Like the Back of My Halo

by Hutchinson, Heidi

“Yeah.” Brady sighed again.

  Why did he have to be the responsible one? Maybe Bo had the right idea.

  Live and let live.

  ***

  Lo

  “Would you hold still. Seriously, two more seconds.”

  Lo held perfectly still as Tessa dusted her all over with some sort of magical sparkly fairy dust. At least that's how she treated it. It was just one more thing Lo would have to wash off in the shower.

  “Let me get your back too.”

  “My back?” Lo frowned but turned around anyway. It was often best to let Tessa do what she wanted. She had a vision and Lo had learned early on in their friendship that interfering with Tessa's vision wasn't awesome, but letting her have her way never actually hurt. It was just confusing. For Lo. Lo was the only one confused.

  “Yes, your back is exposed. Men will look at your back. It should sparkle.”

  “Whatever you say, mama jama.”

  “I have a good feeling about tonight,” Tessa said, stepping back to observe her “masterpiece.” That being Lo in evening wear and full makeup.

  Lo smiled widely at her best friend. “You always say that.”

  Tessa bounced her head from side to side, rolling her eyes. “Yes, but the feeling is stronger tonight.”

  “Spin for me,” Spencer instructed.

  Lo stepped further into the hallway and spun around. “Do I look presentable?”

  “You always look presentable,” Tessa corrected her. “But we've successfully hidden the vagabond. Instead of gypsy princess, you're just princess.”

  “You look amazing,” Spencer agreed and winked. “Maybe you'll meet Prince Charming tonight.”

  Lo grimaced and hiked up the long dress so she could make her way into Tessa and Spencer's living room where the killer shoes waited for her.

  “Not looking to be rescued, ladies. Remember, I like my life. Love it, in fact.”

  Tessa and Spencer exchanged a look Lo didn't miss.

  “Really. We've been over this so many times. Is it so hard to believe I'm happy? I've worked really hard to get here. I'm good at my job, I pay my own bills, I make my own decisions. I'm no longer at the mercy of whichever way the wind is blowing.”

  Tessa frowned, concerned for her friend, but Lo couldn't figure out why. It was a good life—a great life.

  “All of that is true,” Spencer said quietly, taking a seat on the couch. “But you know you don't have to lie to us. We're not going anywhere.”

  Emotional sucker punch. Lo's mouth may have fallen open a little. “I don't... that's not...” She huffed a heavy sigh and clenched her hands at her sides to keep from touching her face and messing up her makeup.

  She closed one eye and squinted with the other.

  “All we're saying,” Tessa jumped in, ever the peacemaker and reminding Lo why these two were the most important people in her life. “Is leave room for love. That's it. Not everyone is a turd.”

  ***

  Brady

  Brady found the happy couple first.

  His first cousin on his mother's side. Recently promoted to CEO at his dad's software company and engaged to the daughter of a banker.

  The engagement party was more than friends and family, it included colleagues and potential clients to keep both sides of the family busy for the rest of forever. Which was probably why they had decided to have it at the most luxurious hotel on Newport Beach.

  As Brady crossed the Grand Ballroom to intercept the happy couple, he couldn't help being distracted by the sight of the moonlit bay outside the floor to ceiling windows. It was bright enough; he might go for a midnight surf after he left here.

  Brady offered best wishes, hugged his cousin, and went in search of his father. The sooner he was outta there, the better.

  He used to think he would have fit in among these people if only he hadn't blown out his knee in college. He had been eyed for the draft his freshman year and was expecting to get a second round pick by his junior year until his ACL decided it had had enough basketball and quit without notice.

  The recovery and rehab cut into the classes he had already been struggling with and after a few weeks he'd given up entirely. He didn't want to go into business anyway. He thought he'd take a couple years off to figure it out.

  In the meantime, he worked at Shane's surf and snow shop.

  And he was content.

  But he still felt the blight he'd created in the family tree with his lack of ambition. He'd started to limit how many events he attended and had finally managed to only get invited to two or three a year.

