Memory's Edge: Part One Page 13

  “Carl, you better not do anything stupid,” she warned. “If you ruin my party, I will stop speaking to you. I swear I will.”

  “Now why would I do anything stupid? I want your parents to like me, not think I’m some creepy mystery guy who might turn out to be a total psycho,” Carl said.

  Forcing his arm off her shoulders Gretchen faced Carl. “I’m serious, Carl. You better behave yourself. No stupid comments about John being a serial killer. No trying to convince my parents I should be dating you instead. Nothing but you being a perfect gentleman. Do you understand me?”

  “I don’t know that I’ve ever been a perfect gentleman, but for you, Gretchen, I will certainly try.” Carl swept up her hand and planted a kiss on the back of it, his attempt at debonair both irritating and amusing Gretchen.

  Snatching her hand away, Gretchen folded her arms across her chest, and said, “You better.” Slumping down into the couch, she couldn’t help but wonder what she had just gotten herself into.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Guilt and Regret

  The doorbell rang and John almost dropped the tray of stuffed mushrooms he was trying to find a place for in the fridge. Recovering from the surprise, John slid the tray onto a shelf and turned to stare at Gretchen.

  “Are they here already?” he asked. He looked a little pale. Gretchen couldn’t blame him. He’d only been out of his casts for a week and they had spent the whole day either getting everything at the grocery store or standing in the kitchen cooking. Gretchen’s legs were already aching and she knew John’s were twice as tired.

  “Go ahead and finish what you’re doing. I’ll get the door,” Gretchen said. John nodded thankfully as she dashed out of the room. The doorbell rang again just as she reached it. Gretchen pulled the door open to find her father with his finger poised to ring the bell again. He didn’t like to be kept waiting.

  “Hello, Gretchen, what took you so long?” her dad asked.

  She shook her head and hugged him. “It’s good to see you too, Daddy. Come on in.”

  They shuffled through the narrow entryway and dropped their bags just inside the living room. Gretchen’s mom rushed over and clobbered her with a hug. “Oh, Gretchen, it’s so good to see you, sweetheart. I feel like it’s been forever.”

  “Mom, we saw each other at Christmas. That was only a few months ago,” Gretchen said. “How’s Mildred doing? I haven’t talked to her since before they left for vacation.”

  “Your sister is doing just fine. She and Martin got back from Seattle on Tuesday. They said it rained pretty much the whole time they were there, but they had a nice trip even with the bad weather,” she said.

  “I’m glad they had fun,” Gretchen said.

  Gretchen’s mom settled her purse on the side table then turned back to her daughter with excitement in her eyes. “So where is he? Where is John?” Even her dad was glancing around curiously.

  “He’s in the kitchen. Follow me.” They did, her mom following right behind her, her dad walking calmly a few steps back.

  The counters were cleared, amazingly enough. Gretchen wondered how John had managed to fit everything into the fridge. There were way too many trays and bowls to get them all inside. Somewhere along the way Gretchen thought John forgot he was just supposed to be making hors d’oeuvres for the party, not a five course meal. It made him happy to do it, though, so she didn’t complain.

  John laid a wet rag on the counter and anxiously waited for somebody to say something. He looked so nervous. Gretchen didn’t think it even occurred to him that he could be the one to start the introductions.

  Her mom was more than happy to break the silence. “A man in an apron, now that’s something I would like to see a little more often,” she said.

  Gretchen’s dad coughed behind her. “You banned me from the kitchen two days after we got married. Don’t complain now that I don’t even know how to boil water.”

  Waving dismissively, her mom approached John. “It’s so nice to meet you, John.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Gesner. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Gretchen has told me a lot about you,” John said.

  “I bet. Did she tell you about all the grief she caused me as a child?” she asked.

  “Gretchen? She said she was a pretty quiet kid,” John said. He looked over at Gretchen for an explanation, but she shook her head.

