Best Foot Forward Read online

  “No, I would never forget that girl. She’s beautiful.” Grace tried not to think about her short, frizzled, rusty hair as the girl sitting beside Brad flicked her heavy golden locks over her shoulder.

  “So you’re jealous then?” asked Ben.

  Yes, she was jealous. She wanted to pull that girl’s hair out by its roots.

  “No, I don’t have any right to be jealous. I’m the one who broke it off so I could be with Horatio.”

  The words tasted like cough medicine, and she fought to keep her expression calm. Her cell phone chirped a message alert. Could it be Brad? She didn’t recognize the number.

  U lik th dimen?

  She texted back. Who is this?

  Horatio. U hav th dimen on?

  Grace felt a few more rocks land in her already heavy stomach. This was really getting out of hand. How did Horatio get her cell number? And more importantly, how was she going to discourage him without breaking his heart.

  Horatio, it is a beautiful ring. But I can’t wear it. She was suddenly inspired. I already have a fiancé, and he would be jealous. Perhaps he would feel better if he thought she’d already had a boyfriend before the school year started. Her phone beeped another message indicator.

  ?

  He didn’t understand. Of course he couldn’t read well, since he’d just started first grade. She texted back. Talk 2 U Monday.

  Ben was watching with undisguised curiosity. “Your face is white. Who are you texting? Is that Brad?”

  Grace felt the blood rush into her face and lifted her hand to tug at her short hair, hoping to hide her face. “No. It’s not Brad.” She nodded at the baseball game. “He’s too busy to be texting me.”

  Grace’s eyes almost bulged out of her head as she watched Leanne flip her hair behind her. She had taken off her outer shirt, leaving behind a very low-cut shell with spaghetti straps. She didn’t appear to be paying much attention to the game, instead turning toward Brad and leaning against him to speak in his ear. He didn’t even flinch as she pressed her breasts against his arm. It suddenly occurred to Grace Leanne might not have given her card and flowers to Brad as she’d promised.

  Emily must have noticed her tormented expression. “Grace, I don’t think he’s encouraging her.”

  The only way to save face was to pretend she wasn’t bothered. “Oh, I don’t care if he’s with Leanne. After all, I’ve got Horatio.”

  “So you’re not interested in Brad anymore?” asked Ben in a low voice.

  “I still care about him. I want him to be happy.”

  “But you don’t want to get back together with him?” Ben insisted. “Not ever?”

  “Well, you see... I’m the one who broke it off. And he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore, so I’ll just stick with Horatio.”

  “But you said you haven’t actually been out with Horatio. So you don’t even know if you like him.”

  “What are you getting at?” asked Grace.

  “I think you should go out with me,” Ben whispered from the side of his mouth, with his eyes fastened on the television.

  “Ohmygosh!” said Emily. “Did you see that?”

  “Yes, I saw it,” growled Spencer.

  “What happened?” asked Grace, thinking she’d missed part of the game.

  “She kissed him,” said Ben, whose face looked like he’d swallowed dill pickle juice.

  Leanne had kissed Brad? Grace stared at the television as if she would see an instant replay, but the camera was trained on the coach who was yelling at the umpire. She felt bile in her throat as the reality of the situation hit her. She’d gotten what she asked for a week ago, even though she’d since changed her mind. Brad had refused to consider talking to her, and he was dating another girl. And evidently, he’d given his brother the go-ahead to ask her out. She jumped up from the couch and barely made it to the bathroom before her stomach emptied its meager contents.

  *****

  Emily immediately regretted mentioning the kiss. She’d spoken aloud without thinking. Grace hadn’t even seen it happen—if only she’d kept her big mouth shut. She saw Grace spring off the couch and rush to the bathroom. She started to follow her when she noticed Ben was using the opportunity to peruse Grace’s cell phone.

  “You shouldn’t do that,” she scolded as she moved to look over his shoulder.

  Ben made a point of covering the screen. “If you’re going to criticize me, I won’t tell you what she was texting about.”

  Spencer frowned, “Hey, that’s an invasion of privacy.”

