A Timeless Romance Anthology: Spring Vacation Collection (A Timeless Romance Anthology)

by Josi S. Kilpack

  My heart will pound as he kneels and asks for my hand in front of his friends and parents.

  The thought caused a flutter in her chest.

  Her phone’s alarm went off, making her start, but then she smiled. She’d gotten ready exactly on time. Even if she hit traffic, she’d reach the old art museum with plenty of time to walk around the building, find the room where the party was being held—where she would finally, finally get that ring on her finger and be promised to the one man she planned to be with for the rest of her life. As she tucked her phone into the little cream-colored purse she’d bought just for tonight, and went out to her car, she tried not to dream too much into the future. She’d done a lot of that anyway over the years. Five months into dating James, she’d known what colors she wanted for her wedding. Granted those colors had changed three times since with the fashions. And she’d picked out the perfect cake almost two years ago. Her dress last fall.

  She refused to let herself think too far past the wedding day itself, or she’d be liable to start planning how many children they would have and even name them before James had gotten the question out. She wouldn’t plan their whole lives, tempting as that might be. She couldn’t wait to experience life with him, the ups, the downs, all of it. Together.

  The drive to the museum felt twice as long as it should have, even though she hadn’t hit more than two red lights. After parking, she flipped down the vanity mirror to check her face one last time. She looked flushed from the excitement.

  Didn’t need to use blush, she thought with a laugh.

  She headed inside and found James in the entryway, wearing a brand new charcoal gray suit with a silver tie. He was talking to a member of the staff and didn’t see her right away, so she stood by the door and admired the view. His hair was newly cut and styled with just the right amount of gel. He must have spent some time outdoors lately, because he seemed more tanned than usual.

  The worker nodded and headed back into a large room—her cue to step forward. Her sandaled heels clicked on the marble floor, echoing slightly and making James turn his head. His face lit up in the smile Tess had come to know and love.

  And call mine. No one else got that exact smile. He loves me. He really does.

  James extended both arms and reached for her hands, pulling her close and kissing her, then nuzzling her ear with his lips and whispering, “You look fantastic.”

  “I could say the same about you,” she whispered back, loving how close he was, smelling his cologne mixed with the faintest hint of spearmint on his breath.

  He took her hand and led Tess into the main room, which had a flagstone floor, a raised stand on one end, a live band setting up on it, and caterers moving about smoothly at their tasks as they set up the buffet table. A good twenty tables were interspersed throughout the room, leaving a space between them and the platform. James pointed to that spot.

  “For dancing after we eat.” He nodded at the band. “I’ve already requested our song.”

  Perfect. Beyond perfect. Until that moment, Tess hadn’t been sure if he thought of “Unforgettable” as their song the way she did—the duet version Natalie Cole did with her late father, the legendary Nat King Cole. To her, it had been their song ever since they’d danced to it by moonlight behind a willow tree during a friend’s wedding reception. The branches hid them from view of the wedding guests, making James the only person Tess could see.

  James had sung along to Nat’s deep voice. James twirled her into a circle then brought her back and held her close. They gazed into each other’s eyes—so long it had felt like a lifetime, so short, it passed before she knew it. “I’ll never forget you, Tess,” he’d said as he pulled her close and pressed his cheek to hers and they kept swaying. After that night, any time they heard the song—and there had been a surprising number of times—James had taken her into his arms, danced, and sung in her ear. Even if they were in the middle of a crowd, a street, a mall.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Tess said, taking in the room. She could picture their reception in this room, her cake on a table against that wall...

  His parents must have put a lot of money into the evening. They arrived shortly after she did.

  “Well, hello,” Mrs. Kennington said, sandwiching Tess’s hand between her own; Tess wanted to pull it free. His mother had never liked her, never thought her good enough for her beloved son.

  “Hello,” Tess said with a smile.

  She repeated James’s words in her mind. She’ll learn to love you. It’ll take time. She doesn’t know how amazingly wonderful you are... yet.

