The awkward silence fell between the two of us again. I should have gotten up and moved to a more appropriate seat, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave her secluded. “Have you thought any about the assignment?” It was lame, but I was desperate to open up the dialogue.
“No, sir. I have piano every day after school. And from there, I was wrangled into a dress and makeup and then herded to the church.”
“Not big on weddings?”
She just shrugged.
“How long have you been playing the piano?”
“Since I was little. I don’t know. Ten years or so.”
I’d stumbled on the topic Colbie was willing to discuss. “Is that what you want to go to Vanderbilt for?” I already knew she wanted to go pre-med, but I’d ask the same questions a hundred different ways to hear her excited.
“No, though I am going to minor in music.”
“That’s a pretty big time commitment, isn’t it?”
“No more than football.” And I’d struck a chord.
“Do most people take lessons every day? I thought it was a once-a-week kind of thing.”
She shrugged again. “I guess for the majority that’s true. But I wouldn’t say they’re lessons so much as intense practice sessions that go on for hours with a classically-trained concert pianist at my side.”
“That’s impressive.”
And just as quickly as she’d gotten enthusiastic, her flame extinguished. “You don’t have to pretend to be interested.”
I touched her forearm with my hand, and my fingers ignited before I jerked them away. She giggled when she realized what I’d done and seemed to think my paranoia was humorous.
“I’m not pretending. I love music. I wish I played an instrument, but football was always the priority in my house.”
“Mine too. But I’m sure you already know that.”
Before I could respond, an older woman stopped next to Colbie and pretended to fawn over her in the way fake women did. “Colbie, dear, you’re stunning this evening. Turning into quite the beauty. Is this your boyfriend?” The lady glanced at me while waiting for Colbie’s response.
“No, Aunt Nancy. I don’t have a boyfriend. This is Eli. He’s one of Caleb’s groomsmen.” The sickeningly sweet, prim girl returned to address her family member.
“You know, honey, you’re never going to get a man with your nose in those books. And your mother tells me you’re missing the Auburn game for a recital.” She tsked and clicked her tongue. “Boys aren’t hanging around in music rooms.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Her aunt lost interest quickly and hugged her awkwardly before racing off to bother someone else.
“Your parents are going to miss a game?” My shock rang through my voice.
“Are you kidding? That would be sacrilegious.” The way she tried to play it off told me just how much she was hurt by it, though not surprised.
“Where do you do your recitals?” I wasn’t sure why I’d felt the need to continue the line of questioning, other than something told me this girl needed someone in her corner.
She placated me throughout the meal, answering my questions with as little information as she could offer without being rude, but her distance was forced. Colbie would catch herself opening up, and I could visibly see her shut back down. Her refusal to allow me to get too close waved all sorts of red flags, but she didn’t give me enough to pinpoint the reason.
When she finished eating, she drank a glass of water, dabbed her mouth, and folded the napkin neatly on the table. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom. I’m sure I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow.”
3
Colbie
The next morning, I got up early to work on homework before the wedding instead of my morning run. I’d played the piano when I came home from the rehearsal dinner until my parents forced me to stop because of “the noise.” I’d read for a while after, still nothing held my attention. Somewhere around one in the morning, I finally gave in to sleep.
At five, I got up and made sure all my assignments had been completed with the exception of the poetry dissection for Dr. Paxton’s class. It would take longer than I had to find a song, and while I was sure my classmates would go for things like Bob Dylan or The Doors, I wasn’t interested in something so trite. My choice would be a careful selection that I didn’t make lightly. I really wanted to push the boundaries of the lyrics. And since I had a day full of sitting in silence, feigning interest in my brother’s nuptials, I figured I’d have time to scour the internet in a corner unnoticed.
With the size of our family coupled with the breadth of the wedding party, multiple limos were picking people up. I assumed I would drive myself since I wasn’t actually participating in the event, but at the last minute, Mama told me to ride with the boys. I considered arguing so I’d be able to leave at the earliest possible point, but just as I opened my mouth to protest, the stern look I received kept me silent. I had my iPad in my purse, so even when the morning turned into an unbearable night, I could work on my English assignment.
We all clamored into the black limo—me the only female in the gang of boys. My brothers were worse about talking than any woman I’d ever known. They gossiped liked old women in the beauty parlor, and it started the moment they opened their eyes in the morning. I had no idea how long it continued, but it hadn’t stopped when we arrived at the church.
Caden had been unusually quiet, and I expected him to say something about last night, but he never did. We hadn’t talked about it, but he’d had a rather heated discussion with Caleb, and then my parents, about excluding me from the wedding party. And I’d seen him watch me all evening at the rehearsal dinner from his seat with the other groomsmen. Instead of bringing attention to my isolation, he kissed my cheek just before we went our separate ways.
My brother’s friends hollered our last name when they saw him, and a hint of a smile crept across my lips. He was a good guy, and everybody loved him. But truth be told, there hadn’t been a single Chapman male to grace this town that hadn’t been adored by everyone they met.
