Date Night (Wish Come True Book 1) (3 page)

“Why did Dad call me Sweet Pea?”
Grannie had lived with us for as long as I could remember. If anyone knew, she
would.

“Well,” Grannie started, “your dad
was stubborn and insisted you were going to learn to eat what was put on your
plate. He patiently watched you through the worst of the gagging and crying as
you ate a pile of peas. All
five
of them. He called it a
‘no thank
you’
portion. And when it was over, he pulled you onto his lap to wipe away
your tears and fed you the bowl of strawberries covered in sugar which had been
your incentive for choking down the peas. ‘That’s my Sweet Pea,’ he cooed to
you.”

“Dad teased me with the nickname
whenever I was acting feisty. It always calmed me immediately when he called me
Sweat Pea.” I chuckled softly. “I’m like Pavlov’s dog. He trained me into being
docile with his sugar coated strawberries. Brilliant.”

I grabbed the scrapbook lying in
front of Grannie and opened it from the back. “There are four pages left.” I
pursed my lips and took a deep breath. “Let’s use two pages—just in case we
have one more milestone in the near future.” I felt a gentle smile creep over
my face while Grannie beamed at me.

“I had Jared pick up this blue
wrapping paper earlier today,” Grannie said, reaching for the paper and a pair
of scissors. “It looks just like the Grand Valley State University color,
doesn’t it?”

“That’s awesome. I love it.”

“Let’s use it to create…” we both
said in unison and then burst out laughing, “…blue frames.”

We were so in tuned with each other
after having worked on the scrapbook for the last fourteen years together; ever
since my father had died when I was eight years old. The scrapbook had been
Grannie’s idea. It was a way for us to honor my father’s memory and allow him
to share in the major milestones of my life.

Grannie’s favorite radio station
played in the background as we went about our work, cutting and pasting and
reminiscing about my graduation day as well as the years of hard work that led
up to the event. Years that had kept me away from my home and from my family.

Grannie glued in the picture of me in
cap and gown. “I’m so proud of you Jordan. You know your dad is smiling down at
you now, honey. He was so worried about having a little princess who wouldn’t
be able to take care of herself when she grew up. It was his mission to make
sure you were independent and self-sufficient and your mother carried it out
brilliantly. He must be proud as can be, especially with you following in his
footsteps.”

I chuckled. “An elementary school
teacher with an emphasis in special education is hardly equivalent to a
university professor. But I appreciate the kind words.” I leaned over and
cradled Grannie’s hand in mine. A small stream of tears flooded over my lashes.
“I only wish I had studied closer to home…so maybe…I think I would’ve seen the
signs.”

Grannie grabbed my chin, lifting my
face to look at me eye to eye. “It is not your fault I am a stubborn old woman
and didn’t go to the doctor for annual physicals. I’ve already told you I
didn’t have any noticeable symptoms until it was too late. Unfortunately that
is rather common with colon cancer. The only way I could’ve had a fighting
chance was to find the cancer early through annual check-ups. It’s a hard
learned lesson I hope your mother, you and your brother will benefit from.”

“Life is not fair,” I said as my tears
continued to silently fall.

“Truer words have never been spoken.”
Grannie reached over to grab a piece of paper and pen. “Life is never fair and
you’ll do well to remember it. It’s what we do with the life we’ve been given
that matters. Now it’s time to write our letters to your daddy.”

I took the single sheet of paper
Grannie offered me and sat back in the chair to choose my words carefully. It
always started out the same and it was always brief but heartfelt.

Dear Daddy,

I officially graduated from Grand
Valley State University on May 10, 2013 with a degree in Elementary Education
and an emphasis in special education. It was a beautiful spring day and
everyone was able to be there. Even you, I think. Grannie and Mom cried, of
course! And then they made me pose for a gazillion pictures. Afterward we all
went out to eat at the local Main Street Pub. Jared and I secretly had a beer
for you. What a relief to finally have my education behind me and to start
working in the real world. I’m so grateful to you and Mom for making sure my
education was paid for upon graduation. So many of my friends are saddled with
loans and feeling pressure to begin work immediately. My job search is
on-going, but I feel optimistic; having the emphasis in special education
should give me a leg up. I promise I can, and will, take care of myself. I hope
Grannie is right when she says you’d be proud. I count on her to know best how
her son would feel.

With
all my love,

Sweet
Pea

We folded our letters and put them in
the special pouch at the back of the scrapbook, each of us respecting the
privacy of the other. I then flipped to the front page and pulled out my red
marker while scanning the list of milestones, pausing here and there on my
favorites…first boyfriend (and kiss)…last Halloween costume…first high school
dance. I grinned at Grannie before placing a wide red check mark in the final
milestone box on the coversheet next to “Graduate from college”.

