Searching for Love: The Complete Story

by Christine Kersey

  “Yeah, he got back Sunday night. I’ll see if he can come.”

  Knowing she would have Avery on her side—as well as Brody, of course—calmed her some. His parents are probably perfectly nice and it will be a lovely evening. “Where are we going to eat? Do I need to dress up?”

  “There’s a great restaurant not far from here called Dukes. And yeah, you should probably wear a dress.”

  Reese looked toward the brown paper bags that contained her belongings, then turned to Brody. “I’d better hang up my clothes so they don’t get any more wrinkled.”

  “Right. Let me show you where you can put your things.”

  He picked up her paper bags, and she grabbed her camera and laptop bag before following him to the hallway. She remembered the guest room where, after a bird had crapped on her back while she and Brody were eating dinner on the balcony, she had borrowed a tank top Avery had left in a drawer. Brody walked right past that room and straight into the master bedroom.

  She had never been in his room before. A king-sized bed faced the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, a dresser built with dark wood sat against one wall, and a pair of side tables sat on either side of the bed.

  “The view is just as spectacular in here as it is in the living room,” Reese said as she walked to the door that led to the balcony.

  “I’m glad you like it,” he said.

  She turned to see him set her paper bags on the floor near the walk-in closet. “Where should I hang up my clothes?”

  His mouth turned up in a slow smile. “I’ll make room for you in my closet, but first…” He stepped toward her, took her camera and laptop bag and set them aside, then took her hands. “I was wondering if you wanted to take a nap after your long drive.”

  Reese’s smile matched his. “Can I assume you’ll be joining me for this nap?”

  He ran his hand down her sides, then pulled her against him for a kiss. “If that’s okay with you.”

  Desire pooled inside her. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

  Eight

  Brody pulled into the parking lot of Dukes and drove toward the valet. He looked at Reese with a smile, thinking how glad he was that she was there beside him. “You look beautiful, do you know that?”

  A soft smile curved her mouth. “Thank you.”

  Brody stopped his Porsche and the valet helped Reese from the car before accepting Brody’s keys. Brody took Reese’s hand and led her towards the restaurant, which was situated right along the ocean. “When I’ve eaten here before, I’ve seen dolphins swim by.”

  Reese’s eyes lit up. “Really? Maybe I should have brought my camera.”

  The excitement in her face delighted him. “I’ll bring you back here for lunch sometime. You can bring your camera then.”

  “Okay.”

  Once inside, Brody gave his name to the maître d’, who showed them to a table.

  “I guess we’re here first,” he said. That had been his intention. He wanted to give Reese a few minutes to get settled before she had to face his parents. Although I’m sure it will be fine. They’ll love her as much as Avery did.

  Once they were seated at the table, the butterflies in Reese’s stomach began to settle down. They had been swooping up and down inside her since she and Brody had left his house. She had tried to ignore them, but that had been difficult. Now though, with his parents nowhere in sight—maybe they won’t show up—Reese felt slightly calmer.

  “There they are,” Brody said, and the butterflies went into a frenzy.

  Reese turned her head in the direction Brody was looking, and saw a couple who appeared to be in their fifties. As they walked towards them, her gaze went first to Brody’s mother, who Reese instinctively knew would be the one she would have to impress the most. Tall and slender, Grace Ford had short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

  Brody’s father, James, was an older version of Brody, with the same blue-green eyes and thick mane of hair. When the couple reached their table, Brody stood and hugged his mother, then, with his arm around his mother, he said, “Mom, this is Reese Montgomery. Reese, these are my parents, Grace and Jim Ford.”

  Hoping it was the proper thing to do, Reese stood and smiled, then held out her hand to Brody’s mother. Grace smiled—it seemed somewhat forced to Reese, which worried her—then she took Reese’s outstretched hand and softly shook it. “Hello, Reese.”

  “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you,” Reese said, hoping her nervousness wasn’t too evident. Then she turned to Jim, whose friendly smile reminded her of Avery, and held her hand out to him. He took her hand in his, then placed his other hand over their clasped hands. A sense of warm acceptance permeated her, and she immediately felt at ease.

  The four of them sat at the table, and a moment later Avery arrived. “I’m here,” she said, nearly breathless. “I made it.”

  “Oh, Avery,” Grace said as she stood and embraced her daughter. “I’m so glad you were able to come.”

  “Me too.” She laughed. “It was in question for a little while there, but here I am.”

  “Logan couldn’t make it,” Brody said, “so we’re all here.”

  Once their meals were ordered, Reese braced herself for the questions she was certain would come. And sure enough, Grace started right away.

  “Brody hasn’t told me anything about you, Reese,” she said. “How did the two of you meet?”

  Reese felt Brody place his hand on her knee, which calmed her suddenly racing heart. “He saved me from drowning in the ocean.” That wasn’t strictly true, but it was close enough, and it sounded much better than saying that she had been swamped by a wave and he had come to make sure she was okay after she had crawled onto the beach.

  Grace’s eyes widened, and her gaze went to Brody. “I’d like to hear more.”

  Brody laughed, then removed his hand from her knee and placed it around her shoulders. “I don’t think she would have drowned even I hadn’t been there, but I’m glad I was there all the same.”