  He snagged a glass of champagne off a nearby tray and took a healthy swallow.

  He nodded cordially to a few familiar faces, searching for his dad among the glitz, gowns, and black ties. Spotting him near the door of the veranda, he took solid strides in his direction.

  His dad glanced over his shoulder and spotted him, smiled and waved him over. Brady was no doubt going to be introduced to yet another wealthy, widowed, middle-aged woman who was in need of a trophy husband. He tried not to let his lack of excitement show in his expression.

  It was weird. Brady's parents were always trying to marry them off to someone financially stable. It was almost as if they didn't think their sons were ever going to grow up.

  Bo sitting in his underwear playing video games and drinking beer flashed through his mind. He shook it off and put on his game face.

  Besides, he would never find the girl of his dreams in a place like this. Not among the money and the life plans. If she was out there, she was a feather in an offshore wind.

  “Ms. Salinas, this is my son, Bradach.”

  Again with the full name.

  Brady cleared his throat, smiled tightly, and corrected his father, “Brady.”

  He extended his hand to the dark-haired, mid-fifties, elegantly dressed woman.

  “Pleased to meet the oldest son of the good doctor.” Ms. Salinas smiled and her brown eyes flashed with surprise.

  Brady let go of her hand and nodded with a small smile.

  Thus began the small talk, the awkward, zero subtle hints his dad tried to give, and Brady's stare down of the ornate clock on the far wall of the ballroom.

  “Ah, Ms. Fredericks, have you met Dr. Samson's son?”

  Brady dropped his eyes from the clock to the woman now joining their small group.

  See? Now why couldn't his dad introduce him to someone like this? Someone at least born in the same decade.

  “I don't believe so.” Ms. Fredericks shifted her champagne to her other hand. Her pale green eyes connected with Brady's and her head jerked slightly to the left.

  He grasped her outstretched hand and narrowed his gaze. “Pleasure,” he murmured.

  Ms. Fredericks' dark eyebrows lifted. “Uh-huh.” She shook her head and blinked rapidly. “ I mean, yes. Pleasure. Happening.” She jerked her hand away from him and took a swallow of her drink as she averted her eyes.

  Brady's lips twitched as he witnessed her overtly flustered behavior. Either he looked better in the tux than he had thought, or she wasn't as comfortable at these types of event as her dress otherwise implied.

  Ms. Salinas continued, “Ms. Fredericks is one of my more driven representatives. She had record breaking sales last quarter. She's an enormous asset to the company.”

  “Is that so?” Brady's dad tilted his head in interest.

  It was just like his dad to be interested in the one thing Brady couldn't care less about.

  “You can call me, Lo,” she said, before clearing her throat and taking a deep breath. As if her words were compulsory and she was chastising herself internally for handing out that little tidbit of information.

  As his dad and Ms. Salinas discussed what Brady hoped was medical business and not his dowry, he tried not to be too obvious while he totally checked Lo out.

  She didn't seem like she didn't belong. No, her emerald green dress fit her body like a glove, her dark hair was tied into an elegant
side knot, perfect makeup, perfect poise, even the way she held her champagne was perfect.

  It was the hint of panic in her eyes and the way those same eyes danced around the room, landing on everyone except for him.

  “Ms. Fredericks is the future of our company. I hope to make her partner in the near future.”

  Ms. Salinas' announcement clearly caught Lo off guard because her dark eyebrows snapped into a sharp V. She relaxed her features as soon as it happened and smiled demurely. She opened her mouth to speak but her boss kept going.

  “As you can imagine, we'd like to see her future in a very stable place.”

  Brady maneuvered around his dad, bringing him alongside Lo as his dad replied with, “Of course. We all want the best for our kids. Brady here has very strong paternal instincts. I could see him easily slipping into the role of at-home caregiver.”

  Brady nodded with this assessment. It was a pitch his dad has tried out numerous times. Lo shifted uneasily beside him, her mouth open as if to interrupt the proceedings. He bent slightly towards her ear.