Grannie sighed. “It’s done. I hope
you will enjoy pulling this scrapbook out for years to come Jordan.”

A genuine smile spread across my
face. “I’ll treasure it forever.”

“Oh my,” Grannie said, staring at her
watch. “Look at the time. You need to go freshen up. Off you go! Off you go!”
Grannie waved me away with a wink. “JT will be here any minute to take you to
the reception hall. I told you he would go with you and there was no need to
worry. He’s such a nice boy. And very handsome. He’ll be a wonderful fiancé.”

I arched my brow at Grannie and then
glanced at my watch. I had thirty minutes to get changed. “Yes, I’m sure he’ll
make some lucky woman a fine husband someday.”

Grannie got up from the table to
refill her glass of water and tossed me a glance over her shoulder. “Lucky
woman, indeed.”

As I walked back to my bedroom, I
couldn’t shake the feeling Grannie was up to something. She was acting strange.
If I didn’t know better, I would’ve guessed Grannie was secretly trying to play
match maker and set me up with JT. But that was impossible. Wasn’t it? JT was
my brother’s best friend since—forever. And Grannie was paying a lot of money
for the dating service. Why would she do that if she wanted me to be with JT?
No. I was letting my imagination get away from me.

Scorching heat suddenly rose up past
my neck and into my cheeks as I recalled my reaction to JT’s teasing on the
porch the previous night. Had my imagination gotten the best of me then as
well? He’d been so close I could smell the faint scent of beer on his breath
when he spoke and I had felt the heat of his body radiating off him, making me
feel all warm and tingly inside. Certainly it had been the chill in the air
that sent a tingle down my spine and not his husky voice or the way his eyes had
lingered on my lips. And it definitely wasn’t the feel of his toned chest
muscles as I gently pushed him away. No. JT was like a brother to me and would
probably be upset if he knew where my thoughts had wandered.

Shaking it off, I made quick work of
getting myself ready. I slipped into my black dress with a flare skirt and
threw on a pair of black sling back heels. After running a brush through my
hair and touching up my mascara and lip-gloss I was ready to go. I wanted to
make a good impression—on the reception hall manager.

J.T.

Jordan hopped into the passenger side
of my black Ford Focus and flashed her pearly whites
at
me. “Thanks for doing this with me. I’m sure you have a thousand other things
you’d rather be doing on a Saturday evening.”

Her deliciously fresh scent filled
the car as she pulled the door shut. It was so much better than the smell of
sweaty gym sneakers and armpits her brother had left behind after our workout
session. I was almost embarrassed to drive her in my car; in addition to the
lingering smells from the gym, Derek had left a trail of crumbs and fast food
waste littered about. Although why it should bother me now was a mystery. I’d
never had any qualms in the past about carting my best friend’s kid sister
around in my trashed car.

“Hey, no problem,” I said, backing
out of the driveway. “I’m happy to play my part in fulfilling Grannie’s wishes—even
if I do think she’s gone a little off the deep end. It’s one hell of a lot of
money to spend on a wedding reception that’s unlikely to ever happen.
Canterbury Castle is a bit pricey isn’t it?”

I was still skeptical about the whole
situation but could understand where Grannie was coming from. After living with
the Billette family for almost fifteen years, Grannie had practically raised
Jordan and Jared while their mother worked full-time. Of course she wanted to
watch Jordan walk down the aisle.

Jordan listened as she scanned
through the radio stations. “The place is awesome—a real fairy tale wedding
location. Besides, it won’t be a complete waste of money. Even if I don’t get
married, we can still have a huge party to celebrate Grannie’s life. I think
she’d enjoy that. She doesn’t want people to be sad about her passing.”

I arched my brow and glanced at
Jordan for a second. “How’s it going to work anyway? Don’t you have to send out
invitations far in advance? And what are you going to tell the hall manager if
another fiancé shows up in a couple months by your side?”

Jordan giggled and shrugged her
shoulders. “Who cares at that point? They just want their money. But you’re
right. We can’t wait much longer to send out the invitations. I left Grannie on
the hook to figure that dilemma out. She’s a clever old fox. I’m sure she’ll think
of something.”

“So what exactly is on the agenda for
this evening? Do I just sit next to you and look handsome? Or am I expected to
do something?”

I could feel Jordan’s eyes on me as I
drove. “Well, I think it would be a little strange if you didn’t say anything
the entire evening, JT. We’re supposed to be planning our wedding day so feel
free to throw out your opinion as much as you want. The manager is going to
walk us through the different options for the wedding ceremony and then show us
the dining and alcohol packages. Afterward we get to sit down at one of the
tables in the back of the hall and eat dinner, you know, to make sure the food
tastes good and narrow down our menu selections.”

