Facial Recognition

by Jennifer Peel

  Rick stared back, just smiling, not saying a dang word.

  “Fine. Be the strong, silent type.” I sighed and leaned my head against Rick as if he could really hug me. “Tell me, when is it going to be my turn?”

  Chapter Four

  I rubbed my hands together and stared down my opponents. I was equipped to win in my lucky shirt and cutoff shorts. “Who’s ready to lose?”

  Tom laughed, making his belly and man boobs jiggle.

  My almost flat chest was jealous.

  “Not tonight, girly.” Tom took a swig of beer.

  I really wished he wouldn’t. He worried me. I don’t know if I would call him an alcoholic, but he teetered on the edge. At least he was a happy drunk. Though sometimes he waxed very sentimental. He missed his kids and ex-wife something fierce. Carly had opened the door for reconciliation and had even visited him briefly a couple of times so Tom could meet his grandsons. I wasn’t sure, though, that their relationship would ever be the same as it had been before he’d cheated on Mrs. Hamilton while on a business trip during our senior year. When it had come to light, it had rocked everyone’s world and created a seemingly uncrossable rift between Tom and his family. Carly had had a family-only destination wedding twelve years ago. Tom hadn’t been invited. Brooks wouldn’t allow it, according to Carly. It was either Brooks or Tom, and Carly had chosen her brother.

  The breakup of the Hamiltons’ marriage had even upended my world. When June and her children had moved out, not only had I suffered the loss of my two best friends, but June Hamilton had been like a mother to me. After I lost Momma, she had taken me under her wing like a little chick, helping me pick out prom dresses and even buying me tampons. When she left to move back to her hometown in Arkansas to be closer to her parents, I thought she would keep in touch, but I guess anything related to Pecan Orchard was too painful, even me.

  I smiled at Tom. “Bring it on.”

  “Watch and learn.” Tom shuffled the cards before dealing us each two, facedown. He loved playing Texas Hold’em.

  “How was work today, sweetie?” Dad asked me while peeking at his cards.

  I thought about how to answer that truthfully, without revealing that Brooks had been there. I’d already used up my lying quota for the day. “Um . . . it was interesting. I had a really rude client, but I gave him the what for, and I won’t be seeing him again.” I peeked at my cards, trying to keep a straight face. They were excellent—two queens.

  “Good for you, honey.” Dad held his cards close to his chest.

  “He didn’t come on to you, did he?” Tom growled.

  I wish. Wait. No I didn’t. At least I hadn’t for a while. So maybe that was a lie too. “No, he didn’t.”

  Tom set the deck down. “Good. Or I’d have to find him and beat the hell out of him.”

  Oh, that probably wouldn’t go over well. Though Brooks probably needed a good talking-to. However, Brooks would easily best his dad if a physical altercation ever occurred. The man was pure muscle. I was trying not to think about it. But holy crow, it was hard not to think about his body.

  “Let’s move on to more serious matters,” Tom interrupted my sizzling memories. “Have you caught up on The Nanny?”

  Tom and I had a thing where we binged on old TV shows and then discussed them. We’d watched everything from I Love Lucy to The Golden Girls. I still couldn’t convince him to get into General Hospital. I had to settle for the fact that I’d made Carly a fan for life of the greatest soap opera ever.

  “I watched a few episodes last night.”

  “I can’t believe Maxwell doesn’t want C. C.” Tom threw some poker chips into the pot to get the betting going.

  “What? C. C. is awful. He’s supposed to fall for Fran.” I shouldn’t be surprised that Tom had a thing for C. C. He’d fallen in love with Bea Arthur’s character from The Golden Girls too. Something about tall, strong women, I guess. It made sense since June, though a beautiful woman, was more on the masculine side. When I knew her, I swear she could have beaten the crap out of almost any guy. She was six feet tall and had broad shoulders like a linebacker. She had also rocked some stilettos, and she had some serious curves. Carly had gotten her momma’s height and had towered over all of us on the cheerleading squad. Poor thing was always on the bottom of the pyramid. But, boy, could she shake it.

