The Girl With Diamonds (Midtown Brotherhood Book 2)

by Savannah Blevins

  She smacked his arm playfully. “Stop it.”

  “What?”

  “Stop being cute, and charming, and all that other stuff you do that makes you so darn cute and charming.”

  He grinned and she hiccupped. Austin slowly reached over and removed the glass from her hand. “You just complimented me. You’re officially in drunk timeout.”

  She scoffed. When his smile faded, she shrugged. Fine. She’d slow down on the drinks. She had enough to take the edge off.

  She looked away, tucking her hair behind her ear. When she looked back, Austin smiled again. “What?”

  He nodded toward her hand that still touched her earring. “Why do you wear so many diamonds?”

  A warm flux of perfect memories flooded her heart. Now that was something she loved to talk about, and it was safer than her stirred-up feelings. “My grammycross.”

  “Your what?”

  She cleared her throat and tried again. “My. Grammy. Cross.”

  “Oh. Your grandmother.”

  “Yes. Grammycross always wore diamonds. And she had big hair. Like, Texas big hair, all piled in a big bun on top her head. Grammycross never went anywhere without her diamonds.”

  “I’m assuming your grandmother has passed?” His voice dropped to a whisper, and he looked like he wanted to touch her again. His fingers inched toward her hand, but he stopped short.

  She nodded, confirming his suspicion. “Yes.” Her grandmother passed away the summer before her senior year of college. She’d silently hoped she would get to watch her graduate, but now, after the controversy, Magnolia was glad she wasn’t around to see her fail. Then again, she wished she was there now, waiting for her to come home, with her flour-covered hands and quick-witted tongue. Magnolia leaned forward. Too far. She almost bumped noses with him. “Grammycross would have hated you.”

  His mouth dropped open, but she didn’t take it back. “Why?”

  “You make me want to stay in New York,” she said, poking his chest. “You make me want to go wherever you go. Even Canada.”

  He smiled. “You mean Minnesota.”

  “No.” She shook her head. It felt fuzzy and her tongue definitely felt loose. She couldn’t keep her thoughts from falling out of her mouth. “I meant actual Canada. If you got traded to the North Pole. I want to go.”

  He did touch her this time. His hand entangled in her hair before dropping down to cup her cheek. “Shit, Maggie. Why can’t you say stuff like this to me when you’re sober?”

  She giggled again. “I am sober.”

  He laughed. “Sure you are.”

  “I am.”

  “All right, then.” He moved back in his seat, pulled the drink menu out, and rummaged around in his bag for a pen. “Let’s prove it. I’m going to write this down, and you’re going to sign it. Then tomorrow, when you’re still sober, you can tell me whether or not I get to hold you to this little promise.”

  She tapped the paper with her finger. Confident. “Write it down, baby.”

  He snorted and started scribbling on the paper. “Sober, my ass.”

  He scooted it across the table to her. The words on the paper blurred. He handed her a pen. She grabbed it like it was a ninety pound bag of sand. She wrote her name on the paper and thrust it back at him. “There ya go.”

  His smile turned to something else, his gaze darting back to her.

  “What?”

  He looked at the paper again. Then, very precisely, he folded it up and put it in his pocket. “Nothing. You’re just full of surprises today.”

  Even in the daze that clouded her head, she knew what he meant. Even after being very clear about how they felt about each other, she still hadn’t given him an answer about the whole girlfriend thing, and he still hadn’t kissed her. She suspected the second one would follow the first. As if he waited to make sure she was serious about him before putting himself out there. She wanted to, but that application for the new job was still in her desk. Three weeks, and she hadn’t even written her name on it. Mrs. Stamcose would be asking for it soon, and she had no idea what to do about it now. She wanted to tell Austin yes. To finally break down the physical barrier she kept up between them.

  There were still too many questions. Saying no to L.A. meant trusting that saying yes to Austin would work out. It meant finding a different route to her dream job. Really, it meant choosing to be happy.

  “Maggie, what’s wrong?”