  “So what happened?” Jim asked, obviously as intrigued as Grace.

  “Logan and I were body surfing when I saw her go under a wave not far from us. She didn’t come back up as fast as I thought she should, and then I saw her crawling out of the surf, so I went to see if she was okay.”

  “Oh,” Grace said with a glance in Reese’s direction.

  Great. Their first impression of me is that I like to stretch the truth. Well, I guess that’s my own fault.

  “I was really scared,” Reese said to add authenticity to her claim of nearly drowning. “That was my first time in the ocean and I thought I was going to drown.”

  “You’re not from California, then?” Grace asked.

  “No. I’m from the Midwest.”

  “What brought you to Malibu?” Jim asked.

  Oh boy. How to share enough without sharing too much? “I’m a photographer, and since I’d never been to the ocean, I thought Malibu would be a great place to start.”

  “To start?” Grace asked, and Reese remembered she was an attorney, although she didn’t know what she specialized in. Must be a prosecutor. Which would be just perfect considering my father’s a criminal.

  Reese tried not to fidget under their intent gazes. “To start my travels. I wanted to explore our country and take as many amazing pictures as I could.”

  “I see,” Grace said with a smile that couldn’t exactly be classified as warm.

  “Earlier,” Avery said, “Reese was telling me about all the incredible pictures she got while she and Brody were in Yellowstone.”

  Grace and Jim’s eyes both swiveled to Brody. “You mentioned on the phone that you vacationed there, Brody,” Grace said, “but you didn’t tell me Reese had gone with you.”

  It was actually the other way around. Brody was only there because of me.

  Brody felt Reese shift in her seat beside him, and knew what she was thinking. If it wasn’t for her, I never would have gone to Yellowsto
ne. And she’s right. But I don’t want to get in to all of that right now.

  “Yeah, and it was beautiful there,” he said. “We went on several hikes and saw all kinds of wildlife. You and Dad should go there sometime.”

  His mother laughed. “I can’t really picture myself in the wilderness.”

  Brody couldn’t really picture her in the wilderness either, but he thought he saw a spark of interest in his father’s eyes.

  “I haven’t gone camping in years,” his father said.

  “Camping?” The very word seemed to appall his mother. “You would never catch me camping. It’s hotels for me. No, my kind of vacation is taking a few weeks to travel in Western Europe.” Her gaze slid to Brody, and he knew she was making a subtle reference to Kayla. Then her gaze went to Reese. “Have you ever been to Europe, Reese? We sent each of our children there for the summer after they graduated from high school. Where did you go after you graduated from high school?”

  Brody felt Reese tense beside him, and he wanted to jump in and save her, but then he felt her hand on his knee and waited to see what she would say.

  Nine

  Though Brody’s sister and father had been friendly, she got a distinct vibe of hostility from his mother, which didn’t surprise her. Her lawyerly instincts probably ferreted out my unworthiness within the first moments of our introduction.

  Regardless, she considered Grace’s questions, which were perfectly innocent, and despite the guaranteed fallout, she was momentarily tempted to tell the truth. After high school I got married and went on my honeymoon, which was a weekend at a nearby hotel. But recently my ex-husband dumped me, so now I’m with your son.

  But since she had yet to tell Brody about Josh and the way he had dumped her, or even the fact that she had once been married, she decided now was not the time to share that little tidbit about her past. She just hoped she would be able to keep her closet securely closed and the skeletons locked inside long enough to win over Grace Ford.

  Pasting a polite smile onto her face, she said, “I know I’m a bit of a late bloomer, but I’m just starting to do a little traveling now.”

  “There’s certainly a lot to see in this great land of ours,” Jim said. “One day I’d like to explore more of our country.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Grace said as she turned and looked at him. “We’re both awfully busy.”

  “That’s why I said one day.” Jim’s voice sounded a touch testy. “I know we don’t have time for that right now.”

  “So, Dad,” Avery said, drawing all eyes to her. “Any new celebrities getting boob jobs lately?”

  Startled, Reese almost spit out the water she had been drinking.

  Brody chuckled. “You know he can’t tell you that, Ave.”

  She turned to him, and with a sweet smile, said, “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”

  Reese listened as Brody and his family chatted, and after a short while the server set their food in front of them.

  They began eating, and after a few moments, Grace said, “Reese?”

  The napping butterflies woke up in Reese’s stomach as she lifted her eyes to meet Grace’s. “Yes?”

  “Tell me about your family. Do you have any siblings?” A smile of sincere interest curved her mouth.

  I can tell her about Seth, at least. “I have a brother who’s in the military.”

  Avery perked up at this. “Is he single?”

  Reese glanced at Avery. Avery and Seth. I like it. “Yes.” But then Reese wondered how Brody’s parents would feel about having not one, but two of their children involved with someone whose father was in prison. A small frown pulled down the corners of her mouth, but the moment she realized her lips were sinking downward, she smiled.

  “Do you have a picture?” Avery asked, then she laughed. “Of course you have a picture. You’re a photographer.”

  Reese laughed along with her. “I don’t have one with me, but I have some on my computer.”

