Blowing a loose strand of hair out of her face, Beth sighed. She knew she was just being bitter about being sent to the musty old storage room. The place sort of creeped her out. She didn’t particularly believe in ghosts, but she didn’t not believe in them either. If ever there were a place for spirits to flock to, it would be the old storage shed at Bellemora. The place smelled like tears and lost love. Okay, it mostly smelled like mothballs and dust, but Beth’s imagination always ran wild there. Especially since Brenna used to fill her head with scary stories about Civil War soldiers wandering the grounds searching for vengeance.
Beth shivered the thoughts away. “You’re not ten anymore, Beth. Suck it up.”
After her mini pep talk, Beth walked down the rows of climate-controlled storage lockers looking for the one labeled with Nana’s name. Nana had moved back to Bellemora when she was in her sixties, saying the warm climate was easier on her. She’d grown up at Bellemora, but moved to Boston to be closer to Beth’s mother and all the grandkids. Beth and her sister’s were Nana’s only grandkids and she’d spoiled them rotten.
Being the youngest grandchild had its perks. Nana always spent extra time doting on Beth. She took Beth to bridge night with all her hoity-toity old lady friends at the country club in Boston. She taught Beth how to make chocolate-chip cookies from scratch and always let her lick the spoon when they were done. Beth never got to do that at home. Her older sisters always beat her to it. But Nana never let that happen. She always found little ways to make Beth feel special.
Rolling open Nana’s storage shed unleashed a flood of emotions Beth hadn’t been expecting. A lump formed in her throat as she surveyed Nana’s belongings. She’d been very close to her, but being here, pawing through her things, felt wrong. Beth wanted to hold onto the good memories she had of Nana, not dig through a storage unit of her unused things.
When Nana passed away, Beth thought she’d never smile again. She’d missed her so much it physically hurt. Parker had been the one who got her through her grief. He’d come over every night and watched movies with Beth until she fell asleep. He’d been the first person to get her to laugh again by recounting numerous funny stories about Nana.
Beth closed her eyes and held onto those memories. They brought her warmth in such a cold place. Steeling herself, she opened her eyes and flipped back the lid on one of Nana’s trunks. A familiar scent wafted out and the space filled with Nana’s watery rose fragrance. Tears stung Beth’s eyes and for a moment she swore she could feel Nana in the room with her.
Regaining her composure, Beth peered into the trunk. She found a pair of white lace gloves resting on top, like they’d been waiting to be found for this very occasion. Beth sighed with relief and carefully tucked them into her purse. She was about to turn to go when a photo caught her eye. It was a framed photo of Nana and Pop. She ran her fingers over the glass lovingly. They looked so young and happy.
Beth had never met Nana’s husband. He died before she was born, but Nana talked about him all the time. It was obvious they’d been in love. In the photo, Nana was smiling at the camera, but the handsome man at her side wasn’t. He was holding her hand and looking at her like he’d never seen something so lovely in all his life.
A twinge of emotion thumped in Beth’s chest. She knew that look. It was the way Parker had looked at her last night. Suddenly, Nana’s words found their way to the front of her mind. ‘Never be afraid to ask for what you want in life. When you find your happiness, speak it out loud and hold onto it with all you got.’
Nana had said those words to Beth one day when Brenna was playing with a beautiful pearl necklace of Nana’s that Beth had always coveted. Beth had cried about it, and Nana told her that Brenna asked to borrow the necklace. If Beth had wanted it, all she’d had to do was ask. Then Nana had taken Beth’s cheeks in her warm hands and said those words. ‘Never be afraid to ask for what you want in life. When you find your happiness, speak it out loud and hold on to it with all you got.’
Like most things, Beth hadn’t realized the true wisdom of those words in that moment. But Nana was right. The statement was powerful and one Beth definitely needed to apply to her life. She never asked for what she truly wanted. If she had she wouldn’t be here. She let Jared make all the decisions about their relationship. She let her family boss her around at every turn. The only true happiness Beth had in her life was Parker. And her own timid nature had prevented her from ever telling him how she felt. He was what she wanted. He was her happiness. She wanted him in her life. She wanted him to stay in Boston. She wanted to explore what this thing was between them. And it was time she told him.
