I inched back away from him. “Fifteen years ago, that would have been great. Now, honestly, it may sound cliché, but my biological clock is tick, tick, ticking like a bomb ready to explode. I don’t have a lot of time left before the pin is pulled and I lose my chance to have a family. I want babies and a man who wants to be their daddy and my husband.”
He swallowed hard, making his Adam’s apple bob. “Grace, the night you took me to the movie in the park . . .”
I froze, having an idea what he was going to say and kicking myself for being so honest with him that night.
“You mentioned,” he continued, “that you knew who the one was for you.” He pointed at my heart. “That it came from a place deep inside.”
I bit my lip. “What’s your point?”
“Was it me?” he whispered as if he were making a wish.
I cleared my throat. “Wow. You threw that right out there.”
“Grace, you’re not answering me.”
I tried to avoid eye contact.
“Grace.” He pressed his forehead against mine.
“Brooks, I’ve known you were the one from the first moment I saw your head peek over the fence,” I whispered. “You don’t know how much I wanted you to recognize me as the one for you. But you never did. And then you disappeared.”
His hand cupped my neck. “I was a teenager. My frontal lobe wasn’t connected yet.”
“It seemed to work for Morgan. And maybe it always will. Maybe she is your one, or someone like her.” The thought made me ill.
He leaned back, his eyes ablaze. “How can you say that?”
“Brooks, whether you want to believe it or not, you like the pomp and circumstance of women like Morgan. Think about it. I was the one cheering for you at track meets and doing all the cutesy things like decorating your truck and baking you cupcakes with little mini tracks on them. And you liked it, even appreciated it, but you never wanted me. On the other hand, Morgan never did anything for you, never even came to your meets. Yet when she came calling, all she had to do was flash you a charming smile and say something like she wanted to study for the SAT. I saw in your eyes how much she excited you. How quick you were to ditch Carly and me for her.” My stupid eyes betrayed me with a sheen of tears.
I composed myself before I full on started to bawl. “Even now, you like her bold, out-of-the-box thinking. It fits with your narrative, your world. I don’t. I didn’t even go to college, and I still live at home. Do you really want to introduce someone like me to your colleagues? Do you see yourself living somewhere like Poplar Lane and raising babies and weeding the flower beds for the rest of your life?”
He looked as if I had sucker punched him. He’d even placed a hand across his defined abs. “Grace, I would never be ashamed of you. You’re an accomplished woman.”
I laughed. “No one has ever accused me of that before. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ashamed of who I am or what I do. In fact, I’m proud of Serenity Spa. But I know I’m loud and sometimes obnoxious. Occasionally I snort when I laugh, and I’m obsessed with soap operas and an old teen idol. However, I want to be loved for all those things. I want a man who gets ridiculously happy when he sees me and wants to wife the heck out of me.”
Brooks ran the back of his hand down my cheek. “You make me happier than I’ve been in a long time.”
“That may be, but for how long? What happens when you wake up and realize I wasn’t the one?”
I could see the wheels spinning behind Brooks’s eyes, but he didn’t seem to have an answer.
Hurt, I turned from him and grabbed my remote to turn up the TV. Dr. Noah Drake was about to play his real-life self, Springfield, and sing “Jessie’s Girl” at the nurses’ ball. I slid down onto the floor and retrieved my glue gun so I could get back to work, acting as if I didn’t have a handsome man staring at me. As if my heart weren’t breaking in two.
“I didn’t know Rick Springfield came back on the show,” Brooks commented. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted him to tell me I was wrong, then take me into his arms and kiss me until we were both breathless.
“He did for a short while.”
“I’m really looking forward to taking you to his concert when I get back from my conference.”
“Yeah.” I squirted some hot glue on the silver cardstock I had already cut out.
Brooks joined me on the floor and gently, with his finger, tilted my head toward him. “Grace, please, give me some time to figure this out.”
“Will it really matter?”
“You matter to me.”
