Send Me No Flowers (18 page)

“We did it,” Frank announced, reaching for the basket of popcorn. “Our boycott actually made a difference. I heard they’re going to form a special committee to revamp the beauty pageant.”

Gina adjusted the tiara on her head. “I still can’t believe they voted me Miss Valentine. And without even a drop of silicone in my body! Best of all, my soon-to-be ex-husband was in the audience. Made me glad he was alive just so I could see the expression on his face!”

“Kate was right,” Lacie said, sounding surprised. “Success is the best revenge. Where is she, anyway?”

Irma set down her beer bottle, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. “She’s getting ready for our trip.”

“Trip?” Rachel echoed.

“That’s right,” Frank affirmed, with a chuckle. “Kate and Irma talked me into going on a cruise with them. I’m going to try me some deep-sea fishing.”

Rachel swallowed. “All three of you?”

“Yep,” Frank replied, winking at Irma. “It’s a singles cruise for people over fifty. We thought it might be nice to meet some new blood.”

In one fell swoop, she’d just lost over half her Transitions support group. “That’s...wonderful.”

Irma nodded. “I can’t live in the past anymore—and my husband would be the first one to tell me so.” She clapped her hands together. “I haven’t been so excited about anything in years! I’m finally making myself happy instead of waiting for someone else to do it.”

“Me, too,” Lacie announced. “I’m through waiting around for my boyfriend to come back to me. In fact, I don’t want him anymore. I’m going back to college, and I’m going to start a new job teaching ballet to beginners. It doesn’t pay as much as my old one, but I can’t think of anything that would make me happier.”

“Great,” Rachel murmured, suddenly realizing her group didn’t need her anymore. But what would she do without them?

“We owe it all to you, Dr. Grant,” Irma chimed. “This boycott showed us we can do anything if we put our mind to it. And you were just wonderful up there on that stage tonight. I just hope the mayor wasn’t too embarrassed when you turned him down on television.”

“What choice did I have?” she asked, peeling the beer label off the bottle. “Becoming the mayor’s valentine meant betraying the boycott. I couldn’t let you all down like that.”

“Let us down?” Irma echoed, her brow furrowed. “Dr. Grant, are you telling us that you want to be his valentine?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know,” she said, feeling both foolish and disloyal.

Lacie put down her margarita. “If you’re hot for the mayor, I think you should go for it.”

“That’s right,” Frank said. “If you don’t have to be in love to be happy, what do you have to lose?”

Only her heart. She’d already fallen hard for Drew, but admitting it out loud would make her too vulnerable. There was safety in silence. “But what if this is all part of his game plan? He just asked the leader of the Valentine boycott to be his valentine. On television! What if it was just a publicity ploy?” Then she voiced the fear that had been niggling away at her. “What if he’s using me? What if he doesn’t really want me after all?”

Gina leaned forward. “You told me once that love doesn’t come with any guarantees. I know you don’t want to betray the boycott, but what about betraying your own feelings? Aren’t they worth taking the risk?”

A hush settled over the group, broken only when the bartender turned up the volume on the television. set.

“Oh, no,” Gina cried, grabbing her tiara. “They picked the wrong Miss Valentine and now I have to give my crown back.”

“
This just in,
” announced WKLV’s silver-haired anchorman.
“The votes for Love’s Most Romantic Couple contest have been tabulated. The winners are...Mayor Drew Lavery and Dr. Rachel Grant!
”

Everyone turned to stare at Rachel. She fell back in her chair. “That’s impossible! We’re not even a couple.”

“
It’s true,
” the anchorman declared. “
You heard it here first. They won by a landslide.
” He chuckled. “
It seems everybody in Love has been keeping track of this riotous romance since the sparks began flying between Dr. Grant and Mayor Lavery on WKLV’s own morning show, ‘A Look at Love.’ WKLV sends its congratulations to the happy couple. And now we return to our regularly scheduled program.
”

“I don’t believe it,” Rachel breathed.

“I do,” Irma said. “You two kids look good together. If we hadn’t been boycotting Valentine’s Day, I’d have voted for you myself.”

