Chapter 1

Summers in Michigan are hot, but they’re green. The dense woods in full bloom make the city of Ann Arbor beautiful and give it a deceivingly peaceful, small town feel. On this particular Sunday the city was all but deserted; the majority of its occupants having gathered in one place. It was graduation day at the University of Michigan. On the North end of the city a small two-lane highway stretches just over twelve miles connecting the college town to it’s much smaller neighboring city of Whitmore Lake. The City of Whitmore Lake, having been appropriately named after a beautiful reservoir tucked away within its woods, was home to a very well to do family by the name of Harper.

Mr. Harper is a prominent figure within the ranks of the University. The beloved professor and president of the Alumni Association was nominated for this year’s teacher of the year award and his lovely wife couldn’t be more proud. Mrs. Harper, a socialite at heart, spends most of her days planning elegant dinner parties and various fundraising events for the College. Together they are the perfect combination of pride and elegance within their high society circle. Though they have many reasons to hold their heads high, their most prize possessions are their two sons, Brian and Nicholas.

Brian is the older of the two boys and the first heir to the Harper legacy giving him the sole responsibility of living up to his father’s prestigious reputation. There are only three things that Brian Harper is passionate about, his family, classic automobiles, and a girl. A girl he’s watched carefully his entire life. And a girl, he’s convinced, is the only girl that could ever make him truly happy. But Brian is always playing the role of the responsible big brother and spends little time fussing over insignificant things like hobbies and matters of the heart. In fact, his knack for self-discipline and sheer will to make a name for himself other than the one built by his parents are slowly taking their toll on his mild mannered personality.

Nick, on the other hand, believes that hobbies and matters of the heart are his responsibility and is passionate about everything five minutes at a time. He idolizes the great James Bond and is the weakness of every teenage girl in three counties. Being blessed with extremely good looks and all of his mother’s elegance and charm makes this blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy the polar opposite of his brother. In fact the only thing the two have in common is their taste for expensive cars. Nick drives a shiny new red Corvette, which he refers to as his baby. It is his pride and joy and the only true love of his life.

On this beautiful graduation day Nick and his baby were attempting to make record time as they sped from one end of Whitmore Lake to the other. He flashed himself a crooked smile in the rear view mirror impressed at the way his hair stayed perfectly in place despite the speed of the convertible. His cell phone rang and he glanced at the clock on the dash before smirking at the predictability of his brother. “What’s up?” he said casually into the phone.

“Where are you?” Brian asked in an irritated fashion.

“Relax Bri, ten more minutes, tops.”

“I hope so for your sake. You’ll hear it for a week if you’re late.”

“I’ll get there as fast as I can.” Nick answered mindlessly as his attention was now focused on a group of girls walking down the street.

“Not too fast.” Brian replied with a laugh, “You’ll hear it for a month if you get another ticket.”

Nick brushed off his brothers warning and snapped his phone shut. With another quick glance at the clock he looked in his rear view at the girls on the sidewalk. A stunning blonde caught his eye with a flirtatious wave. Nick brought the car to a screeching halt and threw it into reverse while a devilish grin spread widely across his face.

Across town, Main Street rested peacefully as it typically did on Sunday afternoons. Whitmore Lake is a small quiet community but is in no way dirty or run down. Main Street is well maintained and has a somewhat historical feel to it. Squirrels scampered about in the branches of the fully matured trees that line the street. Other than the occasional bird singing the only sound that could be heard was the tinkering of metal on metal coming from the auto repair shop at the end of the strip. The garage door was up and a beautifully restored 1957 Chevy sat inside with its hood propped up.

Mr. Thompson, the owner of the quaint little shop stood hunched over the engine wearing a pair of grease stained overalls. The patch above his left breast pocket read Dave. He stood with a puzzled look and then tightened a few more bolts with his wrench. With one final clank he stood back from the car. “OK, start her up!” he hollered.

Mr. Thompson listened carefully as the engine roared to life. His puzzled look turned to one of satisfaction as he admired the beautiful purr of the classic beauty. He slammed the hood shut and smiled at his daughter who was sitting in the driver’s seat. “I think she’s finally finished.” He said as his daughter pulled the keys from the ignition.

