Playing in Secret(31)

"Not yet. It's a surprise."

"I don't really like surprises."

"You seemed to like the last two days full of surprises."

"True."

"So trust me on this one, too, okay?"

"Okay," I tell him, turning my head to kiss him.

"Let's go give our credit cards a workout."

I grab my coat, and follow him. "I like that you said ‘our' cards and not just yours."

"I know you wouldn't let me buy you everything you want. I do insist on buying you a few things."

"As long as you let me buy you things, too."

"Deal. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I haven't forgotten the  challenge you threw down about buying you something unique. It's part of  my grand plan for later on."

"Is it a horse, or a puppy?"

"No, but I'll buy you one of each if you want them."

"I don't. Not really. A dog would be nice, but I can get one myself."

"Why did you mention them if you don't want them?"

"My friends got them from their guys, and everyone thinks it's great.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's great for them, too. Just maybe not for  me."

"Hmm. So what if I bought you something that wasn't really a present you could hold."

"Like a donation?"

"Kind of. More like something I would do for you."

"That sounds really wonderful. What are you going to do for me?"

"You'll see."

"I tried."

"You did. It was a very valiant effort, and you will be rewarded for it later."

"And people say romance is dead."

"You ain't seen nothing yet, Dree. Nothing at all."





We spend the rest of the afternoon walking down Main Street again,  stopping into the little shops and boutiques. I find some beautiful  jewelry pieces for me, my friends, and Jeanne. I also get some homemade  soaps and lotions. Blake gets a cool ski jacket that even he admits  he'll probably never use for skiing, but it looks great on him.

I can't resist buying a bunch of things in a baby store we come across,  and the shopkeeper directs us to a custom baby boot store nearby. We buy  one of everything since we don't know what we're having and the little  leather booties are just too cute. I can always save the ones we don't  need for when my friends start having babies of their own. We manage to  deflect any curious looks by pretending we're shopping for friends, but  once we're back in the SUV, we gush over everything together.

I'm so happy right now, and that makes me worry that something bad is  coming our way. I know I should be just living in the moment, and being  happy, but there's still that little voice in my head telling me Blake  Armstrong can't really be interested in me. I've done a good job of  ignoring it, but it's there, and I really want to prove it wrong.





Chapter 23


Blake

I cannot believe I am doing this. I know it's important to Audrey, but I  really don't want to be here. Especially not with Jeanne, since she  seems to think Scott Griffin is a rock star mixed with a god. I'll do  anything for either of my girls, though, so here I am, about to walk  into the backyard of the Griffin compound.

Friday night barbeque is apparently an institution, and outsiders aren't  usually invited in. Audrey told me they're like a second family to her,  so she has an open invitation, and she asked to bring me tonight.  Maggie told her yes, Jeanne put on a dress, and here we are now.

It's date fifteen, and they all keep getting better and better. We still  keep planning them for each other, but we don't usually do anything out  of the ordinary any more. Mostly just a movie or some kind of show,  dinner, or a quiet night of cuddling on the couch while we talk about  anything that's on our minds. Boring by other people's standards, maybe,  but because we're together, they're far from it.

Audrey said we should dress casually, but I'm still expecting some big  catered affair. Once we walk in, I realize just how wrong my assumption  was. All of the Griffins are putting out platters and bowls of food.  Gary Griffin is manning the grill, and Maggie is swatting her sons'  hands away as they try and sneak bites of the sides. There are little  kids running around, and there is not one thing that could be classified  as "fancy' going on here. It's like something you'd seen on TV, a big,  loving family enjoying a night together.         

     



 

"Wow."

"I know. You get used to it," Audrey tells me.

"Jeanne," Scott yells, "welcome to barbeque night."

"Why isn't he welcoming us?" I ask, grumbling a little.

"Because we are not a teenage girl who might feel intimidated by all of them at once."

"You have to be sensible, don't you?"

"About this, yes."

Maggie wipes her hands on her jeans before coming over to envelope  Audrey in a hug. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight. We've missed  you."

"I don't come every week."

"No, but you used to come more. Before … "

Me? Does she mean before me? "I didn't know I was keeping you from your friends, Dree."

"Oh, you're not. She didn't mean you. Maggie and I have had some rough times lately, but we're working on it."

"Yes, we are. And you and your daughter are welcome to come here with  Audrey whenever you'd like, Blake. Despite what it looks like, the boys  actually leave some food for others."

"I'm not sure Jeanne should be around Scott so much. No offense, but I  don't like the way she is around him. Following him around like he walks  on water."

"You see him now, but I can tell you that when he was Jeanne's age, not  many girls were taking notice of him. Unless it was to tease him about  being a nerd who didn't care about dressing in the ‘right' clothes."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Audrey answers. "I met Scott when he was just about to  start college, and he was a skinny boy with big glasses. He didn't come  into his own until he'd been in college for a little while. Then, every  girl on campus wanted him. It was funny to watch him as he tried to  navigate all of that."

"By ‘navigate' she means that my son slept his way through every girl at his school."

"Except for Ainsley," Audrey says.

"Yes, well, Ainsley wasn't like the rest. She had a crush on him, sure, but he cared too much for her as a friend to use her."

"Wasn't that weird? Him working so closely with her when she had a crush  on him?" I ask, still utterly confused by the idea of the tattooed guy  in front of me being a nerd who was picked on.

"No, it wasn't," Scott's wife, Yasmin, says, coming up to our little  group. "Their friendship has always come first to both of them. When  Ainsley started dating Zack, Scott had a talk with her where he told her  he always thought she was amazing, and that meant a lot to her. They're  closer than ever now."

"And you're not bothered by that, even a little bit?"

"Not even a little bit. My husband never stops showing me how much he  loves me-and wants me. He will give Jeanne attention, because he  genuinely likes her, and he knows what it's like to be her, but he won't  encourage her in any romantic way. It will always be as a friend, and  he's made sure she knows that. She actually spent more time with me than  with him when she stayed over with us. We talked about books we love,  and a little bit about you and Audrey, too."

"Thank you. I'm not used to having an almost teenage daughter yet.  Seeing her with a crush is scary. The boy she liked in San Diego  disappointed her, and that nearly broke my heart, right along with  hers."

"It doesn't get any easier," Maggie tells me. "You always worry about  your children, and grandchildren, it's your job. You do learn to step  back and let them fall if they need to, making sure you're there to help  them clean up the scrapes once they pick themselves up again."

"I may be calling you for help."

"Any time, Blake."

Once Gary brings over the burgers and steaks, we all load our plates and  sit at the long picnic table that must have been custom built because  it fits all of the adults. The little kids sit at a smaller version of  the table, but Jeanne's sitting with us. I think her loyalty is  shifting, though. It's Luke Griffin that she seems to be swooning over  now as he talks to her about what it's like to be an elementary school  teacher. His wife, Olivia, winks at me, and I manage to smile back at  her, despite the fact that I want to now lock Jeanne in some random  tower until she's an adult.

Olivia's sister, Rose, is here visiting the Griffins, and she tries to  engage Jeanne in conversation about school, but it's no use. Luke is the  only one she's paying attention to, and I'm Googling castles for sale  in between bites of my burger. Rose goes to MIT and is another woman who  breaks the myth of beauty not mixing with brains. She's absolutely  gorgeous, and pretty sassy, too. She also doesn't mince words. "Aud, I  thought you were with Ares Dixon."