Out of Practice

by Carsen Taite

  Abby sucked in a breath, as the anticipation built. She could feel Campbell’s and Grace’s eyes on her, but she didn’t dare look away from the screen and Roxanne’s earnest gaze. Something important was about to happen. Something that would change her life.

  And so I say this to the woman who captured my heart on a beach far from here: if you want to see what the future holds for us, let’s meet at the place where together we watched another couple exchange vows and pledge to have a happily ever after. Don’t worry, this isn’t a proposal, just a simple request from the woman who is in love with you. I’ll be at the gazebo tomorrow night at seven. Join me if you feel the same.

  To all the brides-to-be watching, thanks for tuning in. Love, the BBF.

  The video faded slowly into a black screen, but Abby couldn’t look away. Had that really just happened? Had Roxanne quit her job, exonerated Tommy, and made a very public declaration of love? To her?

  “What are you going to do?” Grace asked.

  “It’s not like she has a choice,” Campbell said. “She’s going to Moonlight Ranch. Tomorrow night. The real question is what’s she going to say when she gets there.”

  Abby watched the two of them banter about her future for a moment, and then she cut in. “Chill, please. This is a lot.”

  “Exactly. Which is why we’re coming with you. Aren’t we, Grace?”

  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

  “I love you two,” Abby said, “but you annoy the crap out of me sometimes. I haven’t said I’m going.”

  They both stared at her like she’d lost her mind. She couldn’t really blame them because she had. She’d lost her mind over Roxanne since the moment she’d met her. Roxanne, with her optimistic view of forever love and happily-ever-afters, was nothing like any other woman she’d been with, and Roxanne was also the only woman who’d ever burrowed into her heart. Of course, look how that had turned out. The question was whether she was willing to open her heart to Roxanne again.

  Chapter Twenty

  Roxanne sat shotgun in Val’s Honda and pointed at the clock on the dashboard. “You drive like an old woman. It’s already six forty. At this rate we’re going to be late.”

  Val kept her eyes on the road. “You’ll be there with time to spare, and you’ll thank me for the fact you didn’t have a lot of extra time to stress, although you’re kinda making up for it now.”

  “I’m sorry,” Roxanne said. “My nerves are a little shot. What if she doesn’t show?”

  “If she doesn’t show, then I drive you home.” Val drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “You know, you didn’t give her a lot of time to think about it.”

  “Way to make me feel better. Abby isn’t the kind of woman who needs to stew over something. She knows what she wants, and in a little while, I’ll know what she wants too.”

  Val turned into the exit for Moonlight Ranch, and Roxanne started to feel jitters, beyond the ones that had prompted her to ask Val to drive her to this rendezvous. She’d figured if things went well, she would ride off into the sunset with Abby, but if they didn’t, she’d have Val to keep her company for the long ride home. The post had gone viral after she’d sent a copy to Mary at KNOP, and unless Abby had gone completely off grid, it was highly unlikely she wouldn’t have seen it or at least heard about it. But what if Val was right and she hadn’t given Abby enough time to think about whether she wanted to take a leap? She could see the start of her next blog post now—how about a second chance, and I really mean it this time.

  No, this was it. If Abby didn’t show up tonight, it would be painful and sad, but it would mean it was time to move on.

  When they drew closer to the ranch, she directed Val to turn down the drive toward the ridge where Abby’s mother’s reception had been held, and a short while later, she spotted rows of twinkling lights. She’d spoken to the owners and arranged for them to light the gazebo, but she hadn’t expected them to light the entire path along the way. She pointed to the lot where she and Abby had parked the last time they were here, and when the car stopped, she took a moment to savor the memory of that night. Everything about it had been magical. Abby had treated her like a date in front of her friends and her mother, and after a few initial jitters, she’d seemed to warm up to the romance of the evening. They’d danced and drank and stared out at the stars, and when it was time to leave, Abby drove her home and came in and spent the night like it was perfectly natural—like couples do. Tonight was about recapturing those moments, about starting over.

  “You ready?” Val asked.

  Roxanne breathed deep. “As I’m ever going to be.”

  “I’ll walk you in, and then make myself scarce until you give me the all clear. And don’t argue, because this is happening.”

  “Knowing you’re here really helps.” She squeezed Val’s hand and reached for the door handle. “Come on. Let’s do this.”

  Roxanne started up the path to the gazebo with Val at her side. She was only a few steps in when the twinkling lights multiplied to illuminate her path, and in the early evening dusk she was able to make out dozens of women lining both sides of the pathway, holding Mason jars filled with tiny bits of light. She recognized the light jars as ones she’d seen in the trees the last time she’d been here, but more than that, she recognized these women, many of whom had been at the Barclay’s protests. As she walked toward them, they began to cheer, and she turned to Val. “What’s happening?”

  “I think you have a fan club.”