Sarah Thompson stepped out of the car with a sigh. The skinny seventeen year old was as grease covered as her father. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail yet it still managed to fall into her eyes. She stood with her hands on her hips and took a minute to admire the car. “It’s almost a shame. I’ll be sad to see her go.”

Mr. Thompson smiled lovingly at his daughter. “Not as sad as I’ll be to see you go.”

Sarah’s smile faded at the mention of her one-way ticket to California, the serenity of the moment gone. “Then why do I have to go?” she asked defiantly.

Sarah peered at her father with a look of devastation that broke his heart. He took a moment to remember why he was choosing to send her away for her senior year of high school. “She just wants to spend time with you. Get to know you better.” He explained.

“That must explain the numerous visits.” Sarah replied sarcastically. “What is it now? Three times in the seventeen years of my existence? Or maybe it was four. It’s so hard to keep track.”

Mr. Thompson let go a heavy sigh. He’d been having this argument with his daughter for months now. At first he was sure she would warm up to the idea, the prospect of a place like San Francisco should be exciting for someone Sarah’s age but Sarah seemed dead set on making herself miserable over the opportunity. “She still loves you and she’s the only other family you’ve got so you should be a little more excited about going.”

“Yeah, I’m real excited to be stripped away from the only home I’ve ever known just to be handed off to a total stranger so that she can feel better about herself by helping out her poor widowed brother.”

“Sarah!” Mr. Thompson said sharply making Sarah bite her tongue.

Mr. Thompson pressed his fingers to his temples in order to fight off the oncoming headache and then in desperation threw his arm over his baby girl’s shoulder. “This is not about me.” He said turning his daughter to face a large window. “And it’s not about your Aunt.”

Sarah stared at her reflection in the glass. She attempted to wipe the grease off of her face but her hand was too dirty so she used her sleeve instead. “I’ve raised you the best I can since your mother died, and you’re growing up so beautifully, but…”

Mr. Thompson’s voice trailed off and he held up Sarah’s sleeve pointing out the spot of fresh grease on it. “You could use a woman’s touch.”

Sarah gave up. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to poor from her stinging eyes. She stared at the messy girl in the window and sighed. There was no way to win this argument. “Ok,” she finally conceded, “But if she makes me paint my toes and go to the ballet, I’m on the first flight back!”

Mr. Thompson’s distressed look faded into a smile. “One look at your toes and she’ll help you pack.” He teased.

Sarah threw herself into her father’s arms. She knew how much he loved her. Mr. Thompson clung to her tightly dreading the moment he would have to say goodbye. He cherished these father-daughter moments more than life itself. Sarah soaked up the comfort enjoying the moment just as much until the sound of squealing tires could be heard coming up the street. A serge of excitement rushed through Sarah’s body and she freed herself from her father’s grip.

The lovesick girl ran outside before her father had a chance to protest. She made it to the curb just in time to watch a shiny red sports car whiz by. Nick honked the horn as he drove past. Sarah waved but the car was gone as fast as it had appeared and she quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of her father calling her name. “Coming dad!” she said and slowly made her way back inside.

~ ~ ~

Hordes of people began filing out of an auditorium, most of them wearing caps and gowns. Brian and Nick burst through the doors side by side. Brian looked well put together in his designer suit, while Nick had already shed his jacket and tie and was in the process of un-tucking his shirt. It’s easy to tell which of the two boys is the heartthrob. However both display very handsome physical features. Although blonde haired and blue eyed like his brother, Brian hair wasn’t a brilliant blonde, but sort of a sandy blonde and he stood just a couple of inches shorter.

At the sweet taste of freedom Nick stretched his arms letting the door close completely unaware of the elderly woman following close behind him. “I can’t believe how hot it was in there. I can’t believe we had to sit through that whole boring ceremony just to watch dad get some stupid little plaque.” He complained as he donned his favorite pair of sunglasses. “What a waste of such a beautiful day.”