  “Fran?” Tom scoffed. “She talks with her nose. I would have to shoot myself if I had to listen to her voice every day.”

  “But she’s good with the children.” Daddy surprised us both and jumped in.

  My head whipped in Daddy’s direction. “You’re watching The Nanny, Daddy?”

  His ears pinked a bit. “I thought I should check it out since you said you loved it.”

  Aww. This was why I would forever be a daddy’s girl and believe that there were good men out there. I had to believe there was one for me. “What do you think of it?”

  Dad pressed his lips together. “It’s no Star Trek, but it’s fun.” Dad was a devoted Trekkie and had even gone on one of their cruises. I had never gotten into it until the reboots where they cast Chris Pine as Captain Kirk. That was an excellent choice. You know, I think I could feel some things for Chris Pine. I wondered if he was single and looking to get married and have some kids. I bet he didn’t have overly hairy feet.

  “You’re telling me that you’d rather be with the nanny than C. C.?” Tom found it incredulous. “That C. C. is one hunk of woman. She has some meat to her.” Tom grinned over at me. “Not to say that you aren’t beautiful, even though a light breeze could blow you away. However, I need a woman I can dig my hands into.” His chocolate-brown eyes that reminded me so much of Brooks’s got misty. They did that whenever he was thinking of June.

  Daddy cleared his throat, knowing Tom might start blubbering. “Why don’t we get back to the game? I’ll see your two and raise you five.” Dad threw his chips into the pot. He must have had some good cards too.

  “I’ll see that bet.” I tossed in my own chips.

  Tom scrunched his faced and rubbed his burgeoning belly. “I’m going for it.” He pushed forward his chips. He then dealt the three community cards. Tom was the worst poker player ever. It was surprising, considering he was a lawyer. He groaned, giving away that the cards weren’t to his liking. Downing the rest of his beer was also a dead giveaway.

  Daddy was ever stoic and gave not a thing away. He gently sipped his wine and tossed in his bet.

  I mirrored his unemotive face, but inside I was dancing. I casually matched his bet.

  Tom folded and grabbed another beer from the cooler he’d brought with him. Once he’d popped the top off his bottle, he dealt the last two cards.

  Dad and I studied the cards and each other before placing our last bests. We eyed one another, grinning before turning over our cards.

  “Four of a kind,” I said at the same time Daddy said, “Flush.”

  “Yes!” I scooped up my winnings.

  Tom patted my knee. “You’ve always been a lucky one, Gracie, darlin’.”

  Daddy gave me a wink. “I would say she’s always been smart.”

  “Right you are,” Tom agreed with Dad.

  I wasn’t sure how smart I was. I mean, I heard strange voices. And as far as lucky went, I was definitely not lucky in love, but . . . I stared at my men. I supposed I was pretty darn lucky. I stood. “Now that we’ve gotten the first butt kicking out of the way, I’m going to grab a snack. Any takers?” I always tried to make it something healthy, as I knew it was probably the only fruits and vegetables Tom would get all week.

  Daddy nodded, but Tom stared blankly and dropped his beer. It splattered all over the wood floor. Before I knew it, Tom was falling out of his chair and making an awful gasping sound. A noise I was all too familiar with. My mother had made the same sounds when she was dying. Both Daddy and I rushed to his side.

  “Tom, can you hear me?” I cried.

  His eyes rolled back, and he stopped making any noi
se.

  “Daddy, call 911.” I checked Tom’s pulse but couldn’t find one, and he had stopped breathing. “No, no, no.” I wouldn’t lose someone else I loved. I began CPR while Daddy talked to the emergency dispatcher. Time seemed to stand still as I did chest compressions while silently begging God not to take Tom. “Please, Tom, fight. Fight hard. Ryker and Axel need their granddaddy. Daddy and I need you,” I cried. This went on for ten minutes until the EMTs arrived and took over. They immediately brought out a defibrillator and shocked him. I stood in horror, watching from Daddy’s arms.

  After shocking him twice, I heard some of the best words ever: “He has a pulse.”

