You Say It First
Page 56

The complexities of what these men did were beyond her, she thought as she glanced to her left and spotted Nick. At the sight of him, she had to hold in a sigh of general happiness. Her heart fluttered, her girl parts went on alert and the whole day just got better.
“You texted,” she said as she walked over to where he was sitting at a big workbench, painting papier-mâché flowers.
“I did.”
He put down the flower he was working on, stood and held open his arms. She stepped into his embrace. Everything about being held by him was right, she thought. Everything was good. The words—an expression of how she felt—hung on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say them. He didn’t want to know and she wasn’t ready to tell.
“What’s up?” she asked, staring into his dark eyes.
“Can’t a guy want to see his girl?”
His girl. Was she? She wanted to be. Wanted what they had to last for as long as possible. Forever sounded good. “He can, but that’s not why you asked me to stop by.”
“You’re right.”
He led her toward a door.
“Close your eyes.”
She did as he requested. He took her hand and drew her forward a few steps. She sensed that she was stepping into the storage closet. A light clicked on.
“Open your eyes.”
In front of her was Nova’s dress—or at least some part of what it had been. Because instead of a traditional white gown, she saw swirls of color and a painted masterpiece.
Nick had combined the colors of the gaming world such that they blended and twisted and intersected. No one color dominated and there was still plenty of ivory and the soft silk. Areas had a faint shimmer. Pallas thought of the flowers she and Nova had talked about and how the dress would move. Tears burned in her eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “No, that’s not good enough. I honestly don’t know a word to describe this, Nick. It’s amazing.”
“Thanks. There’s more.”
He turned on a handheld black light, then turned off the overhead fixture. The dress morphed into something otherworldly, as if the circles and waves of color had moved.
“How did you do that?”
“Black light paint. It’s all blended together. We’d talked about black lights at the reception and I thought it would look cool.” He flipped on the overhead light again. “I like how it came out.”
“It’s stunning. Nova is going to be...” Pallas thought about the reason for the postponement. She wasn’t sure what Nova was going to be. “What will you do?”
“Wait a couple of days for the dress to dry, then send it to her. She and Joel will get married eventually. She’ll want to have the dress.”
“When that happens, I hope they come here. I’d like to help them with their wedding.”
“Me, too.”
She didn’t bother pointing out that by then, Nick would be long gone. He already knew.
* * *
PALLAS HAD BARELY settled into her office that afternoon when Alan walked in.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you were in LA all week.”
“I wanted to see you.” He sat beside her desk and took her hand in his. “I’m leaving. Not you. We’ll always be close. But Happily Inc. It’s time for me to settle down and I’m doing that in LA.”
Pallas bit her lower lip. Alan had been a part of her life as long as Gerald. They’d been friends. Even after he’d started spending more time in Los Angeles, she’d always known she was going to see him at the weddings.
“The new guy?” she asked, when what she really wanted to say was, “Don’t go!”
“Yes. Despite my handsomeness, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve found someone I care about and we’re going to do our best to make it work.” He smiled. “I’m finally settling down.”
“I’ve heard it happens to all of us eventually.”
“It needs to happen to you.”
“I’m working the program.”
“Nick?”
She smiled. “It’s either him or you, and apparently your heart is taken.”
Alan laughed. “It is. Plus, as much as I adore you, I never got the whole boy-girl thing. It’s weird.”
“Yes, it is.” She felt her smile fade. “Who am I going to get to calm my brides now?”
“You’ll find someone. It’s really not that hard. Just tell them they’re beautiful and that whoever is bothering them is a bitch and voilà. Happy bride.”
“I think there’s a little more to it than that.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“I’ll miss you. Gerald rescued us both and we’ll always remember him. But now it’s time for us to follow our dreams.”
She stood. He did the same and hugged her.
So much was changing, she thought when Alan was gone. Less than a year ago she’d been determined to finish her degree and work at the bank. Then Gerald had died and left her the business and she’d come to realize that she didn’t want to work with her mother and... And Nick had shown up. Just like that, her world shifted. Now everything was different.
Too restless to concentrate on anything, she went for a walk. It was getting hotter—a truth of the desert as summer approached. She crossed the street and headed for the river. Maybe a snow cone would help her focus. As she approached the boardwalk, she saw a familiar figure sitting on a bench. Her grandfather looked up and saw her. He smiled before waving her over.
“How’s my favorite granddaughter?” he asked as she settled next to him.
“You know that’s not true. You love us all equally.”
“Yes, I do, but I’m careful to tell each of you you’re my favorite. It makes you feel special.”
She laughed, even as she was sure he was telling the truth.
“How are things with you?” her grandfather asked.
“Good. Great. I’ve been working hard and learning stuff.”
“It’s good to learn stuff. It keeps us young. You don’t need that now but one day you will.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She hesitated before blurting, “Why does Mom hate me?”
She hadn’t meant to ask the question, but now that it was out there, she didn’t call it back.
Grandpa Frank put his arm around her. “She doesn’t hate you, Pallas. She loves you—in her way.”
Pallas wrinkled her nose. “It’s not a very friendly way.”
“I know.”
“Why don’t I remember much about my dad? Cade does. Is it me or wasn’t he around much?”
Her grandfather hesitated just long enough for her to realize there was something. She shifted so she could face him. “Grandpa Frank? What is it? Tell me.”
“Your father was an ambitious man. He hadn’t come from much and he was determined to get ahead. He saw Libby as a way to do that.”
Pallas’s breath caught as she considered the implications in that carefully worded sentence. “He didn’t love her?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m sure he cared. Some. But he was more interested in the bank. Libby tried a million ways to get his attention, but it was difficult.” He shook his head. “He was the reason you all moved into the house. It was his idea, not your mother’s. When you and Cade were born, he saw Cade as a way to secure his position.”