Nick was surprised to find that his brother was no longer at his side. He turned around to see Brian holding the door as the elderly woman slowly pushed her walker through the opening. “Bless you dear.” She crackled.

Brian forced a somewhat impatient smile to the old woman. “At least there were a lot of interesting speeches.” He said as he trotted down the steps to catch up to his brother.

Nick gave his brother a curious look unsure whether he was being sarcastic or not. Finally he frowned and with sarcasm dripping from his every word replied, “Well you can put Dad’s at the top of that list.”

Brian attempted not to humor his little brother but still smirked at the remark. “Yeah, but have you ever seen him so excited?” He asked turning his attention to his parents.

Mr. Harper stood proudly in his faculty robes holding his plaque for teacher of the year. Mrs. Harper clung delicately on his arm laughing with the wife of the school’s dean. The two were interrupted and happily posed for a picture before being congratulated by someone else. Brian smiled at the couple that seemed so perfectly matched. “I don’t think the man was as excited on his own wedding day.” Nick joked, “I think the only time I’ve seen him giddy like this was the day you got your acceptance letter.”

Brian let a little laugh escape remembering the day he told his father he was receiving a full academic scholarship to the University of Michigan. “Imagine if we both end up here.”

“I’m sure he’ll see to that.” Nick replied.

Nick responded playfully but Brian detected a hint of irritation in his voice and it made him sad. Brian loved his father very much but there was no question that he wasn’t an easy man to live with. He was so set in his ways and rarely took the time to listen to an opinion that was not his own. Brian spent his entire life following in his father’s footsteps hoping that he might be able to create a little slack for his younger brother. Nick was a good kid, but he was such a free spirit. He wasn’t serious and motivated the way Brian was. Had their father not used all of his energy pushing Brian, Nick might have gone crazy from the pressure. Even as things were now Nick still had difficulties seeing eye to eye with his dad. Brian smiled at his silly little brother and playfully threw his arm over his shoulder. “You want to get out of here for a bit? I’ll show you out my dorm.”

“Is it co-ed?” Nick asked forcing a hearty laugh from Brian.

Chapter 2

Sarah and her father sat quietly in a booth both barely picking at their dinner. Mr. Thompson was sad that his baby girl was leaving in the morning but something else was on Sarah’s mind. Mr. Thompson was startled by a waitress who had come to warm his cup of coffee. She flashed him a brilliant smile and he nervously returned the gesture. He watched the waitress hurry back behind the counter and then turned his attention back to the distressed teenage girl in front of him.

Sarah stared out the window lost in a dream. Outside, the auto shop sat directly across the street. The door to the garage was now closed and the sun was starting to set, but the 57 Chevy was still visible through the windows. “I thought he was going to come pick up the car today.” Sarah practically whined.

Mr. Thompson broke into a smile as the problem at hand suddenly became clear. “I should have known there were ulterior motives when you volunteered to spend your final day in Michigan helping your old man out in the shop.”

Sarah couldn’t help her guilty look. She knew very well that the name on the registration of the car parked in the garage was Harper, and Mr. Harper always sent one of his boys to pick up his latest toy. Sarah had hoped that fate might cut her a break and give her the chance to see Nick one last time before she left. She’d been in love with him as long as she’d known him and she’d been denying it just as long. Mr. Thompson shook his head with a sad smile while Sarah quickly tried to recover. “Give me some credit.” She said with a pout, “This was my last day in town and I wanted to spend it with the worlds greatest dad.”

Mr. Thompson quickly saw right through her flattery and eyed her skeptically. “Then what’s this?” he asked holding up an envelope.

Sarah was shocked to see her dad holding the letter she’d spent the last week trying to get just right. Mr. Thompson saw the petrified look and chuckled. He turned the letter over and tapped his finger on the heart shaped sticker that sealed the envelope shut. “And you think your Aunt Janet is girly.”

Sarah is stunned. “Where did you! How did you!” she stammered defensively, “It’s nothing! Give it back!”

Sarah flew across the table attempting desperately to retrieve the note but Mr. Thompson skillfully kept it just out of her grasp. “A love letter?” he teased.

“Dad!” Sarah squealed as she continued to scramble for the letter.