  I turned into Daddy, and emotion poured out of me and onto his shirt. They worked on Tom for what seemed like hours, but it was really minutes before they were transporting him out of the house.

  “Which hospital are you taking him to?” Daddy asked.

  “Regional Medical Center,” the EMT responded.

  I guess I knew where I would be spending the night, and praying that Tom was luckier than me tonight.

  ~*~

  Daddy and I sat in the ICU waiting room while they sedated Tom and placed him in therapeutic hypothermia. Tom had gone into what they called sudden cardiac arrest. They believed lowering his body temperature would reduce his risk of brain damage. That was, if he survived. The odds weren’t in his favor, but the doctor told us we shouldn’t lose hope. He had seen patients recover. He said I had increased his chances by administering CPR right away.

  I’d messaged Carly through Facebook, as I didn’t have her number. I hated to tell her in such a way. I gave her my number, and she’d called immediately. Poor thing was beside herself. She was beating herself up over missed opportunities and not seeing Tom more over the years. She was even remorseful about letting our relationship slide. She and her family were flying in tomorrow from California. Thankfully, Daddy and I had been Tom’s emergency contacts for a long time, so the doctors were able to communicate with us.

  I rested my head on Daddy’s bony shoulder, exhausted but not able to close my eyes. I kept seeing flashes of Tom’s lifeless body. If he survived this, I was going to start cooking for him every day and making him exercise. No more beer and bratwurst. He was going to become the vibrant man I used to know.

  Daddy and I sat in silence for several minutes. I knew how much he hated hospitals. Momma had spent way too much time in them and had died in one. I was just about to tell him to go home, even though I knew he would protest, when my fourth-worst nightmare walked in. Ahead of this one was Daddy dying, Tom dying, and Rick Springfield canceling his summer tour, three concerts of which I had tickets for.

  My head popped up when Brooks and his momma came walking in through the waiting room doors. Brooks had his arm around his momma, who had obviously been crying. Her eyes were as puffy as pastries. Though she was tall—only four inches shorter than Brooks—for some reason she looked so diminutive next to Brooks’s take-charge attitude. He was dressed to the nines in a designer black suit, looking like he had come from a fancy dinner or something, and his entire demeanor screamed that he wasn’t happy to be there. Except I detected a hint of sadness in his eyes. I only recognized it because I’d seen it my own when Momma had died.

  Unfortunately, there was only one way in and one way out of the waiting room. And I’d been so stunned to see him walk in, I didn’t have enough wits about me to run and hide in the bathroom. This was what I got for lying today. Yep, the good Lord was punishing me.

  June and Brooks locked eyes on me as my eyes nervously darted back and forth between them. June’s eyes flooded with tears while she called out my name, “Gracie.” At the same time, Brooks’s brow creased exponentially when he growled, “Jane.”

  Oops.

  “Jane?” June smacked Brooks’s chest. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you recognize our Gracie?” She flew toward me with open arms.

  I had no choice but to stand and face the music. First, though, I received June, who about bowled me over. For a woman in her midsixties, she still packed a punch. She was definitely a woman who had some meat to her, just like Tom preferred. And by the looks of her skin, she was still into spray tans.

  “Oh, Gracie, my darling girl,” she bawled.

  Since I was about six inches shorter than her, my head landed in her big bosom. I didn’t mind—it kept me from having to face Brooks. And, man, had I missed her. I snuggled in close, shaking from the fear of knowing I would have to pay the piper any minute now because of my lie and crying because June felt like home and a momma. Did I ever need a momma now.

  I heard Daddy stand up and greet Brooks. “It’s been a long time. It’s good to see you,” Daddy said.

  “Yes, sir, it has.” Brooks still had some manners to him. Which surprised me after our encounter earlier today. I was even more flabbergasted that he was here. I’d thought he’d sworn to never see his daddy again. In fact, I had counted on it. Hence my lie.

  June clung to me for dear life, blubbering.

  “I didn’t know you were in town,” I said, muffled against her chest.

  “I’ve been visiting Brooks,” she stuttered between sobs. “Carly called us. She said you saved Tom’s life.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. He’s not out of the woods.” I could hardly say it.