I let out a forlorn sigh, not knowing what to say. I wasn’t naive, though part of me kind of wished I was. “If you’re going to stay, you have to work.” I handed him some scissors. “Cut these out, following the lines.”
He stared down at the pictures of our old high school classmates. “I should have paid better attention to you back in high school.”
I shrugged. “Stick to the lines.”
“Maybe it’s time I lived life outside of them.”
My head snapped toward him. “That’s not your style.”
“Do we have to exactly match?”
“No, but there are things we need to be on the same page about.”
“I just barely opened the book—give me some time to catch up to you,” he pleaded his case.
“Very clever.” I nudged him.
“Please, Grace,” he begged.
“I’ll see how well you do tonight, and then I’ll decide.” I flashed him a wicked grin.
“Deal.” He pecked my lips.
I touched my lips—they felt sparkly. However, I wasn’t giving in. Too much was on the line. It was cute, though, to watch Brooks meticulously cut out our classmates’ photos. It was even endearing when he made fun of me for the little cheer buttons he kept pushing while gluing them on.
We worked for a couple of hours, until each name tag was done. Until I was very sleepy and rested my head on his shoulder. The last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep was him kissing my head. I’d only meant to rest for a few minutes, to enjoy what could be our last moments together. My tired body had other plans. When I woke up the next morning, the summer sun was filtering in through the curtains. I was still on the floor, which explained why my butt hurt. And I was pretty sure I’d slept with my mouth open, considering how dry it felt. Suddenly, I recalled where—or on whom—I was sleeping. My head popped off Brooks’s strong shoulder. I scrambled a bit, embarrassed I’d fallen asleep on him and basically nap trapped him.
I ran my fingers through my wild hair. “I’m so sorry. You should have woken me up.”
He turned more toward me with this hungry look in his sleep-deprived eyes. Without warning, he pulled me to him, and his lips crashed into mine. My mouth was suddenly no longer dry but salivating for Brooks’s touch. Before I could think or argue, his tongue slid across my lips, and I eagerly invited it in. He groaned and pulled me closer when I didn’t hesitate to reciprocate. While his tongue tasted the inside of my mouth, the voice chanted, YES! YES! YES!
Minute upon minute, his mouth consumed mine while his hands deftly explored all my curves. In between kisses, he whispered my name. Moving lower, he kissed my neck, making my body explode in goose bumps. I crawled onto his lap, not wanting any distance between us. He held me gently, yet so firmly I knew he didn’t want to let go. And just as unexpectedly as the best kiss of my life came, it ended with the same abruptness. Brooks gave me one last kiss before easing me off him and standing, leaving me breathless on the floor. He hovered over me and stared at me with a determination I had never seen before.
“Please don’t give up on me,” he pleaded.
Before I could answer, he was at the door. “Tell your dad I’ll be by later to fix the trellis.” And without another word he was gone.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, shaking from not only the pleasure I’d just experienced but also because I knew without a shadow of a doubt who my heart
belonged to. The question was, What would he do with it?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I’m going to have the best-looking dates here.” I wrapped an arm around each one of my best friends. They were both looking gorgeous in black, slinky dresses.
We took a moment to admire our handiwork. The event center’s banquet room sparkled and gleamed in silver and navy. I swore we had strung at least a million twinkle lights. It was so worth it. It looked like a fairyland, exactly how I’d envisioned it. Except I’d thought I would be there with the man of my dreams. Not that I wasn’t happy with how it had turned out, but I’d had this crazy idea to get the prom night I had always hoped for. I supposed I needed to let it go. At least this time I didn’t get stood up, and . . . I looked at my wrist where the prettiest peach corsage rested. A special delivery from Brooks earlier today. It was simply lovely, with pearls strung through the flowers and greenery. It matched my coral high-low slip gown perfectly.
My friends caught me gazing at the corsage.
“You’re disappointed,” Colette stated.