A new sense of purpose filled Beth as she began flipping furiously through the trunks in the storage room. Nana’s words spurred her on. She needed to start going after what she wanted in life or it would pass her by. Her heart pounded as she searched for the symbol that would remind her to keep Nana’s words with her. And when she saw that pearl necklace gleaming back at her, Beth could’ve cried.
She gently picked it up. The strand of rope length pearls was so long it had been knotted three quarters of the way down and there was still plenty of room for Beth to slip it over her head. The pearls settled cooly against her skin and Beth felt a chill sweep through her. It was as though Nana had a hand on her shoulder, guiding her toward her destiny.
Beth righted the room and checked one last time to make sure the pearls were secure. Then she prepared to march back to the hotel with purpose. As she was about to leave, an idea dawned on her and she turned back to look for one last thing.
30
Jared
“So are you having fun yet?” Caroline asked as she pulled her gloves off and hung her jacket up. They’d just arrived back at the house and began the process of disrobing their snowboard gear.
“I’d be having a lot more fun if you let me talk to my girlfriend.”
“I never said you couldn’t talk to her.”
“No, you just look at me like you’re my probation officer every time my phone rings.”
She shrugged. “It’s not my fault you have a guilty conscience.”
“I don’t have a guilty conscience because I’m not doing anything wrong.”
“Having fun with me doesn’t feel wrong?” she asked coyly.
Jared kicked off his boots and stomped over to the fireplace to defrost his toes. “Who said I’m having fun?”
Caroline just laughed.
Jared hated to admit she was right. When Caroline wasn’t shaming him, she was strangely fun. She initiated countless drinking games, kept everyone plied with food and alcohol, and filled any space she was in with her carefree attitude. It didn’t hurt that she was one hell of a snowboarder, too. She fit in with Jared’s friends easily, dishing out smack talk with the best of them and schooling them on the slopes.
Jared had wondered since the day he found out Beth and Caroline were friends, how his sweet, perfect girlfriend could be friends with crazy Caroline. But in Aspen, Jared was finally seeing how it was possible. Caroline wasn’t all bad—that is, if he pretended she wasn’t blackmailing him.
“Fine. I am having fun. And you can’t make me feel bad about it,” Jared replied.
“I’m not trying to make you feel bad,” Caroline said joining him by the fireplace. She perched on the arm of an overstuffed chair. “I’m trying to protect my friend.”
“And I’m telling you that you’re wasting your time. I really care about Beth and I’m not going to screw this up. You can send all the sorority girls you want into the hot tub with me, or act all flirty and fun, but it’s not gonna work. I made you a deal and I keep my word.”
“We’ll see,” Caroline said.
Jared stalked over to her and handed Caroline his phone. “Here. Keep this for insurance if it’ll make you feel better.”
Caroline’s eyebrows arched slightly. The slight move betrayed her aloofness.
“Happy now?” Jared asked.
“Getting th
ere.”
“I’m serious, keep it. I said I won’t tell her and I meant it. Keep my phone for the rest of the trip if it makes you feel better.”
“I will. And I’ll put it some place you have no business being.”
“Where’s that?” he challenged.
“My bedroom.”
He snorted. “Fine. Can we just have fun now?”
Caroline winked. “Let the fun begin.” Then she got up and sauntered over to the bar. She came back with a bottle of tequila, unscrewing the top and taking a swig before passing it to Jared. He met her sip with one of his own.
“So what should we play?” Caroline asked.
Jared shrugged. “You’re the drinking game expert.”
“How about truth or dare?”
“There’s only two of us.”
“That’s all it takes.”