Finally she tore it from her father’s fingers. She folded it in half and pushed it deep into her pocket. Sarah angrily shoved a bite of food into her mouth as if nothing happened, but Mr. Thompson stared at her waiting expectantly. When she could no longer tolerate his gaze she sent him a piercing stare. “Is it a crime to want to say goodbye?”

“You should have tried saying hello.” Mr. Thompson returned quickly.

Sarah glared at her father even though he made a valid point. The truth stung a little but she couldn’t let her dad have the last word. “You’re one to talk!” she accused.

Mr. Thompson feigned a hurt look but was confused by the remark. Sarah looked at the waitress who was still standing behind the counter. Mr. Thompson followed her gaze. The waitress smiled their direction forcing redness into Mr. Thompson’s cheeks. “The food here’s really not that good.” Sarah spat.

Mr. Thompson opened his mouth in order to defend himself but no words came out. He was busted. He tore his eyes away from the waitress and looked at his daughter with admiration. “I’m really gonna miss you squirt.”

Sarah smiled back calling an unspoken truce between them. “I’ll tell you what.” Mr. Thompson said pulling a set of keys from his pocket, “You want to say goodbye, then say goodbye.”

Mr. Thompson slid the keys to the Chevy across the table at Sarah. “Brian called earlier and asked if I wouldn’t mind dropping it off tonight. Why don’t you take it?”

Sarah's brilliant green eyes shimmered at the opportunity and she was overcome with excitement. “Really?” she squeaked.

“Just pick up the final check when you get there.”

Sarah jumped up from the booth not wanting to waste another second and snatched the keys from the table. She was shaking with anticipation as she took one final sip from her soda. “You’re the best!” she exclaimed kissing her father’s cheek.

Mr. Thompson laughed at the sheer silliness his daughter was displaying. “Thanks dad.” Sarah whispered sincerely throwing her arms around him.

“Good luck Pumpkin.” Mr. Thompson echoed and then gave her one last curious look.

“What is it daddy?”

“That letter doesn’t rhyme or anything does it?” he teased.

“Ewe dad! I’m leaving now!” Sarah laughed as the redness reentered her face.

Mr. Thompson grinned as he watched his daughter practically skip out of the café.

Fifteen minutes or so later Sarah pulled up to an enormous house that had tons of strategically placed lights spread throughout the landscape giving the house the appearance of a natural glow. She stepped out onto the vast expanse of driveway and noticed Nick’s car sitting right out front. She glanced at the house and then ambled over to the convertible with a dreamy look on her face.

The first thing she noticed was a sleek black jacket lying in the front seat. Sarah couldn’t help herself and she pressed the jacket to her face taking in the intoxicating smell. She slipped into a dream for a moment and then pulled the letter from her back pocket. With a deep breath she tucked the letter carefully in the jacket and just as she placed it back where she found it she was startled by a soft voice behind her. “It may be fast but can’t compare to a classic like this.”

Sarah whirled around to see Brian smiling at her through the open windows of the Chevy she’d come to deliver. Startled and curious as to how long he’d been standing there, Sarah forced a smile having no idea what to say. “Nick likes things flashy.” Brian continued, “He has a hard time recognizing real beauty.”

Brian held his gaze on Sarah and waited for a response but Sarah just stood there awkwardly. Brian couldn’t tell whether Sarah didn’t understand the compliment he paid to her or simply chose to ignore it, but when it was clear he wasn’t getting anywhere he gestured to the car. “Your father does beautiful work.” He said.

“I’ll be sure to let him know.” Sarah replied beginning to relax a little, “He said I’m supposed to pick up a check?”

“Oh, right. It’s inside.”

Brian was about to invite Sarah in when the front door to the house swung open and Nick stepped out in a hurry. Sarah immediately became tense as he approached her. “Hi Nick.” She said timidly.

“What are you doing here?” Nick replied with a dashing smile.

Sarah fumbled nervously over her reply. “Oh I just, uh…” When she couldn’t complete a full sentence she pointed at the car.

“Cool.” Nick said nodding casually.

