Good Night, Gracie

“Finally,” he agreed, drew her even closer until her head rested against his shoulder. The old Gilbert had always smelled like pepperoni, due to his daily diet of frozen pizza. This new Gilbert carried the aroma of musk and man, an erotic combination that almost made her dizzy.

“When did you get here?” she asked, trying to regain her equilibrium. This was just Gilbert, after all. Her oldest and dearest friend. There was no reason for her heart to be tripping in her chest this way or for her knees to feel weak.

“My plane arrived in Dallas this morning and I drove a rental car from the airport.”

“How was your flight?” Another stupid, mundane question, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Gilbert was here, in her arms, and more incredible than she’d ever imagined.

“Fine. I slept most of the way.”

She smiled up at him. “Slept? Does that mean you don’t have anxiety attacks at thirty thousand feet anymore?”

He hesitated, then gave a short nod. “People change.”

That was the understatement of the millennium. But Gracie wasn’t going to question it, not when this reunion had turned out better than she’d ever imagined.

She swayed to the music, feeling like she was born to be in his arms. “Where did you learn to dance like this?”

A smile kicked up one corner of his mouth. “The Internet.”

“No, really.”

His smile widened. “It’s the truth. I always wanted to learn how to dance, but never had the time. So I used a search engine to locate online dance lessons.”

“Online dance lessons,” she echoed, still skeptical. “Nobody learns to dance like this all by themselves.”

“I might have honed my skills at a few clubs on the weekends.”

His admission evoked a pang of envy at the thought of another woman in his arms. A ridiculous reaction, since they hadn’t seen each other for ten years. The new-and-improved Gilbert had no doubt slept with countless women. He probably had to turn them away at his bedroom door.

But he wouldn’t be turning Gracie away—not if she had anything to say about it. She even had a backup plan tucked away in her purse, in case he needed a little prodding in the right direction.

The thought of sleeping with him sent a shiver of uncertainty through her. Before, she’d envisioned the shy, gawky Gilbert from her high school days, a man who might be as inexperienced as she was between the sheets. But something told her that he was as good a lover as he was a dancer. No doubt another skill that he’d perfected over the years, and not from any online lessons.

She hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed—if they got that far. Maybe she needed to rethink this plan before she made a complete fool of herself.

The music ended, but Gilbert didn’t release her from his embrace. “Shall we find a table and have a drink or keep dancing?”

As much as she’d enjoyed their dance, Gracie needed a few moments alone to refocus. “A drink sounds good to me. Would you mind getting me a glass of champagne while I make a dash to the ladies’ room?”

“Not at all,” he replied. “Shall we meet at a table by the atrium?”

“See you there.” Gracie watched him walk away, then took a deep breath as she went in search of a restroom. She found one in the lobby, enjoying the brief respite from the music and milling crowd to get her head together.

She walked inside the ornate restroom, the sinks and stalls on one side and a plush lounge area on the other. As she headed to a sink, she recognized two former cheerleaders from Kendall High, Carol Ann Blume and Mitzi Mobley. They sat on a suede sofa together talking, unaware or unconcerned of her presence.

Just like back in high school.

Gracie smiled to herself, remembering how much their behavior would have wounded her then. Now she had much bigger things to think about. The biggest at the moment being the man waiting for her in the ballroom. The man she planned to seduce tonight.

She pulled a paper towel from the dispenser, running it under cold water, then wringing it out before pressing it to her flushed face. As Gracie stood at the sink, part of their conversation caught her attention.

“Did you get a look at Gilbert Holloway?” Mitzi asked her companion.

“Oh, I know!” Carol Ann exclaimed. “Talk about a transformation.”

“The guy went from geek to Greek god. Makes me wish I’d been nicer to him back in high school.”

Carol Ann laughed as they got up and headed for the door. “Makes me wish I’d left my husband at home tonight!”

Gracie pulled the paper towel from her face, then touched up her makeup. As she applied her lipstick, she became more determined than ever. Gilbert might have changed on the outside, but he was still the same sweet guy on the inside.

So she didn’t need to be intimidated by him. He was the guy who used to sing show tunes to her when she was feeling down. The same guy who had cried watching Schindler’s List. Women like Sandra, Carol Ann and Mitzi would never appreciate his inner qualities.

Which meant she’d be crazy to miss this opportunity to take her friendship with Gilbert to the next level.

Refreshed and resolved, she walked out of the restroom and into the ballroom. She looked toward the atrium and saw Gilbert already seated at a table. Sandra stood on the other side of him, leaning just far enough in his direction to give Gilbert an R-rated view of her surgically bloated breasts.

“We were just talking about you,” Sandra trilled as Gracie approached the table.

“Really?” She took a chair right next to Gilbert, then smiled up at Sandra. “You’re such a dear. Thanks for keeping Gilbert company while I was gone. I can take over from here so you can go have some fun.”

Disappointment flashed in Sandra’s pale blue eyes, but she hid it with a wide smile. “It was my pleasure. I’ll see you two later.”

“Bye,” Gracie said, watching Sandra turn and head in the direction of another lone male. Then she reached for her champagne, suddenly aware that Gilbert might have been enjoying Sandra’s little peep show. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”

“You’re amazing,” he said, turning to look at her. “You got rid of Sandra, but did it in such a polite way that she thanked you for it.”

“That’s called Southern manners. Also known as slopping sugar. Surely you haven’t been away from Texas for so long that you don’t remember how it works?”

He smiled. “I guess I just needed a refresher course. I’m a long way from home.”

“Is Boston really so different from here?”

He met her gaze. “It’s like another world.”

When he looked at her like that, Gracie felt like they were the only two people in the ballroom. She found herself wishing she could read his mind. That she could know for certain this desire sizzling inside of her wasn’t completely one-sided.

“By the way, I want to apologize for never responding to your last e-mail,” he said. “I’ve been having some computer problems.”

That made her feel better. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight.”

“I should have called you,” Gilbert admitted. “But I wanted it to be a surprise. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Gracie drained her glass, sensing that it was now or never. If she didn’t make her move, she’d chicken out. But despite that she’d rehearsed this moment a hundred times in the last few days, Gracie couldn’t make herself say the words. Coming face-to-face with Gilbert, a man she didn’t even recognize anymore, was completely different than propositioning his picture in the yearbook.

So she settled for her backup plan.

“You’re full of surprises lately,” she said, setting the empty glass on the table. “I love the present you sent me.”