “You two have been trying to force Beau and me together for days, but we didn’t just fall off the apple cart. We’re way too smart for you.”
My mom and Mrs. Slater exchange shrugs, their heads tilted, brows furrowed. I glance at Beau who cringes like he’s confused too. Maybe he doesn’t realize we won either. Sheesh. Do I have to Scooby Doo this thing for everyone?
“That’s right, people. Beau and I caught on to your little schemes. So we decided to fake everyone out. All of you.” I chuckle because our families are so gullible. “The truth is, Beau and I feel nothing for each other. Nada. Zilch. Zero. We aren’t in love. We never have been. We were just fooling you. And you suckers fell for it.”
Pop, pop, pop! Overhead the fireworks finale starts exploding. Brady and Nat look at each other. My mom and dad look at each other. Mr. and Mrs. Slater look at each other. Then, as if they all heard the punchline at the same time, they bust out laughing.
I take a step backward, knocked off balance. This is not the reaction I expected. “What’s so funny?”
My mom covers her mouth, stifling a giggle. “Kasey. Dear. I don’t know what conspiracy theorist got ahold of you, but Betty and I were just trying to have a nice holiday with all our kids home at the same time. If you and Beau thought we had some other agenda, one involving you two...well...” her voice trails off for the first time in my life.
Mrs. Slater nods at Beau. “I’m sorry if you felt manipulated son, but I promise we planned no nefarious schemes.” She reaches out to touch his shoulder with one hand, and mine with the other. She’s awfully gentle for a master strategist. Which means she’s probably not one. Duh.
I turn to Brady. “If you wanted Beau and me together, why were you always so mean every time I was near you two?”
He cracks a smile. “You mean when I was fifteen? Newsflash, Kase. That’s normal behavior for a big brother.”
Ugh. He’s not wrong. A chill runs up my spine and I glance at Natalie. “What about you, Nat? A batch of Ex-Lax brownies says you hated me.”
“Yeah.” She snorts. “Back when I had a huge crush on Grantly Bender and he was gaga over you. I was super jealous. But that was years ago and I’m kind of awesome now.” She fluffs her hair. “So I got over it.”
I swallow hard and try not to feel ridiculous. Am I the only one who’s been stuck in the past?
Brady chuckles. “I won’t lie. I was pretty jealous too,” he says. “Not crushing on Grantly Bender or anything, but I didn’t want to lose my best friend to my sister. Or lose you to Beau.” He bumps my shoulder. “You were my little buddy, Kasey. And you were also really fun to torment.” He tilts his head at Beau. “So I recruited this guy to mess with you, hoping you’d keep away from him.” Brady’s mouth goes crooked. “Then we grew up. And it took me about three seconds to figure out you and Beau have real feelings for each other.” He tilts his head at Natalie. “So I recruited this girl to mess with you, hoping you’d get together with Beau.”
Natalie curtsies. “We made a great team.”
Beau blows out a long breath. “You could’ve just told me, man.”
“What?” Brady splays his hands. “And ruin this good time?”
Oh. My. Wow. Is my brother seriously still tormenting me? I open my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but my mother interrupts.
“Speaking of good times!” She waits to get everyone’s attention. “How about some snickerdoodles? There’s a whole batch inside. But don’t worry. I saved plenty for Christmas Eve. So, what do you say? Should we get the cookie portion of the evening started?”
“Yes!” Mrs. Slater claps her hands. “I’ll break out the ice cream!”
My father and Mr. Slater don’t have to be told twice. They make a beeline for dessert. Natalie and Brady cast glances at each other, then follow them inside. I just stand there frozen. Every move I made was wrong. So where do I go from here?
“Kasey.”
I turn to face Beau, and my stomach is in knots. “I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this, but don’t worry. I’m the one who looks like the idiot. Not you. Not at all.” I force a small smile. “Your golden reputation is intact.”
He rakes a hand through his hair. “I don’t care about my reputation.”
“You’re right. There’s a bigger issue here.” I take a deep breath. Exhale. “And I’m totally cool with the fact that Nat and Brady are wrong about us. I know you don’t have feelings for me, and I’ve got zero expectations from you.”
“Kasey.” He reaches out to gather my hands in his. My skin zings at his touch. Oof. I’d better get that under control. But control is hard when he smells so good and his mouth’s so soft and Stop it Kasey.
He clears his throat. “Can I say something, please?”
