The Proposal (4 page)

She grinned. “Oh,
what the heck. Instead of surprising you, I’ll just tell you now.
Remember how I told you my friend, Annette, is fun and pretty?”

“Yeah. She works with
you.”

“I’m going to
invite her to celebrate with us. You’ll like her. You two have a
lot in common. She loves college football as much as you do.”

He stared at her for a
moment, and then burst out laughing. “Oh, I get it. You think that
will solve the attraction between us. I’ll have a girlfriend and
I’ll leave you alone.”

“Don’t laugh about
it. You need a woman in your life and Annette will be perfect for
you.”

He cupped her chin
tenderly in his hand. “The only way I’ll get over you is if I
happen to have complete amnesia. You’re in my heart.”

She was speechless as
she watched him put on his jacket. She fought an overwhelming urge to
be close to him. Maybe the birthday dinner with Tyler wasn’t such a
good idea. She might end up in his arms and that would be bad. Just
because she wasn’t engaged yet to Brad didn’t mean she should be
kissing her best friend, Tyler.

Although it would be
nice to have Brad here, this isn’t too shabby,
Jacqueline
thought. Annette was an attractive blond, dressed in a pink blouse
with black pants. She hoped Tyler noticed how lovely her friend
looked. She could tell Annette noticed Tyler’s good looks because
she’d been eyeballing him for the last ten minutes. Tyler’s
patients probably had trouble telling him about their health when
they looked into his gorgeous, blue eyes with the long, black
eyelashes.
Okay, I’m not immune to Tyler either. My best friend,
the hottie. But Tyler’s not just a superficial great looking
guy—he’s also sensitive, caring, and dependable.
He never
left her side the night her parents were killed. Whenever she needed
to talk about them and how she’d cope with raising Alex, he was
available to offer his love and support.

She smiled across the
table at Annette and Tyler. “I’m glad you both came to celebrate
my birthday.”

Alex tapped the table
with his finger. “Hey, what about me? Aren’t you happy I’m
here?”

She patted Alex’s
arm. “Little brother, I love it that you’re here.” She wished
their parents were alive, but it was too painful to even mention
them. “Tyler, thanks for suggesting we come here to eat dinner.
Their Mexican food is delicious and authentic.”

Tyler laughed. “I
didn’t have a choice. You threw out so many hints about where you
wanted to go tonight.” He gave her an appreciative look. “I like
your dress.”

Annette nodded. “Purple
is a great color for you.”

“Thanks. When I
bought it I thought I’d be wearing it for Brad, but that’s okay,
he can see it later.”

“Have you heard from
Brad?” Tyler asked.

She shrugged and dipped
a chip into a bowl of salsa. “I got a text from him wishing me a
happy birthday today. I was hoping he’d call but he’s probably
busy.”

“I bet he’ll still
call,” Annette said. “And you did get roses from him.”

“That was sweet of
him to have flowers delivered to the office.” Although she loved
getting roses and a text from Brad, a simple phone call would have
made her just as happy. She needed to hear his voice, especially
after Tyler’s kisses had invaded her thoughts.

The server brought
their orders of enchiladas, tacos and Mexican rice. As Jacqueline
sipped her raspberry tea, she was pleased to hear Tyler ask Annette
if she’d like to join them for a game of football on Thanksgiving
Day.

Annette looked up from
her place of food. “I’m going to my parents, but I’d love to
get some exercise after dinner.”

“Are you any good?”
Alex asked Annette.

“Alex.” Her brother
could be so rude at times. “She’s athletic and even if she
wasn’t, we play for fun.”

Alex rolled his eyes at
her. “You and Tyler play to win each year. I want to be on your
team this year. I’m tired of being on the losing team.”

“Yeah,” Tyler said
to Alex, “we definitely need a big guy like you. I bet my brother
will try to get Brad on his team.”

Annette wiped her mouth
with a napkin. “I love it. You guys sound so competitive. I always
play to win too.”

“I’m glad Brad will
be here for Thanksgiving.” Jacqueline glanced at Alex and saw a
flash of sadness cross his face. She knew he was having the same
thought she was… How different Thanksgiving would be this year
without their parents. They’d always eaten a big turkey dinner at
their own house, then had gone to Jordans’ place for dessert.