  She bit her lip. “There is something I want to show you.”

  “Okay.”

  She needed him to know about her past before she could let herself move forward. It was time she told someone else. “Could you get my carry-on down for me?”

  “Sure.”

  Austin retrieved her backpack from the compartment above their heads and handed it to her. Magnolia dug past her make-up bag and grabbed her faithful notebook. She smiled at the marks she’d drawn at the top. She stopped counting her days of survival the same day she met Austin. She flipped to the back. Tucked between the binding and the last page was an article she’d cut out of the University of Georgia newspaper.

  She handed it to Austin. “This is why I held back for so long. This is why Ferra Decantur and her minions of doom scare me so badly.”

  Austin carefully unfolded the article, and the picture of her, drunk and passed out in the chair of the president’s office, stared back at her. She didn’t remember that part. It was only supposed to be a graduation party with her friends. Felix begged her to go. She wanted to stay in and go over her valedictorian speech one last time. “You’re going to get that job at Time Warner,” he’d said. “You’re going to be traveling the country. I’m never going to get to see you anymore. One last night out.”

  How could she tell her best friend no?

  Breaking and Entering was the main charge on her record, along with public intoxication. She didn’t break into the president’s office. She was on Felix’s couch when she passed out. He set her up. He called the police.

  Austin’s face didn’t change as he read the article. There was no surprise, or shock. When he handed it back to her, he shrugged. “I don’t believe that shit.”

  “Then you’re the only one.”

  “You would never do anything to risk your chance at that interview. Who did that to you?”

  “Someone I trusted.”

  “A boyfriend?”

  She shook her head. She’d never thought of Felix that way. He’d made comments before, but as long as she ignored them, he’d always let it go. They were friends. At least, she thought they were supposed to be.

  Austin’s hand found hers. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  “For the longest time I wondered why me. I wanted to go back in time and change it, to keep myself from going out that night.”

  “Trust me. I think we all have those moments.”

  She squeezed his hand, willing him to understand. “I’m glad I couldn’t go back and change it, because now, if given the choice, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t want to change anything in my life that led to you.”

  And she meant it. For all she cared, that application for L.A. could stay in her desk. She’d find a job in Manhattan. It might not pay six figures, or put her in the spotlight every day, but she’d be with the people who made her happy. She’d be with Austin. He’d been right before. Your job shouldn’t be about the title. It should be about enjoying what you did, and the people you got to be with every day.

  She wasn’t giving up her dream, but rather choosing a different route that allowed her to enjoy the ride there. He pulled her over, hugging her close to his chest. It was soft, safe, and exactly where she wanted to be. She felt Austin’s laughter brush through her hair the same time she closed her eyes.

  Even if it all ended tomorrow, she wouldn’t change a single second of it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  AUSTIN’S WELCOME

  Shrill screams. It was worse than a Michael Myers film. Magnolia and h
er older sisters Scarlett and Ophelia were a deadly trio. At some point in their lives, they probably looked like stair steps, but now, they could be triplets. Austin stood back as the three girls hugged and screamed and then hugged some more. Scarlett and Ophelia volunteered to pick them up at the airport. Well, volunteered was probably the wrong word.

  Scarlett and Ophelia demanded they allow them to pick them up. Ophelia, the oldest of the three, pulled away first. “Where is he?”

  Magnolia, who still laughed at Scarlett’s new red highlights in her dark hair, turned around. “What?”

  “Where is he?” Ophelia searched around them. “Surely, you didn’t lose him on the plane?”

  “Oh. Austin.” Magnolia rolled her eyes at Ophelia and then turned around looking for him.

  Austin hadn’t realized it, but he’d backed away from them about ten feet. He blended in with the crowd as they hurried back and forth through the terminal. Magnolia smiled. “He’s the big scared-lookin’ one there.”

  Ophelia and Scarlett found him. He sank a little further back into the crowd.

  “Austin!”

