Part 6 (1/2)

Chapter Eight.

Brooks stayed silent, but he'd be sure to bring up this little conversation in the car. Caroline had no business encouraging a kid to focus on something that wouldn't pay the rent. Lexi might even be the first person in her family to go to college. Majoring in art wouldn't do anybody any good, unless she was prepared for the lean years. And if her father owned that little gas station on Sixth Street then she didn't have a built-in financial cus.h.i.+on. Accounting would give her the s.p.a.ce to support her artistic dreams, but Caroline was acting as if it would be the death of all Lexi held dear.

He let out a slow breath. Caroline was compa.s.sionate and loved to encourage others, which he loved about her, but sometimes her advice wasn't particularly realistic. She was coming from a wealthy background and it colored her reality with possibilities, where others had none. Lexi Martinez deserved a clear picture of what a major in art would entail, especially financially. There was a reason 'starving artist' was a popular phrase.

As soon as Lexi moved toward another group, he opened his mouth to remind Caroline of it. ”I don't believe that's the best course-”

Debbie Mae interrupted with a whisper. ”Did you two see Lauren Fairfield? I remember her when she was in sixth grade and spent the summer here. Boy, has she changed or what?”

Caroline frowned. ”I don't think I've ever met her.”

”Of course you have! Remember the pool party for my twelfth birthday? She was the one who wore jean cut off shorts and a T-s.h.i.+rt instead of a swimsuit. We all thought she was hiding some kind of skin rash.”

”Wait, the girl with the big teeth?” Her eyes widened in recognition. ”But she had crazy hair, all wiry like she'd been electrocuted.”

”Straighteners, I'm sure.” Debbie Mae nodded. ”But talk about a transformation. I think her parents were in the middle of a really bitter divorce and she had to stay with her grandma for a while.”

”That age is rough, but to be s.h.i.+pped off to your grandmother's house and stay in a little place like Th.o.r.n.y Hollow...” Her voice trailed off. Brooks could tell she was lost in thought.

”I'm sure you all took her mind off her troubles.” As if anything could truly help an emotional crisis like divorce in the family, but still. Friends and suns.h.i.+ne were good medicine. His own parents' constant bickering faded away when he spent time with his brother, fis.h.i.+ng for catfish in the creek, even when it was so shallow there was hardly a minnow.

”I'm not so sure about that.” Caroline chewed her lip. ”I left her alone because I thought she was weird.”

He wanted to say it didn't matter, not to worry. But it did matter, especially to some young kid who was forced to spend the summer in a town where she knew no one. Caroline was gracious and kind, but she didn't waste a lot of time on people who she figured wouldn't return her friends.h.i.+p. That summer probably didn't stand out as the happiest in Lauren's memory, and the fact that Caroline didn't even remember her said that the two had never become friends.

She went on. ”Funny, every time Mrs. Reynolds has bragged on her, I've wanted to plug my ears. It seemed so over the top. Every tiny achievement was shouted to the high heavens. But I see how she'd be proud of her, going through such a rough time and not carrying it around like a s.h.i.+eld.”

”I think she enjoyed meeting our Brooks,” Debbie Mae said. She winked at him, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

”And I equaled her in that enjoyment.” He pretended not to understand her very pointed comment. ”I admire anyone who can take the love for her home and bring it to the attention of the world. We need more people like Lauren Fairfield.”

”Perhaps her love for Th.o.r.n.y Hollow has taken on some particular interest tonight.” Debbie Mae was giggling now, her hand covering her mouth. They were nearly at the far end of the atrium. The wall was broken up into six pairs of elegant French doors, opening onto an enormous deck that wrapped its way around the back of the mansion. Brooks moved slightly ahead to hold the door.

”Oh, you don't think that Brooks is interested in her. He was just being polite.” Caroline shot her a glance. ”And acting like a man. Men can't resist a beautiful woman.”

He stopped, his hand on the edge of the door frame. ”Oh, are we playing matchmaker or just bas.h.i.+ng men? You can't have it both ways. It's bad enough that Mrs. Gray is setting me up with Marion Birdsong, but now you're accusing me ogling any available females within a ten miles radius.”

Debbie Mae gave him a pat as she stepped through the door. ”Not at all. I just know a good prospect when I see one.”

”Do you mean Brooks or Lauren?” Caroline followed her through, brows drawn down. He smelled the vanilla-violet scent and inhaled, wondering for the tenth time why it seemed so familiar.

”Both. I think they'd be perfect together. Just the right height, matching temperaments, and both value our town's history.” Debbie Mae scanned the crowd. ”There, she's just a few feet from that Frank guy.”

Brooks snorted and raised an eyebrow at Caroline. That 'Frank guy' was annoying as all get out and if it meant he had to miss out on more of Lauren's company just to avoid him, then so be it. And valuing a town's history seemed a bit of a stretch for picking out a marriage partner.

”She would never date someone like me, even if I asked her out. And I can a.s.sure you I have no intention of that.” It should have been a natural inclination, but for some reason it hadn't even crossed his mind. Probably that equally natural and equally powerful urge to avoid marriage at all costs.