When they finished
eating dinner, Alex said to her, “I baked a birthday cake for you.
It’s back at the house.”

Annette glanced at her
phone. “I better get going. My sister texted me and wants to know
where her babysitter is.”

“I’m sorry. I
didn’t know you had to babysit tonight.” She was disappointed
that Annette had to leave, but at least she’d be seeing Tyler next
week. Or maybe Tyler would give Annette a call and take her out
sometime during the upcoming weekend. “I’ll bring a piece of cake
to work tomorrow.”

Annette handed her a
gift bag. “Happy Birthday, Jacqueline. I hope you like what I got
you.”

She shoved her hand in
the bag and lifted out an orange blouse with long sleeves. “I love
the color. I’ll wear it to work tomorrow. Thank you, Annette.”

Out in the parking lot,
Annette thanked Tyler for paying for her dinner. After saying
good-bye to Annette, Tyler said, “Okay, Andrews family hop in my
car. I want to eat cake and give the beautiful birthday girl my
gift.”

* * *

While Alex cut the
cake, Jacqueline removed the wrapping paper from Tyler’s gift. “I
can’t imagine what it is.”

Tyler wished he could
bring their parents back for Jacqueline and Alex. He’d comforted
Jacqueline for months after their deaths. He’d given lots of
thought for her birthday gift, and he felt she was ready to be
reminded of the last happy time they’d been together as a family.
But he worried about her reaction. What if he’d been wrong to have
this memory put in a frame? He watched closely to see her response.

She stared at the
picture and her eyes filled with tears. “Alex, you have to see this
picture of us.”

Alex lifted the third
piece of cake on a plate before walking by her side. “That was the
last horse show you were in before…” his voice trailed off.

“Before mom and dad
were killed.” Jacqueline continued to gaze at the photo. “That
was such a good day. I remember dad telling me how proud he was of me
getting first. And Mom was so cute and kept bragging to everyone how
I was her daughter.”

“You were impressive
on Gypsy. His jumps were perfect.” He sighed, remembering how much
he’d adored watching Jacqueline ride and wanting to tell her then
how he loved her. “You were so beautiful as you and Gypsy rode the
course and jumped all the fences.”

She put the picture on
the kitchen table and walked to Tyler’s side. She hugged him and
said, “Thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift. I’ll always
treasure it.”

Alex gave them their
big pieces of cake. “I need to study. I have a couple of exams
tomorrow.”

“The cake looks
yummy,” Jacqueline said.

“It’s probably not
as good as Mom’s but has something in it, you’ll like.” He
brushed a kiss on her forehead. “Love you.” He grinned at Tyler.
“Don’t keep my sister up too late. She has to go to work
tomorrow.”

Jacqueline’s cell
phone rang and after glancing at it, she said, “It’s Brad.”

Tyler ate his cake
while Jacqueline sat beside him. She told Brad how they went out to
dinner, and Alex baked her a cake. She took a bite of the cake while
holding her phone next to her ear. “Oh my gosh, this cake is
delicious. It tastes like he put chunks of candy in the batter.”

He was glad Brad
finally called Jacqueline on her birthday, Tyler thought. After the
phone conversation ended, he said, “You didn’t talk long to
Brad.”

“He was still at the
office and wanted to get back to his apartment. Oh yeah, he said to
tell you hi and he’ll see you on Thanksgiving.”

“I heard you ask him
what time his flight arrives on Wednesday. You looked surprised. Did
he change the day?”

She shook her head.
“He’s still coming here on Wednesday, but he’s driving here
instead of flying.”

“He must be going to
Chicago first. Unless he’s driving a rental car from Philadelphia.”
Brad’s latest hospital assignment was in Philadelphia, and he used
the public transportation to go to the hospital. His own car was at
his Chicago residence.

She shrugged. “He’s
going to Chicago to get his car apparently. He’s going to spend
time with his family after Thanksgiving. He wants me to go with him.”

Tyler poked his fork in
the cake. “You’re right. Alex put pieces of Snickers in it.”

“Pretty sweet he put
my favorite candy in my birthday cake. Maybe I should have Alex bake
this recipe to take to your parents’ house instead of my pumpkin
bars.”