  Ben let out a low whistle as he scrolled through her messages. Emily said, “What? What is it?”

  “I shouldn’t say,” said Ben, cocking an eyebrow toward Spencer. “It’s an invasion of privacy.”

  “You’ve already done it, so you might as well tell us now,” said Spencer.

  Ben leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice. “The thing is, Horatio is evidently pressuring her to wear the ring, and she’s telling him she’s engaged to someone else. So I’m thinking she doesn’t really want to date this guy. And from her reaction to that kiss, I’m pretty confident she still likes Brad, whether she admits it or not.”

  “So what are we going to do?” asked Emily.

  “Nothing,” said Spencer, with a stern set to his jaw. “It’s not our place to interfere.”

  “Buddy,” said Ben. “As I understand it, Brad saved your rear by interfering between you and Emily.”

  Spencer’s frown relaxed. “I guess that’s true. He did send me the text to warn me about that picture Becca used to sabotage our relationship. If it weren’t for him, we might not be engaged.”

  “So we owe it to Brad to help him out,” said Emily. “Let’s—” She swallowed her words as the bathroom door opened and Grace emerged, looking decidedly green. She moved to put an arm around her petite friend. “Can I get something for you? Maybe a glass of water?”

  Grace nodded and moved to sink onto the couch, keeping her eyes averted.

  Emily strained to listen as Ben murmured to Grace. “So I’m in town until Monday. Want to catch a play with me? I’ve been wanting to see Aladdin.”

  Emily almost dropped the glass of water when Grace held up her left hand and wiggled her finger, flashing the large diamond at him. “I can’t go out with you,” she told Ben. “I’m taken.”

  His brows scrunched with a deep furrow between them. “I thought you said you hadn’t even started dating.”

  Grace pulled her shoulders up and dropped them as if the effort exhausted her. “It seems I’ve gotten in the habit of telling lies lately.”

  “Maybe you’re lying now,” Ben suggested.

  Grace stood and trudged toward the door, ignoring the water glass Emily offered. “Whatever,” she said. “I’m going home.”

  “But the game’s not over,” said Spencer, clearly nonplussed his sports-fanatical sister would leave in the middle of a baseball game.

  “I’ve lost interest,” said Grace.

  “Or maybe you just don’t want to look at Brad with his date anymore,” said Ben.

  Emily saw tears rolling down Grace’s face as she slipped out the door without responding to Ben’s remark.

  “Wait Grace!” She followed her out into the hallway and shut the door behind them. Grace was heading toward the stairs when Emily caught her and pulled her into a hug. “I know you’re hurting, no matter what you say. You were there for me when Spencer and I were having a rough time. And I’m here for you now.”

  “It’s not the same. Spencer was in love with you—Brad’s not in love with me. It’s so stupid.” She swiped at her wet face. “I didn’t even want him to be in love with me, and now I wish he was.”

  “Are you really engaged to Horatio?”

  “What does it matter? Brad has obviously given Ben the go-ahead to ask me out. So he’s finished with me for sure.”

  “Just because Ben is flirting doesn’t mean Brad is okay with it. You know how Ben loves to antagonize his br
other. I think Ben wants you two to get back together.”

  “He has a funny way of showing it. But really it just confirms what I already knew. When I spoke to Brad, he could barely be civil to me. I had one shot at making things right and I blew it. I left flowers and a card for Brad with Leanne, and obviously she wanted him for herself.”

  Emily gritted her teeth. “That girl he was with tonight? She sabotaged you? You should strangle her—I might do it myself. Why don’t you just tell Brad what she did?”

  Grace lifted puddled eyes her direction. “I tried to give him flowers, and he never got them. I tried to talk to him, and he didn’t want to listen. Obviously Brad and I were never meant to be. You shouldn’t have to work so hard if it’s right.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “Yes. I’ve always believed I’ll be able to tell when the right guy comes along. I’ll just know—everything will feel right. That’s how I knew I was supposed to break up when he first said something about being in love with me. It messed up my mind so much I could barely eat anything. In fact, I’ve hardly eaten for a week. I would never feel so afraid if it was meant to be—if we were supposed to be together forever.”

