Facial Recognition

by Jennifer Peel

  Perhaps I should just be done with blind dates. I could only stay optimistic for so long. Going stag to my reunion was sounding better and better all the time. Okay, so it didn’t sound good at all. Even so, I needed to give up on finding someone who made the voice appear. Yes, I knew the voice was speaking again, but it was confused, and I couldn’t afford to listen to it. It had been wrong twenty-four years ago, and it was insane now. Brooks was in love with Morgan. Period. The end.

  I pulled into the parking lot and flipped down my visor mirror. Yikes. I had chocolate all over my lips, and my eyes were so red it looked like I had gone on a bender last night. If you counted hours and hours of watching scripted love scenes, I supposed I had. I did feel hungover, or was that lovesick? I needed a Noah Drake or Frisco Jones in my life.

  I wiped the chocolate off my mouth, took a big swig of my caffeinated beverage of choice, threw my shades on, and popped a mint. Dressed in my cutoffs and tank top, I wasn’t even trying to impress Brooks. Why bother?

  I hopped out of my car and told the voice in my head to keep its mouth shut. I spotted Brooks at the entrance pacing back and forth. The sun fell on him, making his golden-brown hair glimmer and illuminating how dang attractive he was in his white dress shorts and polo shirt. He looked like he was hitting the golf course later. Wow, did he have some fine, long, lean legs. I wouldn’t mind doing some rounds with him. Oh my gosh, I needed to stop thinking like that. I was here to help him reconcile with Tom.

  “Good morning,” I tried to say cheerily, with heavy friendly undertones, when I approached Brooks.

  He stopped pacing for all of two seconds and said, “Hello,” before he went back to acting as if he were an animal trapped in a cage.

  “You doing okay?”

  “Not really.”

  I went to reach out and grab his hand to calm him down, then thought better of it. I was still thinking about the kiss I’d lain on him. Sadly, it was the best kiss I’d had in forever. Considering where my thoughts were, touching him was out of the question. In fact, I was never touching him again.

  I shoved my hands into my pockets and told them to behave. “It’s just your daddy.”

  Brooks stopped dead in his tracks, and his brooding brown eyes hit me with such force I took a step back. “You know it’s more complicated than that.”

  “I realize that, but the longer you stay away, the more complicated it’s going to get.”

  “I know.” He started pacing again.

  Against my better judgment, these imprudent words came flying out of my mouth: “Do you want to take a walk and talk before we head up to see your daddy?” What I really should have said was: “You’re on your own, buddy. And could you please make yourself look more unattractive?”

  He breathed out a huge sigh of relief. “I would appreciate that.”

  Of course he would. “There’s a park near here with a lake we could walk around.”

  “Near the old county water tower?”

  I was surprised he remembered. “That’s the one.”

  He headed that direction, and I kept pace with him, making sure to keep my distance on the sidewalk that wended around the hospital and out toward the street we needed to follow to the park. Unfortunately, the gentle breeze was blowing his clean scent my way. He smelled like a spring rain shower, and I wanted to dance in it until I was soaked by him.

  We both seemed nervous, me with my hands safely in my pockets as he walked with his behind his back, wringing them.

  “How were the dead bodies?” I couldn’t think of anything else to ask.

  He shrugged and chuckled. “Let’s just say I was the life of the party.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “The exhibit was . . . intriguing.”

  “Sounds awful.” I laughed.

  “It was. But with that said, it was educational, and I appreciate that Morgan always wants to expand her knowledge.”

  “I guess that’s a good thing.” As a matter of fact, I read Cosmo and Soap Opera Digest to keep my mind fresh and up-to-date on all the latest fashion trends and General Hospital gossip. Not to mention I took all the quizzes in Cosmo. And, not to brag, but I always scored high. Oh, and how could I forget my subscription to America’s Spa? A magazine specifically tailored for aestheticians. Did that count as expanding my knowledge?

  “How was your date last night?” he asked.

  “Well, the good news is I now have a half-million-dollar life insurance policy.”

  Brooks’s brow scrunched. “What?”

  “Don’t even ask. It was one of my worst dates ever, and that is saying something.” If I wasn’t mistaken, his lips twitched like he was going to smile.

  He cleared his throat. “So, did he prove your theory right or wrong?”

  “I guess it depends on how you look at it, but it’s neither here nor there. I think I’m going to call it a day on my scientific experiment. The only good thing that came out of last night was I got to see the Rangers trample the Astros. Did you get to catch any of it?”

  He stretched his neck from side to side. “I didn’t.”

  “You should definitely catch any replays. The ninth inning was AH-mazing. I won’t spoil it for you, but trust me, you will be proud of our guys. I mean, your team.” I was an idiot. In high school, we had always thought of the Rangers as our guys. We’d spent many nights on his couch cheering them on together and drinking root beer floats.

  He stared out into the distance, fixed on the intersection ahead. “I’m trying to cut down on the amount of sports I watch.”

  “Have you become a couch potato?” I teased.

  “Nothing like that. Hell, I work sixty plus hours every week.”

  “That sounds terrible.”

  “Nature of the beast, if you want to be the best.”