“I did,” Lacie admitted, a pink blush on her cheeks. “I know it’s against the boycott, but I’ve always loved the Most Romantic Couple contest. It’s so... romantic.”

Gina nodded. “Especially the fancy candlelit dinner for two at the ritziest restaurant in town. That’s the top prize of the contest. Looks like you’ll be dining in style at The Fireside tomorrow night.”

“I can’t go,” Rachel moaned, torn between her loyalty to the group and her desire for Drew. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.”

Gina stood up. “Everyone in favor of dropping the boycott, raise your hand.”

Rachel looked around the table in disbelief as every hand shot up, their faces wreathed with encouraging smiles. They were all willing to take chances in their own lives, preparing to embark on new adventures. Did she have enough guts to do the same?

“The vote is unanimous,” Gina announced, resuming her seat. “The boycott is over, so now you can go.” She grinned. “And I recommend the chocolate pecan cheesecake for dessert. It’s much tastier than Twinkies.”

DREW AWOKE SLOWLY the next morning, his mind still entwined in his dream. He was judging an endless stream of Miss Valentine contestants, and was torn by indecision. He couldn’t find the perfect Miss Valentine. Intermixed among the contestants were all his old girlfriends, smiling and waving at him. But he ignored them, focusing on his duty as head judge. He had to pick Miss Valentine. Everyone depended on him.

He watched the contestants stroll across the stage, comparing them all to Rachel. All of them came up short. None of the bikini-clad women had her big brown eyes, her bouncy blond hair, or her long, long legs.

He tossed and turned in bed, starting to panic. Then he saw her. The tall woman standing center stage, holding a snowball...Rachel.

Drew opened his eyes and stifled a groan. His dream had been all too real. Rachel had been on that stage last night.
His Rachel.
Standing under the spotlight in a bikini no bigger than his handkerchief. Revealing every luscious inch of her body. And what a body. Not reed-thin flesh and bones with artificial padding, but a real woman with soft, generous curves. A body that made a man burn. A body that every other man in that auditorium had doubtlessly been drooling over. He probably should have declared a flood watch.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the memory and fall back into mind-numbing sleep. Instead he began to dream of his favorite breakfast. Crispy fried bacon. Eggs over easy. Homemade cinnamon rolls with sweet white frosting. He sat up in bed, his nose telling him this was no dream. Someone was cooking breakfast. He dressed in record time, then flew down the stairs, hoping it wasn’t a mirage brought on by too many frozen pizzas.

“I thought you’d never get up,” Kate Lavery said when he walked into his kitchen. She stood at the stove, flipping eggs in a skillet. “It’s almost ten o’clock.”

Drew rubbed one hand over his unshaven jaw. “I didn’t sleep too well.”

“You look terrible,” his mother said, setting a plate on the table.

“Thanks, Mom.” He pulled out a chair, then watched his mother cheerfully flit around his kitchen. “You look...great.” It was true. Kate Lavery had a glow about her that he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“I feel great. I’m leaving on a cruise Monday, and I wanted to fix you a bon voyage breakfast.”

Drew put down his orange juice. “A cruise? Since when?”

Kate smiled as she sat across from him and picked up a piece of bacon. “Since yesterday. Irma and I were talking about how we’d always wanted to see Greece, then decided what are we waiting for? So we stopped by a travel agency, bought our tickets and are going shopping today for cruise wear.”

“Wait a minute,” Drew said, still trying to catch up. “Who’s Irma?”

“Irma Dugan, a great gal. She’s in my support group.”

“What about Frank? I thought you two were an item.”

“Frank’s going, too. He and I have become good friends, but it’s nothing serious. I’m having too much fun to get serious about anyone.” She handed him a cinnamon roll. “You know, after your father died, I believed I couldn’t make it without a man in my life. I married again too soon, and found out the hard way that I was wrong. I don’t want just any man now, I want the right man. Maybe I’ll meet him someday, maybe not. In the meantime, I’m planning to have the time of my life.”