“This cake’s good
but I still like your bars the best. You better still make them.”

She nodded. “To show
my appreciation for the great birthday gift and for you treating
everyone to dinner tonight, I’ll even make extra bars just for you
to eat with lots of cream cheese frosting.”

He put his fork on his
empty plate. “You can show your appreciation in another way.”

“Oh really, what way
is that?”

“A thank you kiss is
definitely in order.”

She shifted toward him
and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. Even though, Jacqueline’s
quickness in responding surprised him, he wanted more so reclaimed
her lips. He loved feeling her quiver at the tenderness of his kiss.
She definitely wasn’t just giving a chaste kiss to her best friend.
I might be getting through to Jacqueline that we should be a
couple.
How would Brad take it if Jacqueline broke up with him?
He did feel guilty about not speaking up in the beginning to Brad,
but he couldn’t say anything when Jacqueline’s happiness was more
important. He never expected their feelings for each other to
escalate so fast.

“You two need to get
a room,” Alex said as he put his plate on the counter.

Jacqueline blushed as
she moved slightly to look at her brother. “I was just thanking
Tyler for everything.”

Alex chuckled. “ I
don’t go around kissing people to say thank you.”

“Hey, don’t tease
your sister. It’s not everyday I get a kiss that tastes like
candy.”

“I heard your phone.
Did Brad call?” Alex asked, leaning against the counter.

She nodded. “It was
good to hear his voice. I can’t wait to see him next week.”

Alex looked amused.
“The competition is on. Two guys in love with my sister. May the
best man win.”

Jacqueline slipped her
purple dress over her head. It was nice to know she looked good in
her new dress. Annette and Tyler thought so anyhow, so she hoped Brad
would like her in it. She wanted to look perfect when he proposed to
her. He made reservations for them to go to an Italian restaurant in
Fort Wayne. She wondered if he’d propose right in the restaurant or
somewhere else. Glancing in the mirror, she noticed her hair could
use a quick brushing.

Alex had gone to a
movie with a few friends. He said they’d grab something to eat
after the movie.
I’m relieved he wanted to go out and do
something.
She’d been worried about him, because the last few
days, Alex hadn’t been himself. He even admitted how he was
dreading Thanksgiving. It’d be their first major holiday without
their parents.

It’d be sad not to be
able to show her engagement ring to her parents, but it’d be fun to
let Tyler’s family see it. She had to stay optimistic, or she’d
lose it. Alex needed her to be strong. They both had grieved greatly
for eight months, but now needed to move on with their lives. Their
mom and dad would want that for them.

After putting the brush
on her dresser, she picked up a pair of earrings with pear-shaped
crystal drops. She pushed each earring through her pierced ears,
attaching the posts on the back. Next she decided to wear the
matching necklace to the earrings.

At the sound of the
doorbell, she knew it had to be Brad. She took the stairs swiftly and
opened the heavy front door.

“Hi, baby doll,”
Brad said as he stepped inside. “You look beautiful.”

“I’m so glad you’re
here. I’ve missed you.” She felt a bit overdressed though when
she saw he wore jeans and a Notre Dame hoodie, but he probably had
wanted to be comfortable driving here. He wore suits all week at
work, so Brad never wore dress pants and shirts on the weekend.

“Hey, woman, I need a
kiss.” Leaning down, he smothered her lips with a demanding
urgency.

The tantalizing smell
of his aftershave exuded maleness. Happiness filled her with his warm
mouth on hers. She weaved her fingers in his black, thick hair.

A few moments later,
Brad stopped kissing her and raised his head. As he gazed into her
eyes, he said, “I can’t wait to tell you my news. We have a
little time before we need to leave for the restaurant.”

The way he mentioned
news definitely didn’t involve a proposal. Well, maybe he was
working up to it. “Are you moving here?”

He raised his eyebrows.
“No, of course not.”

This might take a
while, she thought. Brad never told anything quickly. “Let’s sit
down while you tell me your news.”

Brad followed her to
the sofa. “Remember the lot in that upscale subdivision we looked
at a few months ago.”

She nodded. “You said
it was a nice building spot, but too much money.”

“Some guy bought it,
but he’s now relocating for his job, so sold it to me for a lot
less.”