Free dinner replete with alcohol this
evening—what a fine prospect. She didn’t need to twist my arm. “Can’t wait to
see the alcohol packages. Grannie needs to go out of this world with a bang.
It’s not going to be a cash bar is it?”

My voice must have conveyed my dread
at the thought of a cash bar because Jordan laughed. “No, they don’t offer a
cash option. There’s a standard, deluxe and premium package. Grannie suggested
we go all out. I think planning for the party gives her a sense of purpose and
excitement. Did I tell you we found my wedding dress last weekend? Grannie was on
cloud nine when we bought it. It’s stunning.”

If the dreamlike quality in her voice
was any indication, then Grannie wasn’t the only one on cloud nine after
finding the dress. I didn’t understand what the big deal was anyway since I
imagined any dress would look gorgeous on Jordan. Still I was happy for her.

“Not to mention,” Jordan added,
“Grannie also gets a real kick out of the stories from my dates; living
vicariously and all. It makes
me
happy to make
her
happy.”

My heart swelled with a bittersweet
but not entirely uncomfortable feeling. Having lost my parents at a young age
to a senseless tragedy, I could imagine the pain Jordan was feeling. At least
my parents had died quickly and painlessly. I didn’t know if I could have borne
knowing they were terminally ill and being helpless to do anything about it. A
four percent survival rate wasn’t much of a chance for Grannie. I reached out
to grab Jordan’s hand and gave it a brief squeeze before pulling into
Canterbury Village.

“I can see Grannie is happy.  You’re
doing the right thing, Jordan.”

“Thanks.”

“Your dates are pretty entertaining,
but I don’t know how you can stand an entire hour with some of those guys.”I
parked the car and cut the engine. A particularly uncomfortable date came to mind.
“Remember the photographer who asked if you’d pose nude for him?”

Jordan’s cheeks flamed red at the
memory. “That one took me by surprise. He said it right as I was taking a sip
of my beer. I nearly sprayed it out all over him.”

“Well you should have. The jerk
deserved it.” I furrowed my brows and reflected. “I wonder how many frogs
you’re going to be forced to kiss before you finally find your Prince
Charming?”

Her eyes sparkled and she shrugged
her shoulders. “I haven’t kissed any of them yet, so it looks like I have a lot
of first dates ahead of me.”

“Good thing you haven’t kissed them,”
I said with a chuckle. “Didn’t your mom tell you frogs will give you warts?” I
came around the car to open her door.

She let out a deep sigh as she stood.
“Well. Are you ready for this?”

“Are you kidding?” I said, smiling in
anticipation. “How often do I get a free meal with a hot date? And I promise
not to act like a frog.”

I sincerely wanted the evening to go
well for Jordan. She’d been through a lot in the past few months and deserved a
fun evening out where she could relax and be herself.

“You look lovely tonight, Jordan.”
Color instantly rose in her cheeks. It was very becoming. She was already a natural
beauty and didn’t cover her face behind a ton of make-up like other women I
knew, but rather used it to accentuate her beauty. It was refreshing.

“It’s nice to see you clean up well
too.” Jordan teased as we walked to the hall. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this
well groomed since your senior prom.”

I scratched behind my ear while I
gave it some thought. Had it been that long since she had seen me in a decent
pair of pants and shirt? Yeah, it could be true. I didn’t even bother getting
this dressed up for the holidays anymore. If I hadn’t been forced to buy a few
business casual clothes for my internship last winter, I probably wouldn’t have
had anything to wear. Jordan hadn’t been around to witness me dressed up every
day for the internship.

“You’re probably right,” I said with
a misty smile and gazed up at the heavens. “Sorry Mom.”

Jordan shoulder bumped me. “You’re a
good looking guy no matter how you dress. Your mom would be proud of what
you’ve accomplished.”

I opened the door of the Castle and
followed Jordan into the entrance. My jaw dropped at the majestic vision before
me; plush carpeting, dark wood banisters and a ceiling with elaborate
chandeliers. Jordan hadn’t been far off in her description of ‘fairy tale’
wedding venue. A tall red-headed woman approached us within minutes and held
out her hand to Jordan. Her pudgy fingers engulfed Jordan’s and pumped swiftly.

“Jordan, it’s so good to see you
again,” she said and then turned to me expectantly.

“This is my fiancé, JT,” Jordan said,
beaming at me. “JT, I’d like to introduce you to the wedding banquet manager,
Mrs. Walberg.”

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Mrs. Walberg’s eyes nearly disappeared into her face when she gave a full blown
smile. “Jordan has told me so much about you already.”