  I wasn’t sure helping people dissolve their marriages was something you should aim to be number one at, but I didn’t mention it. “What about downtime? I would think you would need some in your line of work.”

  “Yes, but Morgan has helped me to see it shouldn’t be filled with mindless activities.”

  She was a monster. I shouldn’t have, but I rolled my eyes. And yep, he noticed.

  “You don’t agree.”

  “Not at all. In fact, I have it on authority from an athletic trainer I once dated that watching sports is actually good for you. It increases your heart rate, respiration, and skin blood flow—which I’m all about. And you tend to have more friends and higher self-esteem. Which, judging by our latest interactions, you probably don’t have an issue with your self-esteem, but I can’t speak on the other areas.” I smirked.

  His eyes widened. “You aren’t afraid to speak your mind, are you?”

  “Have I ever been?”

  He thought for a moment, and a smile began to slowly form on his beautiful face. “Overall, I remember you as being sweet, but now that I think of it, you were awfully opinionated.”

  “I think you meant to say right.” I nudged him with my elbow. “But I am still mostly sweet,” I threw in there.

  “I’ll give you that one.”

  My cheeks pinked. “Well, since you’ve given up on watching sports, I’ll tell you that last night there was the prettiest grand slam you’ll ever see.”

  “Really?” He sounded depressed.

  “Honestly, the ball seemed to sail for days, and the way the players ran around the bases was like a well-choreographed dance. It was beautiful. Maybe you could sneak in a clip.”

  “Maybe,” he whispered like he was afraid his momma would catch him and scold him.

  Yep, Morgan had gotten to him again. Why, oh why, did he love that woman? Maybe he really did only love her for her mind. Though, let’s be real, she had a rocking body. Perhaps I should have gone to college and enhanced my chest. No. That wasn’t me. I wanted someone who loved me for who I am.

  We came to the intersection and waited in silence for the crosswalk signal to give us the go-ahead. The park was in v
iew. There was hardly a soul there. Only a couple of people walking around the lake. Most people were in church. Normally, I would have been too, but I felt like God would forgive me since I was doing a good deed. I would read the Bible to Tom before we started in on Twilight. Jesus, then vampires.

  An uncomfortable tension hung in the air. After what seemed like fifteen minutes, the signal changed, and I hustled across the street, hoping to outrun the yucky feeling. Once on the other side, I took a deep breath and let it out. I reminded myself that I was only catching up with an old friend and to quit thinking in terms of what might have been.

  “So, do you like your job?” I asked as we headed to the path that led around the lake. What a happy place it was with tulips galore and ducks swimming about. The sunshine felt good on my skin—I only hoped I didn’t burn too badly in the midmorning light.

  “I’m not sure like is the right word, but I get a lot of satisfaction from it,” he answered matter-of-factly.

  “From helping people get divorced?”

  “I help people make course corrections.” He defended himself.

  “That’s putting quite the spin on it.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I’m not spinning anything. Marriage is one of the most destructive forces on earth.”

  I stopped in my tracks and slapped my hand against my chest. “Whoa. That’s some strong language.”

  “It’s true. Marriage destroys more lives than disease.”

  “It’s also beautiful and lifesaving at times.”

  “Very rarely, in my world.” He stalked off.

  “Maybe you should step out of your world for a while,” I kindly suggested as I jogged to catch up to him.

  “I doubt it would change my mind. I’ve seen firsthand what a seemingly good marriage can do.”

  “If you are speaking of your parents, you’re looking at it all wrong,” I said, my tone pleading for him to believe me.

  He looked at me with such disdain.

  He didn’t scare me. “It’s true. Your parents’ marriage was as good as any. Even you have to admit that. Yes, your daddy made a huge, life-altering mistake, but it didn’t have to permanently destroy anything. That was a choice made by your entire family.”

  Brooks’s cheeks were so red, they looked as if I’d slapped him.

  “I’m not defending what your daddy did, but he isn’t the only one who made mistakes. Even your momma would admit to that. And by the way your momma’s been behaving, I would say she wishes she would have given it a chance to work out. To create something beautiful out of the mess.”

  “My mother needs to be careful,” he snapped. “And you have a very fairy-tale way of looking at that situation. But let me tell you, fairy-tale marriages and reconciliations don’t exist. I’ve had plenty of clients try to quote, unquote work it out only to come back to me wishing they never had.”

  “Lucky for you,” I zinged back as I gazed out across the lake. I loved watching the gentle ripples on the water and seeing a daddy help his son throw bread in for the ducks, though I was so disturbed by Brooks’s outlook I couldn’t even focus on the beautiful sight. I wasn’t naive about love and marriage. I knew it had risks, yet in my heart I knew how wonderful it could be. My parents had shown me what it looked like to love someone so much that you cared more about their happiness than you did your own.

  “Grace,” Brooks interrupted my thoughts. “Why do I tick you off so much? I don’t remember it ever being like this between us.” His voice was melancholy.

  I kicked a pebble on the path, not knowing exactly what to say without revealing how I had felt about him all these years. The best thing I could come up with was, “I’m sorry, you do seem to bring out the worst in me. I guess . . . I’m just disappointed that you didn’t reach your potential.”

