| Chapter Eight |
| It took Grace only a few minutes after entering the party to realize the wall would fall without her support. Or at least that?s what her mother would say. Over the years, it had become expected that at any social function, Grace would take a post against the wall and at some point, her mother would ask in an frustrated tone, ?Do you think the wall will fall without you holding it up??. It was almost a family tradition. At her niece?s first birthday, she?d even made an ?Official Wall Supporter? shirt. Her mother hadn?t found it the least bit funny; she just didn?t understand that Grace was always going to be a wallflower. Nothing was ever going to change that. Admittedly, after walking into this shindig with Justin ?the star of the show? Timberlake, she had entertained a crazy dream of being the most popular girl and dancing up a storm with all the handsome man, especially Justin. But when Justin had excused himself almost immediately and disappeared into the crowd, she?d realized how stupid her dream had been. She would always be a wall supporter; besides, she didn?t even know how to dance. Maybe one day she?d be the type of girl that attracted all the attention, but today she was the kind of girl who hung out near the buffet table and fell flat on her face when Justin Timberlake said he would save her two dances. Just thinking about her inelegant actions put a blush on Grace?s cheeks. Justin had been very nice when he?d helped her up; he?d even tried to make her laugh by asking, ?Does that count as sweeping you off your feet??, but she was still mortified by her clumsy footwork. He probably wouldn?t want to dance with her now for fear of his safety. Not that she was sure that he?d meant what he said. It could have been one of those ?say you?ll do it but not mean it? things like when she used to tell her mother she?d take out the garbage during the next commercial break. He sure hadn?t wasted any time getting away from her. It?d only taken him less than a minute to rid himself of her company; he was probably sneaking out right now with a gorgeous blonde, forgetting all about the unattractive girl in the ugly dress. ?Now you?re just feeling sorry for yourself,? Grace sighed, annoyed with her self-pitying thoughts, ?Nobody likes a whin-oh my gosh!? Grace leapt nearly a foot when a hand suddenly touched her shoulder. ?Oh, I?m so sorry, honey,? Lynn apologized, pulling her hand away quickly, ?I didn?t mean to scare you.? ?No, it?s okay. I?m always jumpy. I practically have a heart attack every time the phone rings. I?ve been banned from any scary movie.? She gave an appropriately sheepish grin. Lynn smiled. ?I?ll try to remember you?re so jumpy,? she said laughingly. There was an awkward pause. Grace didn?t know what to say. When she was working, she and Lynn were chatter bugs, but in this informal setting, Grace didn?t know how to act. Toying with the buttons on her sweater, Grace?s cleared her throat repeatedly. ?Um?were you looking for me?? ?Oh, no. I was actually looking for Justin when I saw you. You haven?t seen him by any chance, have you? He disappeared almost an hour ago. I?m starting to get a little worried.? Grace glanced down and noticed that Lynn was wringing her hands. ?I saw him a few minutes ago.? Technically, she wasn?t lying just omitting certain details. Lynn visibly eased. ?Really? Thank God. I got the feeling earlier that he wasn?t too happy.? ?He looked very happy to me. I?ve never seen anyone having so much fun.? Now she was outright lying, but if it would comfort Lynn, she didn?t care. She?d force Justin to have fun if she had to. ?See, I told you,? Paul Harless appeared behind his wife; wrapping his arms around her, he placed a kiss on her cheek, ?Nothing?s wrong. Justin?s having a great birthday. Now will you quiet worrying and dance with me?? Leaning into Paul, Lynn cocked her head as though in thought, ?I don?t know. I did promise Johnny, but I guess he wouldn?t mind waiting a few minutes.? ?No, no, honey, if you promised Johnny, go right ahead. And while you?re stepping on his toes, I?ll be dancing the night away with a beautiful young woman,? he extended a hand towards Grace, ?May I have the pleasure?? Grace was blushing from head to toe. ?I?d like to, but I can?t.? ?Good girl,? Lynn grinned, ?Don?t settle for this old fart.? ?It?s not that. I-? She froze when she saw Justin working