  “How did they know where I was going to be?” She’d been cryptic in her video message to Abby to keep press, especially anyone from Best Day Ever, from showing up.

  “I may have mentioned in the comments section that if they wanted to thank you for championing them, they could send me a direct message. Emily, the woman you interviewed that day you and I went to Barclay’s, emailed me and then she contacted the rest. They parked back at the main entrance to the ranch to keep this a surprise.”

  The raw emotion that came with knowing all these women had shown up to support her left Roxanne speechless. She managed a simple thank you and walked the rest of the path to the gazebo. The view facing west was exactly as she remembered it, and the deep red and orange sunset blazed across the sky. “I guess this is it.”

  “I’ll wait as long as you want me to.”

  Roxanne considered asking her to stay close until Abby arrived. Would it be weird for Abby to find her in this very romantic spot with her sister by her side like a security blanket? Why yes, yes it would. Besides, she’d vowed to go all in and that meant risking rejection even on a grand scale. “I’m good.”

  Val was only a few steps away, when Roxanne felt a rush of panic. “Val?”

  Val stopped and turned back to face her. “What’s up?”

  “What if she doesn’t show?”

  Val smiled. “Then she’s crazy and you don’t want to be with her anyway. But, Rox?”

  “Yes?”

  “She’ll be here.”

  Roxanne watched Val’s back until she disappeared from sight, the twinkling lights in the distance the only evidence she was not alone. She kept her gaze trained on the path. Any minute now, Abby might come into view, and Roxanne didn’t want to miss seeing her arrival. Would her gait be quick, like she was excited to be here, or would she be dragging her feet, like she’d shown up only to ask to be left alone?

  The minutes ticked by. Six fifty-eight, six fifty-nine, seven. Seven o-one. With each aching change of the clock, time slowed, stretching like a big rubber band that might eventually snap and smack her in the face. What if Abby didn’t show? How long should she wait before admitting defeat and trudging back through the gauntlet of light bearing BTBs?

  And then, suddenly, a moment of clarity cut through the rising panic. However long it takes. Abby is the one. If she didn’t show up tonight, maybe she didn’t have enough notice. Maybe she had other pressing matters. Whatever the reason, Roxanne wasn’t about to conce
de defeat over a grand gesture gone wrong. However long it took, whether it was in this gazebo or sitting in her living room, she had to believe Abby would eventually come around, and she could and would wait. Impatience wasn’t going to be the reason she missed out on the love of her life.

  Please let her show up. Please let her show up.

  * * *

  Abby stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror. She was on her third change of clothes when the doorbell rang. She debated ignoring it, but Campbell and Grace knew she was in here and she doubted they’d give up and go away, seeing as how they were hell-bent on attending what they’d named Operation Win Back the BBF. Their excitement was punctuated by three more rings of the doorbell. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” she shouted as she swung open the front door to find them standing on her doorstop. Grace was holding flowers and Campbell’s eyes were as bright as a kid on Christmas morning.

  “Come in,” Abby said, not waiting for a response before turning and walking back to the bedroom. “I’m still getting dressed.”

  “If we don’t leave soon, you’re going to be late,” Campbell said, following close behind.

  “I know.”

  “You don’t sound very excited,” Campbell added as they walked into Abby’s bedroom. “Have you changed your mind?”

  “No.” Abby looked into the mirror again. “Yes.” She sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. “I don’t have anything to wear. What do people wear to…whatever this is?”

  “A woman made a very public, very moving profession of love for you and you’re worried about what to wear?” Grace asked.

  “Kind of. I mean there are a million things to worry about, but that’s the only one that I can control.” She cocked her head. “Why are you holding a bouquet of flowers?”

  Grace looked down at the flowers and then shoved them toward her. “I didn’t want you to show up empty-handed.” She shrugged. “I figured girls like Roxanne like flowers.”

  “Girls like Roxanne like a lot of romantic things, and that’s precisely what I’m worried about. I mean, she made this big, incredibly romantic declaration. To me. What if she expects me to be all gooey and romantic too?”

  “Have you met you?” Campbell asked. “Because we have, and Roxanne has too. I’m guessing she already knows your unromantic, marriage-phobic self, and she loves you anyway. The hard part’s over. Only thing left for you to do is show up and tell her you love her too.” Campbell squinted. “You do love her, right?”

  Abby took a moment to assess. She was nervous and anxious, and she wasn’t prone to either. At the same time, she was both excited and oddly, already feeling satisfied. It reminded her of the moment right before she’d quit her job in Dallas to join forces with Grace and Campbell. She’d had no idea what the future would hold, but she knew it would be better than anything she’d ever experienced before, and she couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Take that feeling to the tenth power and she’d get close to how she felt about Roxanne. She thought back to the night on the beach at Azure when she’d arranged for the candlelight dinner. Apparently, she did have a few romantic bones where Roxanne was concerned, and that told her all she needed to know. “I do.”