  June leaned back. “He can’t die. There’s so much I need to say to him.” Her blue, watery eyes bore a pain so deep it pierced my heart. The Hamiltons’ divorce was one of the biggest shocks of my life. To me, they had been the ideal couple. They were flirty and fun. Sure, they could toss some zingers at each other, but they had always been affectionate. Not only to each other but to their children and their children’s friends. Especially to me.

  “There’s so much I want to say to you.” She patted my wet cheeks. “I’ve missed you, dear Gracie.”

  “I’ve missed you too,” my voice croaked.

  She took my hand, and it was time to face Brooks. Crap. It was made more pleasant by the fact that I was still wearing my I’m Magically Delicious shirt and cutoffs. My only saving grace was that my legs were toned and shaved.

  Together, June and I faced Daddy and Brooks.

  Brooks stood with his arms folded, looking me over. His lips were curled up into a snarl.

  I rose to the occasion. “Brooks, you’re looking so fresh faced. You have that facial glow.”

  June spat out a weak laugh. “How funny. He did have a facial today. Apparently, the aesthetician was something else. She really got under his skin. Brooks ranted about her for over an hour after he got home.”

  I had to press my lips together to keep from smirking. “That’s so awful.”

  “Carly said you own a spa now, is that right?” June asked me.

  I was surprised Carly knew that; she had probably seen me post about it on Facebook. I was constantly touting Serenity Spa on there. I nodded while watching Brooks’s eyes widen at the news.

  “Perhaps you can give Brooks some advice on how he should handle his poor treatment.”

  I gave Brooks a brilliant smile. “You should definitely write a scathing review online.”

  “I plan on it,” Brooks growled.

  “I can’t wait to read it.”

  Chapter Five

  There were few things more uncomfortable in my life than sitting in the waiting room with Brooks staring at me while his momma took a moment to be alone with Tom. Things like having your date put his hairy, overarched foot on the table, getting a cavity filled, gynecology appointments, and being stood up for prom. However, I would have taken any of them rather than be alone with Brooks right now. Daddy had left to get some rest. Unfortunately, I couldn’t, even if it meant facing Brooks. Tom needed someone by his side who loved him and stuck it out with him, just in case the unthinkable happened. Not that I blamed June for leaving Tom; I couldn’t imagine that kind of betrayal. Brooks, on the other hand, should have at least reciprocated some of his father’s attempts to reconcil
e, in my opinion. Even a card on his birthday would have been nice.

  Brooks sat one seat away from me on the stiff waiting room chairs. We were the only souls around in the ICU waiting room, as it was around midnight. The only sound that could be heard was the low hum of the TV playing in the background.

  My peripheral vision told me Brooks was glaring at me, and my senses could feel the iciness of his gaze. All I could do was stare aimlessly at my phone.

  “Why did you lie to me today?” Brooks’s deep voiced shattered the silence.

  I set my phone in my lap and turned toward him. Dang, the five-o’clock shadow played well on his face. His facial hair was much darker than his golden-brown locks, and it really added to his broody persona. Not that it mattered how attractive he was. He was a jerk and dating Morgan.

  I tapped my lips. “Could have something to do with the fact that you didn’t recognize me. Or perhaps I’m still a little salty that you stood me up on prom night. Or maybe it’s because I’d thought I was one of your best friends, and you treated me as if I never existed.” I had to work hard to keep the emotion out of my voice.

  His lips parted, but he said nothing.

  Figures. I went back to staring at my phone.

  “If you had been truthful today, I would have put two and two together. I told you, you looked familiar. And the setting we were in was out of context,” he defended himself.

  I couldn’t believe that was all he had to say to me after twenty years. After the history we shared. “Congratulations, Mr. Hamilton, you’ve won your case.” I didn’t even bother looking at him. In fact, I turned more away from him and decided watching late-night TV was the ticket. Who didn’t need more talk shows in their life? Not that I could really pay attention. I was more than worried about Tom, and being near Brooks was disconcerting. The tension between us was strung tighter than my string bikini.