Nick began walking to his car again and Sarah mustered up every ounce of courage she had. “Nick?” she said practically shaking from nervousness when he looked again her direction, “Would it be to much trouble to drop me off at home on the way out?”

Sarah began to hold her breath. She couldn’t believe she’d just asked that. Nick looked at his watch and then to his brother. Finally he smiled at Sarah and said, “I’m sure Brian won’t mind. I’d love to, but I’m already late and…uh…”

Nick looked down at a name that was scribbled on the palm of his hand along with a phone number. “Deanna is waiting for me. Next time though.” He added with a wink.

Sarah was devastated. She managed a weak smile as Nick hopped into his car completely oblivious to her emotion. Brian however, picked up on her disappointment right away. He felt bad for the poor girl. She was trying so hard and Nick barely gave her the time of day. He gave her a sad smile although she didn’t notice it. He tried to take her mind off of Nick and said, “Why don’t we go get that check?”

Sarah glanced at him but didn’t follow him inside. As Brian walked up the steps Nick yelled back to him from the car. “Hey Bri, you left this in my car.”

Sarah watched in horror as Nick grabbed the jacket off the front seat and threw it to Brian who then disappeared into the house. Sarah’s heart began to race and the palms of her hands became clammy as a thin layer of sweat covered them. Nick noticed her face go pale. “Something wrong?” he asked curious to the sudden change.

Sarah starred at Nick in panic but couldn’t force any kind of reply. “You don’t look so good. You feeling ok?” Nick asked again.

Sarah kicked herself internally. Say something idiot! Her brain screamed at her. “Uh,” she mumbled with a shake of her head, “I’m fine.”

She paused for a moment and then decided it was now or never. “It’s just that…” she began but was cut off by the roar of an engine. “All right then,” Nick said buckling his seat belt, “I’ll see ya later.”

Sarah let out a long sigh of disappointment and whispered a sweet, “Goodbye Nick.” as the Corvette sped out of view.

That was it. Sarah was convinced that was the last time she would ever see him again. She would never have a chance now. She was leaving in the morning and while her world ended with the move, his would no doubt keep on turning and someone would finally win his heart. Probably this girl Deanna. The girl he was on his way to pick up right now.

Sarah sighed one more time and wiped a tear that had fallen to her cheek. She stood there watching the tail lights fade until Brian reappeared. Sarah took a deep breath and buried her emotions before turning to face him. Her face went pale again when she noticed that he was wearing the jacket. She saw an envelope in his hand and felt the chunks start to rise in her stomach as Brian smiled confidently. “I believe this is what you’re looking for.” He said holding up the envelope.

Sarah opened her mouth to explain but no words came out. The letter was self-explanatory. She blushed furiously and Brian elaborated, “The check? For your dad?”

“Oh.” Sarah breathed in a sigh of relief, “Right.”

Sarah clumsily took the envelope from Brian and shrugged awkwardly. “Thanks.” She said and turned to leave.

“So, you need a ride home?” Brian said causing her to stop.

“Oh no, it’s ok.” She frowned, “I’ll just walk.”

“I’m going that direction anyway.” Brian offered trying to make Sarah feel more comfortable. “I’m kind of excited to take her out for a spin.” He added gesturing to the newly restored car.

“It’s really not that far.” Sarah said again.

Needing a ride had nothing to do with actually getting home and she already felt stupid enough. Brian walked around the car and opened the passenger door. “I know I’m not six foot two with a dashing smile and a shiny new Corvette, but it’s better than walking home in the dark.”

Moments later Sarah sat in the passenger seat of the Chevy staring out the window with her arms folded tightly across her chest. Brian kept glancing her direction but she ignored him. Her heart was broken. Nothing else mattered anymore. Brian could see how upset she was and wished there were some way he could cheer her up. He began tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel becoming uncomfortable with the silence. Finally he broke it and said, “So… What’s in California?”

Sarah was surprised by the question. She hadn’t told anyone about her move and she wondered how he could possibly know that. Brian saw the confusion and explained himself. “You’re dad said your leaving tomorrow.”

Sarah frowned. “I’m moving in with my Aunt.” She sighed.

