The Starter Boyfriend (22 page)
Read The Starter Boyfriend Online
Authors: Tina Ferraro
Sure, I still did not have a boyfriend. And my unrequited crush on Adam was bigger and badder than ever. But during the course of the past few days, I’d realized that a boyfriend—real or otherwise—didn’t guarantee happiness or social status or even peace of mind. Besides, those were all things I could earn on my own, if I lived my life right.
“Good,” Phillip said, “because the mannequin’s coming back next week from the repair shop. But not alone. Loaning out the dress to you got me thinking about trying the gown business again, too. So I ordered a female mannequin, too.”
A smile took over my face. “
You got Tux a girlfriend
?”
Phillip laughed. “Don’t go getting all weird again, Courtney.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said, then gave him a quick hug. “I promise. I just think it’s funny. See you on Monday?”
“Perfect.”
I practically danced my way out of the shop, knowing while Tux and I would once again be “working” together, we would truly start our relationship all over again. I would go back to being a normal human being, and he a factory-made mannequin, and leave it at that.
I had my job back!
Plus, my dad and Jennifer would be married very soon. And I was on better than ever terms with Flea and my teammates.
Who needed fantasy when reality was this good?
Chapter 26
Taking slow, measured maid of honor steps down the aisle on the country club bluff that Saturday afternoon, I concentrated on the sunshine, the piano notes, the smile on my father’s face up at the altar, and the
glee
that had been radiating in shimmery waves off the bride as she awaited her entrance.
I was pretty sure the space station astronauts could track me in my pole dancer pink dress with their naked eyes, taking my
go big or go home
mantra a bit too far. But hey, why
not
scream the awesome news of my dad’s and Jennifer’s nuptials to the heavens above, right?
As soon as I came to a graceful stop just left of the minister, I exchanged grins with best man Chuck, then turned with the entire congregation to the opening “dum dum de dum dum” of the Wedding March.
I looked down the aisle to see Jennifer appear in a puffy white cloud of taffeta, waltzing toward us on her father’s arm. I beamed out a smile at her, and watched as she crept slowly closer.
On her right I spotted Flea and Mrs. Hernandez, on her left was Adam’s mom and sister. That’s when I noticed the ushers at the back. Ushers—plural. Which was weird because while Wedding A had called for two (Jennifer’s nephew and Adam), Wedding B, of course, was one man short.
Still, there were two. And the second one looked surprisingly, suspiciously, alarmingly, astonishingly like Adam.
Well, what Adam might look like from a distance if he got all cleaned up and combed his hair. But he had a surfing championship in Oceanside today. It was what he’d been living and breathing for as long as I’d known him!
I stared. I squinted. I think I might even have frowned a little. Then Jennifer finally strolled up beside me, and I had to follow protocol to turn with her toward the minister.
Chuck caught my eye at that moment, and gave me a quick smile and a nod. Confirming to me it
was
Adam!
But why? At no point over the past few days when we were sitting together in detention did he mention skipping out on the championship. Well, to be fair, the beady-eyed detention teacher didn’t give us much chance to talk. Still, he could have shot me a note or text or something.
Forcing my head back into the ceremony, I nonetheless waited for any opportunity to glance back at the guests. As if simply catching Adam’s eye would somehow infuse me with much-needed answers.
Eventually, the groom kissed his bride (making me burst into a mile-wide smile, for
yippee
, we were a family now) and they began their return procession down the aisle. Looping my arm through Chuck’s, I furiously whispered what I’d been wondering what felt like forever. “Why is Adam here?”
“He can explain,” he simply said, then resumed his beaming at the guests.
Big help. Finally, Chuck and I cleared the aisle, and I beelined it to Adam. Who stood off to the side, looking absolutely amazing with his hair all washed and combed and falling in casual waves around his face.
“Hi,” I managed. The anticipation had been almost unbearable, and now the words just wouldn’t flow. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at the championship?”
“A couple things, like second thoughts about whether I was ready for that level of competition.” He ran a hand through his curls, and for a crazy moment, it was all my gaze and thoughts could follow. “Basically, Saffron pulled back that offer from her father. Which was actually a relief because I was feeling like a damned gigolo. I decided if I could qualify this year, I could do it again next year. Why not take the time to get the backing, and go into it mentally and financially prepared to win?”
I studied his face, mesmerized by his Adonis-like looks and sudden maturity. I’d grown rather found of the slacker surfer boy, but this guy? Tuxedo Adam? Be still my heart!
A faraway voice cut through those thoughts. “Courtney, we need you!”
I looked over to see my dad calling to me from a cliffside bridal party shoot. Waving back, my gaze ping-ponged to Adam. “Duty calls. So, later on then?”
“Sure. The dance floor?”
Processing that question—with my insides screaming
yes, yes, a thousand times, yes
—I retained enough presence of mind to hold tight and grin. “I don’t know, Big Kahuna. Are you going to embarrass me by hanging ten and shooting the curl on the floor?”
“Let’s just say I got moves, Beach Bunny.”
Then he smiled—real slow. Which rained down like big surf on me, blocking basically all rational thought.
“Okay, then,” I forced out and walked off. And steeled myself from sneaking a peek to see if he was watching. That way, I could at least pretend he had.
* * *
I did my best to be smiley and “present” throughout the photos, speeches, and first dances, but as soon as the floor opened to all couples, I put my internal G.P.S. on Adam.
Funny thing was, he got to me first, pulling me out for a slow song made famous by one of Jennifer’s favorite 1990’s bands. We had an inept moment after he’d planted his hands on my waist while I tested mine on his shoulders and upper arms, where he laughed and I looked away.
To bring us both back to earth, I asked what his other reason was for coming to the wedding. “You said there were a couple of things.”
