Second bride down, p.22
Second Bride Down, page 22
“Are you kidding? Cotton candy!”
He pulled a face. “Yuck.”
“No judgments, please.” She set her chin in a haughty manner and then confessed. “What I really, really loved were the games where you could win something. Only.” She frowned. “I never did.”
“Which kinds of games?”
“The one I liked was that ball toss. There was a low metal table that sort of looked like pinball but not. It had metal rings surrounding these holes—”
“And you tried to get the ball into the higher scoring ones.”
“Exactly.”
He studied her forlorn face. “But you didn’t?”
“Not even once!” She heaved a breath. “For three whole years, I lusted after that giant purple panda.”
He blubbered out a laugh. “A what?”
“A panda, Lucas! It was so darn cute with big sad eyes and everything. I swore it was begging, ‘Misty!’” She put on a high shrill voice. “‘Misty, take me home!’”
Lucas shook his head. “You poor deprived child. I had no idea life had been so rough on you.”
“It was rough.” She crossed one ankle over the other, the tip of her boot angled toward the waves. “In many ways, I’m still not over it.”
“Noted.”
She wryly twisted her lips. “I like you, Lucas Reyes,” she said. “Like you a lot.”
“Good to hear,” he answered. He met her gaze and held it. “I like you a lot, too.”
Misty checked her watch. “Wait. How is it after three o’clock?”
“After three?” The time had totally escaped him. “What?”
“If we’re going to make that movie…” She scooted onto her knees and started packing things up. “Before Charlotte beats us at that too—”
“Wait!” She stared at him and her pretty eyes took his breath away. “Our selfie.”
“Good thing you remembered.” She took out her phone and they snapped a few posed shots with them smiling over the picnic basket with the beach in the background. Misty leaped to her feet and Lucas stood, too, folding the blanket.
“You think we can still make the three-thirty show?”
He tucked the blanket under his arm. “They always run trailers first.”
“Right,” she said, hustling up the dunes beside him.
Lucas’s heart felt warm and full. He was going to the movies with Misty, after showing her his house—and his world, and she’d seemed to love both.
He couldn’t have imagined a happier day.
Chapter Nineteen
Misty and Lucas crept into the movie theater hand in hand, their heads bowed as they scooted down a row to minimize blocking the screen from others behind them. It was amazing to her they’d almost missed the movie. The picnic had been so much fun, she’d totally lost track of time. They found a stretch of empty seats about three-quarters of the way back. Other than those, the place was packed, except for the very first row, which had several openings. Majestic had been waiting for this superhero flick and it seemed like half the town was here.
The main feature had just started with the beginning credits rolling, so they luckily hadn’t missed anything important. “How ’bout here?” Lucas glanced at an empty seat and Misty nodded, dropping down into a red velvet chair. It had polished wooden arms with its seat number embossed on a small brass plaque. Its soft cushiony seat rocked back and forth when you pushed back with your feet a little. So comfy and cool.
She loved this place and it was extra great being here with Lucas. It had been so much fun seeing his little cottage, and just the thought of him tending to those pretty roses filled her heart with wonder and joy. He’d had a few personal touches in his house, too. Photos of him with his family, and a nice shot of his parents alone together. Her favorite had been a pic of him as a kid, maybe age ten or so, standing beside his dad on a fishing boat. He held up a fish that was nearly half his size and beamed at the camera.
Lucas was such a multifaceted guy. There were so many things about him she’d never known, and the more she learned about him, the more she liked him. She was falling for him for real, and maybe it was on account of Nell’s silly list. It was hard to say if she’d already be feeling this way if they hadn’t done all those romantic adventures together. Then again, the trumpet playing and him showing her his house hadn’t been scripted. Neither had Lucas finding that conch shell. Each of those events had been serendipitous. Happy coincidences that had drawn them closer together.
Or maybe they weren’t coincidences at all.
Misty held her breath.
Now she was starting to think like Mei-Lin and Nell. Believing in signs and fated matches.
Lucas had joked about the whole “being fated” idea.
Was he starting to believe in it, too?
Three teenage girls scooted into their theater row, snagging the remaining seats next to them. A few other stragglers walked up and down the aisles holding snacks and hunting for a spot. They’d probably have to sit at the very front and develop cricks in their necks from looking up at the too-close screen. Misty was glad she and Lucas didn’t have to contend with that, and relieved they hadn’t wasted time by getting popcorn. She’d offered to slip out for some later in the show.
The music swelled in a dramatic crescendo and all eyes locked on the screen. A wildly exciting opening unfolded with a heart-pounding car chase involving the female action-hero. Lucas squeezed Misty’s hand, the tension mounting as they became thoroughly engrossed in the plot. There was one twisty turn after another, keeping the audience riveted in place.
Now wasn’t the time for making out. The film was too exciting. Lucas must have sensed that, too. He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Doing all right?” he whispered.
She grinned and nodded, and he gave her cheek a peck.
Happiness coursed through her as they settled back to enjoy the show.
Finally, the roaring action passed and a quieter scene showed the heroine bonding with her sidekick. “Still want popcorn?” she asked Lucas in low tones.
