Chapter 3
Brad was pretending to listen to Ben’s diatribe about marketing strategies when his cell phone rang. He snatched the phone to his ear, answering in an anxious voice, “Hello?”
“Hey Brad,” said Spencer.
Brad’s voice fell with his heart. “Oh, it’s you.”
“You sure know how to make a guy feel wanted,” chuckled Spencer. “Who were you expecting?”
“Nobody,” Brad attempted to lighten his tone. “What’s up?”
“Emily and I were planning to invite you and Grace to come over and watch the baseball game Friday night. Do you have other plans? She hasn’t gotten back with us yet.”
“I won’t be able to come over to watch the Yankees with you Friday night, because I’m actually going to be at the game.”
“Awesome—I’m so jealous. I’ll just tell Emily you and Grace are going to be at the game.”
“Grace isn’t going with me to the game. We broke up.” The words squeezed through his tightened lips.
“You broke up? Are you kidding me? You and Grace? I mean... I’m sorry, Brad. What happened?”
“I’d rather not talk about it. I’m sure Grace will still want to come over and watch the game with you.”
“But surely it’s just a temporary thing. You guys were great together. Maybe you waited too long to give her a ring. You know I almost made that mistake with Emily.”
“We only dated two months.” Brad attempted to keep the sour note from his voice. “And trust me, she didn’t want a ring from me.”
Ben held up his hand. “Tell Spencer I’m available Friday night.”
Brad glared at his brother as he debated passing on his request to Spencer. He didn’t want Ben spending the evening with Grace. But Spencer had heard Ben speaking. “Who’s that?”
Brad’s breath whistled through clenched teeth. “My brother, Ben, is here. He’s inviting himself to your house Friday night, but don’t feel obligated. I’m sure you have other friends—”
“Ben!” Spencer’s enthusiastic voice responded. “Sure, we’d love to have your brother over if he’s not going to the game with you. He kept Emily rolling with his stories the last time we got together.”
“But it might make Grace feel awkward,” Brad objected, knowing his excuse was lame.
“No, she loves Ben... I mean... She likes him... I mean... And anyway, she hasn’t responded to Emily’s text, so she might not be coming.”
Brad felt his blood pounding in his temples. Why had he accepted Kara’s invitation to the baseball game? He glowered at Ben, whose smile looked exactly like The Joker in Batman.
* * *
Grace had avoidedJosh’s phone calls for two days—she simply couldn’t bear to hear about Brad’s rejection of her peace offering. She could call Brad herself, but she didn’t want to hear the pain and animosity she knew would be in his voice, especially since she was totally to blame. But she believed everything happened for a reason. So if Brad wouldn’t accept her apology, it must mean they weren’t supposed to be together. Right?
Why did this breakup hurt so much more than the others? She knew the answer—she had broken her own dating rules and allowed herself to become attached to Brad. Well, she wouldn’t let that happen again. She was a pro at emotional detachment in dating. She’d done it before, and she could do it again. She was strong. She wouldn’t allow herself to be controlled by her feelings.
Her brother’s fiancée, Emily, had been controlled by her emotions. She’d gone crazy when she thought she’d lost Spencer, and her impulsive actions had almost been disastrous. Granted, everything worked out in the end, but Grace was determined to remain in control of her emotions and her actions. She wouldn’t repeat Emily’s mistakes.
She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves before calling Josh. “Hi Josh,” she spoke with a light, airy voice. “I’m sorry I’ve missed your calls—I’ve been really busy.”
“Too busy to try and save your relationship with Brad?” She didn’t miss his accusing tone.
“Look Josh. I did try. He turned me down, just like I predicted. So I have to get on with my life.”
“When did you try? He told me on Tuesday he hadn’t heard from you at all.”
“Then he’s lying to you. I totally apologized and really put myself out there, asking for another chance. But he never even responded.”
“Are you telling me he didn’t speak to you? He just stood there and looked at you?”
“I never actually spoke to him.”
“Grace—”
“But I tried! I went there Tuesday morning, just like I promised. But I didn’t get to see him. I had to leave my card and flowers with one of the nurses—her name was Leanne.”
“In the ER?”
“Yes. But I didn’t see you either.” A nagging doubt invaded her mind. “Are you sure he was on duty Tuesday morning?”
“We were both there, but I don’t think he ever got your flowers and card. At least I never saw them, and he didn’t tell me about them.”
Grace had a sinking feeling. If he’d never received her card, he didn’t even know she’d apologized. He’d had almost three more days thinking she was dating someone else. To her distress, she felt tears stinging her eyes. How could she possibly have any tears left after crying every day for almost a week? A sob escaped her lips—so much for controlling her emotions.
“Please Grace, don’t cry. I’ll figure it out. Maybe it’s lying around in the ER office somewhere. Which nurse did you say took your stuff?”
“She said her name was Leanne. She was tall and pretty with long blond hair.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do. Or you could just call him on the cell phone,” he suggested.
Grace’s heart pounded and her eyes were suddenly dry. “Okay. I’ll call him. I’ll call him as soon as we hang up.”
