A Needful Heart (18 page)

Linda had the good grace to look a little
embarrassed, but she plowed on. “Grayson, over here. Everybody, I’d
like to introduce you to Dr. Grayson Cooper. He just moved here
from Florida.”

Some of the crowd waved hello, but the
response was unenthusiastic. The teenagers twittered and stayed
huddled in their little group.

“And this is my daughter, Gina.”

Smiling, Gina waved her casted arm as an
excuse not to shake his hand, but she didn’t move from beside Matt.
Tightening her hand around his, she waited for the awkward
situation to disappear.

Of course, it didn’t.

“Gina, would you mind showing Grayson where
to put things, please?”

She glared daggers but still responded to
that tone in her mother’s voice that said she wouldn’t take any
sass. With an apologetic glance at Matt, she rose to her feet.
“This way Dr. Cooper.”

“Grayson, please.”

Gina smiled as politely as she could and
directed him across the patio to the banquet table reserved for the
food. “You can put your beans here, and the gift for Charli can go
on that table.”

Grayson juggled the two and tried to shift
hands, but somehow bumbled the move. The beans dropped to the table
and the thin plastic split up the side of the container. Bean juice
splashed across the table and onto Grayson’s khakis. The gift bag
dropped to the ground and Gina heard the sound of breaking glass
from inside.

He stared at the mess incredulously and
Gina‘s reserve melted. “Oh, no. Here.”

Gina scrambled for napkins to blot the mess
up and handed a fistful to the doctor. She heard snickers from the
group of girls and tossed them a murderous look. It was bad enough
to walk into a group of people you didn’t know, let alone have them
laugh at you. She felt bad for the poor man. Grabbing the tub of
beans, she tossed the whole thing into the trash can, then swiped
again with the napkins. Her mother arrived to help, and she told
Gina to take Grayson into the house to clean up.

Gina knew her mother was still trying to
manage her, and it was seriously beginning to piss her off. Now was
not the time to bitch, though.

“This way, Grayson.”

She led him into the house and down the
hallway to the bathroom just off the laundry room. The bean splash
had managed to cover most of the front of his nice pants, and she
had a sneaking suspicion he would need to put something else
on.

“I don’t know if those pants are going to be
okay or not. I can get you a pair of my father’s to put on for now,
if you don’t mind. We can wash the khakis and hopefully the stain
won’t set in.”

Grayson’s attractive face was twisted with
aggravation. “I can’t believe I did that. I haven’t been that
clumsy in years.”

Gina laughed. “Must be nice. I’m clumsy all
the time.” She held up her wrist.

“Yes, that’s what your mother said.” He
looked down at his pants in resignation. “I believe I’m going to
have to accept your generous offer of a pair of pants. I don’t
believe I can comfortably drive home in this.”

“Let’s get your pants changed, we’ll get your
dress pants in the wash and you can come out and enjoy the party.
What’s your waist size?”

Luckily, he was the same size as her father.
Gina crossed to the laundry room and tugged a pair of her father’s
jeans out of a stack. She handed them off, and accepted the dirties
when he passed them through the crack of the door. She pre-treated
them and tossed them in the washer.

If anything, Grayson looked even more
uncomfortable when he stepped out of the bathroom. “I don’t
normally wear denim,” he explained.

“Well, maybe you should. You look good in
them.” And he did. The legs were a little long, maybe, but they
definitely fit him everywhere else.

“Thank you, Gina. You are as nice as your
mother said you were.” He smiled, and Gina felt like crap because
she needed to clear the air.

“Uh, Grayson, thank you, but I need to tell
you. My mother invited you, but I already have a date. I’m sorry. I
know this is kind of awkward for you, and I apologize for
that.”

His pretty blue eyes darkened with
disappointment, and his smile became a little forced. “I wondered.
I saw you holding the big man’s hand when you stood up. He glared
at me when you escorted me into the house.”

Gina nodded. “Yes. We haven’t been dating
long, but it’s pretty intense. I’m sorry. You seem like a very nice
man.”