Drew took a sip of his juice, trying to adjust to his mother’s new attitude. “So how long will you be gone?”

“The cruise lasts for a month. Then we thought about checking out Italy.” She grabbed her handbag off the table and began digging around inside. “I’ll leave you my Detroit Pistons tickets in case you want to catch some games. Maybe you can take Rachel.”

He suddenly lost his appetite. “Fat chance. You saw what happened at the auditorium last night.”

She reached over to pat his hand. “I know you’re not used to women turning you down, Drew, but you have one last chance. Have you heard the big news? You and Rachel won the Most Romantic Couple contest.”

He nodded. “Charlie called me last night.”

“Isn’t it exciting?” Kate exclaimed, as she pulled a fifty-dollar bill from her purse. She pushed it across the table to him. “Why don’t you make an appointment for a haircut. You want to look nice this evening.”

“I don’t need a haircut because I’m not going anywhere.” He pushed the fifty back across the table. “And I make enough money to pay for my own haircuts. Thanks anyway, Mom.”

“You’re not going?” Kate looked at him for a long moment. “Drew, don’t let your pride get in the way now. You’ve never given up this easily before.”

“She rejected me, Mom. I’m not a glutton for punishment.”

“You’re not a quitter, either. And neither was your father. I rejected his proposal three times before I said yes. You’ll never know how glad I am that he didn’t take no for an answer. You’ve got to give it another shot.”

He rubbed his hand across his jaw. “What if she’s a no-show? What if she still doesn’t want me?”

“You’ve never backed down from a challenge, Drew. I know you’re hurt, but isn’t Rachel worth a little extra effort?” She pushed the fifty-dollar bill at him. “Now take the money. I’ve never reneged on a bet. You won. The boycott is over.”

He blinked back his surprise. “Rachel’s dropping the boycott?”

She nodded. “That’s right. Irma told me they took a vote on it last night. She also told me Rachel is planning to meet you at The Fireside this evening. Now the rest is up to you.”

He stared down at the fried eggs congealing on his plate. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Kate smiled. “Why don’t you think about it while you get a haircut?”

A rustling sound startled them both. Drew turned to see Russell leaning against the doorway, still in his flannel pajamas.

“Do I smell real food?” Russell asked.

Drew pocketed the fifty, then made the introductions while Russell padded into the kitchen and helped himself to a cinnamon roll.

“So you’re Rachel’s ex-fiancé?” Kate asked, with a concerned glance at Drew.

Russell nodded as he licked frosting off his fingertips. “That’s right. Drew’s been good enough to let me camp out here for a few days, but I’ll be leaving tonight. It’s time to move on with my life.” His gaze leveled on Drew. “Now if I can just find a way to pay him back for everything he’s done.”

Drew put down his orange juice. “You’re finally... I mean, you’re leaving? Permanently? As in moving out?”

Russell nodded. “An interim position came up at Michigan State. I’ll be teaching there for the rest of the semester. I’m sure you’re ready to have this place back all to yourself.”

Even better, he could finally have Rachel all to himself. Drew’s heart began to race. His mother was right. This was his last chance. No more boycott. No more ulterior motives. No more games. He was still determined to win, only this time the prize was Rachel’s heart.

He glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall, realizing how little time he had to prepare for the biggest date of his life. He needed a haircut. And his best suit pressed. Flowers, too. Maybe a huge bouquet of red roses. No, too generic. He wanted to give her a special Valentine’s Day gift. As special as Rachel herself.

He hurried through the rest of his breakfast, then left his mom and Russell discussing insects indigenous to the Greek isles. This time he was determined to do everything right to make Rachel Grant his valentine.

BY THE TIME DREW HAD RUN all his errands and driven back to the house, he barely had time to dress and shave before his big date. He set Rachel’s Valentine gift carefully on the oak floor in one corner of his bedroom. He grinned at the floppy-eared puppy sleeping soundly in his brand-new doggy bed. It was the cutest mutt he’d ever seen and he knew Rachel would fall in love with it.