“Good. You can do this, Grace. I’m pulling for you. I’ll hang up now and let you call him.”
The phone trembled in her fingers as she punched Brad’s speed dial for the first time since Friday night. She hadn’t even thought about what she would say to him when he answered. She would just throw herself on his mercy.
She heard his voice in her ear. “You have reached Dr. Brad Gates. I am currently unavailable. If this is an emergency, please call—”
Grace disconnected. What could she possibly say in a message? She had to talk to him directly.
* * *
Brad allowedan expletive to slip between his lips as he stared at the small green symbol on his cell phone. Grace had called. Finally. After almost a week of waiting, she’d called him and hadn’t even left a message. At this point, could she possibly say anything he would want to hear? Would she tell him she’d already broken up with her new guy? Would she say the other boyfriend had never existed and admit she’d lied? Or maybe she was still with her mystery man, but she’d finally felt some compassion for Brad over her method of breaking up. No, he couldn’t imagine any words that would ease the ache in his heart. He’d really thought he was in love with Grace, but she wasn’t the girl he thought she was.
His phone vibrated before he could put it away. He froze—Grace was calling again. Should he answer? Maybe she was truly sorry for her crazy actions. Maybe it was just a fluke. Maybe they could try again—a fresh start.
“Dr. Gates!” called a nurse. “They need you. Car accident—two just arrived. One is critical.”
He sighed as he turned off his phone. “I’m coming.”
* * *
Grace hungup when Brad’s cell went to voice mail again. Immediately, her phone rang and she answered, pressing her hand to her stomach, “Hello?”
“Hey! Are you coming over Friday night?”
Grace hesitated. “Emily, I have to tell you something.”
“Listen Grace, we know about the breakup. Brad told Spencer about it. But Brad’s not coming Friday night, and we still want you to come.”
“What did Brad tell Spencer?” Grace hoped Emily couldn’t detect the slight tremor in her voice.
“Nothing, really. He didn’t give any details. Do you want to talk about it? Spencer claims you probably broke up with Brad because you don’t do long relationships. Is that true?”
“Spencer’s right. I don’t do long, and I don’t do serious. I broke it off, and it’s for the best.”
“But I really thought you guys were in love, like Spencer and me.”
“Oh no, I’m not in love with Brad. It’s only been two months—it’s way too soon. And would I break up with him if I were in love with him, right?” Silence greeted her on the other end of the phone. “Emily? Are you there?”
“Yeah. It’s just that... Oh never mind.”
“No. What? What were you going to say?”
“Well, I don’t want you to get mad, but Josh just called me.”
Grace felt a sudden urge to buy a gun. She spoke in a terse voice, “What did he tell you?”
“Don’t be upset with him—I already knew y’all had broken up. Josh just thought you might need a little encouragement to call Brad and fix things up.”
Grace groaned. “Josh is worse than my sisters at keeping secrets.”
“Did you call Brad? Are y’all going to talk?”
“I called,” Grace admitted, “but he didn’t answer.”
“Is it true that you love him? And you want to get back together? Because I’ll do anything to help. You know that—”
“No—I’m not in love with Brad. I just... I feel bad for hurting him.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Emily sounded unconvinced.
“Anyway, it’s too late. He’s too mad to forgive me.” Grace’s tongue felt thick as she spoke the words. It was as if saying it made it true.
“I hope you’ll still come over to Spencer’s to watch the baseball game. I forgot to tell you, Ben’s going to be there. You don’t mind, do you? We asked you first, so we could tell him not to come.”
“Brad’s brother, Ben?”
“Uh-huh.”
“No, I don’t mind him being there. He’s fun.”
“Maybe he’ll cheer you up a little.”
“Maybe. I mean... Not that I need cheering up. I’m fine—really.”
“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow night. But call me if you want to talk,” said Emily.
A voice behind Grace caused her to jump as she ended her phone call. “You look to me like you could use cheering up,” said Olivia. “Who was that on the phone? I’m guessing it wasn’t Brad, and you two haven’t patched things up.”
“It was Emily calling about tomorrow night. I’m going to watch the baseball game with her and Spencer. And Ben is going to be there—Brad’s brother. You could come if you want.”
Olivia scrunched up her nose. “No thanks. I’ll pass on a night of watching guys scratch and spit while occasionally throwing a ball.”
“I can’t believe you don’t like baseball. It’s very un-American of you.”
“Please don’t tell anyone I’m a communist because I hate watching baseball. It’s just so boring. On the other hand, seeing Ben might almost make up for it. He’s pretty cute, although he is a bit arrogant.”
“I don’t really feel like going,” said Grace.
“So you do need cheering up. Do you want ice cream again?”
“Ughh! No, my stomach is too upset.”
“Shopping therapy?”
“No, I’m kind of short on funds right now.”
“Beauty therapy?”
Grace chuckled, “I could certainly use some of that. I know I look a mess right now.”
“We could do manicures and pedicures.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” said Grace as her spirits lifted. “Let’s color my hair.”