  “Oh, she was, John. This girl spent most of her childhood reading books and drawing pictures in her room. I never thought I would see the day when she would find a life outside of her books and pencils. I was convinced she was going to turn into a hermit by the time she was fifteen,” her mom said dramatically.

  “Gretchen was a good kid,” her dad said. “There’s nothing wrong with being quiet and keeping to yourself, is there, Gretchen?”

  “Of course not, Daddy,” she said.

  “Now, are we going to dinner, or not?” her dad asked.

  ***

  Dinner passed relatively painlessly. Gretchen’s mom talked enough for everyone, sparing John from being grilled too much. Although there wasn't a whole lot they could ask him in all reality. Gretchen was the one who suffered the most, having to sit through her mom telling story after story of her and her sister growing up. They were both pretty mellow kids, so it wasn't too embarrassing, but her mom’s constant comments about how glad she was that Gretchen wasn't going to end up a spinster made it sound as if she were scared of everything.

  Gretchen dated in high school. She got invited to prom, and not by the captain of the chess team, either. To her mom, unless Gretchen was prancing around the field as either a cheerleader or athlete, while running for student body president and heading up a dozen other extracurricular activities, she wasn't outgoing enough. Gretchen ignored her while John took in every detail. He, at least, seemed utterly fascinated by her mom’s stories.

  By the time they made it back to the house, though, John was much more worried about getting the food ready than he was about listening to any more of her mom’s stories. Gretchen put her mom in charge of answering the door and dashed into the kitchen to help John, and to escape listening to her mom.

  “What do you need me to do?” Gretchen asked John.

  “Will you turn the oven on? 375 degrees, please.” He topped off his request with a quick kiss and went back to the fridge.

  “You have plenty of time, sweetheart. Relax. We still have an hour before anyone’s supposed to arrive,” Gretchen said. Stepping in and stealing a longer kiss, she didn’t back off until she felt him relax.

  “Sweetheart, huh? You’ve never called me that before. Does that mean I get to call you Gigi now?” he asked.

  Gretchen smiled as sweetly as she could. “Not unless you want me to punch you in the teeth.”

  Cocking his head to the side, he seemed to be considering whether or not it would be worth it. “Just finish topping your canapes before you get yourself into trouble,” Gretchen said. “I’ll get the mushrooms in the oven.”

  The second tray had just gone in when the doorbell rang. Looking up at the clock Gretchen saw it was only seven-fifteen.

  “What was that you were saying about having plenty of time?” John grumbled.

  True to her word, Gretchen’s mom was at the door in a flash. Carl’s jovial voice carried into the kitchen and John and Gretchen both groaned. What on earth is he doing here already? Gretchen wondered. “You finish what you’re doing,” she said to John, “and I’ll take care of Carl.”

  “Remind me again why you invited him?” John complained.

  Gretchen shook her head and calmly walked toward the living room.

  “Carl, how nice to finally meet you,” she heard her mom saying. “Gretchen has told us so much about you.”

  “Well, I hope it was all good,” Carl said with a laugh.

  “Of course it was, dear. We’ve been eager to meet you for a while.” She patted his shoulder and smiled. “We had a lovely dinner with Gretchen and John,” her mom continued. �
�We were excited to meet him, too.”

  “Yes,” Carl said, “so am I.”

  “You mean you haven’t met him yet?” her mom asked.

  Gretchen stood just outside the living room, curious what Carl had to say.

  “Not yet. With his broken leg, he stayed in the house a lot,” Carl said. “I’ve been anxious to get a look at this guy, though.”

  She knew the jabs were about to start, so she stepped into the living room. Her mom spotted her and smiled. Carl must have noticed because he turned around right after. Gretchen’s jaw almost dropped. She was too surprised even for that.

  She had never seen John in anything besides his work coveralls or jeans and a t-shirt. His black slacks, complete with a black leather belt, accentuated a trim waist she really didn’t even know Carl had. The way his deep blue dress shirt fit against his chest and arms displayed the muscles she always felt when he hugged her. He looked absolutely amazing. Gretchen suddenly wanted to kick herself for having ever said that she didn’t think things would work out between them.

