This was more than just bravado on Rachel’s part. This was the real Rachel. She was ambitious and tenacious and resourceful.
Dane loved her for it.
There was a knock on the door. He looked out the peephole and saw Sweet Louise flanked by Susie and Uncle Milton.
Susie looked amazing. He opened the door, sidestepped Sweet Louise, and pulled Susie into a hug. “I’m so sorry. I trust you, and I should have known you would never call the press.”
Rachel pulled them into a three-way hug. “He’s an idiot, but he loves you. Make him grovel first, but you should forgive him. He meant well … sort of.”
Susie laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Okay, is everyone ready?” Sweet Louise waved everyone out into the hall.
“I love her.” Romero pointed to Sweet Louise. “Can I be Sweet Louise when I grow up?”
“Get in line.” Susie patted Sweet Louise’s shoulder. “She’s a force of nature.”
Sweet Louise blew them both air kisses. “Y’all are all family now, which means we will be in each other’s lives constantly.” She looked from person to person. “Let’s go.” She lifted her walkie-talkie to her mouth and pressed talk. “We’re leaving the building. Cue the picketers.”
“Picketers?” Uncle Milton looked at Susie.
She shrugged. “I told Sweet Louise to create a distraction. I thought the football players were the distraction.”
“The Lone Stars were just the appetizer.” Sweet Louise grinned. “January mobilized the La Leche League, who are walking in support of more public acceptance of breastfeeding. Nina organized the National Pilots’ Association, who are picketing for longer rest periods between overseas flights. Charisma called all of her personal coaching friends to come out in support of the City of Austin’s new fitness initiative. My son, Devon, got the National Livestock and Beef Board to organize a march to bring attention to the need for the USDA to reorganize the food pyramid. Laney is in surgery today and is sorry she couldn’t have helped.”
“You have more than exceeded my expectations.” Susie hugged Sweet Louise. “What’s this about it being National Kiss an NFL Football Player Day?”
“I needed to give the girls time to gather their troops for the different marches. I figured the biggest bang for my buck was kissing football players.” Sweet Louise pushed the down button on the elevator. “My boys have raised almost ten thousand dollars for Dress for Success. They provide interview clothing and career coaching so that women in poverty can achieve economic independence.”
Dane kissed the older woman’s cheek. “I think you should run for president.”
Sweet Louise shook her head. “No way. I wield way more power than any president.”
They all got in the elevator.
“Now, there are a few photographers left, but I’ve taken care of that.” Sweet Louise spoke into the walkie-talkie. “Cue the flag.” She waited several seconds. “Cue the national anthem.”
As they exited the elevator into the hotel’s lobby, they heard the national anthem blasting out of invisible speakers. All of the football players and picketers closed ranks to form a double line creating a pathway between the human chain of bodies. The picketers and players put their hands over their hearts and sang the national anthem.
Sweet Louise pointed to the pathway. “Here we go. Just walk between the lines of people. It will take you directly to Susie’s car.”
“Thanks for doing this.” Susie kissed Sweet Louise on the cheek and then whispered something in the older woman’s ear.
Sweet Louise caught Uncle Milton’s eye. “I’m counting on you to get them all to the car safely.”
Milton straightened up to his full height and became the most important man alive. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure everyone’s safe.”
Susie winked at Sweet Louise.
“Y’all go ahead and start dinner without me.” Sweet Louise waved. “I’ll be by later.”
Susie laughed. “And that’s how you avoid the paparazzi.”
With Milton in the lead, they made it to the car in record time. Everyone squeezed in. Just as the national anthem was coming to a close, they pulled out of the parking spot and into traffic.
Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to Susie’s house.
“If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Angie hopped out of the car and grabbed her bag from the trunk. “I’m still not sure how Sweet Louise pulled that off.”
“Me either. It was brilliant.” Rachel grabbed her bag and headed up the steps into the house.
Romero waggled his smartphone. “I took notes in case there’s a movie adaptation, but I don’t think anyone could recreate that.”
Dane hung back and gently tapped Susie on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you? Maybe we could take a walk.”
“Sure.” She shaded her eyes and pointed to the lone figure walking away from them down her driveway. “I guess he’s starting guard duty early.”
“What does that mean?” Dane really didn’t want to talk about Uncle Milton.
“We own all of the land on either side of that road. Technically, we own the land under the road, but since the county maintains it, it’s a public road. But if anyone so much as steps a toe off the road, they are trespassing on our land. My guess is he’s going to wait down there in case any photographers show up so he can dare them to trespass on his land.” She tilted her head to the left and then to the right. “I’m fairly certain he’ll fire a warning shot before he goes all target practice.”
Dane had had enough of the paparazzi. “I’m sorry. I was an ass. I shouldn’t have assumed it was you who gave Rachel and Angie away. It’s just that we’re super careful and …” He was making this worse.
“And what, you thought I was gullible enough to rat out a friend?” Susie didn’t seem mad; she seemed hurt, which was way worse.