Somehow, that grace hadn’t extended to me. People were nice enough because they were Southern and it was expected; nevertheless, I didn’t miss the little jabs. They didn’t happen in front of my parents, and people like Chasity were confident I’d never repeat them. It was far easier to keep the peace than create a greater divide.
“Colbie, honey, I know you’re bored in here.” Chasity’s tone was condescending, and the way she fluttered her eyes made me want to slap the fake eyelashes off her face. “Why don’t you go see if the staff needs any help?” The smile dripped from her mouth—it was as plastic as her nose.
The way she excused me from participating might have seemed like a favor to an outsider, but in my family’s circle, and Chasity’s too, the family and the help didn’t co-mingle.
“Sure.” There was no reason to point out just how tacky it was. Everyone within earshot heard it, and their eyes had gone wide at the suggestion.
But relief washed over me the moment the door closed at my back. I wasn’t interested in playing the role of little sister to Caleb Chapman any more than Chasity wanted to pretend she cared for me. I didn’t know what I’d done to her, or why a grown woman had such disdain for someone so much younger than herself, but it had started their freshman year of college and had gotten progressively worse.
When they were still in high school, she would never have gotten away with treating me the way she did now because my parents would have seen it. While they tended to overlook me, they would have discouraged Caleb from dating a girl who didn’t love his little sister. But that was before Caleb hit celebrity status at UGA. And Chasity was openly a fan and supporter of all my brothers, so the entire family, minus Caden, assumed the tension was my fault. I didn’t bother to acknowledge it, much less correct it.
Walking toward the sanctuary—hoping to hide in peace for as long as possible—I lifted my ga
ze just in time to see Dr. Paxton and several of the other groomsmen coming my way. Before I could avert my attention, he caught my eyes and held my stare. I didn’t intend to stop to talk but politely said hello to the group.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up in a minute.” He waved off his friends, who seemed confused by his desire to talk to me. “Hey, Colbie. Where are you heading?”
“To the sanctuary to find a seat.” I chewed on my bottom lip just slightly, waiting to be excused.
He chuckled. “The ceremony doesn’t start for almost three hours.”
I lifted my gaze from his knees to his eyes. “Yes, I know.”
His brow furrowed at the lack of humor in my response. “You’re going alone?”
“It’s not a big deal, Dr. Paxton—”
“Eli.”
“Eli,” I corrected myself. “It really isn’t a big deal.”
“What are you going to do for three hours?”
I smoothed the skirt of the soft-yellow silk dress, uncomfortable with the attention he showed me. And when my hair swept across my face, I tucked it behind my ear. “I have an assignment to work on for my English teacher that’s due this week. I’ll be fine.”
A tender smile tugged on the corners of his lips, and the light caught his eyes, making them dance with animation. “Must be a real slave driver.”
“He can be a bit of a tyrant.”
“You sure you don’t want to hang out with us?” He threw up his hand, motioning in the direction of the guys who’d left him standing with me.
“No. Thank you, though.” I didn’t give him time to protest before adding, “It was good to see you. I’m sure Caleb is grateful you’re here.”
His forehead crinkled, indicating his desire to say something else, but whatever it was that lingered on his tongue never came out of his mouth. “Good to see you, too. I’m sure I’ll see you at the reception.”
With a slight nod, I left him standing where he’d stopped. I could sense his eyes boring into my back, but I refused to turn around to see why he hadn’t moved. When I finally reached the double doors to the sanctuary, I was able to glance in his direction without being obvious—he stood stock-still with his hands in his pockets, watching my every move until I disappeared from view.
I really wasn’t bothered by the time alone to work on my English project. It proved to be far more difficult than I had anticipated. Coming up with song choices wasn’t hard, but picking one that said nothing about me yet conveyed romanticism was. I considered myself an upper-level Googler. I didn’t just use a word or two typed in; I’d perfected Boolean searches. Identifying one to use that met the criteria for the assignment should have been an easy task, yet every song I started to pick ended up giving away a secret I hid. Secrets I couldn’t share with anyone, much less Eli. Or maybe that was the perfect thing to do—give him lyrics that told him everything about me so he’d assume they were meaningless.
His name tumbled around my thoughts. He was like two different people—Eli and Dr. Paxton. While I knew the latter would turn out to be an incredible teacher, the idea of Eli being an equally valuable friend threw me for a loop. I couldn’t separate the two, and it seemed vastly inappropriate and strangely alluring. The practical side of me won out in the war inside my mind. I had to please the teacher, not the man, and to do so, I had to choose a song.
I don’t know how long I’d been sitting there or how many songs I’d pored through, but Caden sliding into the pew at the back of the church scared the crap out of me. I jerked the headphones from my ears and met my little brother’s stare.
“What are you doing in here, Cole?”
“Homework. Why?”
“Do you ever stop?”
“I have an assignment due this week, and it’s not like my assistance or attendance is needed anywhere else. Why not kill two birds with one stone?” I shrugged as though the explanation was obvious and everyone did schoolwork while waiting for their brother to tie the knot.
“I just wanted to check on you. Chasity said you bailed shortly after we got here—which I’m sure is a variation of the truth.”