  Blue eyes accentuated by his shirt, Carl was beaming, no doubt pleased with himself for having stunned Gretchen. In true Carl fashion, he took advantage of her shock and wrapped her up in a hug, adding a kiss to the top of her head just to rub it in. That finally snapped Gretchen back to reality, the one where John was in the kitchen finishing the food for his party. Guilt broke her out of Carl’s grip in one quick motion.

  “Carl,” she said, her tone more annoyed that it should have been, “what are you doing here so early? I thought I told you the party started at eight.”

  “Oh, you did,” Carl said casually. “I saw you guys get back and thought you might want some help getting things set up before the rest of your friends get here.”

  “Carl, you’re such a gentleman,” her mom said. “Gretchen is so lucky to have you next door.”

  Carl grinned triumphantly. “That’s what I keep telling her.”

  Gretchen wanted to strangle him.

  There was nothing for him to help with except getting the hors d’oeuvres on trays, and there was no way Gretchen was letting him in the kitchen. “Fine, Carl, if you want to help me out you can keep my parents company while I help John in the kitchen.” Grabbing the front of his shirt she pulled his face closer to hers. “But no complaining about John or trying to convince them that I should dump him. Got it?”

  Carl nodded very seriously. Unfortunately, reacting to his obvious insincerity would only egg him on. He looked like he was about to make some smart remark when his eyes suddenly drifted over toward the hallway leading to the kitchen. His cocky smile widened and Gretchen’s heart dropped. Glancing over, she saw John staring at them with the deepest frown she’d ever seen him wear. His clenched fists only added to the glower.

  Gretchen and Carl’s faces were only inches away from each other, with Carl smiling like an idiot, no doubt looking like he was about to kiss her. John folded his arms over his chest and glared at Carl. Gretchen dropped Carl’s shirt like it was on fire. Scrambling for something to say, she opened her mouth, but Carl beat her to it.

  “You must be John,” he said. He offered John his hand, polite as could be. John scowled at him half a second longer before finally reaching out and taking it stiffly.

  “Carl.”

  Gretchen had been worried about Carl causing problems, but the way John was looking at her neighbor suddenly made her just as worried about what John might do. Maybe inviting Carl wasn't such a good idea after all. Although, if she hadn’t she never would have gotten to see him all dressed up.

  Forcing that though out of her mind completely, Gretchen pressed one hand against their chests. They didn’t budge. They were being ridiculous. She gave up.

  “I’m going to go get dressed. You two had better behave,” she threatened before dropping her hands and stalking out of the room. She was beginning to regret this whole thing.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Little Black Dress

  Standing in front of the mirror, Gretchen held the black dress up against her body nervously. It was new, bought especially for the party. The problem was, she had been planning on revealing it to John without an audience. Now she was dreading stepping out of her bedroom. She almost put the dress away and went with her standard blue wraparound dress instead. It was safe enough to wear to school. The black dress she was holding now would never make an appearance at school.

  It wasn’t overly revealing. She was covered from a little above the knee to her shoulders, but it was definitely sexier than what she typically wore to school, and she looked really good in it. She knew John would love it, but so would Carl. Starting a pissing contest between them really was not something she wanted to do. People were due to start arriving soon, and if she knew Desi, she was probably walking up the drive.

  Taking a deep breath, Gretchen decided she couldn’t wait any longer. She stepped into the dress and pulled it into place. As she buttoned the small buttons than ran down the front of the bodice, she couldn’t help think that maybe it was a little too tight. She had thought it perfect in the dressing room at the mall, but now that she was faced with actually showing it to someone she wondered if the fabric pulled across her chest and hips a little too much.

  Gretchen wasn't one of those women with curves galore, but she had enough that people would notice what she did have in the dress. The thought of Carl staring at her all night almost convinced Gretchen to hide the black dress at the back of her closet. She finished doing up the buttons and took in her reflection instead.

  She really did look good.