I arched a brow at Jordan but she
averted her eyes and pretended great interest in a painting on the wall behind
Mrs. Walberg. So she had been referring to me all along as her fiancé? It
figured. But I couldn’t say I blamed her. It would be awkward to always refer
to ‘my fiancé’ without ever uttering a name or description. My ego wasn’t
complaining in the least. 

“I’m so glad you made it here a few
minutes early. I have a wonderful surprise for you. And you both look dashing.
Excellent! Excellent! Follow me, please.” Mrs. Walberg began walking at a
clipped pace to a door on the far side of the main floor.

A questioning glance at Jordan
revealed she had no clue what was going on. Her answering shrug said it all. Placing
my hand on her lower back, I guided her in the direction of the manager. The
soft material of her dress felt good against my fingertips. Certainly it was a
normal gesture for a fiancé. I needed to make sure I played the part credibly.
Didn’t I? As we reached the opposite end of the hallway, my curiosity was
peaked. What could Mrs. Walberg have as a surprise for us that had her acting
all giddy?

We entered what appeared to be one of
the banquet halls. Staff was bustling about decorating the tables with fresh
linens and place settings. In the corner of the room stood a round table
featuring an enormous wedding cake with multiple layers and an insanely cool
fountain system; and we were headed straight for it. A photographer was
capturing the decadent cake from every possible angle with his camera clicking
away at breakneck speed. Mrs. Walberg gently cleared her throat and then waited
politely for him to complete his task. After a few more clicks the photographer
resumed a normal stance and turned to us with a broad smile.

“Mr. Rogers,” she said. “I’d like to
introduce you to one of our young couples celebrating their wedding in a couple
months with us. This is Jordan and JT.”

He let his camera hang precariously
from the straps around his neck and reached out a large hand to Jordan in
welcome. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Jordan.” And then he offered the same to
me. “Have you been fortunate enough to contract your photographer yet?”

I repressed my urge to snort. Nothing
like getting right down to business. It figured the
big surprise
was a
sales pitch. What had I expected?

“Oh…” Jordan said with widening eyes.
“Well…no…I hadn’t gotten that far yet. Um…well you see, we just recently got
engaged and it’s all being planned rather quickly.”

“One of
those
weddings,” I
said, flashing a smile at Mr. Rogers. The sharp elbow I took to the ribs from
Jordan was worth it. The momentary confusion on Mr. Rogers face followed by
wide-eyed recognition was priceless. Mrs. Walberg fanned her face with a
banquet hall pamphlet. Maybe I had just answered some burning questions in her
mind about our hasty wedding plans.

“He’s joking,” Jordan said drolly
while rolling her eyes at me.

“I’m joking,” I confirmed and pulled
Jordan into my side for what I hoped looked like a loving gesture to make
amends. I had promised not to act like a frog. That may have been a bit
frog-ish. But such an opportunity couldn’t be ignored. Especially when she had
set it up so nicely.

Mr. Rogers reached into his pocket. “Well,
here’s my card. I’d be happy to take a few snapshots of you both now to
demonstrate my work. I promise you’ll not be disappointed.”

Jordan fidgeted with the strap of her
purse and flashed her eyes to me. “Oh. That’s a very generous offer but you
must be busy right now preparing for the wedding this evening.”

“No problem,” the photographer said.
“I have fifteen minutes before the real action starts around here. Let’s head
out to the stairs in the entrance. It’s a lovely background.”

I shrugged my shoulders and grasped
Jordan’s hand to drag her along behind the photographer. What was the big deal?
It was just a few pictures. We would have a good laugh about it with Grannie
later after they were developed. When we reached the stairs I gazed at Jordan
and grinned. “Smile pretty for the yellow birdie.”

“Perfect.” Mr. Rogers said as he
approached us and placed Jordan onto the first step with her back leaning
against the balustrade. I was positioned on the main floor, because of my incredible
height, facing her so we were nearly eye to eye with my right hand gently
holding her left hand. “Now gaze deeply into her eyes like you did a moment
ago. Give me serious, passionate faces.”

Jordan giggled and struggled to keep
a straight face.

“He said serious, babe.” I stuck out
my tongue at her, making her break out into peals of laughter. All the while
the camera was clicking away with the photographer exclaiming about our
perfection.

“Great. You two are fabulous. Just
fabulous. Now I want you to lean in JT and give your gorgeous woman a kiss. You
remember the thrill of that first kiss? Let’s relive it.”

A soft gasp escaped from Jordan lips
before she pursed them closed and stared wide-eyed at me. Well she had asked me
to be her fiancé hadn’t she? It seemed only right I should fulfill my side of
the bargain and do what the good man asked. A little nagging voice in the back
of my head tried to tell me I shouldn’t be taking so much pleasure in the
prospect.