“Yeah.” He dug for his wallet but she stayed his hand. “This is on me.” He’d gotten the tickets. She couldn’t let Lucas buy everything for her. “Want anything else?”
He made a motion like he was drinking from a cup, but the drinks here were always so huge. “Want to share one?”
“Sure.”
Someone shushed them from the back and Misty glared in that direction. She was being as quiet as she could and was on her way out. Some people had such little tolerance for distraction.
Wait. That woman on the aisle in the very last row looked a lot like Charlotte.
It was kind of hard to tell with her having her arms wrapped around the guy beside her. He clung to her, too, and they were kissy-face making out. Gross! Charlotte was twenty-eight, not fourteen. Misty inched out of her row, stepping over feet and avoiding toes.
She reached the aisle, storming back toward Charlotte.
Yep. That was her sister all right. She recognized Charlotte’s gleaming dark hair and those fancy cowgirl boots in an instant. Not to mention that necklace made from an energy crystal, which seemed to be working overtime about now.
Misty was kind of surprised heated sparks were flying off the couple’s bodies.
What was her sister thinking? She was in a public place.
Seriously, Charlotte? Get a room.
Misty strode right up to Charlotte in the darkened space and tapped her shoulder.
Charlotte’s chin jerked up and her eyes widened in surprise. “Misty!” she gasped. Colorful light ribbons bouncing off the movie screen cut across her pale face.
The guy beside her was wide-eyed, too. Only he wasn’t Dave. He was a ginger, with wavy reddish hair and lighter eyes. It was hard to tell exactly what shade they were in the shadows.
“Who’s this?” Misty demanded.
“Uh. Hello.” He grinned awkwardly. “I’m Steve.”
“Hi, Steve. I’m Misty,” she said matter-of-factly before turning her gaze on Charlotte. “What happened to Dave?”
The guy warily eyed Charlotte. “Who’s Dave?”
Charlotte gave Misty the stink-eye, then someone in front of them spun around. “Do you mind?” It was a dad in his forties with his wife and kids. He blinked at Misty. “Oh, hey! It’s you.”
His little girl turned around and got up on her knees, speaking over the back of her chair. “Look!” She pointed at Misty and movie-theater patrons whirled around and stared. “It’s feeling-the-wind girl!”
Shushes sounded all around them and Misty winced. “Sorry.”
She waved at the child, who waved back before her mom settled her down in her seat.
Misty placed her hand on her hip, speaking quietly. “We need to talk,” she said, glowering at Charlotte. “Now.”
Charlotte stood, smoothing down her short peasant skirt. “Really, Misty. Way to interrupt.”
“Way to put on a show,” Misty growled under her breath.
“I won’t be a minute,” Charlotte told her date. He sat there too stunned to do anything but stare at Charlotte and nod.
Misty fumed, following Charlotte out of the theater. If Charlotte wasn’t still with Dave, had she made the whole thing up about almost winning their bet? Maybe she really wasn’t getting serious with any guy. Clearly not with Dave! Where had he disappeared to, anyway? This had to be another one of Charlotte’s tricks. She’d totally invented the Dave thing. Staged all those photo ops, causing Misty to develop ulcers unnecessarily. Grrr.
Charlotte must have sensed her hostility because she paused on a step, like she might change her mind and bolt—racing back into the protective custody of her seatmate.
But no. Charlotte wasn’t going anywhere until she confessed about what she’d actually been doing. With—and without—Dave in the picture.
“Stop shoving!” Charlotte’s husky whisper made her sound very annoyed.
What right did she have to be irritated? She’s the one who’d left Misty in a panic, thinking she might get saddled with marrying Aidan Strong, when Charlotte had totally inflated her successes in the nailing-down-a-groom department.
“Then keep walking,” Misty whispered back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lucas’s curious gaze trained on them. Whatever Charlotte’s story was, he needed to hear it too and Misty would be happy to share. First, though, she wanted to hear it herself.
Misty corralled Charlotte in the movie theater’s lobby on the far side of the divider rope and away from the concession area. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
Charlotte stuck out her bottom lip. “Way to be rude and ruin a date, Misty.”
Misty huffed out a breath. “Way to totally mess up my outing with Lucas!”
“Hey.”
“Where did Steve come from, anyway?”
Charlotte swished her skirt. “The waitlist. What do you think?”
Misty crossed her arms in front of her. “I think you’ve been hinting nonstop that you’re making progress with Dave, and that you’ve been lying to me and Nell the entire time. Whatever on earth happened to him?”
Charlotte bit her lip. “We had a little problem when he saw the list.”
“The waitlist? Maybe he was scared to know he had so much competition?”
“No, not that one. The other one. Nell’s romantic must-dos.”
Misty rubbed the side of her nose. “I thought you’d already shown him that?”
“Um. Not exactly? I told him about the contest, though.” Her face brightened. “He was all on board with that.”
“So what exactly was the problem then?”
Charlotte drew in a breath then exhaled it. “Dave was all about sharing secrets.”
“What?”
“That had to do with stargazing.”
“Stargazing? I don’t get it.”
Her shoulders sank. “It had to do with aliens.”
“Aliens? What? From different worlds?”