  Avery nodded, then forked an asparagus.

  “What happened to Brad?” Grace asked Avery. “I thought the two of you were dating.”

  “Eh,” Avery said as she flipped her free hand upwards. “I got bored with him.”

  “I liked him,” Grace said.

  “You’re not the one who was dating him,” Avery said with a chuckle.

  “I guess our children never date exactly whom we would choose,” Grace said to Jim.

  Her gaze flicked to Brody, which didn’t pass Reese’s notice. Guess she’s not too pleased with him dating me. Disappointment wound its way around her heart, and she wondered if Grace’s feelings would transfer to Brody.

  “What about your parents?” Grace asked. “What do they do?”

  Panic flooded her. The question was so direct that she wasn’t prepared to skirt it with a clever reply. Then an answer came into her mind and she spoke without thinking. “They’re dead.” Whoa, Reese. What was that?

  “Oh,” Grace said as her eyebrows pulled together. “I’m so sorry.”

  Yeah, me too. “Thanks,” Reese murmured, afraid to look at Brody. He knew the truth, and she feared his expression might give away her lie. Then, not able to stand the suspense, she turned to him and saw that he had kept his poker face on. He must really love me to let me lie right to his parents’ faces like that without calling me out on it. She thought about the way he had corrected her exaggeration of the way they had met, and knew it must be bugging him that she had flat-out lied about her parents.

  Brody kept his expression neutral as Reese caught his eye. Though he understood why she had lied to his parents, he was still shocked. Being embarrassed by her parents’ mistakes was one thing, but saying they were dead when they were very much alive was another thing entirely. Something he wasn’t comfortable with at all.

  I don’t know how she’s going to explain the truth when it inevitably comes out. Mom really hates liars. She deals with them in her job every day, and she’s always expected us to be truthful.

  Trying not to think about the fact that he had been dishonest in his own way by not telling Reese that he had been deeply in love with a woman who had been killed, he held back a frown. That’s not relevant anymore. Megan’s gone, and I don’t want to talk about her.

  Brody turned the conversation in another direction and they got through the meal without any other unpleasant topics of conversation.

  When they were done and Brody had paid the bill, the group walked out of the restaurant together.

  “I enjoyed getting to know you, Reese,” his mother said.

  Brody hoped she meant it, because Reese had become very important to him.

  “Thank you,” Reese said. “I’m so glad Brody arranged this dinner so I could meet you. You’ve raised an amazing son.”

  Brody could tell Reese’s words pleased his mother, and he mentally awarded her a gold star.

  Ten minutes later, as they drove towards his house, he turned to Reese. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

  “No. Your parents seem nice.”

  Still bothered by what she had said about her parents, he decided to bring it up. “I don’t think it was a good idea to tell them your parents are dead though.”

  She shifted in her seat, and he knew she probably realized it was a mistake. “Why not?”

  “I’ve never told you much about my mother’s job, but you should know she’s a prosecutor, and to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t be surprised if she did a little research on you.”

  Ten

  What?! Reese’s eyes widened as she considered the implications. Not only would Grace discover that her father was a criminal and her mother had a host of DUI arrests, she would find out that Reese had been married before, which was the one thing she hadn’t told Brody.

  Why haven’t you told him? She considered the question, but immediately knew the answer. Because he’ll want to know what happened, and if I tell him that Josh realized I’m not good enough, there’s a very real chance he’ll
begin to think the same thing.

  A sharp pain pierced her heart at the thought and she reached up and rubbed her chest. This is why you weren’t supposed to fall for him in the first place, Reese. But you opened your heart, and now look what’s happened? It’s your own fault. All your own fault.

  Grimacing, she stared out the passenger side of the car as she tried to figure out what to do.

  “Reese?”

  At the sound of his voice, she turned and faced him. Then, not wanting to consider the reality that he might eventually come to the same conclusion Josh had, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me that about your mother before? I mean, knowing I didn’t want them to find out about my parents, didn’t it occur to you that I might want to know your mother might research my background? You know, so I could be prepared?”

  Brody frowned. “What never occurred to me was that you would lie to my parents like that. It’s one thing to not tell them all of your dirty secrets right up front, but that’s different than straight-up lying.”

  A blush rose on Reese’s cheeks. Dirty secret? He thinks the information about my parents is a dirty secret? Deep grooves formed on her forehead as she considered his statement. He’s right though. It is a dirty secret. One I didn’t want to share. Closing her eyes and tilting her head back, she let the wind rush across her face and ruffle her hair as they sped up the PCH in Brody’s convertible.

  “Reese,” Brody said, drawing her attention back to him. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

  Right away she knew she should be the one apologizing. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who lied. Not you.” Just like you always knew, he’s so much better than you. And now you’ve put your heart in his hands, ready to be crushed because of your own stupid mistakes.

  He placed his hand over hers, which emphasized how sweet and thoughtful he was. But her hand was cold as the dread of the consequences of her lie seeped into her veins.

  When they reached Brody’s house, he pulled into his garage, then helped Reese from his car and led her inside. He watched her as she sank onto his couch, and with slumped shoulders, asked, “What can I do to fix this?”