Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (110 page)

He sounds genuinely concerned, which only increases my guilt. “Yes, I’m fine, why?”

“You seemed upset with me earlier. Did I do something? You left without even saying goodbye, and before…” His voice trails off, and he sounds hesitant, as if weighing something over in his mind.

“Before what?”

“Before I could ask you to dance.”

Did he say dance? “What?”

“I wanted to dance with you.”

“With me? What about your
date
?” I can’t help the sarcastic drip in my voice.

“Erica wasn’t my date. She’s my friend. She works with me at the shop.”

“She’s pretty,” I say reluctantly, because it’s true.

“Yes, she is, very. But she’s just a friend.”

A temporary feeling of relief floods my body.

“Where are you?” he asks, his voice anxious and demanding at the same time. A side of him I haven’t seen.

“I told you, I’m in a cab on my way home.”

“Yeah, but where?”

I peek out the window. “We’re on Broadway, about to pass Bloomingdale’s.”

“Okay, can you get out at Bloomingdale’s? I’m on my way there.”

“What? Wait!” Too late; he already hung up. “Stop the cab!” I’ve always wanted to say that.

I fumble with my fingers. What am I doing? I’m standing in front of Bloomingdale’s waiting for Brad, that’s what I’m doing. Just when I change my mind and decide to leave, I see him jogging towards me. He’s breathing heavily, his cheeks flushed and muscles flexing underneath his shirt, his wavy brown hair blowing in the breeze. I’m not going anywhere.

When he finally reaches me, he’s completely breathless. “Thanks for waiting for me.”

“Brad, what on earth are you doing here?”

He grabs my hand, his touch making me tremble. “I told you. I want to dance with you.”

“Here?” I gesture to the crowded New York sidewalk.

“Why not?”

It’s confirmed, he’s absolutely insane. “Okay, now I know you’re certifiable.”

His dimple flashes like a neon sign as he places one hand at the small of my back and laces his fingers through my other hand, bringing it to lay upon his chest. I can feel his heart beating rapidly. He leans in and presses his forehead to mine, so close I feel the warmth of his breath tickle my nose, sending a shiver up my spine. The wisps of his shaggy hair massage my face, and the smell of java mixed with his own scent whisks me away. All the anger has suddenly left my body. I can no longer hear the taxis honking, feel the muggy temperature in the air, or notice the constant rush of people bumping into us and staring. The world has completely fallen away.

Our bodies sway from side to side and all goes silent except for the soft humming that fills my ears. The hum is oddly familiar, then completely recognizable. Brad’s voice begins its caress, the sweet melody of ‘Lover You Should’ve Come Over’ sweeping over me.

“Jeff Buckley,” I whisper. “He’s one of my favorites.” I feel him smile against my cheek. When the humming stops, I instinctively pull away and gaze into his sweet brown eyes. Suddenly, I feel vulnerable, like he can see inside my heart, and I’m not sure I’m ready for him to see that much of me. I lean my forehead back against his and enjoy the rest of our very first dance together, silently hoping that it won’t be our last.

* * * * *

WHEN WE FINALLY reach the subway platform, disappointment looms. Brad pauses for a moment and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. I’m not sure if he’s nervous or deep in thought; I can’t put my finger on it.

“Can I ask you a question?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer. “Are you and Dane exclusive?”

I have to resist the urge to roll on the ground, grab my stomach, and laugh hysterically. I’m not sure what we are, but we’re definitely
not
exclusive. “No, we’re not.”

The curve of a smile touches his lips before he speaks. “Good. So…I was wondering if you’d like to go out tomorrow night?”

“Go out? You mean like on a
date
?” I emphasize the last word with a grin.

Brad shifts his feet. “Yup, a date.” His smile is endearing and I want to accept immediately.

The problem is, I don’t do dates. Mindless screwing, yeah, that’s what I do. But I can’t tell him that, he’ll think I’m crazy. The thing is, as much as I keep telling myself that, the thought of going on a date with Brad does something to me. “Well, I really don’t do dates.”

Brad looks at me with a strange expression and I suddenly want to eat my words. “What do you mean you don’t do dates? Aren’t you doing dates with Dane?”

No actually, I’m just doing Dane. “Not exactly.” Now I’m really embarrassed. I can’t imagine what he thinks of me.