I swallow. Nod. B
link. What is there left to say? In two days I’m flying to California and Beau’s flying to who knows where. Someplace important. Someplace that needs him. He meets my gaze and holds it steady, speaking with his eyes. Speaking to my soul. “I do have feelings for you.” His voice is hoarse, like he’s been shouting the same words forever and I never heard.
“You do?”
“I do.” He squeezes my hands and all the air leaves my lungs. “I have all the feelings for you. Every single one of them. I always have.”
Oh, I whisper, but it’s barely a sound because right now I’m barely breathing.
“I’ve also got something to show you.” He releases one of my hands to dig in the back pocket of his jeans. “I was planning to give this to you, that day after graduation.” From behind his back he produces a bracelet, a rope of braided gold cupped in his palm. It sparkles in a sliver of moonlight and the countless stars above us.
I gulp.
“It’s a charm bracelet,” he says, looking down as if he’s seeing the thing in his hand for the first time himself. “But there’s only one charm on it so far.”
I peer into his hand. “Is it a...cat?” I giggle. From nerves or joy or maybe fear. I’m so afraid of my feelings. “That’s...random.”
Beau chuckles. “Yeah I didn’t have much game with girls. And I wasn’t sure how you’d take the whole jewelry idea. So I thought I’d start out small. And I knew you loved Sprinkles, so.”
I lift my head and smile. “I take it back. A cat charm is perfect.”
His smile is bashful in the best kind of way. “Back then I was hoping that if things went well—if you liked the bracelet with one lonely cat charm—I could give you a new charm every year. To add to Sprinkles. So he wouldn’t be lonely. But...”
I scrunch up my nose. “Things didn’t go well.” My insides begin to unravel, remembering all those years we spent competing. Side by side. We were together, going after the same things. Beau was with me all the time, but I never saw it. How he really felt. I was too busy guarding my own heart.
He moves an inch closer to me. “We were so young. Maybe things weren’t meant to go well back then. What if the universe planned to give us a second chance all along?” He holds up the bracelet and it dangles in front of me, twisting and free.
I tilt my head. “Let’s see if it fits. Like Cinderella and her glass slipper, if there’d been a cat hanging off her heel.” I raise my wrist so Beau can wrap the chain around it. As he clicks the clasp shut, my heart begins to swell. Like my insides are filled with a thousand balloons and there’s no room left for anything else. Except maybe light and happiness, because I have feelings too. I’ve got all the feelings, just like Beau said. For so many years I denied it, but I can’t pretend anymore.
I love him with my whole balloon-filled heart.
“Looks like it fits,” Beau says, lifting my hand. He gently brushes his lips against the pale skin at my wrist. Then he places both palms on my cheeks. So softly, with so much care. I stand on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck. And as my fingers tangle in his hair, one of his hands slips to my chin. He tips my face up while he lowers his. Our lips are only a breath apart.
“Kasey,” he whispers.
“Kasey!” My mother bursts from the Slater’s house waving my phone. I must’ve left it next to the snickerdoodles. “Judy Witherspoon from The Chronicle is calling!” In the dark of the Slater’s back deck, my work ring tone wails.
12
Beau
K
asey’s eyes go wide and a knife slashes through my guts. “Take the call,” I say. Without a word she sprints to her phone.
Above me the air fills with the pops and whistles of a few latecomer fireworks. People all over Abieville are still celebrating independence, and all I want to do is sign up to be a twosome. Forget the 4th of July. Forget life without Kasey. Freedom is overrated.
I watch as she makes her way to the side of our house, the phone cupped to her ear. Right now this Judy Witherspoon person is probably offering her the job she’s been hoping to get for years. Scratch that. For her whole life.
My shoulders slump. Timing is everything, Beau. And as always, your timing is garbage.
The rest of the Grahams and my family file out of the house and gather around me. We shuffle our feet, shift our weight. Yeah. It’s pretty awkward. Everyone’s figured out how I feel about Kasey. Now we’re standing around thinking the same thing: that a future with Kasey will be impossible if she takes this job in California. My work consists entirely of freelance gigs. How could we even build a relationship living thousands of miles apart? Not to mention, the assignments I take are unpredictable—in location and duration.
Kasey reappears around the corner, trudging slowly, her head hanging low. My heart leaps into my throat. Is it possible she didn’t get hired? Any newspaper would be lucky to have her. Judy Witherspoon must be the world’s biggest fool.
Wait. Hold up there, my friend. Who’s the real fool here?