Debbie Mae rolled her eyes at him. ”Well, you don't have a big head about being a professor, that's for sure. But it's a little-known truth that women just love the nerdy men.”

”I'll pretend I didn't hear you call me nerdy. And I have to differ on what women love. Caroline and I were just discussing how women always go for the richest guy around.”

”I said no such thing!” Caroline whirled, hands on hips. ”Don't believe him, Debbie Mae. We were on opposite sides of that discussion.”

She shrugged. ”There's a little truth in that, I think. And if anyone would know, it'd be Brooks. He's probably had half the female population of this state chase him just because of Badewood.”

”Not quite half.” He kept his tone light, but it got old, real fast. Being attractive because your family owned the largest estate in the area wasn't anything to brag about.

”You'd much rather be admired for your brain.” Caroline shot him a sly glance. She knew exactly what made him feel good, because she was just the same. He let her comment pa.s.s with a smile. The truth was that academia was uglier and more like junior high than most people could ever imagine. He was lucky that his department was relatively normal, but he'd seen pettiness that would make first graders seem mature.

”So, am I your new project? Have you got a list that has 'finding Brooks a wife' right at the top?” he asked.

”Maybe we should make that list. What do you say, Caroline?” Debbie Mae ticked off her fingers one by one. ”Redecorate living room. Plant perennials. Find Brooks a wife.”

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest and gazed out at the group of guests milling around the cedar wood deck. It was definitely large enough to hold a wedding party. White-gloved waiters trotted around with heavily laden trays of champagne and cold drinks. He hadn't thought of finding her something else to drink after she had finished her first gla.s.s of punch. He felt heat creep up his neck in embarra.s.sment. Some date he was, failing to fulfill his 'hunter-gatherer' party role.

”I would never.” She turned, giving him a grin. ”You'd be stuck following your wife around and would never get to come hang out with us. Married men don't get to keep their women friends, especially not the single ones. I'd be all alone at every party, hemmed in by Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Kropp and listening to Dr. Stroud describe amputation techniques.”

”You're denying me the joy of holy matrimony out of sheer selfishness?”

”Absolutely.” She linked an arm through his and pulled him toward the middle of the deck, where Mrs. Werlin was unveiling the raised barbeque pits. ”I don't want you to marry anybody, no matter how much they love this town.” Her tone was teasing and she laughed up at him, blue eyes reflecting the flickers of the outdoor torches.

Brooks opened his mouth to respond, but found nothing to say. He couldn't imagine choosing a wife over a friend like Caroline. A loud, forced sort of laugh floated over the crowd and he watched Caroline turn her head in response. He loved the long curve of her neck, the elegant arch of her brow. There wasn't a more beautiful woman at the party, but Caroline didn't know it. Her utter lack of ego made her all the more attractive.

”Fine, let's forget about the elusive wife for a moment and talk about that party I'm having.” Debbie Mae nudged Caroline, as if reminding her to say her piece.

”Whatever party this is, you'll have to wait until after finals. I'm booked solid.”

Caroline bit her lip. ”So, that's a yes? We just tell you when and you'll be there?”

”Sure. You two can paint your toenails while Manning and I work on that old Civil War cannon he bought.”

Debbie Mae smiled. ”Excellent. That's not what we had in mind but we'll talk specifics later.”

Another loud laugh caught his ear. It was Frank, at the edge of a group, working another a.s.sembly of pretty, sophisticated young women. Flashes of jewelry, the swirl of fabric, the gleam of wide, white smiles surrounded him like sacrificial offerings to a G.o.d. The guests on the deck seemed to turning their attention in his general direction, falling under his spell.

”He's got such a great sense of humor,” Caroline observed. She seemed captivated by the scene, her body leaning forward, as if wis.h.i.+ng she, too, were part of the inner circle of Frank's adoring tribe.

Brooks grimaced at the feeling of ice melting slowly in his gut. Caroline may not want him to marry, but that didn't mean she wouldn't make that choice for herself. A vision flashed before his eyes: Caroline and Frank, walking arm in arm through the atrium, guests of honor, laughing in unison, a beautiful couple that everyone would admire. This would be the perfect place for a wedding because they had met here, for the very first time. The vision s.h.i.+fted and Caroline was wearing a simple, elegant gown of white silk. Her blonde hair piled carelessly in wavy curls, strings of pearls at her throat. The dream Caroline turned to Frank, eyes bright with newlywed joy as she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.

He swallowed, surprised at the wave of jealousy. If she was happy, he would be happy. A friend would never stand in the way of another's happiness. Then why was he sick at the thought of it?

The answer was creeping at the edges of his heart but he pushed it away. Sucking in a deep breath, he argued some logic into his foggy brain. He was having an off night, nothing more. His father was struggling with his grief, and Brooks didn't know how to help. He had missed an important meeting on Friday and was going to have to run to catch up. It was almost the beginning of the fall term and he was already behind.