“I don’t know what to say. Tell me how to make this right.” He shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. He took a deep breath and jumped off into the deep end of the pool. “I love you.”
Her face scrunched up like the idea made her mad. “I love you too.”
“Why does that make you angry?” She loved him, but it made her angry. He was pretty sure that wasn’t good.
“I’m not angry, I’m just confused.” She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again.
“Is this about earlier?” It took all he had to keep his hands in his back pockets and not to touch her. They’d always been good at the physical part, but he wanted it all—emotional and physical.
“No.” She waved it away. “I understand that before you were just reacting to a bad situation. No big deal. Clearly, we need to work on trust, but I think that’s always going to be a work in progress.”
He took a deep breath for the first time since he’d answered her phone call. She was right, what had happened was minor, but he couldn’t lose her. She was his everything.
She looked more confused than ever. “I just realized something about myself. I’m a romantic. I want the hearts and flowers. I want the happily-ever-after.”
“Why is that a bad thing?” It was time to reveal his secret—one that he’d only shared with Rachel.
“It’s not. I’m just used to being a realist. I like being a realist.” Four rows of lines dented her brow. “I’m not sure how to be a romantic.”
“Lucky for you, I’ve got that covered.” He pulled from his pocket the tiny blue box he’d picked out with Rachel’s help and bent down on one knee. “Sweet Susie Sweet. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life showing you. Will you marry me?”
Her eyes went huge and her hands went to her mouth. Tears streamed down her face. She nodded. “Yes.” She swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. “Yes.”
Everything in his world turned bright and sunny.
“I didn’t even have time to open the box.” He flipped the lid and pulled out a three-car
at heart-shaped diamond. “While Rachel and Angie split a heart, I want you to know that you have all of mine.”
He slipped the ring on her left ring finger. It was a perfect fit, just like Susie was his perfect fit.
She held her arm out straight, admiring the ring. “I promise to love you forever as long as you never call me Sweet Susie Sweet again.”
“Deal.”
* * *
Epilogue
* * *
Leonardo DiCaprio smiled directly into the camera. “And the final nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role is Dane Bennett for Allergic to Love.” The show cut to the scene where he was sitting by Rachel’s bed, holding her comatose hand and begging her to open her eyes.
“I can’t believe you and Rachel were both nominated for Academy Awards for Allergic to Love.” Sweet Louise sat next to Dane on the sofa inside Room 102 of the Austin Women’s Birthing Center. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but that film was only slightly better than that awful book.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t go to the awards.” Susie was exhausted, but she looked unbelievably happy. She’d begged Dane to go, but he hadn’t been about to miss the birth of his daughter.
“Of course I missed them. Daddy wanted to be right here for his Eden’s birth.” He cradled his seven-pound baby girl. “Grandma Honey, as Sweet Louise is insisting you call her, would have gotten a head start at spoiling you, and no one is allowed to spoil you more than me.” He kissed her tiny head. Every day he spent with Susie, he fell a little bit more in love with her, and now she’d given him a miracle.
“And the winner in the category of Best Actor in a Leading Role is,” Leo ripped open the envelope, “Dane Bennet for Allergic to Love.” The music swelled. Leo spoke directly into the microphone. “Dane was unable to be here tonight, but Rachel Mays will be accepting the award for him.”
Rachel, dressed in a blue silk dress that showed off her six-month-pregnant belly, walked down the aisle and up the stairs. She accepted the statue and stepped in front of the microphone. “Dane would have loved to have been here, but his wife, Susie, went into labor early this morning. At 2:47 p.m. CST, Dane Bennett became a father. Here’s a photo of Daddy and baby Eden Rachel.” A picture of Dane holding his baby girl flashed on the television.
“Look, baby girl, there’s your very first cameo.” Dane kissed her sweet forehead for the millionth time.
The camera cut back to Rachel. “I’m honored both to have his daughter named after me and to read his acceptance speech. Dane would like to thank the studio for the opportunity to star in Allergic to Love, the director, the cast, and the crew, who work so hard every day. Most of all, he’d like to thank his friends and family, especially his wife, Susie, who makes him a better man. He’d also like to thank his mother, Kitty McCoy, who passed away four months ago. She gave him life and a love of movies. He misses her every day.”
Dane glanced up to heaven and blew his mother a kiss.
* * *
Other Books By Katie Graykowski
* * *
ROMANCE
The Lone Stars
Perfect Summer
Saving Grace
Changing Lanes
The Debra Dilemma
Charming Coco
The Marilyns
Place Your Betts
Getting Lucky
Sorry Charlie
Texas Rose Ranch
Texas Rose Forever
Texas Rose Always
Texas Rose Evermore
Texas Rose Forgiven- Out soon
The Fort Worth Wrangers
Lyric and Lingerie
Harmony and High Heels
MYSTERY
Pto Murder Club
Rest In Pieces
Blown To Pieces
Just One Piece
URBAN FANTASY SCI-FI
Time, Inc.
The Navigator -Out Soon
The Tough Ladies
Cold As January
Sweet Susie Sweet
Sweet Susie Sweet Page 14