  “It's best to let the negotiations play out.”

  Lo glanced at Brady and visibly swallowed.

  He flashed her a smile. “Let me guess, this is your first marriage arrangement?”

  She licked her lips and huffed a small laugh. “Uh, yeah, you could say that.”

  He sighed. “I lost count of how many I've been through. I'm beginning to think I'm going to die a spinster.”

  She snorted, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Brady grinned, inexplicably pleased he could make her laugh. It added to his theory she didn't want to be there.

  “What is the male equivalent for spinster?” he asked, his eyes narrowed on his dad and Ms. Salinas as they mapped out the ideal future for the two adults left to wait for the outcome. The party continued on around them. Brady set his glass down on a passing tray and slid his hands into his pockets.

  “Hm, I don't think there is one.” Lo shifted enough so her body was angled more towards him. “I believe it's socially acceptable for men to never marry, so no one has ever created a derogatory word for what happens when they don't.”

  “Tell that to my parents,” he grumbled more to himself than to her. She hid her smile behind her glass. “Spinster would a very inaccurate description, I think that's what really bothers me. I mean, I don't even know how to spin.”

  She coughed while swallowing and Brady turned his face away so he could maintain his flat tone.

  “And Old Maid is, well, I suppose more accurate. I do like a clean living space.”

  Lo's shoulders began to shake with her suppressed laughter. The remaining champagne in her glass sloshing up the sides.

  “Goodness, dear, are you all right?” Ms. Salinas asked in alarm.

  Lo coughed, covering her mouth with one hand as Brady lifted her glass of champagne from the other. “Yes,” she wheezed, then coughed again.

  Brady smiled his most charming smile as he placed a hand on the small of Lo's back. “She probably needs some fresh air,” he said, already guiding her to the nearby doors of the veranda.

  Ms. Salinas nodded her approval and his dad lifted his chin. Brady decided rolling his eyes wouldn't be his best display of manners, so he withheld.

  Once outside, the sound of the ocean replaced the soft concertos and polite conversations and his shoulders loosened. He took a deep breath of the sea air and the ease spread into his chest and arms. He slowly removed his hand from Lo's back and tucked it into his pocket again. It wasn't until they'd started walking had he realized he was touching soft, bare skin. Her dress scooped low enough in the back, it was nearly scandalous. Now his hand was back in his pocket, he missed the feel of her under his fingertips.

  “Sorry about my dad.” He offered an apologetic smile. “These kinds of events really bring out the romantic in him.”

  They paused at the stone railing and faced each other. It seemed he wasn't the only one more relaxed outside of the party. The tight lines around her eyes had disappeared and her mouth was curved into an easy smile. She had been beautiful initially, but she'd kicked it up a notch when he hadn't been looking.

  “I have to admit, I was starting to get a little panicky.” Her green eyes rolled the direction of the waves and he noted the color of them had increased in vibrancy.

  Brady chuckled. “My parents...” He shook his head and groaned. “I know they care. I just wish they didn't care in such a creepy way, you know?”

  Lo's brilliant smile flashed and was followed by a healthy laugh. It took him by surprise and left him a little dazzled and dazed.

  “So what huge conglomeration are they grooming you to take over?” he asked.

  Now it was her turn to groan. “I'm a pharmaceutical rep for Narrs and Beltzer. I actually had no idea Ms. Salinas wanted me to become partner.”

  “I think I figured that part out by your less than enthusiastic reaction.”

  “Was I that obvious?”

  He softened his smile. “Only to someone paying attention.” He followed that by holding her eyes for too long.

  “What about you?” she asked. “What do you do for a living?”

  He leaned a hip against the railing. “I work at my friend's surf shop in Huntington Beach. Soaring Bird.” His eyes sharpened on her face as he tried to place a fragment of a memory. “Have you ever been there?”