“Okay. So then we’ll do what we always do. Two friends just hanging out together. I mean, we are good friends, aren’t we?”

It’s not what I usually do, but that works. “Yes. We are. And yes, I’d like to hang out.”

The full-on dimpled smile I get after I say yes nearly makes me combust on the sidewalk. “Great! So until tomorrow then?”

“Yes. Until tomorrow.” He lifts my hands to his face and places a single kiss on the inside of each of my palms.

As the subway doors close, I’m squealing inside. The earth has suddenly shifted on its axis.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I’M IN THE MIDDLE of an amazing dream, full of giant dimples attacking my mouth, when my phone rings the next morning and wakes me up, which stinks because it’s Sunday and I could’ve slept in. When I see who it is, I debate hitting ignore and going back to my fantasy because it’s much better than the reality. The one with my mom. I suck in a breath and pick up the phone. “Hi, Mom,” I exhale.

Her voice sounds as chipper as ever. “Hi, dear.”

“What’s up, Mom?” I try to sound somewhat interested.

“Well, as luck would have it, I’m coming to New York City two weeks from this Saturday for Fashion Week.”

Who’s luck would that be? I’d rather win the lottery. My nonexistent excitement is blaring. “Great.”

“I thought we could have lunch together.”

“Okay. Well, you know I’d ask you to stay here but…”

“Oh no, I certainly can’t stay in that tiny space you call an apartment. I’m staying at the Waldorf. It’s going to be a busy weekend, but I’m hoping we can manage to squeeze in lunch.”

She always knows how to win me over with her kind words. “Sure, Mom.”

“I’ll call you when I get in.”

“Okay, Mom.” As soon as I hang up, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I’m rummaging through the medicine cabinet for anything resembling Tums, or even Valium at this point, when I hear the front door latch click. “I’m in the bathroom, Fran!”

“What are you doing, Gabby? I have to get ready for my date with Kyle,” she whines. “He’s taking me to the Botanical Gardens.”

“I’m looking for some Tums,” I say, diving into the box of crap under the sink. Nothing’s there either.

“Let me guess. Patricia Willis is coming to visit.”

“Ding, ding, ding. You’ve won! You’re going on an all-expense paid solo date with my mom.”

Fran cackles, then moves past me to turn on the shower. “So when is crazy coming?”

“Two weeks, so I have time to mentally prepare. Not to see me, of course. It’s for Fashion Week; I’m just a detour.”

“Well, you can handle that, can’t you? At least it’ll be a quick visit.”

Fran strips down, reminding me that she wants to shower.

“Yeah, I guess,” I agree, then sigh, because I’m not so sure everything will be fine.

She turns the water on and hops in the shower. “So tell me what the hell happened last night.”

My phone buzzes and I see it’s a text from Brad. I can’t help but smile.

Brad: Good morning friend

Me: I see your sense of humor is in full swing this morning

Brad: :) It’s tomorrow, you know

Me: Yeah?

Brad: We have a date…cough, cough. I mean, we’re hanging out tonight

Me: Yup, hanging out

Brad: See you tonight. I’ll pick you up at 6

Me: See you then

Brad: See you tonight friend

Fran sticks her head out from behind the shower curtain and eyes me curiously. “What was that about?”

I let out a long, contented sigh. A night with Brad will make me forget everything else, including my Mom’s visit. “I’m hanging out with Brad tonight.”

“Oh, you mean you have a
date
with Brad?” she coos, then goes back to washing her hair.

“NO! I say adamantly. I didn’t say that.”

Fran pokes her face out again, her sudsy hair dripping on the floor. “You didn’t have to, your eyes gave you away. Gabby’s got a date, Gabby’s got a date,” she sings playfully. “So, back to telling me about last night.”

A swoony sigh escapes. “The night ended up to be pretty spectacular.”

She makes a seductive voice. “You spent the night with
Dane
?”

A silly grin spreads over my face like melted butter. Picking up my lip gloss off the counter, I apply two coats then check my pucker in the mirror. “I actually spent the rest of the night with Brad.”

“What the?” Her head weaves its way around the shower curtain and I hear her mutter, “Shit!” and then, “grab me a towel, I’ve got soap in my eyes.”