  “I think you’re totally off. I was scared to death to fall in love when I met Spencer. I fought it for a long time, and you know things weren’t real smooth for us. What if I’d given up when things got rough? What if I’d decided since I went to the wrong hiking area we weren’t meant to be together?”

  “That’s different.”

  Emily put her hands on her hips. “How? How is my situation different from yours?”

  “Because you and Spencer were destined to be together. Nothing could keep you apart. Obviously, the opposite is true for Brad and me. All the signs point to Brad and I staying apart. He didn’t get my flowers. He wouldn’t talk to me. He’s already found someone else, and so have I.” Grace held up her hand to flash her ring again before hiding it inside her purse.

  Emily debated whether to push her on the subject. “Tell me the truth, Grace. Who is Horatio? Because I don’t buy it—everything you’ve said about him is a little fishy. You broke up with Brad to date him, but you haven’t actually been out with him yet. He’s already given you a ring with a huge diamond, but his mother paid for it? And earlier tonight you took the ring off, so why are you wearing it again? When are we going to meet him?”

  “Sunday night—you’ll meet him at Sunday night dinner,” said Grace as she fled down the stairs.

  *****

  Where on earth was she going to find a guy to play Horatio by Sunday night? She had less than forty-eight hours to find someone. She’d seen movies where you could hire someone, an escort. But she didn’t have that kind of money. She could easily pick up a guy in a bar, but not one who’d be willing to play her pretend boyfriend. Her only choice was to bring someone in on the subterfuge—Olivia. Lucky for her, Olivia was studying at home tonight. She hurried home to beg her sister for help.

  “But I don’t know if I can find a guy who’s willing to do this,” Olivia objected. “And I don’t really want you and Brad to break up anyway. I can’t believe you made up a guy just so you could have an excuse to stop dating Brad. Why didn’t you just tell him you were freaked about him talking about marriage?”

  “I don’t know. It just happened. But I’m going to look like an idiot if I don’t produce a real boyfriend now, especially since Brad has already moved on.” Grace’s mind was filled with an image of the tall, beautiful blond who’d been so affectionate with Brad. “And the guy needs to be really cute, too. Leanne is everything I’m not. She’s smart and super tall—even taller than you. And her hair is gorgeous.” Grace reached up to stroke the back of her shorn locks.

  Olivia gave her a sympathetic smile. “Grace, you’re smart and you’re still cute, even with messed up hair. And Brad liked you just fine at five foot two. He fell in love with you, didn’t he?”

  Grace cocked an eyebrow, surprised to find herself wishing it was true. “No, he just thought he was in love.”

  “Well you must have been pretty sure it was true, or it wouldn’t have scared the pants off you. Anyway, Leanne is a conniving, lying... witch. And it’s not like Brad is going to bring her to Sunday night dinner. He might not even come—he didn’t come last week.”

  “I know, but I told Emily I was bringing Horatio to dinner. So you know she told Spencer and Ben, and Ben will tell Brad.”

  Olivia made a growling sound in her throat as she pushed her hair back. “I really don’t want to do this. I just want to help you get back together with Brad.”

  Grace wrestled with her emotions. Part of her wanted the same thing Olivia wanted. She missed him so much, and it had only been a week. But she had to face reality. “It’s the rule of three, Olivia. Since I broke up with him, I’ve had three signs we shouldn’t get back together. First, I brought him flowers, and he never got them. Second, I called him, and he wasn’t interested in talking to me. Third, he went out with another girl. And actually, I’m sure the mess I made of my hair is just another sign.”

  “Grace, sometimes I want to strangle you! You have this stupid rule of three signs, but you twist it around to confirm anything you want. “How about the fact you’ve totally quit eating since you broke up? Isn’t that a sign? And how about the fact you were willing to buy him flowers and give him a card and call him and try to get back together? You’ve never done anything like that before for any guy you broke up with. Couldn’t that be a sign? And furthermore, are you going to let him end up with an evil girl who would lie and scheme to get her claws into him?”