  “Then quit worrying about what to wear and go tell her.” Grace jingled her keys. “Come on.”

  Once they were in the car, Grace drove like a mad woman, while Campbell watched the clock. Abby sat in the back seat staring out the window, praying they would make it to the ranch on time. Timing had been everything when it came to her relationship with Roxanne, from the chance meeting at the airport in Puerto Vallarta to the morning the commercial aired right before her hearing. Was love so fragile it could be disrupted by random circumstance?

  Tommy had called a couple of hours before to tell her that when his investor saw Roxanne’s video blog, he contacted him to say that he was back on board to fund the online business, and the investor thought it would be a great marketing move to help the brides who were waiting on their dresses from Barclay’s when the doors closed get their orders fulfilled online. They still had to hash out the details, but Tommy was confident they could find a way to make it happen. The news gave her hope that even when things looked bleak in the moment, there might be light on the other side. She checked her watch. Seven o’clock. She leaned forward and checked the readout on the dash—six fifty-nine. “Can you drive any faster?”

  Grace responded by gunning the engine and roaring into the turnoff to the ranch. Abby pointed at the side road ahead. “Take that road up there, but try not to kill us in the process.”

  After they survived the turn, Grace sped back up, and every bump in the road jarred Abby’s already roiling stomach. She closed her eyes and prayed Roxanne wouldn’t leave before she got there. “Should I text her to tell her I’m coming?”

  “No!” Campbell and Grace shouted the answer. “She’s in a romantic setting,” Campbell said. “Waiting for the woman she loves. It’s an epic scene, and no one sends a text message during an epic scene. You’ve got to be there, in the flesh, you know, for the kissing and saying stuff.”

  “Then slow the car down, because we’re here.” Abby pointed to a spot up ahead and Grace spun into a space next to a Honda SUV. Abby had the door open before Grace came to a complete stop, and she jumped out.

  “Go,” Campbell yelled. “We’ll catch up to you.”

  She raised her hand in acknowledgment. The sun had just set, but she could just make out the path she and Roxanne had taken the night of her mother’s wedding and she ran toward it. Her heart was pounding, but she knew it was from anticipation not exertion, and adrenaline fueled her to run faster. When she reached the path, it lit up with hundreds of twinkling lights, and the sudden illumination stopped her in her tracks.

  “Go, Abby!”

  “You got this!”

  “She’s waiting for you!”

  Abby slowed her pace and turned her head from side to side. Dozens of women holding jars of light lined the path, and they were cheering her on. She wanted to ask questions, find out what they were doing here, how they knew, but if the shouts she heard were right, Roxanne was waiting at the end of this path and she had to get to her.

  A few seconds later, she emerged into the clearing and stopped a few feet from the gazebo. A couple of weeks ago, it had been full of people celebrating her mother’s wedding with food and drink and music, but tonight there was none of that—only one solitary woman, standing near the far railing, framed by twinkling lights and staring straight at her.

  “You came,” Roxanne said.

  Abby heard the hint of surprise in Roxanne’s voice and wished she’d never given her a reason to doubt. She stepped closer until they were almost touching. “I did.”

  “I hoped you would.”

  Abby placed her hands on either side of Roxanne’s face and looked deep into her eyes. “There’s nowhere else I want to be. No one else I want to be with.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Roxanne ducked her head. “For everything.”

  Abby placed a finger under her chin and raised it so they were eye-to-eye. “Me too. I never should’ve doubted you. I…” She paused, lost in the raw vulnerability she saw reflected back at her. Roxanne had taken such a leap, from the very public invitation to meet her here to the waiting and hoping she would show up. It was time for her to meet Roxanne, not just halfway, but all the way. “What you said in your video? About how you didn’t know how I felt? Let me be perfectly clear. I love you, Roxanne Daly. I’m in love with you, and I know you said this wasn’t a proposal, but for the first time in my life, I’m interested in finding out more about this happily ever after stuff. Do you think you could help me out with that?”

  Roxanne’s expression burst into a big smile. “I’ll make it my top priority.” She pulled Abby closer. “It starts like this.”

  Cheers filled the air as Roxanne’s lips met hers. Campbell’s and Grace’s voices were the loudest, but their shouts along with the others faded into the
background while every nerve ending in her body stood at attention during the long, slow, searing kiss. When they finally broke for breath, she whispered in Roxanne’s ear. “Anything that starts that good, can only end really, really well. Count me in.”

  THE END

  About the Author

  Carsen Taite is a recovering lawyer who prefers writing fiction to practicing law because she has more control of the outcome. She believes that lawyers make great lovers, which is why she includes so many of them in her novels. She is the award-winning author of over twenty novels of romance and romantic intrigue, including the Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter series, the Lone Star Law series, and the Legal Affairs romances.

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