He shrugged lightly and seemed determined to
close the subject. He held the door open for her to precede him out
to the fire-ring, then took a vacant chair a couple spaces down
from her.

Gina sat in her own chair and placed her hand
back over Matt’s, but he didn’t respond to her touch. She squeezed
a bit, to get his attention, and he turned to look at her. “Are you
okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” His glance flicked to Grayson.
“Should you go sit with him?”

“No. He’s an adult. He’ll find somebody to
talk to. Mom can deal with him; she invited him. I’m with the
person I want to be with.”

One side of his mouth tipped up and he
relaxed deeper in the chair. “So am I,” he told her quietly, and
squeezed her hand.

Gina felt her heart literally skip a beat.
That was the biggest admission he’d ever made to her, and tears
burned her eyes. She leaned her head against his broad shoulder to
hide her emotion. He raised his arm and she burrowed into his
chest.
I love you
was on the tip of her tongue, but she
clamped her mouth shut.
Not yet
.

The conversation ebbed and flowed as the
afternoon wore on. Dad got up and lit the barbeque, and Mom headed
indoors to gather the utensils and meat. They were their usual
selves, kissing and hugging each other as if each small absence
hurt. Gina had grown up watching them love each other, but it
appeared to fascinate Matt. Several times she caught him surveying
their by-play with a quizzical expression.

“They’re something, aren’t they?” she
whispered to him at one point.

Silvery-green eyes flared with heat when he
looked at her and nodded.

“They met years ago when my dad did a tour in
the Air Force. Mom was a waitress off-base from where he was
stationed, and she says they fell in love within hours. They
married a few weeks later.”

“And they’re always like this?” He motioned a
hand at them as they huddled together near the barbeque, flipping
meat. Her mom’s right hand was in her father’s back pocket.

“Always. Actually, my grand-parents on my
mother’s side were the same way. They died several years ago, just
a few hours apart. They had done everything together throughout
their lives. It was only fitting that they died the same way.”

He hummed thoughtfully in his chest, and she
left it at that.

They ate barbequed burgers and hot dogs,
complemented by the casseroles people had brought in to contribute
to the meal. Grayson made his apologies about the ruined beans, but
Linda waved him off. They had plenty. Gina was very proud of her
family full of wonderful cooks. Matt seemed to appreciate them as
well, judging by the way he piled the food on his plate. Gina
finished her own plate and then went back for dessert.

After dinner, Charli started to open her
gifts. She was thoughtful and appreciative of everything she
received and stacked the gifts carefully to the side of the table.
Matt tensed when she got to their gift bag. Gina had gotten her a
laptop backpack and a gift card. Charli was appreciative, but she
positively melted when she pulled out the hand-carved, oak jewelry
chest. “Oh, wow!”

She flipped the lid and pulled out the
drawers, exploring, and when she was done she crossed the crowd to
give Matt a huge hug. “Thank you so much. It’s beautiful. I can
tell you took a lot of time with it.”

If it weren’t for the darkening evening,
Matt’s face would have been red. “You’re very welcome,” he
rumbled.

Gina was surprised at Charli’s affection
because she was usually more reserved. Maybe she, too, could see
how badly Matt wanted to fit in.

The only gift that topped the chest was the
car. Charli grinned when she unwrapped the tiny box with the
keychain inside. Dad drove the car around the side of the house
just then, and every teenager at the party screamed. Charli lost
her natural reserve and jumped up and down like the young woman she
was, then suddenly felt the need to go for a drive.

The party wound down after that. When his
pants were dry, Grayson made his goodbyes to Linda, promising that
he would get Charli a new, unshattered, present. The few people
that were left gathered around the fire pit. Gina scooted her chair
close enough to Matt’s so he could wrap his arm around her. They
sat that way until everybody had gone home and the fire was all but
out.

Gina eventually tugged Matt into the house
and up to her old room. Both of their bags were on the floor, so
her mother must have gotten the message she was
with
Matt.
Sitting on the edge of the full bed, he looked around her room
curiously. Gina also sat down and tried to see it through his eyes.
She probably looked like a spoiled girl with all the knick-knacks
and baubles lying around. He motioned to the line of medallions and
medals on one bookshelf. “What are those for?”