“No way. You two better get some lip balm ready—we are totally kissing good night,” I teased, making them giggle.
Lorelai swatted me. “Honey, you’re pretty, but you’re not that pretty.”
“Oh fine. But, honestly, thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you. I don’t deserve friends as good as you.”
“In a couple of years, I will expect payback when it’s my twentieth reunion.” Colette winked.
“I’m there for you.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure, darlin’.” Lorelai wagged her brows. “You’ll probably be married by then with a bun in the oven.”
“That’s wishful thinking.” But, oh, was that my wish.
Lorelai tilted her head. “I thought Brooks was a possibility?”
That was the million-dollar question. “He’s been gone most of the week, but he’s called me every night.” We had talked for hours about everything and nothing. He would tell me about his conference, even though he seemed hesitant to, like he was afraid his profession would turn me against him. It worried me, obviously, but I was proud of him. I’d even made him rehearse his presentation for me. He had been scheduled to present a couple of hours ago; I hoped it had gone well. It was quite informative and scary. Spouses really could be awful to each other. The way they hid or sold off assets before they filed for divorce was downright spiteful. No wonder Brooks was afraid of the M word. We hadn’t talked about only him during our calls. Honestly, we’d talked more about me. He was either fascinated with my life or he was a really good actor.
Colette snapped her fingers in front of us. “No more talk of men tonight. We are going to rock this place, and if we’re lucky, we’ll witness Morgan trip on her self-absorption while walking in.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. “I really hope she doesn’t show up.”
“Honey, she has to prove something to you,” Lorelai wisely stated. “She’ll be here with bells on, I guarantee it.”
Colette tapped my nose. “You keep your head high. She’s jealous of you, as she should be. I mean, her own brother chose you over her.”
Julian was also someone I didn’t want to think about. I’d had so many flower deliveries and cards from him that had all gone in the trash. I was sorry he had grown up in such an awful family, but he knew full well that when he had asked me out, it was wrong. Still not sure what powers Morgan possessed to manipulate people the way she did, but it was frightening.
The DJ started playing some tunes like it was 1999. He started out with some “Livin’ La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin. It only reminded me of Brooks, though, since he had paid for DJ Jack in the House. His setup was incredible, and the sound was amazing. The place was thumping.
I gave the ladies another hug. “Save all the dances for me. I’m going to go check to make sure our greeters are set up. People should be arriving any minute now.” It gave me some butterflies in my tummy. All our planning and the blood, sweat, and tears were about to, hopefully, pay off.
“If one of your classmates is hot and single, I’m totally ditching you.” Colette applied another layer of red lipstick that looked killer with her dark pixie hair and those classic cheekbones of hers.
“I’ll point them out if they exist.” After twenty years, most of us were married.
“We’ll check on the buffet table,” Lorelai offered.
“Thank you.” I sauntered over to the check-in table where all the name tags were neatly arranged in alphabetical order. Jackie and Kimmy were manning the table. We had all been on the cheerleading squad together. They were both still cute as a button and had kept their peppy attitudes. They thought later that night, for old times’ sake, we should get together and do a cheer routine for the fun of it. I was down.
“Hi, ladies. Thanks so much for helping out.”
Kimmy adjusted her sleeveless dress, as it was having a bit of a hard time keeping her girls covered. Perhaps we shouldn’t do a cheer routine later on. “It’s the least I could do.”
“The place looks amazing,” Jackie gushed.
“I can only take a little bit of the credit, but thank you. I’m happy you love it. It’s really good to see both of you again.” They had both come in from out of town. “Please let me know if you need anything. And make sure to let everyone know there is no assigned seating and there is a two-drink limit at the bar.”
“Will do,” Kimmy sang.
I was about to go check on Sean, a.k.a. the prom king, who had put together a slideshow highlighting our senior year, when Carly and her husband Dillon walked in looking dapper. Carly was in a red chiffon gown, and Dillon wore a dark suit and tie. They were a stately-looking couple. Both tall, with striking features. Looking at Carly had me longing for her twin to be here.