“Yeah, well, this is a life-changing event for your family, and for my dad, too, I guess. It felt right to be a part of it.”
“Because of the dental practice.”
“Like I said the other night, I feel like you and I have gotten closer lately. I kind of wanted to be here to share this with you.”
“Thanks,” I managed, while a whole choir of “Awwww’s” and at least one “So sweet!” had a party in my head.
To linger in that moment, I slid in a bit closer, pressing my forehead against his shoulder, and my nose on the northern tip of the satin notch lapel. Where I was struck by the warm, homey scent of tuxedo polyester gabardine, and just a slight hint of mothball.
Nice
.
“Well, don’t you two look terrific,” Jennifer’s voice cut into my thoughts.
I looked up to see her and my dad dancing toward us. “Hey,” I said and let out a little laugh. “Forget about us. How great is it to see you two as bride and groom?”
Jennifer’s face went all shimmery.
My dad smiled lovingly at her, then gazed back my way. “It’s definitely drop knee.”
I felt my heart smack against my ribs. I knew I had to stay calm, to regroup and force out another laugh, but how completely insensitive of my dad to bring up that sore spot between Jennifer and me right now? Especially when we’d just become a family?
That’s when I felt the rumble of Adam’s voice. “You said it, Mr. Walsh. Definitely drop knee.”
A look seemed to pass between the guys, then my dad and Jennifer waltzed off. As if everything was all right.
I didn’t even get the first word of my “What the heck just happened?” question out of my mouth before Adam was answering it.
“Funny thing. My dad’s using that expression now, too. Don’t know if he picked it up straight from Jennifer or through your dad, or if everyone their age is saying it.”
I shook my head in utter amazement, wondering if it would end up on a sit-com after all. Wasn’t life crazy? Then I pressed my cheek back against his satiny lapel, until I realized there were still some things between us left unsaid. “So you never told me, Adam, when did you decide to go with usher duty?”
“Just yesterday. I had my dad call your dad. But it turned out, it was too late to order a tuxedo. Thank God your boss had one in the back room that I could wear with only minor alterations.”
I felt my eyebrows cinch together. “But we special order everything. Must have been a return or something.”
“No, this is the one from the window. You know, that the mannequin wore.”
My breath backed up in my lungs.
Tux’s tux
?
Of course, this was the thirty-eight inch long, thirty-two inch inseam style 02116! Complete with the “silver moon” vest and tie, the satin notch lapel and satin side seamed pants.
I should have spotted it a mile away. It’s just that for all its pizzazz and wonder, I was blinded by the boy inside.
“Phillip didn’t even charge me. And then told me to keep it. Said it had already been retired from rentals, and with a new idea in mind for the window, he was retiring it from there, too.”
I smiled inwardly. How much did I love that Adam was this tux’s final destination?
“I’m not sure when I’m going to wear it again, though. Unless I go to prom or something.” He huffed out a little laugh. “If I can find someone I want to take. Hey, maybe you’d even go with me?”
“Stranger things could happen,” I said, knowing this was just talk. “And maybe Phillip would let me borrow that blue dress again. I love that dress, and don’t tell Jennifer, but this one? Ugh!”
“Courtney, you look beautiful in it.”
“Oh, come on—”
“You
always
look beautiful.”
“Really?”
His words resonated in my mind. (He thought I was beautiful!) Taking away the strength in my knees, and the last of my willpower to resist him. “Then why,” I heard myself say, “did you pull away the other night?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice strained. “I panicked. I couldn’t deal with you and Saffron and the championship—at least, not right then. You and me, we’re too important to screw up.”
I looked up and looped my arms around his neck.
“Same reason I pulled away after we went for pizza that night. I’d kind of meant it as a first date—”
“You
did
?”
“Yeah, but we got to talking about my dad moving out, and you were just such an amazing listener. I realized I wasn’t in the right head yet for this relationship. And the other night, with your dad? I lied to him about why you’d gone to the tux shop. I couldn’t have him knowing what a jerk I was, that you’d run there because of me. I needed him to keep liking me.” He cocked his head into just that perfect angle to connect his gaze with mine. “Because in the back of my head, I knew that someday things might change. That I’d find the right time to tell you...”
“Tell me?”
“How I feel about you. How you’re, you know, the one.”
Goosebumps broke out on my arms. “Oh, God! Me, too. I mean,” I said and laughed, “that’s how I feel about you.”
His lips made a soft connection with my forehead, then started a slow trail down to my own. I suspected nothing in my life would be the same again, and all I could think was
bring it
!
Adam was my
real
starter boyfriend, not someone to make mistakes on—but to learn and grow with. Who knew? We might totally bypass the heartbreaks and romantic trauma I thought I had to prepare for. We might just be The Real Thing.
Acknowledgements
My heartfelt thanks to my critique partners, Kelly Parra and Stephanie Hale for their tireless reads and support, and to the writer-friends who offered listening ears and help through the writing of this book: Heather Davis, Diana Duncan, Janie Emaus, Marley Gibson, Dona Sarkar and Jessica Smith. My appreciation as well to Elaine Spencer for her energy and good suggestions, and to Cynthia Riley for the wonderful cover.
About The Author
Tina Ferraro is the author of three young adult novels with Random House:
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress, How to Hook a Hottie
, and
The ABC’s of Kissing Boys
. A two-time finalist for Best Young Adult Romance in the Romance Writers of America RITA contest, she lives in front of a computer in southern California with her scientist husband, two cats and any of their three young adult kids who happen to be home. When not writing, she busies herself playing too much Facebook Scrabble, swimming laps, and chasing coyotes out of her neighborhood. Learn more about Tina at
www.tinaferraro.com
or
http://facebook.com/tina.ferraro1
.
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