Good Night, Gracie

So Walker Mullen was a local travel agent—and a dupe. That answered one question but still didn’t get him any closer to finding Gilbert.

“Now you’re taking a chance of blowing everything. And for what?” She rolled her eyes. “A chance to moon over Gracie Dawson?”

Zach wished he knew what she was talking about. He was floundering here and had no idea how to dig for more information without revealing himself.

“Let me buy you a drink,” he offered, noting the empty glass in her hand. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and hoped a little more would help her loosen her tongue.

She shook her head. “I’m leaving now. Besides, I prefer to keep a clear head. It’s safer that way. And I suggest you do the same—especially around Gracie. If she gets in the way…”

“What?” he prodded, his skin prickling at her tone.

“Just follow the plan and Gracie won’t get hurt,” Allison replied. “I know where she lives, so if anything goes wrong—and I mean, anything, then she’ll be the one who pays. Got it?”

Before he could reply to her not-so-veiled threat, Allison turned on her heel and walked away. Zach started to follow her when another woman came into his view. The woman he’d flown over a thousand miles to meet. The woman he’d only seen before this moment in a yearbook and in his dreams.

Gracie.

3

GRACIE STOOD in the crowded ballroom at the Claremont Hotel, her gaze skimming over the faces of her old classmates. Some were familiar to her, some she barely recognized anymore. A few of them cast glances her way, but most were engaged in conversation, gathered in small clusters at tables or standing around the bar.

The one classmate she didn’t see was Gilbert. Her heart sank when she realized all her preparation—the dress, the shoes, the romance books, just might have been for nothing. It looked like Gilbert was a no-show. Maybe her e-mail had sounded too desperate, too needy. She’d scared the man off. That was probably the reason he’d never bothered to reply to her.

Gracie walked over to the punch bowl, telling herself not to obsess about it. She could still have a good time tonight and reacquaint herself with all of her old classmates—although the thought of hearing all of their success stories depressed her even more.

“Gracie Dawson, is that really you?”

She turned around to see a buxom blonde barreling down on her. The woman held a name tag in one hand and a margarita in the other. Her face looked somewhat familiar, but Gracie couldn’t place her.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?” the woman said, laughing as she slapped the name tag onto Gracie’s dress. “It’s me, Sandra Atley. And here I thought geeky Gilbert would win the award for Most Changed Since High School.”

“Geeky Gilbert?” she echoed, her heart skipping a beat. “Is he here?”

“Of course he’s here,” Sandra replied. “And wait until you see him. You won’t believe your eyes.” She grabbed Gracie by the elbow and pivoted her around. “He’s right over…” Her voice trailed off and she frowned. “Well, he was right over there. I’m not sure where he is now.”

Gracie smoothed down her dress and tried not to hyperventilate, aware that he could appear at any moment. “So how have you been, Sandra?”

“Fantastic,” she replied. “I just got transferred to the Kendall State Bank from the main branch in Houston. It’s great to be back home again. I’m still a teller, but I’ve got my eye on a management position. It’s all about networking, you know, and I’ve already scored some great dirt on the current bank manager.”

Gracie forced herself to maintain eye contact instead of looking around for Gilbert. Let him come to me.

“So what about you, Gracie?” Sandra asked. “Are you married? Any kids?”

“Oh, no,” Gracie replied. “Not yet, anyway. The bookstore keeps me too busy.”

Her smile softened with pity. “Are you still working there? It’s such a sweet little place. I heard about your aunt passing away and meant to send you a card, but time got away from me. That’s why I’m so excited to be moving back to Kendall. Everything in the big city is just rush, rush, rush!”

“So I’ve heard.” Gracie didn’t know what else to say, reminding her of how little she’d had in common with most of her classmates at Kendall High. She’d thought ten years might have changed that, but a quick perusal of the ballroom showed that many of the old cliques still remained, though the lines were a bit more blurred now.

She’d always been an outsider, along with Gilbert. Now she wanted to find him again and see if the bond they’d shared a decade ago was still there. A bond that had grown even stronger these past few months. He seemed more thoughtful in his e-mails now. Less cynical. Though he still had the ability to make her laugh.

She wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one who had really changed, especially since Aunt Fran’s death. After working through her grief, she’d become more driven than ever to pursue her dream to become a lawyer. Not that she’d ever succeed now—but Gilbert had always believed in her.

And that had made all the difference in the world.

“There’s Honey Tate.” Sandra pointed across the ballroom. “Rumor has it that she’s marrying some senile oil tycoon from San Antonio. Remember how she was always flirting with all the male teachers in school? Looks like she was polishing her skills for the geriatric set.”

“I don’t recognize half the people here,” Gracie said, still amazed at the changes in some of her classmates. She wondered if she looked as different to them as they did. Her hair was shorter than it had been in high school and she’d gained a few pounds. Though she’d skipped the boob job that had dramatically altered Sandra’s appearance.

“Who is that over by the palm tree?” Gracie asked.

“Mitch Putnam,” Sandra replied. “Isn’t it a hoot? The guy’s at least six inches taller than he was in high school. He must have gotten lifts or something.”

“Maybe he just had a late growth spurt.”

“It’s certainly possible.” Sandra adjusted her cleavage. “That’s what happened to me.” Then she dug her arm into Gracie’s ribs. “Don’t look now, but here he comes.”

“Mitch?”

“No, Gilbert!”

Gracie’s breath caught in her throat as she turned to see a man approaching them. But as soon as she saw him she realized it wasn’t Gilbert. This man was too handsome. Too confident. Too…sexy.

Despite her disappointment, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. She barely heard Sandra’s whispered plea to put in a good word for her before she found herself standing alone with him.

“Hello, Gracie.”

The way he said her name sent a shiver of awareness down her spine and she forced her gaze from his dark brown eyes to the name tag on his jacket.

Gilbert Holloway.

Her gaze flicked to his face again and she searched for some hint of familiarity. But without all that weight, and those glasses that had distorted his face, he looked like a stranger.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she breathed, still staring up at him.

“I can’t believe how beautiful you look tonight.”

His voice had changed, too, deeper now and more resonant. The boy she’d known had become a man in the past ten years. A sexy, virile, irresistible man.

“I don’t know what to say,” she sputtered, realizing she’d already blown her plan to be cool and alluring. She was gaping like an idiot and no doubt sounding like one, too.

“Then don’t say anything. Dance with me?” he asked, holding out his hand.

She grasped it, relishing the way his broad fingers closed around hers. He led her onto the small dance floor, then pulled her into his arms.

Gracie was still in shock, but she managed to avoid stepping on his toes.

“We’re finally together again,” she said, “after all this time.”