| Chapter Eleven |
| ?Also, call around and find out about any Valentine?s Day cruises. Nothing longer than a week. The best cabin of course. Umm?maybe something with a casino; Paul likes to gamble a little. Make a list of all the candidates and get a copy of their itineraries. I need this as soon as possible.? Grace jotted down Lynn?s instructions word for word. ?I?ll see what I can find.? ?I?m sorry about waiting until the last minute. With all the planning we did for Justin?s birthday, I completely forgot about Valentine?s day and getting something for Paul.? Lynn scribbled something on her notepad before placing it in a desk drawer, ?Well, I think that?s it as far as errands. Ready to rejoin the world of the living?? Grace nodded and stuffed her notebook into her purse. They were in Lynn?s second floor office in an attempt to escape the chaos of Justin?s younger brothers. Although they were extremely adorable, Grace had to admit that they had a little too much energy for 8 o?clock in the morning. Passing through the door Lynn held open, Grace tried to avoid looking at the door directly across the hall. Justin was in that room, sound asleep. Her eyes briefly passed over the ordinary oak door; it was no different from the dozens of other doors in the house except that it was his door. She wondered what he looked like when he slept. Maybe he drooled. And snored. His pajamas probably had feet and pictures of bunnies. What if he didn?t wear pajamas? Her eyes were glued to the door now. Good lord, why did she even think that? ?Grace, honey, I have to get something from my room. Would you mind going downstairs and making some coffee? Strong.? The last word caught Grace?s attention. ?Are you feeling tired?? Lynn smiled and gave Grace a brief hug, ?You?re sweet to worry, but I?m fine. I?m still feeling some of the aftereffects of Justin?s birthday party. I might have had a little more to drink than I should have.? ?Oh. Maybe you should take a nap.? ?I?d love to, but since we took yesterday off, we have a lot to catch up with today. I?ll be down in a few minutes, okay?? She waited for Grace?s nod before starting the long walk to her bedroom on the other side of the house. Checking to make sure the office door was closed, Grace walked to the staircase, trying again to ignore the door across the hall. ?Someone?s coming,? a small voice hollered as Grace?s reached the bottom of the staircase. A loud shuffle of feet followed. After a few more seconds of giggling and running, everything went quiet. ?Hello?? She didn?t expect a response. If there was one thing she?d learned from her niece, it was that you could be involved in a game of hide and seek without being aware of it. Forgetting Lynn?s coffee, Grace laid her purse on the floor. All the shuffling sounded like it was coming from the living room, so she entered the room. ?I know you?re in here.? There was faint giggling followed by a loud ?shh.? The giggler was behind the curtain, and she was almost as certain that the other had squeezed himself behind the sofa. Deciding to play along for a little while longer, Grace sighed dramatically, ?Where should I start looking? How about?,? she drew it out until she had walked to the coffee table, ??under the table!? She wasn?t sure if they could see her, so she made an elaborate gesture to convey her frustration. ?I know! You?re?,? she drew it out again, ??behind the TV!? Again, she contorted her face. More giggling. Checking her watch, she decided to try one more place before finding them. She walked to Lynn?s huge plant in one corner of the room. If she was doing the hiding, she?d hide there; it was so big, her entire family could probably hide behind it. ?I?ve got it now,? she said pushing a few leaves out of the way, ?You?re behind the plant!? She was about to turn away and head for the sofa when a hand grasped hers. It wasn?t a small hand. ?You got me,? Justin laughed, ?now help me out.? Still stunned, Grace latched onto his hand and tugged. He tumbled out, laughing hysterically. Jonathan and Steven appeared at his side, both mimicking their brother?s laughter. ?I thought you were sleeping,? Grace said, indignantly. She did not like being the butt of the joke. ?Sleep? With these two running wild? Not possible,? Justin replied, sitting up on his knees, some of the laughter subsiding. A blush crept onto Grace?s cheeks. She?d just been staring at his bedroom door, imaging him sleeping, and he?d been downstairs the entire time. He didn?t know that of course, but she was still embarrassed. It was the first time she?d seen him since the night of his birthday party. It?d been a magical night for her. He had confided in her; they?d danced. But she seemed to be the only one who remembered it. Grace had the strongest urge to punch him. Ugh, what was it about this man? She was an ordinary, well-adjusted girl, but he could provoke feeling in her she?d never felt before. ?It?s your turn to hide,? Jonathan said to her, ?We?ll find you.? ?I?d love to, but-,? Grace started, but Lynn?s voice cut her off. ?Grace, where did you go? Where?s the coffee?? ?Sorry,? Grace quickly apologized and nearly ran to the kitchen. Lynn was waiting with a frown on her face. ?I?m so sorry, Lynn. I got distracted.? With a sigh, Lynn nodded, ?It?s fine.? She took a seat at the breakfast table and began reading the paper. ?A man in Texas with eight children won the biggest lottery in history,? she exclaimed, ?he says he used the birthdays of the six who had behaved the best. Isn?t that funny? I don?t know how he does it though. I wanted to pull my hair out practically every day when Justin was a baby. 8 children! Yeesh!? Lynn spent a few more moment shaking her head at the very thought of eight kids. Grace wanted to laugh. Her own mother was probably reading the paper and thinking the same thing. ?Are they all young?? Scanning the paper, Lynn nodded. ?The oldest is only 11. All those kids in only 11 years. There must be nothing else to do in Texas except?? she stopped abruptly and immediately changed the subject to something less delicate, ?I thought I heard Justin?s voice. Is he up?? ?Yes. He?s in the living room playing with Jonathan and Steven.? ?I swear his age drops a good 10 years every time he?s with them.? Considering that he was hiding behind a plant the last time she?d seen him, Grace had to agree. ?I?m glad that he?s up though,? Lynn added, holding up her coffee mug for Grace to fill, ?I wasn?t sure if he would wake up in time to say goodbye.? She took a quick sip, murmuring her approval of Grace?s coffee making skills. Lynn started to recall another story she?d read in the paper but stopped at the sound of footsteps approaching. Justin?s head appeared through the door. ?Hey mom, I?m going to take dad and the boys to the airport. I?ll be back in an hour or so. Are you going to be free later? I need to talk to you about something.? He was talking a mile a minute, obviously in a rush. The elder Timberlake was notorious for running late, so Grace figured he?d employed his son?s, to quote Lynn, ?lead foot, crazy driving? skills to get him to his flight on time. ?Of course,? Lynn responded; her tone expressed her annoyance that he even implied that she might not have time to talk to her only child, ?If I?m not in the living room, I?ll be in my office.? ?Okay. How about you, Grace? Will you be around later?? She almost didn?t hear the second question. It was almost too much for her to grasp that he?d used her name. He?d actually remembered her name. Her voice sounded rough as she choked out, ?Me?? Since he was in a hurry, he impatiently nodded his head. This was it, she thought. He was going to propose marriage. After their conversation at the restaurant, he?d fallen madly in love with her. Well, a girl could dream. ?Yeah, I?ll be here.? Wild horses couldn?t tear her away. ?Good,? Justin replied. With a quick goodbye, he disappeared from doorway. A few moments later, Grace heard the sound of footsteps followed by the front door slamming shut. Lynn excused herself, saying she?d be in her office. Left alone in the kitchen, Grace did what she?d been dying to do the moment Justin had said her name. She started calling everyone she could think of. |