Beth
First things first. After Beth completed all the menial tasks on Brenna’s list of demands, she made her way back to her room and pulled out her phone. She needed to get in touch with Jared. She spent all night waiting for him to call her back and then cried over the fact that he didn’t. She was done crying. And she was done wavering. Jared was making no effort and surprisingly, Beth found she didn’t care. She was seeing things clearly for the first time.
It had been thoughts of Parker that kept her awake all night. And even now, as Beth listened to Jared’s voice when his voicemail picked up, she couldn’t even really remember what kissing him was like. But Parker’s kiss . . . it had been branded into her memory like the melody of her favorite song.
Beth remembered everything about Parker. She knew his face as though it were her own reflection. The thin white scar on his chin, the sharpness of his jaw, the smooth hollows of his cheeks, his breath on her lips. She could still taste him. She’d memorized every moment of their kiss. And she wanted more. She craved to feel his lips on hers again, to have him hold her against him like she was his most prized possession. She felt breathless thinking about it. There were so many things she knew about Parker, but there were so many more she wanted to discover.
When Jared’s voicemail beeped, Beth hung up. She needed to end things between them before starting anything more with Parker, but she still didn’t feel right doing it over voicemail. Beth knew Jared wasn’t the right guy for her, but he deserved more than a breakup message.
Beth ran her fingers over the smooth pearls of Nana’s necklace for courage. Just because she couldn’t talk to Jared didn’t mean she had to sit back and do nothing. It was time she took charge of her life. She checked the time and then looked at the blasted wedding itinerary. It was almost time for the wedding rehearsal. Then there was the rehearsal dinner. Beth just needed to make it through a few more hours of pre-wedding nonsense and then she could talk to Parker.
Nervous excitement overtook Beth as she thought about what she was going to say. Never in a million years did she think she would head down this road, but it seemed all the signs were pointing her toward Parker, and she was strangely optimistic to explore the possibilities.
She just had one more task to finish and everything would be ready.
Thirty minutes later, Beth stepped back and examined her handy work. She grinned, satisfied that Parker would appreciate her efforts. It made her dizzy with excitement to think of him walking into the room and seeing what she’d done for him.
It was about time. The boy had spent a lifetime showing Beth how much he cared. It felt good to be the one doing the dazzling for once.
She quickly changed into a lemon yellow A-line dress and dug through her suitcase, squealing with delight when she found what she was looking for—her lucky shoes. Beth slipped Nana’s pearls back over her head and headed out the door with renewed confidence.
Parker
Parker stood under the gazebo with the rest of Beth’s family. He couldn’t help looking up every time he caught sight of a blonde head coming around the corner. He hadn’t seen Beth since this morning. She’d looked in much better spirits when she’d come down to the parlor. The massage had been a good idea. But he was still anxious to talk to her and see where her head was.
He knew giving Beth space was the best thing he could do, but it was killing him. He had an ache in his heart that he couldn’t shake. But that was love, wasn’t it? It didn’t go unpunished. And in a way, loving Beth was painful. Not so much the loving her part—that was easy. It was the not knowing how she felt about him part. Parker’s stomach was in knots and the only thing that would make it better was talking to Beth.
When Michael had finally woken up from his nap, Parker went for a run to clear his head. Then he spent the rest of the day trying to catch up with Beth. He’d gotten the rundown from Brenna of what was on Beth’s list of things to do for the wedding, but Parker always seemed to be a few minutes behind. The story of his life.
Finally, he gave up searching for Beth and went back to Harold’s room to get ready for the rehearsal. Now, Parker was waiting with the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids in the large white gazebo near the pond for the rest of the wedding party to show up.
A moment later, Parker saw the blonde head he’d been waiting for bobbing his way. Beth was walking toward him, a vision in yellow. She was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Everything else around her paled in comparison. It was always that way. Ever since the first time Parker had truly let himself fall for Beth, the rest of the world had faded into hues of gray. Only Beth was in full Technicolor.