Charlotte shook her head. “Galaxies.”
He had to have made that up just to dump Charlotte. “So, Dave’s what?” Misty asked. “Afraid of being abducted?”
“No.” Charlotte pursed her lips. “That’s kind of just it. He wants to be taken up in the mothership.”
Misty didn’t know what to say to that. Finally, she ventured, “Seriously?”
Charlotte lowered her voice. “I do think he was serious. That was the scary part. He wanted us to wear outfits and everything.”
Misty’s jaw dropped. “Outfits?”
Charlotte’s eyebrows knitted together. “You apparently have to look nice for alien abduction. Or at least suitably appealing to be chosen.”
Misty threw back her head and roared. “Nooo. Charlotte!” She stared at her wide-eyed. “Do you really think he meant it?”
Charlotte winced. “I thought he was kidding around until he started quoting all these strange statistics.”
“Oh gee.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “That’s what I said, exactly.”
Misty hugged her older sister. “I’m sorry, Char. Really I am. How did you end things?”
“Very firmly.” Charlotte set her chin. “I said I’d miss my family too much by leaving this universe.” She sighed. “In a very strange way, I think Dave understood.”
Misty pulled back to look in Charlotte’s eyes. Her sister looked a little sad. Disillusioned, even. “When did all this happen?”
“It was the same night we watched the sunset. He found the list in my kitchen drawer when he went looking for a corkscrew. Things had all been going really great until then. But when he started talking about stars, his eyes took on this glossy sheen and I don’t know, Misty.” She shrugged. “Honestly, it was a little weird.”
That sounded a lot weird to her. Misty did some mental calculations. “Hang on. Are you saying you and Dave stopped seeing each other that night?”
Charlotte stepped back, clearly guessing where Misty was going with this. “Maybe?”
Misty gawked at her. “So then the pic of your breakfast in bed…you dancing in the rain?”
Charlotte’s forehead wrinkled. “I’m sorry, Misty. I couldn’t admit that things had gone south. Especially in such a bizarre way. Not with you getting together with Lucas, who’s so grounded and normal and everything.” She searched Misty’s eyes. “By the way, how’s all that going?” She grinned tentatively. “Looks like, pretty well? I saw you two enter the theater together holding hands.”
“Things are going very well. Lucas is special.”
“Have you completed Nell’s list?”
“We should get there shortly.” Misty squared her shoulders. “Evidently a lot sooner than you. And here’s the thing. We haven’t cheated.”
Charlotte blinked and Misty’s heart went out to her. Maybe she’d been too harsh. Railing at Charlotte for fudging on the list. “So. What’s the deal with Steve?”
“He’s fine with Nell’s list and the bet. Only.” Charlotte sighed. “I’m finding it hard to fall in love on a dime.”
“I can see that’s a challenge.” It was so different with her and Lucas. They had a history as coworkers and friends. A foundation to build on. Mutual admiration and trust. And Nell had been crushing on Grant for years.
“Misty,” Charlotte said, and her tone was sincere. “If things work out for you and Lucas, I want you to know.” Her voice trembled. “I’ll be very happy for you. Happy for both you guys.”
Misty choked up a little herself, because she knew what Charlotte was saying.
“Believe it or not, I believe in true love.” Charlotte’s blue eyes misted over. “Nell’s with Grant now, and I want you to have the same with Lucas.”
Misty’s heart thumped and all at once, she knew that’s what she wanted, too. She wanted a romantic relationship with Lucas, hopefully an amazing and endless one. But she didn’t want to have to sacrifice Charlotte’s happiness to get there. Poor Charlotte. Getting relegated to London and a loveless, in-name-only marriage. “Charlotte. About you and Aidan.”
“No, seriously,” she said. “It will be okay. I’ll be okay.”
“But what about Steve?”
Charlotte shrugged. “He’s an awfully good kisser.”
“So you’re going to keep doing Nell’s list?”
“I don’t see why not,” she said. “He’s on board with it, and I suppose my feelings could change.”
Misty guessed she was right, but somehow she didn’t quite think that they would. “Well, good luck then, with Steve. Maybe it can still work out.”
“You’re the lucky one,” Charlotte said. “You and Lucas? I think you’re written in the stars.”
“You really think so?”
“Uh-huh, yeah. Yes, I do.”
In a strange way, Misty was starting to think that herself. Maybe RISD had just been a pipe dream, maybe that was never bound to happen. She’d been fooling herself by hoping it might. Misty loved Majestic and she loved her family. If by some miracle of miracles she and Lucas fell legit in love with each other, would this really be such a terrible place to stay?
No, it could actually be fantastic.
“So, what do you say?” Misty asked, motioning toward the concession stand, which was experiencing a lull at the moment. “Want to get some popcorn to take back to the guys?”
“Yeah,” Charlotte said. “Great idea.” She gave a shaky grin and pulled herself together, and Misty latched onto her arm.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. Really I am. About Dave. I thought there were…” She glanced Charlotte’s way. “Possibilities.”
Charlotte patted Misty’s hand. “You know. For a fleeting instant, I thought so, too.”
When Misty returned to her seat, Lucas whispered, “Get everything straight with your sister?”