I throw her a towel and pucker my lips a few more times. “Yup, the night was spectacular.”

“I’m waiting here, Gabby…”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Fran, I don’t mean I had
sex
with him!”

I can hear her disappointment. “Oh, my condolences then.”

I playfully punch her arm and push her back into the shower. “We danced together…right outside of Bloomingdale’s.”

“You did what?!”

“I just told you. We danced outside Bloomingdale’s. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, really.”

Fran makes a gagging sound. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but it sounds pretty romantic.”

“Fran, you have no idea.” My body starts swaying back and forth on the wet floor as I hear Jeff Buckley in my head and remember the feel of Brad’s arms around me.

“I love seeing that smile on your face,” she says.

It feels good to me, too.

* * * * *

MY BODY IS TINGLING with excitement and my brain is crackling with nervousness. I can hardly contain myself and realize I haven’t been this excited since...well, in a long time. Which reminds me that I need to call Dane. Instead of doing the grown-up thing and calling him, I chicken out and send him a text instead, to let him know I won’t see him tonight, but will make a point of it tomorrow. He seemed less than thrilled, but honestly right now I only care about one thing. That one thing will be here in twenty-five minutes, so I need to get my ass in gear.

I decide on my snug skinny jeans and a blue sleeveless silk blouse that Fran once said brings out my eyes. Yup, that’ll do. I curl my hair so it falls in soft waves down over my shoulders, and keep my makeup light, as always. A little shimmery blush, soft eyeliner, and another touch of gloss to my already ruby lips. I pull on a pair of strappy black sandals and I’m ready to go. Now all I need is my hot date. I mean
my friend
.

Only ten minutes to go and I can’t sit still. Fran’s been out with Kyle for hours, so I have nobody to talk to. My head is swimming with thoughts I can’t control, my heart is thumping loudly, and it feels like tiny fireflies are lighting up my heart. I can’t wait to see Brad. I don’t know what it is, but being around him always makes me smile. I’m starting to sweat just thinking about him, so I open a window, but quickly close it when a blast of muggy August air forces its way in. Not a good thing if I want to have perfect date hair. I organize the magazines on the coffee table, straighten the pictures on the wall, then sit down on the couch and wait.

The doorbell rings and startles me from my wandering mind. I open the door and the moment I see him I relax. A huge, bashful smile spreads across his face. He’s so damn handsome. His silky hair is still wet from a shower and he looks great in dark jeans and a cream long-sleeved shirt.

From the way he’s gazing at me, I can tell he likes the view. “You look beautiful,” he says with genuine appreciation, chocolate brown eyes smiling at me.

I fiddle with my belt loops. “You look pretty stunning yourself.”

He blushes and brings his hand down gently to lace his fingers through mine. “I couldn’t wait to see you tonight.”

My pale skin turns pink and I smile. “So where are we going?”

He grins mischievously. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

When we get down to street level, I see a car sitting at the curb. Who owns a freaking car in the city? Well, I guess Brad does. It’s a grey Audi S4, with the license plate “WE BREW” on the back. Cute. I figure whatever it is we’re doing, we’re most likely leaving the city to do it. I’m kind of excited, I haven’t left the city that much since we moved here.

An air of confidence proceeds him as he opens my door. “I can see the wheels spinning up there, Gabby, but trust me you won’t figure it out.”

“Don’t be so sure. I have special powers as well.”

“Really?” he says with raised eyebrows.

I wish it was x-ray vision. “Remember? I’m indecisive. I’m also pretty persistent. If I wanted, I could coax that secret right out of you.”

When we’re buckled in, Brad turns to me. “So what kind of music do you want to listen to?”

Keep surprising me. “I like all kinds of music. Alternative rock, jazz, blues, r&b. Oooh, do you have any Lifehouse?”

Brad grins, clicks the CD and I hear the croon of a guitar and then John Mayer’s voice. Another one of my favorites. Looking out the window, watching all the buildings go by in flecks of light, my face forms a hopeful smile. Brad reaches across the seat and places his hand in mine. His skin is warm and soft; it feels good. I notice he’s wearing the bracelet I gave him and it makes me smile. My bracelet’s also hugging my wrist, and I roll my fingers over the words
celebrate courage
. Maybe I need to
find
mine.