  He wasn’t sure how they managed to hug him, shake his hand, and take his luggage in one swift swoop. It was as if he were caught in the vortex of twin tornadoes. He waved in the general direction of the madness. “Hello.”

  “Look at you.” Ophelia had cropped black hair. She was at least three inches shorter than Magnolia. She stepped up on her tiptoes and poked him. “You’re real.”

  Then Scarlett poked him. “And big. Like ‘damn, boy’ big. How did you fit on the plane?”

  “Did she pay you to do this?” Ophelia eyed him with skepticism. “Is this like a Hallmark Christmas movie in the making?”

  Scarlett was on her tiptoes, attempting to look him in the eye. “You don’t look Canadian.”

  “Okay. That’s enough.” Magnolia pushed her sisters apart. Then she looked at him, her gaze filled with humor. “I warned you.”

  In fact, she did. He’d asked her about her family on the plane, trying to get her mind off the article she’d shown him. He was glad she finally trusted him enough to tell him, but he didn’t want this trip ruined by old news. They were finally out of Manhattan, which meant they could go pretty much wherever and not worry about a photographer lurking around the next corner.

  “You’re probably right.” Ophelia started picking up luggage. “We don’t want to scare him off before Mom gets to see him.”

  “True.” Scarlett grabbed his arm and started directing him toward the exit. “Mom has her auxiliary club on standby.”

  “Sounds like her.” Magnolia threw her bag over her shoulder and led the way. “If we’re lucky, we’ll make the newsletter.”

  Ophelia playfully slapped Magnolia’s shoulder. “Hush. Mom has waited a long time for this. Don’t ruin it for her.”

  “Yeah, Magnolia.” Austin mocked her sister’s scolding tone. “I would hate to have to show your mother that agreement you signed on the plane.”

  Magnolia shot him a look. Hellfire in her eyes.

  Scarlett looked between them. “What agreement?”

  Austin simply smiled at Magnolia. She pursed her lips. The games between them would never end. At least he hoped they never would. Magnolia turned back around and stalked toward the exit.

  Ophelia’s smile was slow, but satisfied. “I like you. You’re good for her.”

  Austin grinned back. “I hope so.”

  Scarlett started walking backward, looking at him. “But we’re going to need to see that agreement.”

  ***

  Still a little groggy, and more than likely hung over, Magnolia slipped off to take a shower and get ready for the party that afternoon, leaving him alone in his own guest room. It had been wrong and presumptuous of him to assume he’d get to stay in the same room as Magnolia. He’d only spent the one night at her apartment, and even then they’d fallen asleep on the couch watching Frosty the Snowman. That didn’t exactly count as sleeping over. Hell, he still hadn’t managed to kiss her yet.

  He wanted to kiss her. He thought about it constantly. He thought about that and when she would get around to giving him an answer about their relationship status.

  Austin rolled his eyes. If only his teammates knew the things he worried about now. His fucking relationship status. He did care, though, no matter how much teasing it would garner. Magnolia saying yes was the first step toward her not leaving New York in the spring. It meant he was reason enough to stay.

  He looked up to find himself pacing the room, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He stepped back and took a long, deep breath. He’d never been good at waiting. He raised his gaze to the wall, to the tailored picture frame next to the bookshelf. He instantly smiled at the sight of an obviously younger Magnolia. Her hair was even longer than it was now, and braided down the side.

  He eased closer, inspecting the photo. She wore a Bulldogs t-shirt and held a red Solo cup up in salute toward the camera. She was the same beautiful, vibrant woman he knew now. If he had met her then, a couple years ago when they were both in college, would they have had the same instant connection? He moved on to the next picture. It was a close-up, and Magnolia had her tongue stuck out, making a silly face.

  It would have been the same. He would have noticed her then too. He’d notice Magnolia no matter the time or the place. It hadn’t been because he was in the market for a distraction. It had been because it was simply impossible for him not to notice her.