“I’m fine, Caden. Promise.” My little brother wouldn’t buy the lie I was selling. I could only hope he chose to ignore it.
* * *
Being squished between two people I didn’t know and hoped never to have the pleasure of smelling again, for what I believed was only a twenty-minute ceremony, seemed more like an hour. I stood and sat with the rest of the congregation at appropriate moments, and I tried to focus on the words our minister spoke. My attention repeatedly drifted from the older man with gray hair I’d known my entire life to the one I’d just met who appeared to be having the same issue I was. His gaze lingered with mine for just a fraction of a second too long before returning to the man in front of him. He no more paid attention to Caleb and Chasity than I did, although he was far better at concealing it. I wasn’t close enough to see the intricate details of his eyes; still, I caught myself fantasizing about the depths of brown with streaks of black and gold that I’d tried so hard not to notice during our interactions.
As the processional filed out of the sanctuary at the end of the service, my brother and his wife radiated happiness. I watched as my parents followed behind the line and a slew of other people in the parade. Pew by pew the guests retreated behind them, and I finally caught sight of Jess with her parents. They kept her on a short leash, even though there was no reason to. She’d vowed the same life of celibacy in high school I had, and being at the top of the class was just as great a goal. Her parents didn’t seem to get it any more than mine did if they thought she’d jeopardize that for idiotic, teenage drama. She offered me a meek wave at her side as she passed, and her father tipped his head in my direction.
I joined the herd and followed the leader to the entrance of the church. The reception wasn’t far from here, and I hoped to get away with walking the few measly blocks. It hadn’t taken much to get left behind with the masses. My parents were concerned with their guests, my brothers with their friends, and the wedding party with each other, which all suited me just fine. I made a stop in the restroom to freshen up in anticipation of being the last to leave. Yet when I stepped through the ladies’ room door, I ran into a wall of muscle covered in black rayon and white cotton. My gaze traveled the pearl buttons, one by one, to the bow neatly tied at a thick, corded neck, over a chiseled chin and perfect nose, to warm chocolate-brown eyes staring back at me. It took me a second to realize Dr. Paxton’s hands rested on my biceps, and I was lost in him. Instinctively, my palms hit his chest to brace myself against falling, but the heat radiating through the fabric beneath my fingers quickly scorched me, causing me to peel back.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Paxton. I didn’t think anyone was still here.”
“Is it coincidence or intentional?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your isolation.”
My brow hitched a fraction of an inch before I steadied my expression. “Both, I suppose.” I managed to keep my voice from shaking and giving away the anxiety his presence brought.
He stepped back, realizing I wasn’t going to fall. “Any particular reason?”
The corners of my mouth pulled down as my shoulders went up. “It’s easier for everyone this way.”
“How so?”
I cocked my head, taking in his features—most importantly, his eyes. There didn’t appear to be any ulterior motive for his questions other than curiosity, and for the first time, I noticed a hint of tenderness I hadn’t seen before. It might have been the golden hue that mingled with the chocolate or the crow’s feet that etched his skin when he grinned, but something in the way he regarded me warmed my insides.
“I don’t know. My parents are good people. So are my brothers. I just ended up with the wrong family. Like there was a boy being born at the same time I arrived, and God got us mixed up.” I shrugged for the second time in a matter of seconds. “Clearly, I don’t fit in.”
“Then you’re blind. I bet you money not one person in my family knows I’m still at the church. Except for Caden; he might have picked up on it.”
“Maybe you just haven’t found your niche yet.”
I shook my head. “I’ve found my groove; it just doesn’t have anything to do with cheerleading or football. You’d think since my dad’s a doctor that my education would be equally as important as the boys playing a sport, but in some weird twist of fate, it’s not.”
“Your parents are proud of you, Colbie. So are your brothers.”
“Yeah? How many times did you see me at UGA?” I held up my hand when he started to answer. “Better yet, how many years did you know Caleb before you realized he had a sister you’d never met?” I cocked my eyebrow, waiting for his answer.
He pursed his lips the way boys do without really committing to it, and the truth was written all over his face.
“It’s okay, Dr. Paxton. It’s not a surprise.” Rather than face any more of this titillating conversation about my inability to mesh with my family, I turned toward the doors to exit the church. I left with the grace and dignity my mother raised me to have—with my head held high and my shoulders back.
“Cole.”
My head whipped around to stare over my shoulder, stunned by his brazen use of my nickname.
“Wait. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Let me walk with you.”
My scowl softened as he trotted down the church stairs to take a place at my side. He extended his elbow as though he were escorting me. I almost warned him about the gossips in this town but decided it was the one day I could safely get away with being on a man’s arm and not arouse suspicion.
“You don’t like anyone calling you Cole, do you?”
“Caden is pretty much the only one who does. It just caught me off guard.” I was oddly confident strolling down the sidewalk at Eli Paxton’s side. Boys normally made me uneasy. I wasn’t sure what to do around them other than debate. Yet somehow, he set me at ease while ratcheting my anxiety in an entirely different way.
Her Perfect Page 4