  He tilted his head. “Excuse me? I graduated with honors from one of the top law schools in the country, and I work for one of the most successful firms in the state.”

  “All admirable achievements, but at the end of the day, are you happy?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Happiness is overrated.”

  “If you say so. I’m tired of arguing with you. Tell me why you’re so nervous to talk to your daddy.”

  He looked down at his leather boat shoes and thought for a moment. “For a long time, I told myself I didn’t care what happened to him, and then when I thought he was going to die, I realized that wasn’t true.”

  “You still care about him.”

  He nodded.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “I know you might not agree with me, but he did destroy my world. I swore I would never give him that power again.”

  Against my better judgment, I tugged on his arm. Oh, wow, did it feel good. “Brooks, I understand your trepidation, but you, your momma, and Carly were and are his world. Believe me, he’s just as scared as you are that he’ll screw it up again. This isn’t a power struggle. Maybe look at it more as building a bridge together as equals.”

  A softness washed over his face. “You always knew the right thing to say.”

  I dropped my hand and started to smile, but Brooks’s head jerked up. “What does that kid think he’s doing? He’s defacing public property.”

  I followed Brooks’s line of sight and saw a kid spray-painting a huge pink heart on the water tower. “That’s so cute.”

  “He’s breaking the law. I should call the police.”

  I rolled my eyes. The water tower had so much spray paint on it, the county officials hadn’t bothered to repaint it in years. “Don’t you dare. It’s romantic. I always wanted some guy to paint my name on the one in Pecan Orchard.”

  “You wanted someone to risk having a misdemeanor on their permanent record just to prove to you they liked you?”

  I shook my head, flabbergasted at how hardened he had become. The boy I’d known would have thought spray-painting your feelings for someone on a water tower was silly, but he wouldn’t have wanted to call the authorities. Instead he would have teased me about what I would want my tribute to say. I used to think Brooks Loves Grace would suffice. “What happened to you, Brooks?”

  He blinked a few times. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Therein lies the problem.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Are you ready for this?”

  Brooks stared at his father’s hospital room door, running a hand over his cleanly shaven face. “Maybe I should wait until he’s home.”

  It was surprising how afraid the tough-as-nails lawyer was. “You haven’t even been able to walk inside the house yet.”

  “I’ve been waiting for the right time,” he growled.

  I took a step back. “Okay.”

  “Grace,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you being here more than you know.”

  “Remember when you decided to take your dad’s car for a spin before you got your license and you hit the mailbox?”

  Brooks grinned.

  “You thought your daddy was going to kill you, so you hid over at my house. We watched Clueless like four times in a row.”

  “That was a punishment all on its own.”

  “Whatever. You loved it. You totally had a thing for Alicia Silverstone. But that’s beside the point.”

  “What is your point?”

  “When your daddy finally came looking for you, do remember what he did?”

  Brooks became awfully interested in the tiled floor before he mumbled, “He wrapped his arms around me and told me I should never be afraid to come to him. It didn’t matter what I had done, his arms would always be wide open for me.”

  “He meant that.” I got a little choked up.

  Brooks tipped his head up. “What if I don’t need or want to be in his arms?”

  I stepped closer to Brooks. “If that were the case, you wouldn’t be having such a hard time walking in there. Maybe it’s time to take the first step. No one will think less of you. Certainly not me.”


  “I can’t let him destroy my world again,” he whispered.

  “Brooks, you might not like me saying this, but I don’t think your world ever got put back together.”

  He opened his mouth, I’m sure to disagree.

  I placed my finger on his lips. “Shhh. Don’t ruin the moment.” I smirked. “Trust your old friend. Not that I’m old, but you know what I mean. Now let’s go see your daddy.” I dropped my hand and shook off the feel of his lips. I was in way over my head. I opened the door, but before I could walk in, Brooks unexpectedly kissed my cheek. “Thanks, old friend.”

  For that I elbowed him in the gut. It felt like old times.

  “Ugh,” he groaned and grabbed his stomach. “You pack a punch now.”

  “Make sure you don’t forget it.” I stepped into Tom’s room. It smelled of antiseptic and his turkey bacon and egg whites breakfast. It was certainly healthier than chocolate donut holes and Diet Pepsi.

  Tom was sitting up in his bed, his tray of food in front of him. He had hardly touched it. I knew he was anxious to see Brooks.

  I kissed his mangy head. “I think at this point we are going to have to go for the man bun.”

  Tom chuckled. “How are . . . you, G . . . Gracie girl?” His words were a bit stilted, yet he got them all out.

  “I’m good. I brought someone to see you.”

  Brooks stepped closer, his Adam’s apple bobbing furiously.

  Tom took my hand and squeezed it, tears forming in his eyes. “Hi . . . hi, son,” his voice cracked.

  “Tom,” Brooks replied.

  I narrowed my eyes at Brooks but kept my mouth shut. He was here. I would at least give him credit for that, though it had Tom hanging his head a bit. Yet he still managed a small smile for his son.