“Really? What’s wrong with your hair color?”
“I just think a change would lift my spirits. The other day I saw a really pretty girl with blond hair. I think I’d look good with blond hair instead of brown.”
“You shouldn’t try to look like someone else.”
“I could never look like her—she was even taller than you are. Come on, I need this. It’ll be a fresh start.”
Olivia groaned. “Fine, I’ll help. But I’m doing it under duress.” She stood and offered Grace a hand up. “Come on, Sister—let’s get some hair color and turn you into a blond bombshell.”
Laughter exploded from the front door as it opened and Hannah bounced into the room. “Claire and I just rented Holiday. Want to watch with us?”
“Olivia’s going to color my hair,” said Grace.
“I can help,” said Claire. “I helped Jessica put highlights in her hair last month. I know all about hair color.”
“We can do your hair while we watch the movie upstairs,” said Hannah. “And you can tell us about breaking up with Brad.”
“How do you know about it?” asked Grace, with an accusing glance toward Olivia.
“I didn’t say a word,” Olivia declared, lifting her chin.
“Spencer told me,” said Hannah. “We had lunch at Papa’s Place today.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell us, anyway? You always tell us when you break up,” Claire asked.
“I think this time is different,” said Hannah. “I think Grace is in love with Brad.”
“No, I’m not!” said Grace. “I’m the one who broke it off.”
Claire squinted at Grace. “Why did you break up with Brad? He seemed perfect for you.”
“Because... Because he got fresh with me,” said Grace.
Hannah shook her head, making her auburn curls bounce. “Nope, I’m not buying it. Brad would never do that.”
“How do you know?” asked Grace, as she felt the heat seeping into her face. She bent over to retie her tennis shoe, allowing time for her blush to fade while her face was averted.
“He’s just not the type,” said Hannah.
“I agree,” Olivia said. “Brad would never do that. Maybe you got fresh with Brad.”
Grace began, “Olivia! I can’t believe—”
“I’m just kidding! I know you didn’t do that. But I don’t think you’re telling us the truth. I think Hannah may be right, and you’re actually in love with him.” Olivia shared a smirk with the other two sisters.
“I think I would know if I was in love with him. And why would I break up with him if that were true?” Grace couldn’t keep the shrill note out of her voice as she felt her stomach tighten. Why did people keep accusing her of being in love with Brad? It couldn’t possibly be true. She was always careful to guard her heart and keep her emotional distance when she dated.
“That’s a really good question,” said Claire. “In fact, that’s the question I asked you. Why did you break up with him?”
“Yeah, why did you?” Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. “Brad is the sweetest guy you’ve ever dated, and he treats you like a queen. And I’ve seen him in a swimsuit. He is totally hot.”
“I have to agree,” said Olivia. “Brad’s the best guy you’ve ever dated.”
Which only confirmed that he was too good for her. Maybe it was all for the best.
Grace opened her mouth to explain when her cell phone rang. The caller ID flashed Brad’s name, and her heart began to pound. She turned her back to her sisters and answered in a soft voice, “Hello?”
“Hello Grace. I’m returning your phone call.” Brad’s voice was flat and emotionless.
Grace glanced over her shoulder at her sisters who were eavesdropping shamelessly. She took a few steps toward the kitchen, and they followed, ignoring her glares.
“I... I wanted to tell you... I wanted to apologize...” She heard dead silence on the other end of the phone. “Brad?”
“Yes, I’m here. What are you apologizing for? Are you sorry you broke up with me? Or are you sorry for how you broke up with me? Are you sorry you’re dating someone else? Or are you sorry you ever started dating me?”
“I’m s-sorry that... Did you get my card? Or the flowers?”
“No, Grace, I didn’t get a card or flowers. But if you want to be absolved of guilt, I forgive you.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Grace, hurt doesn’t even begin to describe it, but this really isn’t making it better. Why did you call me?”
“Josh told me I should call. He said...”
“Look Grace, I don’t really care what Josh said. You told me you’re dating another guy. Is that really true?”
Grace glanced over her shoulder at her sisters. She couldn’t talk in front of them. “Could we maybe get together so I can explain?”
“The last time we got together to talk you told me you’ve been cheating on me. Unlike this Horatio dude, I’m not the kind of guy who getstogether with someone else’s girlfriend.”
And then Grace knew it was truly over. When had her goal changed from gently breaking up with Brad to getting him back? Why did she feel like a hole had been ripped in her chest? She tried to think of something appropriate to say—something she could say without breaking down and sobbing. “Brad—”
“Sorry, Grace. I have to go.” The line went dead—just like her heart.
Three sets of arms went around her, and she was enveloped in sister love. It almost made the pain bearable.
“We won’t ask you any more questions,” sniffed Olivia. “Let’s just go color your hair.”
“You’ll look so good when we’re finished with you,” Claire declared. “That stupid guy will wish he’d accepted your apology when he sees how hot you are. Just you wait and see!”
A new hair color was all Grace needed to take her mind off her pain. What could go wrong?