  Tess and James ate dinner at the same table as his parents and a few of his law school buddies. She said little, hoping not to give any kind of fodder for Mrs. Kennington’s negativity. James had a spot beside Tess, and had he stayed there, Tess would have been happy to sit beside James as they ate, even in silence. In the past, he’d taken her hand under the table to squeeze it in their code: three squeezes meant “I love you,” to which she replied with four squeezes, “I love you too.” He’d been known to sneak her the occasional wink and make sure to keep her glass filled, her roll buttered, and her salad drizzled with dressing.

  But tonight, he hadn’t sat more than five seconds before guests greeted him, and he stood to say hello—then vanished into the crowd again. The same thing happened over and over, leaving Tess with an empty seat beside her and James’s parents pointedly ignoring her across the table.

  Surely the stream of well-wishers had to end. James would eventually return to his meal beside her, wouldn’t he? But too many people and too many things pulled him in different directions. Every time he sat down and began cutting into his steak, a friend came over to talk, or he needed to meet so-and-so’s new fiancée, or something else, leaving Tess at the table, awkward and as silent as ever, giving Mrs. Kennington the occasional smile before plunging her fork back into her salad. She’d added the dressing herself. Whenever James returned, he whispered an apology as he sat and smoothed his napkin on his lap. But he never took more than a bite before he was interrupted and called elsewhere again.

  Tess wouldn’t ruin his big night by complaining or nagging over being “neglected.” This party was about him. She could sit in the background and bask in the glow of her husband-to-be, who only had to pass the bar before being a bona fide lawyer. As the noise in the room increased, Tess found herself zoning off into her imagination, planning more of her upcoming nuptials. The evening would end with the spotlight on them both; she could wait.

  How long of an engagement would his mother insist they have? Tess could plan a decent wedding in three months, if she hurried a few things. July or August would be perfect.

  The band finished a song but didn’t start another. The conversation around the room gradually quieted as everyone turned to see the singer, who had given the microphone to Garrett Pack; she recognized him from several law-school parties. James considered him his best friend; they’d studied and crammed together, and they were both on the law review staff. Garrett made a quieting motion with one arm and waited for the remaining chatter to die down.

  “Thank you for coming, everyone. This is quite an exciting night, as we all know, celebrating the accomplishment of one James D. Kennington, Esquire!” He clapped against the mic, sending a heavy noise through the speakers. The crowd clapped and whooped their approval.

  As the roar died down, Mrs. Kennington leaned in to her husband and said, “I would have thought that with us footing the bill for the evening, that that Pack boy would have let us address the crowd first.” She sniffed and straightened.

  Tess pretended she hadn’t heard anything.

  Garrett nodded at the applause. “It’s great, isn’t it? Three years of hard work, finally completed. I happen to know that James is ready for the next stage of his life, and he would like to come up now to tell you all about it.”

  More clapping. Tess joined in as her heart went wild in her chest. Here it comes. This is the “somethin
g else” he hinted at. She prayed she still looked nice—that her curls hadn’t drooped, that her dress wasn’t wrinkled from sitting, that she hadn’t eaten off all her lipstick. All of these thoughts passed through her mind in a flash as she watched James, in his slick gray suit, move from a spot near the left side the room to the front. He hopped onto the platform and took the mic from Garrett, the two of them slapping each other’s backs in a manly variation of a hug.

  Garrett stepped into the background beside the band, grinning ear to ear. He had to know what James had planned. Tess never expected to have such a public proposal—had always envisioned something more intimate, private—but so long into this relationship, she would be thrilled just to hear the question any time, any place.

  Grinning broadly, James faced the audience. When he caught her eye, his face brightened a little more, which warmed her head to toe.

  Oh, how I love this man.

  “My man Garrett is right,” James began. “I’m now a law school grad, which means you can all officially crack evil lawyer jokes about me.”

  Laughter rippled throughout the room, including a polite chuckle from the Kenningtons.