his way through the crowd towards them. Was he really going to dance with her? Twice? Lynn frowned, confused at Grace?s sudden quiet. ?She drifts off a lot,? she whispered to Paul before following Grace?s gaze. Her eyes found Justin immediately, ?I?ve been looking for you everywhere!? Justin pushed his way past the final cluster of people. He took in Grace?s stunned expression and his mother?s scrutinizing one. ?What did I miss?? ?Where have you been? Is everything alright?? Paul sighed loudly, ?Honestly Lynn, I thought we?d settled this.? ?I just want to hear him say it,? she spared her husband a fleeting glance; her eyes scanned Justin?s face looking for any trace of sadness. ?Where were you?? ?Around,? he answered nonchalantly, ?Mostly just saying ?hi? to people. I didn?t know you were looking for me. Sorry.? Lynn?s gave him one last stare before letting out a groan. ?It okay, honey. I was just being a worrywart.? ?I?ll say,? Paul mumbled. ?Excuse me? Did you say something?? Turning Lynn in his hands, he kiss her lips briefly, ?I said ?how about letting an old fart twirl you around the dance floor??? ?Well, I don?t know how much twirling you can do to hip hop, but I?d love to.? Lynn briefly left Paul?s arm to give Justin a hug, ?Happy birthday.? Returning her hug, Justin laughingly pointed out, ?That?s the twentieth time you?ve wished me a happy birthday.? ?Only twenty?? Lynn chuckled and took Paul?s hand. As they were walking away, she waved goodbye to Grace, ?Thanks for coming, Gracie.? Grace waved until Lynn and Paul vanished into the crowd. She was staring off into space for a few minutes before she remember Justin standing by her side. ?Hi.? Her brief moments of intelligent conversion were gone. She was back to incoherent mumbling. ?Hi.? They stood there for a few moments, both watching the other people work their way across the club. ?So, I?m guessing you didn?t tell my mother about my sojourn to the café across the street.? ?I?uh?didn?t.? Her verbal skills were depleting rapidly. ?Thank you. I appreciate it.? Grace responded with an odd noise that she figured was her barbarian way of saying ?your welcome?. In a few minutes, she would be clubbing him over the head and carrying him off to her cave. Out of the corner of her eye, she took his measurements. She could get him to the car if she tried; He was pretty scrawny, but a good kind of scrawny. Very good. ?I?m sorry about leaving you like that. I was looking for my mom, but I ended up running into Trace. He had some girls he just had to introduce me to.? ?Oh.? Her curt reply was intended that time. How dare he be flirting with other girls when he was supposed to fall madly in love with her? Throwing up his hand in a mock surrender, Justin turned to face her, ?I?m really sorry, but I did come back to dance with you like I promised.? She was completely shocked. ?You really wanted to dance with me?? Grace was sure she looked like a little kid who?d just been presented with a puppy. ?So that?s what it took to end the silent treatment, huh?? His lips curved into a smile that could melt hearts. ?I wasn?t giving you the silent treatment.? Justin quirked a brow, ?You hardly said more than two words.? ?I?m a word conservationist,? Grace scrunched her nose, ?That was cheesy.? With a little nod, Justin quickly agreed. ?Extremely.? ?I can?t dance. Especially not to this music,? Grace admitted, figuring it was better to confess something embarrassing after telling a bad joke. Justin didn?t seem fazed by her confession. ?Anyone can dance. If you?re moving to the beat, you?re dancing.? Grace wanted to dance with him so badly that she was willing to believe that. ?I?ll look stupid.? ?No, you won?t. Besides, when you?re dancing with an excellent dancer like myself, you can?t go wrong.? ?I bet,? she responded sarcastically. Chewing her lower lip nervously, she weighed the pros and cons. She had never danced in front of anyone, not even her family. But this was an opportunity to dance with Justin. This was her chance to do something she?d only dreamed about. ?Okay.? ?Good,? he grinned, hooking his arm with hers. He had to tug a little to get her to start walking. With her free hand, Grace pulled her sweater closer to her body. She needed the comfort of something familiar. Something was changing; she could feel it. It excited her, but at the same time, she was scared out of her mind. |