  “Yeah, a few times.” She grinned. “I actually live there. Most of my market is there too. Newport really isn't...” She licked her lips and sobered as her gaze drifted to the ocean. “My scene.”

  He must've scene her around. It would explain why the longer he talked to her, the more familiar she seemed.

  “Where's Narrs and Beltzer located?” he asked curiously.

  “Santa Barbara, if you can believe it.”

  “Would you have to relocate if they promoted you?”

  Her frown darkened her features and she pursed her lips, concentrating on her thoughts somewhere in the distance.

  He shoved off the railing and held out a hand. “C'mon, let's take a walk.”

  The flash of surprise lit up her face and he ignored the small thrill it gave him.

  “On the beach?” There was a hesitation in her question. One that asked if he was sure and if she was sure and if any of this was sure.

  But it wasn't.

  Nothing about this moment was planned. Brady had an impulse and he wanted to follow it. Because for the first time at one of these things, he actually wanted to be there. So long as he could keep talking to this woman.

  “Yeah, on the beach. With me.”

  Lo took a deep breath. She shuffled slightly and stepped out of her high heels. With a grin, she hooked the shoes with the fingers of one hand and her other hand, she gave to Brady.

  His heart turned violently inside his chest.

  This was unexpected.

  She was unexpected.

  ***

  Lo

  Silently, he led her from the veranda, down stone steps that emptied out onto the beach. The closer they drew to the ocean, the more Lo's soul eased at its nearness.

  Her eyes drifted to the curling waves crashing near the point. Brady's warm hand engulfed hers, making her feel small and safe all at once. It was also making her thoughts cloudy.

  When they'd initially been introduced, she was afraid he was going to recognize her from their very short incident that morning. But he hadn't. And then she forgot, too.

  Because she was way more interested in meeting this Brady Samson. The one who was all muscles and baby blues wrapped up in a tux with a crooked bow-tie.

  He was funny and charming and irreverent. All of her favorite qualities in a person.

  She wanted to shake out her hair, ditch the shoes, and run away with him.

  No, really.

  He stirred something deep inside she didn't often lend a voice to. She wasn't stupid enough to call it something it wasn't. But he reminded her of a dream she used to have.
/>
  “Do you like your job?” he asked.

  “I'm good at my job,” she said carefully. “It provides me with the money to live where I live and do what I actually like to do.”

  Though, if the promotion was a real thing happening in her future, it would take away the last part of her statement.

  “Which is...?”

  She hummed softly. “Surfing. And eating. Mostly surfing.”

  He chuckled and his thumb moved over the back of her hand, sending warm shock waves up her arm and ricocheting around inside her chest.

  “And the name Lo? Where does that come from?” he asked.

  “Halo. My parents are hippies who live on a beach in Hawaii.” She shrugged off the topic of her parents that she hadn't meant to bring up. “What about you? Do you like your job? Or is just something you're doing until your dad finds you a suitable wife?”

  “I like my job,” he answered solidly, but with hesitation in his tone. It told her there was more to it than just having a job. Like she did.

  “Surfing and eating are right up there, too.” He flashed her another charming grin and elements of that morning replayed in her head. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She should probably tell him how they were connected.

  Because she visited Soaring Bird so often, now he'd see her and probably (hopefully) talk to her. And Spencer, who was usually the one with her on those trips, would never keep her mouth shut about the taco incident.

  She liked him. A lot. To the point where she was a little mad Spencer had a weird feud with his brother and had forbid her from ever interacting with either of the Samson brothers.

  She took a deep breath as a small headache began to bloom at the base of her skull. She was going to tell him. And they would laugh and it would just become a story they would tell later. Spencer and Bo would be fine.

  She let go of Brady's hand and released the clip barely containing her mane. Her hair broke free and tumbled down her shoulder in a thick dark wave.

  “Sorry. Those things give me the worst headache.”

  They'd stopped moving and she glanced up to find Brady staring at her with an unexpected intensity. She tried a smile and he took a step closer. Her heart kicked up a gear.