  James rubbed his chin and shifted from foot to foot. “I’ve been in this same place for three years now. It’s been a hard climb at times, but it’s been worth it. I’m sure my parents will be doubly glad when I’ve passed the bar and am practicing law, because then I can start paying off all those school loans, and they’ll know I’m not coming back to live in their basement.”

  More rumbles of laughter.

  “So the time has come for the next step in my journey, to leave this part behind and move forward to a new phase of my life.”

  Tess’s heart threatened to hammer right out of her ribcage. She sat at the edge of her seat so that when he called her forward, she’d be ready, and so she’d stand gracefully in her heels.

  “I have been given the once in a lifetime opportunity... ” He let his voice trail off, building the suspense in the room. “To be an intern at Preston, Carson, and McNeil in New York City, with the possibility of taking on a full-time job after I pass the bar.” He raised his glass and bit his lip, something he always did when excited.

  This was it. Tess could feel her heart pounding in her chest with anticipation.

  “I’m moving to the Big Apple!”

  Smiling broadly, Tess stood and took three steps toward the platform, when his words registered.

  Wait, what? She stopped in her tracks, catching the toe of her shoe on a chair and nearly pitching forward. She caught herself on the back of the chair, saving herself from sprawling across the floor. James scanned the room. As Tess stood there, frozen, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d imagined the slight hesitation when his gaze reached her—and moved on.

  How many miles is it from Tempe to New York? Hundreds? Thousands?

  She felt a sudden urge to check a map. Or to run up to the platform and shake James by the lapels. This didn’t make sense. An internship couldn’t be the big “something” he wanted to say tonight. He’d promised that after law school, they would get engaged. Wasn’t that now? What did he expect her to do, get married tomorrow by a justice of the peace? Not have a nice wedding?

  Or worse... the other option came over her in a wave cold as ice. What if he didn’t plan to marry her at all? What if he planned to settle in New York... without her?

  That’s exactly what he’s decided. Her hand covered her mouth as she heard a cry. Not until all heads turned to look at her did she realize that she had made the sound. Her face went hot. Her knees felt ready to buckle, and she couldn’t breathe. Tess shook her head and backed up.

  James’s eyes widened, and he called out to her. “Tess! Please, let me explain!”

  But there was nothing to explain. He was taking the internship. Moving to New York. He’d strung her along for three years, and what did she have to show for it? Drooping curls and a coral-pink dress she’d never wear again.

  Tess whirled around, unable to stand the pitying eyes on her. She scooped her purse from her chair so she could drive home—right now—and saw, with another stab of dismay, that Mrs. Kennington wore a pleased, smug expression.

  Hearing James call her name again, she fled, running out the door before anyone said more. When she reached her car, she fumbled with the keys, but despite her haste, she kept an eye on the door of the museum, wishing James would come out to stop her, to beg forgiveness, to offer the ring she’d waited for so, so long.

  She sat in her car, worrying her keys between her fingers and fighting tears, hoping to see James push through the glass door. But five minutes later—she watched each one tick past on the car’s clock—he still hadn’t come out. She turned the key, backed out, and drove away. Tears blurred her vision. She swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand.

  It wasn’t the ring she wanted after all, although that would have been nice. It was James. Dear, sweet James. But he was lost to her now.

  Chapter Two

  Tess drove straight to her condo, where her sister Hope waited. Fitting, she thought. I could use some hope about now.

  She could feel tears streaking down her cheeks; her makeup had to be a total mess. She didn’t care. Nothing about her appearance mattered any more. James was leaving her. He didn’t care like she’d thought he did.

  The jerk!

  By the time she got home, Tess had burning fury in her chest as much as horrid sadness washing through her. The mixture of emotions was upsetting and tiring all at once. And energizing. And so, so confusing. Right then, she both hated and loved James. Although how such a thing was possible, she didn’t know. She opened the door and slammed it behind her.

  Hope looked up from a magazine she was reading. “What’s the matter?”

