| Chapter Fifteen |
| Grace couldn't stop smiling. She'd never felt so good in her entire life. Right now, her mother was her favorite person in the world. Who would have thought the navy pantsuit she'd forced Grace to buy would end up being Grace's favorite outfit? Not that she'd admit it to her mother. But she would admit that she looked better in her pantsuit than in her baggy pants and frumpy sweater. This morning she'd looked in the mirror more times than Mindy. She'd also spent longer on her hair and makeup than her roommate. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were becoming girly," Mindy had laughed as she wrestled the blow-dryer away from Grace. She was girly; for today at least. She could have gone the usual route and put her hair in a bun and used on Chap Stick on her lips, but it seemed a waste to wear such a nice outfit and not fix herself up. So she'd done her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders; the ends curled around her shoulders and framed her face. Mindy helped her find the perfect color of eye shadow and lipstick, and she had let Grace borrow a pair of shoes because Grace only owned sneakers. She might not be a supermodel, but she felt beautiful and that was all that mattered. With her head held high, she walked into Lynn's house. A little part of her wanted Justin to see her; maybe he'd compliment her. She and Lynn had agreed to meet in the kitchen, so Grace headed in that direction. Pushing open the door, she called out Lynn's name. "She's not here." Grace paused. Running a quick hand through her hair, she cursed herself for not checking a mirror before coming inside. "Hi Justin," she said with more cheer than intended. He sat at the counter, shoveling spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth. Wiping the excess milk on his lips with his hand, he mumbled, "Hi Grace." She saw him look her up and down, but to her dismay, he didn't say anything. "Where is she?" Glancing at her watch, she was relieved to see that she hadn't arrived late. "She went to work about a hour ago." Grace rechecked her watch. "Are you sure?" He frowned. "Yeah. Why?" Without asking, she took the seat next to him. "We were supposed go together. At least, I think that's what we agreed on." Chewing on the last few bites of cereal, he though for a moment and replied, "If she said she'd wait for you, then she would have. Maybe you misunderstood." "Yeah maybe," she sighed. He brought the bowl to his lips and slurped the leftover milk. "That's gross," she laughed, "my dad does that." "You sound like my mom." "I'll take that as a compliment." Grinning, he shrugged to indicate that she was free to take it whatever way she chose. Grace gave him a gentle push. Ever since he'd gotten back from New York, they'd fallen into a playful friendship. If friendship was the right word. They wouldn't search each other out, but if the two of them were in the same room, they'd have a brief, lighthearted conversation. It was almost like having a brother except she was madly in love with him and wanted him to kiss her?.badly. "Your mom's probably waiting for me. Could you give me directions?" "Yeah sure." She pulled out a piece of paper and pen from her purse. Pursing his lips, he started scribbling directions. "Take a left at the end of the driveway. Keep driving until you come to?I think it's Pickens Drive. No wait, I think its Downey." He wrote down the name but quickly scratched it out. "Don't you own the building?" "I own a lot of things," he answered, letting her see just how little he appreciated her comment. He wrote down another street name but scratched it out again, "I can never remember street names." "I'm kinda like that." Flipping over the paper, he started to draw a map, but immediately quit, tearing it in half, "I'll give you a ride." Grace sat up a little straighter, "You don't have to." He waved her off, "It's fine. Just give me a minute to get dressed." "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother." "You're not. I have a meeting later, so I was going that way anyway. You might even get a raise for getting me there early." He hesitated and eyed her suspiciously, "Now that I think about it, did my mom put you up to this?" "Nope," she answered, "but I wouldn't mind a raise." He smirked at her before leaving the room. As soon as the door closed, Grace stood from her chair and rushed to the nearest mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair and checked her makeup. She was reapplying her lipstick when Justin came back dressed in slacks and a polo shirt. With some annoyance, Grace realized that for Justin, everyday was an 'I feel pretty' day. "Ready?" "Yeah." They walked to the garage, discussing their shared inability to remember street names. "I had to give directions to a party once. I don't think anyone actually made it," Grace laughed. He laughed too. Holding the door that lead to the garage open for her, he flipped the light switch. "Which car do you want to take?" Grace had never seen so many cars in her life; he could start his own dealership. She refused to let him see how impressed she was. "I bet you use that line on all the girls" "No, just you," he chuckled. God, he didn't know what he'd just done to her; her insides felt like putty. "The Escalade it is," he said when she didn't reply. Since she watched MTV Cribs all the time, she knew which one he was talking about. "Hold on," he called out when she started to open the door herself, "you know the rules." "I guess I'm just not used to gentlemen." She gave him a big smile and climbed into the massive vehicle. Justin gave her an odd look. "You have a dimple in your left cheek," he remarked, "It's cute." He shut the door, missing the even bigger smile on her face. |