Good Night, Gracie

He arched a dark brow. “Present?”

“Last week. The video.” Gracie reached into her purse and pulled it out, almost spilling the condoms onto the floor. She hastily stuffed them back inside, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

Gilbert didn’t say anything, making her even more nervous.

“I brought it along in case the reunion got boring and we wanted to bail out and go watch it together,” Gracie said, aware she was talking too fast. “You know, like old times?”

She wanted to sink into the floor. It sounded so lame. And transparent. They weren’t in high school anymore. Gilbert spent his Saturday nights in clubs now, not watching old reruns on television.

His silence stretched into an eternity. Then he took the videotape out of her hands. “How about watching it right now? I think I have a VCR in my hotel room. I bet we can even order a pizza from room service.”

“Pepperoni?” she said, relieved that he hadn’t rejected her offer. That’s when Gracie realized just how much this night with Gilbert meant to her. She’d been alone for so long.

He grinned. “Is there any other kind?”

She looked around the crowded ballroom. “Would it look bad if we left this early?”

He tipped her chin up with one finger until her gaze met his. “I’m looking at the only person I came here to see.”

Gracie’s breath caught at the raw desire she saw in his brown eyes. So maybe the attraction wasn’t one-sided, after all. That very real possibility both excited and terrified her at the same time.