Brenna, Barbara and a sour-looking woman in a power suit accompanied Beth. When the ladies joined the rest of the wedding party, it was clear to Parker that something was wrong. Brenna’s scowl was worse than usual as the suited woman called everyone to attention.
“Welcome everyone. My name is Helen and I’m the event coordinator for the wedding. That means I’m the one with all the answers, so if you have questions, please come to me.” She gave a forced laugh. “Now, there’s been a slight complication. Our groom’s flight has been delayed.” Helen turned to Brenna and patted her arm. “But we’ve been assured he will arrive on time, so as they say, the show must go on.”
Parker caught Beth’s eye and she gave him a shrug.
Helen clapped her hands again. “Alright, everyone please line up. Men on the right, women on the left. No, no,” Helen called when the guys formed a haphazard line. “Line up in order according to your height.”
When Parker finally found his appropriate spot in line, he realized that he wouldn’t be paired up with Beth. She was by far the shortest on the ladies side and he was one of the tallest guys. His heart fell. He’d been looking forward to walking down the aisle with her. He knew it didn’t really mean anything, but he’d been paired up with Beth at each of her sister’s other weddings and he’d been hoping for the same at Brenna’s.
As if reading his thoughts, Brenna spoke up. “I don’t like it that way,” she said studying the organized rows of her wedding party. “I want my sisters to be paired with their spouses.”
“I really suggest this arrangement,” Helen countered. “It’ll look stunning in the photos.”
“I don’t really care about the photos,” Brenna hissed. “I’m the bride. Line up next to your husbands,” Brenna ordered.
Parker tried to hide his smile. Hurricane Brenna was back, and for once she was benefiting him. Parker almost felt bad for Helen. The woman had no idea what kind of bridezilla she was messing with.
After everyone rearranged themselves, Parker found himself standing across from Beth. He winked at her and she grinned back, flooding him with relief. If Beth was smiling, there was hope.
Helen marched up and down the row examining them like a drill sergeant. She stopped between Parker and Beth looking them each up and down before turning to Beth. “You will be wearing heels tomorrow, I hope?”
“Oh, I wasn’t planning on it,” Beth replied. “It’s hard to walk in the grass in heels.”
“Heels would be best,” Helen
retorted and then moved on.
She was droning on about how they would line up during the ceremony, but Parker wasn’t paying any attention. He was too busy focusing on the familiar pattern of daisies speckling Beth’s aqua blue ballet flats.
When Helen made a point of berating Beth’s footwear, Parker had glanced down and nearly choked. He knew those shoes. Beth got them when she was twelve. She swore they were good luck because she was wearing them when she landed her first big lead in a play. She always packed them, but rarely broke them out. What did it mean that she was wearing them now?
Parker looked up in surprise. Beth was already staring at him, a knowing grin on her porcelain face. She was only a few feet away from him, but it felt too far. He wanted to pull her into his arms and demand to know why she was wearing her lucky shoes. Was it for Jared? Or for him?
Beth
It seemed like ages before Helen finally finished blabbing and let them practice walking to and from the gazebo. It was a wedding, not boot camp! But Beth shoved her frustration aside the moment she linked arms with Parker. His cologne filled her lungs, calming and exciting her all at once. Just being near him made her steadier. She savored the warmth that spread through her as their shoulders brushed. This was the first chance she’d had to speak to him alone all day. But when she tried to talk, she found her words caught in her throat. Luckily, Parker didn’t seem to have the same problem.
The moment they were away from Helen’s earshot he said, “You’re wearing your lucky shoes.”
“I know.”
She watched as questions flickered in his brilliant blue eyes. She wanted to say, ‘They’re for you. I want to take charge of my life and hold on to my happiness. And you’re my happiness.’ But it sounded rushed and silly in her head.
Beth reached up and touched her necklace for courage. “Let’s talk after dinner.”
“Okay,” Parker replied, sounding even more bewildered than he looked.
The Boyfriend Series Box Set (Books 1-6): YA Contemporary Romance Novels Page 96