Me. I let Kasey Graham get away first. Her beauty and kindness and strength. I knew how special she was and I watched her go. Heck. I pushed her away with both hands. Not literally. But all those years of pranking and teasing were worse than a shove. I took the things she wanted most, when all I really wanted was her. Correction: Is her. But I’m done making that mistake.
Kasey joins our circle, squeezing in between my mom and me. She sniffles and rubs at her nose. Oh, man. My stomach knives are back and sharper than ever. I didn’t want Kasey to go, but I didn’t want her hurting either. I hate seeing her sad, even if her tears mean a silver lining for me. Correction: For us. Still, I feel terrible, and I’m not alone. Everyone bends their heads. Sympathy tilts.
Kasey’s mom speaks up first. “I’m so sorry, dear. Keep your chin up. There will be other jobs. Other newspapers.”
My mom goes next, placing a hand on Kasey’s shoulder. “Oh, yes. This is so true. I remember when Beau was just starting out, and he got turned down for a few shoots. My, my, my. He was just so disappointed. It about broke my heart, I must admit.” She cranes her neck past Kasey to see me. “But look at him now.” Her tone brightens. “My award-winning son. So in demand. People clamor to book him for their projects months in advance. In fact his next assignment is with a Pulitzer Prize winner!”
“What?” Kasey’s head jerks up and she turns to me. “You didn’t tell me that.”
My mom casts a shy glance my way. “Oh, you know my boy. He’s just so humble. Beau has never liked to brag.”
Brady smirks. “That doesn’t sound like the Beau I know.”
I shake my head. “Thanks, man. Love you too.” I could give Brady a hard time for taking a shot at me, but the guy’s just trying to lighten the mood for his sister. So I give him a pass. Then I turn to Kasey. “It’s okay, Kase. I’ve been doing some thinking.”
She sniffs again. “About what?”
“The future. Our future.” I know she’s disappointed, so I try to sound as gentle and supportive as possible. “Why don’t you tag along with me on my next assignment? I’ve got plenty of pull with the team, and who knows? Something could crop up for you on the road. Most photographers can’t write copy to save their lives. We could use someone who’s good with words.”
“Oh, yes!” Mrs. Graham says. “My Kasey is absolutely excellent with words. She always has been. Even as a little girl—just three years old—she pretended to write. She could barely hold a crayon in her little fist but she’d tell me she was making a book. Making a book! It was the cutest thing.” She looks at Kasey and swipes at her eyes. I can’t tell if she’s crying or laughing, but I know she’s definitely still talking. “Yes, when it comes to words, my girl is the very best.” She shifts her focus to the whole group. “She gets that from me, you know.”
Mr. Graham takes his wife’s hand. “She sure does, Elaine.” He pulls her toward him and wraps an arm around her. “Let’s leave Kasey to talk to Beau now. All of us. I’m guessing she’s gott
en enough of a pep talk from us old folks tonight.”
“Good idea, Phil,” my dad says. “We can still have those cookies, right?” After some quiet grumbling and a few pats on Kasey’s shoulder, everyone heads back into the house. Soon Kasey and I are alone again, standing at the railing overlooking the lake. She looks up at me and sighs. Long and loud. From deep down inside.
“Hey.” I reach for her hand. The moon lights her face. “How you holding up?” She says nothing, just shakes her head. “I hope I didn’t sound too much like a caveman back there. Me Man. Take care of Woman.” I try on a chuckle, but a single tear rolls down her face. That’s the exact opposite of what I wanted.
“Beau.” Her voice is thick with emotion. “I don’t need a pity job.”
“Believe me, I know that. And I don’t go in for that macho stuff at all, so I’m sorry if that’s the impression I gave. But I’m not sorry about wanting to take care of you, Kasey.”
She drops her chin. “I don’t need you to take care of me either.”
I blow out a breath. This is coming out wrong and I’m just upsetting the woman I love when all I want to do is make life easier for her. To make a life with her. “What if we—”
“Stop.” She looks up and swallows so hard I can practically hear it. Another late, lone firecracker pops somewhere in the distance. “Listen to me.”
“Okay.” I reach out to stroke her bare arm. It’s soft. Smooth. Perfect. The July air is warm and sweet. I want to take Kasey in my arms and soak her up. Claim her as mine. But Kasey’s got to get her sadness off her chest first. “I’m listening.”
She chews at her lip. “I don’t need your pity and I don’t need you to take care of me, because I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can. You’re the strongest, smartest person I know. And I—”
“I got the job, Beau.”
My Red, White, & Blue Christmas Page 9