“The bigger ones are from Honor Roll, and the
smaller ones from spelling bees. I used to be really into those.”
She rested a finger on the shelf above. “These things are from
family vacations. The Grand Canyon, Disney World, Smoky Mountains.”
She touched each little memento as she pointed them out. “In
between rounds of chemo or whatever medicine I was on at the time,
my parents would make it a point to take us places. It was
something to look forward to when I was going through
treatment.”

She motioned to the shelf on the bottom, full
of spiral-bound notebooks. “And those are my dreams. Every want,
need, thought, fantasy I had is in those books.” She chose one at
random, and flipped through. She stopped at a dog-eared page and
started to read. “I want a prince to come to my room and bring all
of his desert horses with him.”

She shrugged self-consciously. With what she
knew of his childhood, it was hard to be happy about her memories.
“Did you get to do anything as a child?”

The ball cap tipped down as he looked at his
feet. “Well, George took me to a couple of county fairs when I was
smaller. Rick never had the money.”

“Oh, I love fairs. The smells, and the
lights, and of course the food.”

Matt grinned at her. “Exactly. Once I knew
what they were, I badgered George to take me every year.”

Gina sat on the edge of the bed and crooked a
knee to face him. “So, what do you like the best? The rides? Or the
animals?”

“Oh, definitely the food. I would make myself
sick on fair food when we went. I still go even now. Every year,
religiously. Hell, it’s where I…” He stopped suddenly, clamped his
jaw and looked away.

Gina was fascinated by the sudden halt, and
his reaction. “What? Where you what?”

Matt looked at her for several heartbeats of
time. “It’s where I first saw you.”

“Really?” she whispered. Her heart pounded
against her breastbone, and her eyes started to tear.

“Four years ago last September.”

Her mouth dropped open. He had seen her four
years ago? And remembered her? “Seriously?”

Matt nodded once and crossed his arms over
his heavy chest. “You were standing with your friend Madison at the
end of the horse barn, and you had called out a hello to somebody.
Your hair was blowing in the breeze and you had on a pretty blue
shirt that matched your eyes. For just one second, you looked at
me. Then you turned away.”

Gina was floored. “Did you speak to me or
anything?”

He shook his head. “No. You were with friends
and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

She swallowed heavily. What was going unsaid
was the fact that he
did
remember her from years ago,
meaning she had affected him somehow. “I wish you had, Matt. I was
pretty lonely back then. I had decided to stay in Shelbyville after
school, rather than head back home.”

“Maybe if I had known that, I would have.” He
smiled at her gently, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t have said a
word.

Gina didn’t know what to think. She certainly
couldn’t remember what shirt she had been wearing that night. It
hadn’t been memorable to her. It had been to Matt, though. Her
heart warmed at the thought.

“So, when did you decide to bring George in?
A couple months after that, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know I worked there when you brought
him in?”

He hesitated. “Yes.”

Gina’s eyes widened. Again, she was knocked
off balance. Had he orchestrated taking George to see Dr. Hamilton
so that he could see her again? She asked him, and his eyes flared
with guilt.

“Yes. Although he
was
one of the
doctors suggested to us after the transplant.”

“So, why didn’t you ever talk to me or ask me
out? You just stood in the hall or sat in the waiting room and
didn’t say anything.”

Matt ran his hands through his hair in
agitation, dislodging the ball cap and sending his hair into
spikes. The hat fell to the bed, then the floor, but he didn’t seem
to notice. “I couldn’t. You’re beautiful and friendly and
everything I’m not. I should be shot for even being with you,
because I don’t want my bad reputation to rub off on you.”

“Wait a minute.” Gina waved her hand. “You
don’t have a bad reputation, your dad did.”

His shoulders shifted in a shrug. “Calvin.
That’s all you have to say and people cringe.”

Gina scrunched her face in aggravation.
“Actually, it’s not. They talk about your carpentry, a lot,
actually, but I had never heard anything about your dad until you
talked about him.”