  “James dumped me.” Tess walked to the couch and collapsed on it.

  “He what?” In a flash, Hope tossed the magazine to the couch scooted to Tess’s side.

  “Okay, I guess he didn’t technically dump me—he didn’t say the words. But what he did do was practically the same thing—and in front of his friends and family! You should have seen his mother’s face. So smug. She never did like me. She must be thrilled I’m out of her son’s life.” She told Hope about the evening, finishing with, “Now everyone there—at least a hundred people—know it’s over. I couldn’t stay in that room another minute.”

  “I don’t blame you.” Hope’s face was a mask of worry and confusion. “But I’m confused. Didn’t he say he was going to propose tonight?”

  Tess shrugged. “I thought so. He never said it exactly, but he was hinting about something big, about something he had to say to me tonight.” She sighed. “So I assumed...”

  “You assumed the same thing any woman would have three years into a relationship, having been promised an engagement ‘after school.’”

  “Maybe I missed some red flags. Maybe I was just kidding myself.”

  Hope scooted closer, and Tess leaned her head on her big sister’s shoulder, like she used to when they were kids. “I should have known he wasn’t really committed after the lame Valentine’s gift.”

  “I don’t think I heard about that one,” Hope said.

  Tess played with her fingernails in her lap. “That’s because I didn’t tell you. He put together this huge romantic night—everything was perfect. At the end, we were sitting on a park bench by moonlight, when he pulled out a jewelry box. What was I supposed to think?”

  “That he was proposing,” Hope said.

  “Exactly! But it was a stupid necklace.” She took it off and chucked it across the room.

  Hope watched it smack the wall and scoffed in disgust. “The pig…”

  “He was only a couple of months from graduating. I figured that if we got engaged in February, we’d have plenty of time to plan a wedding before fall. I figured he’d be able to pass the bar and get a job by then.” She sighed, verbalizing her fantasies, the ones she’d let herself think about—just a
little—regarding their future.

  They would have gotten married in June or July. As he studied for the bar, she’d be his wife, the support he never had at home during law school. He wouldn’t have to rely on Coke and Doritos to stay awake as he crammed for tests with Garrett. She would take care of him, be the nurturing wife she’d thought he deserved.

  Hope’s voice was flat as she spoke. “What a turd. And I’m only saying that word because, as your big sister, I won’t swear in front of you. But I’m totally cursing him out in my head.”

  “He is a turd.” Tess wiped at her eyes. Her fingers came away black from smeared mascara. “I better wipe some of this mess off my face before I stain the couch. I must look like the undead.”

  “You look great. You always do,” Hope countered as Tess headed for the half bath.

  Behind her, Tess’s phone went off in her purse by the couch. She cringed, hearing James’s ring—the Law & Order sound effect: “dun-kung.” He’d put it on her phone as his ring tone because to him that sound meant “lawyer.” It rang a second time. Tess spun around, marched back, and, before it could ring again, declined the call then set it to vibrate so she wouldn’t hear that noise again. She stood there by the couch, Hope watching, Tess staring at the phone.

  As much as she wanted to hate James, she desperately wanted him to be the man she’d thought he was. “Leave a message,” she ordered, staring at the screen of her phone, hoping a notice of a message would pop up. “Leave one.” But after a few minutes, the phone still didn’t show anything but a missed call. No message of any kind. Not even a text. Tess tossed the phone back into her purse with disgust. As she headed to the bathroom, she wondered whether to block his number. Pro: blocking him would feel good. Con: she’d never know if he was really sorry and trying to contact her.

  Why do I care? He’s a jerk.

  Tess closed the bathroom door, looked at herself in the mirror, and replayed Hope’s words about how she looked great no matter what. Her sister was trying to make her feel good. It didn’t work. She took stock of her reflection, noting every flaw. If her nose had been straighter, her complexion clearer, her eyes not so wide set—if she had been prettier, then would James have wanted to marry her? Why had he pretended he’d wanted to marry her for so long, when he obviously didn’t?