  He moved over to look at the last set of pictures, a collage all taken at the beach. That’s when he noticed the guy. The same guy in all four pictures. He made a face. The kind of disgusted face anyone would make at the sight of the girl they wanted with someone else. He was human. He was allowed to make faces. He instantly turned away from it. There wasn’t any reason to be jealous, but it still didn’t mean he wanted to look at it.

  The guy had a stupid haircut, anyway. Who didn’t cut the front of their hair?

  Austin focused his nervous energy on getting ready, pulling his suitcase into the bathroom and closing the door.

  It would be rude to take the picture down.

  As soon as he finished, he found himself not so secretly making his way down the hallway toward Magnolia’s room. The door was cracked open, and slow music came from inside. He found her in the bathroom, standing in front of a floor length mirror. He sat down on the sink, his arms crossed over his chest. Magnolia dabbed perfume on her neck. It was fruity and soft. She handed a string of pearls to him. “Do you mind?”

  He slid the tiny pearls between his fingers, amused. “No diamonds tonight?”

  She smiled as she finished applying her lip gloss. “It’s a special occasion. My dad bought me those for my high school graduation.”

  “Ah.” He stepped up behind her, admiring the silky, black skirt that revealed more of her thigh than should be legal. The red shirt clung to her. He brushed his fingers over the fabric that covered her shoulders as he placed the string of pearls around her neck. Magnolia pulled her hair around so he could see to fasten the latch. His fingers traced her neck, down her spine.

  “Austin.”

  It was a warning.

  “Hmm?”

  She looked at him through the mirror, her beauty sharp and fatal. He expected her to scold him, but her smile was warm. “Thank you for coming with me.”

  Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Wasn’t this my idea?”

  “I know.” She sighed, and then leaned back against him. “I didn’t realize how much I would like having you here.”

  He bent down, his lips grazing the nape of her neck. “It’s only been a couple hours. I haven’t even gotten to use my Canadian charm on your mom yet.”

  Magnolia snorted. “Trust me. Any kind of charm would work on her at this point. You made her year by showing up.”

  He swayed with her, the music drifting through the open bedroom door. “Can I ask you a questio
n?”

  Her eyes closed. She leaned her head against his chest. He could smell the perfume better now. “Sure.”

  “Who is the douche bag in all those pictures with you in the guest room?”

  Magnolia’s eyes popped open. “What?”

  He smiled at her reflection. “I’m not jealous. I just figured I should know the guy’s name if I’m gonna have to stare at his stupid face all weekend.”

  Magnolia groaned. “I told Scarlett to take those photos down.”

  He laughed against the collar of her shirt. “You may need to remind her. Who is he?”

  “Felix.” She grimaced like just saying the name made her ill.

  “Like the cat?”

  Magnolia shook her head, laughing. “Yes, like the cat.”

  Austin chuckled. “You’re really making this ‘make fun of your ex’ thing too easy for me.”

  Magnolia playfully elbowed him. “He’s not my ex. We grew up together. His mom and my mom are in all the same clubs. He’s sort of part of the family.”

  Again she groaned. A foreboding groan.

  “Wait.” Austin scooted back, holding her at arm’s length. “Is he the one who set you up that night before graduation?”

  Magnolia bit the inside of her cheek. “Let’s put it this way. He better not be at this party.”

  Now he wished he would have taken a closer look at that picture. He wasn’t about to let anyone ruin their weekend. More importantly, he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin Magnolia’s trip home. There was a light knock on the door. He wasn’t ready for their moment to end yet. When he put his arms back around her and kissed her neck, she elbowed him.

  “Behave.” She turned and giggled against his cheek. “What if that’s my mom?”

  He shrugged and she elbowed him again, laughing. “Go check.”

  Austin peeked around the corner of the bathroom to find Scarlett grinning from ear to ear. “Am I interrupting?”

  He grinned back. “Yes.”

  She beamed at him, and they shared a mutual, knowing smile. Scarlet knew how he felt about Magnolia. He wasn’t trying to hide it, but it surprised him that he was so obvious. Magnolia’s hand touched his side as she looked around him toward the door. “What’s up?”