  The little capped sleeves covered up a birthmark on her shoulder, and instead made her arms look nice and trim. Pin-tuck pleats ran down the bodice making her waist look even slimmer than it was. The simple pencil skirt ended with two layers of sheer ruffles that lightened the serious look of the dress and made it perfect for a party with friends. Gretchen buckled a thin belt around her waist and turned away from the mirror.

  The deep backbeat of one of her favorite songs spread through the house. Guests would begin arriving any second. She couldn’t stay in her room forever. The nightmare party had been her idea. Hiding out in her room wasn't really an option. Unfortunately. The doorbell rang and Gretchen could hear Desi’s voice bubbling into the house. It was time to face the music.

  Unlocking the door, Gretchen peeked out, looking up and down the hall. Nobody. They must have all gone to greet Desi. Talk about an ambush. Thankful for the moment of privacy, Gretchen stepped out of the bedroom and started down the hall. Noise from the entryway drowned out the music as Desi gushed over everyone. She had met Carl a few times before, but Gretchen’s parents and John were strangers. That wouldn’t last long.

  She turned the corner to see her friend hugging her dad. Desi caught Gretchen’s gaze and grinned. “Gretchen,” she called out, drawing everyone’s eyes to Gretchen.

  Gretchen felt her breath catch as both John and Carl turned to look at her. She wanted to hide. Both of their eyes went wide and their mouths popped open. Gretchen seriously considered running back to her bedroom. Carl’s hand came up to rub his jaw, but his eyes were still glued to her. John took a step toward Gretchen, but Desi burst forward first.

  “Ah! Gretchen, I told you that dress looked amazing on you!” Desi gushed. “It’s about time you wore something sexier than a khaki skirt.”

  Desi finally released her and spun around to face the rest of the group. John and Carl seemed to see each other and notice how much the other was staring. Both men squared their shoulders and stepped away from each other. Carl fell back into his easy casualness quickly, but John was still frowning as he walked toward Gretchen. That only lasted until he put his hands on her waist and leaned in for a kiss.

  Gretchen gave him a quick peck and turned him to the side. Carl knew they were dating, but that didn’t mean she needed to rub it in his face. John didn’t seem to agree. Keeping his arm firmly around her waist, he seemed unwilling to s
tep away from her.

  “Did you need any help with the food?” she asked. She really needed a reason to get out from under everyone’s eyes for a few seconds.

  “No, everything’s ready,” John said. He gestured at the table they had set up earlier and Gretchen sighed as she saw them already laden with canapés, mushrooms, queso, and a whole host of John’s creations. So much for a way out.

  The doorbell rang a second time, and the excitement started all over again, slowly pushing everybody but Gretchen and John into the living room. The temperature in the house steadily rose as the guests piled in. Gretchen’s house was way too small for a party that size, but nobody really seemed to mind. Her parents wandered around chatting with everyone. Lynn and Maria grabbed John as soon as they came in and Gretchen found herself alone for a few seconds.

  After the manic day she’d had, it felt great. Leaning against a wall, she spooned some of John’s spinach dip into her mouth with little pieces of brioche. It was absolutely delicious, of course, and pretty much the only way he was ever going to get Gretchen to eat cooked spinach. Fresh spinach in a salad with cranberries and almonds, you bet, but soggy, bitter globs of cooked spinach, yuck.

  The flavors of the dip melted away Gretchen’s apprehensions with every bite. She scooped up the last bit on her plate and sighed as she set it down on the side table. She was debating getting more when she spotted Desi approaching Carl. Desi was confident and friendly, which made her come off as a huge flirt when it came to guys, but Gretchen knew it was usually just her personality.

  However, watching her stand so close to Carl, smiling and laughing with him, suddenly had her watching Carl for any sign of interest in Desi. Gretchen should have smiled, glad Desi was distracting him, but instead she could feel jealousy creeping into her mind. Carl turned away from her for a second, and Gretchen thought he was walking away until he grabbed two glasses and carried them back to where Desi was standing.