  Grace contemplated her words and blinked against watery eyes. “I just want him to be happy, whatever it takes. I don’t think I’m the one who can do that for him, but I guess it would be awful for him to end up with Leanne.”

  “So we’re in agreement you’re going to tell him what she did.”

  “He doesn’t want to talk to me.” The acid words rolled off her tongue.

  “Fine, then I’ll talk to him.”

  “No, you can’t do that.” Grace lay on her bed, staring at the watercolors adorning her walls. She murmured, “Maybe I can get someone from my art class to play Horatio...”

  “Will you forget about Horatio? We’re talking about Brad, and he deserves to know the truth about Leanne.”

  “Yes, but he won’t believe it coming from you or me.” Grace pursed her lips in concentration. “There’s one guy named Gavin who paints next to me, but I think he may have a crush on me.”

  “Every guy you meet has a crush on you, Grace. You could just bring a different guy to Sunday night dinner and say you broke up with Horatio already. It’s totally believable.”

  “What a great idea,” said Grace, perking up. “Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll bring Gavin to dinner and tell Emily I broke up with Horatio because he was being too pushy. She’ll buy that for sure.”

  “That sounds kind of mean to do to Gavin,” Olivia said.

  “I’ll be really clear we’re only friends.”

  “You mean friends with kissing benefits? Isn’t that what you told Brad?”

  “Yes, but I obviously didn’t make myself clear with Brad. I’ll be firmer with Gavin. And anyway, I don’t think I’m ready to kiss another guy yet.”

  “And I’ll talk to Brad and tell him the truth about what happened.”

  Grace sat up to grip Olivia’s arm. “No, you can’t tell him. If he figures it out himself, it will be a sign we should get back together.”

  “Grace, that’s stupid!”

  “I mean it. I forbid you to tell him. I shouldn’t have ever told you the truth. Now I don’t need you to find a Horatio for me.”

  “You’d never have thought of switching to a different guy if it weren’t for me, so you still owe me,” said Olivia. “And stop rolling your eyes at me.”

  “I’m serious. You’ve already taken the Vow of Secrecy, so you can’t tell Brad what Leanne did.
”

  “I invoke the Sisterly Right of Protection.”

  “You know the rules for that—you made it up yourself. You can only break a promise by invoking the Sisterly Right of Protection in an emergency situation where I’m not able to talk to you. So I’d have to be unconscious or kidnapped or something.”

  “I’m invoking it based on the fact the person I’m talking to right now is not the normal Grace Marshall. You are beyond Grace’s normal level of crazy. So since I can’t talk to Grace—”

  “However, you made the Vow of Secrecy with this Grace Marshall, and I’m the one you’re talking to.”

  Olivia let out a scream and stomped her feet. “Grace! Why are you being so stubborn about this?”

  “Don’t you see? It’s humiliating. I gave him flowers and a card and groveled, asking for another chance. And then I called him. When I mentioned the card and flowers, I could tell he didn’t believe me. He thinks I lied to him when we broke up, and he’s right. So I can’t defend myself. He thinks I’m a liar because I am a liar. He doesn’t believe anything I say anymore.”

  “So quit lying. Tell him the truth about everything. Don’t bring a guy to Sunday night dinner.”

  “No, that’ll just prove I kept lying about Horatio.”

  “So you’re lying more to cover a lie you told to protect another lie you told because you’re too humiliated to tell the truth now because it will prove you lied before?”

  “Exactly,” said Grace. “Now do you understand?”

  “No. That didn’t even make sense when I was saying it. I invoke the Sisterly Right of Coercion. When you’re doing something really stupid, I have the right to jump in and stop you.”

  “You just made that up,” said Grace. “That’s not even a real Marshall Sisters law.”

  “You and I made up all the laws,” Olivia reasoned. “This is just a new one that’s long overdue. I should have invoked it to keep you from coloring your hair.”

  “So what are you going to do? You have to tell me.”

  “No, I invoke the Sisterly Right to Privacy.”

  “You can’t invoke the Right of Coercion and the Right to Privacy at the same time.”