Carly was to me in no time, wrapping me in her long arms covered in poufy chiffon. “You look gorgeous. Brooks is going to be sad he missed this dress.”
There he was again.
“I’m sure he’s enjoying all the business suits and the stale chicken they serve at their dinners every night.” He had complained about the food, especially considering how expensive the conference was for him to attend. Of course, his firm was footing the bill. Apparently it was a badge of honor to present at this conference, and it spoke highly of him and his firm. All the more reason he should be there and not here.
“I don’t think so,” Carly countered me. “When I talked to him last night, he seemed agitated.”
“Really? He’d sounded happy—I mean, at least happy for him—when I talked to him briefly earlier today to wish him luck.”
Carly flashed me a toothy smile. “You do seem to bring out the best in him.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. “Well, enough about him.” I had to quit dwelling on him, for my own emotional well-being. It was weird how much I found myself longing for him to be here. Honestly, I’d thought I was good with just going with my girls. Evidently, I wasn’t. I smiled at Carly and Dillon, who had put his arm around his wife and held her close, making me even more jealous. “You both look fabulous. Make sure to save me and my dates a seat at your table.”
“Will do.” Dillon did the whole finger gun thing.
Carly rolled her eyes at her husband. “See you soon.” She and Dillon headed toward the check-in table to get their name tags.
I was once again on my way to check on the slideshow when none other than Morgan and her date, Olivander, appeared as if they had risen from the throes of hell. She was wearing a wine-red mermaid gown that hugged her so tight I was surprised she could walk or breathe. But, wowzers, did she look stunning. Her hair was done in an elegant twist, and the color of her dress electrified her eyes. Or maybe it was the way she glared at me with such malice. Her date, on the other hand, was a distinguished older gentleman with thick silver-fox hair. He walked in a manner befitting a royal. After what Brooks had told me about him, it was comical. I mean, hello, he was attending a sma
ll-town high school reunion. I had an urge to curtsy in front of him just for the fun of it, and to irk Morgan. Instead I decided the best thing I could do was to ignore them.
Without so much as a smirk, I turned from them and headed toward the stage, proud of myself for not rising to the occasion. Brooks had assured me he wanted nothing to do with Morgan, and if I didn’t believe that, then I shouldn’t be contemplating a relationship with him.
Morgan, apparently, wasn’t on board with my way of thinking. How she caught up to me so quickly in her stilettos and tight dress, I had no idea. Maybe she really was half witch.
“Gracie,” she spoke my name with venom. “I want you to meet someone.”
Was this a joke? Why would she want to introduce me to her date? I steeled myself before turning around.
Before I could say anything, she yanked her date toward her, practically ripping his arm out of its socket. “This is Olivander Kennedy,” she purred, “as in John F. Kennedy.”
“Wow.” I played along. “How are you related?”
Without a beat, he answered, “I hate to name-drop.”
Isn’t that what Morgan had just done on his behalf?
“Oh, come on. It’s not every day I get to meet someone related to a president. I mean, unless you count the Bushes’ nieces who have been clients of the spa I own. Such nice ladies.”
Olivander cleared his throat. “You’re associated with the Bush family?”
“Well, it is Texas.” I smiled the smiliest of smiles.
If I wasn’t mistaken, Morgan elbowed him. “Tell her about the time you visited the Kennedy Compound.”
“Yes, yes. Lovely place in Washington, DC.”
“Don’t you mean Hyannis Port in Massachusetts?”
His face turned bright red. “Yes, I mean, no,” he stuttered. “Yes, that is where the original compound is, but they kept houses in DC as well. I attended several fundraisers and mixers there.” He was an awful liar, and once again, I felt a tiny bit sorry for Morgan. Why did she feel the need to live a lie?
“How nice. Excuse me.”
“Where is Brooks?” She asked as if she didn’t already know.
Facial Recognition Page 19