“You’re not coming back?” Brian asked trying to mask his surprise. “Why?”

“Apparently I could use a woman’s touch.” Sarah grumbled gesturing quotation marks with her fingers as she said the words.

Brian held back a laugh and nodded his head. “Is that such a bad thing?” he asked playfully, “I bet you clean up nice.”
Brian waited hoping for a smile but Sarah was indifferent to the compliment so Brian sighed. “If it makes you feel any better, you’ll be missed.”

“Not by Nick.” Sarah said no longer attempting to hide any disappointment. “He probably won’t even realize I’m gone. He left so fast I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Sarah didn’t notice Brian’s disappointed look. She was too busy gazing out the window. “Isn’t that what this is for?” he asked pulling an envelope from his jacket pocket.

Sarah stared wide-eyed at the letter. She noticed the seal had been broken. “You read it!” She yelled desperately.

Brian shrugged. “There was no name on it. I got half way through it before I realized it was for Nick and then… I had no idea it was from you. It’s a really nice letter. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass…”

“Look just forget it.” Sarah said cutting him off.

Sarah turned her body as far away from Brian as she possible could. She was humiliated and devastated. Tears formed in her eyes and she turned her head to the window in an attempt to hide her face from Brian. There was a suffocating silence the rest of the way to Sarah’s house. When they pulled into the driveway Sarah stepped out of the car without saying a word. Brian noticed the letter still sitting on the seat. He stepped out of the car and followed Sarah to the porch just before she stepped through the front door. “Sarah?” he asked gently. He held up the letter. “Do you still want me to give this to Nick?”

Sarah took the letter from Brian. Brian gazed into her pain filled eyes, sad to see the tears that had formed in them. Sarah stared at the letter for a moment and then ripped it in half letting the pieces fall to the porch. “It’s not like he wanted it anyway.” She said feeling completely defeated.

Her eyes met Brian’s again and she forced a smile. “Thanks for the ride.” She whispered and then disappeared through the door leaving Brian standing alone on the front porch.

Brian stood helplessly for a moment staring at the ripped up confession at his feet. When he finally made his way back to the car he noticed the light flip on in Sarah’s room. He watched for a minute wondering and then released a heavy sigh. “Goodbye Sarah.” He whispered and then drove away.

Chapter 3

It’s all hustle and bustle in the great city of San Francisco. The sun shined down on the picturesque metropolis making it every bit as beautiful as it’s postcards claim. Large ships sailed to sea beneath the monumental Golden Gate Bridge. Hundreds of tourists were busy window shopping on the famous Fisherman’s Warf and trolleys sailed gracefully down the steep hills cheerfully ringing their bells as they went. It was a far cry from the serenity of Whitmore Lake and as Sarah stepped out of the airport shuttle van in front of her aunt’s house she was overwhelmed by it all. As a driver set a couple of raggedy old suitcases on the curb Sarah glanced up the street marveling at the long row of connected houses. “Haven’t these people heard of grass?” she wondered aloud stepping up to the front door.

Sarah took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. An intensely beautiful woman significantly younger than Sarah’s father answered the door. She looked as if she’d stepped straight out of a modern woman magazine. She was wearing a sexy yet sophisticated dress suit and was frantically flipping through her daytimer. She flashed Sarah an intoxicating smile while yelling into the mouthpiece of a cell phone that hung from her ear. She waved Sarah in and shut the door behind her. “I don’t care how you do it,” she ordered into the phone, “Just get it done!”

Sarah watched mystified as she snapped her phone shut. The woman closed her eyes and took several slow deep breaths as if she were in some yoga class. Once calm she opened her eyes and threw her arms around Sarah. “Welcome!” she cried with excitement practically squeezing the life out of Sarah.

“Hey Aunt Janet.” Sarah said trying her best to take a step back from the intense woman.

“I’m glad to see you made it ok. I’m really sorry I couldn’t come get you but if you haven’t noticed I’ve had a bit of a crisis today.”

Sarah shrugged. “The airport was a little chaotic but I’m still in one piece.”

“Chaotic?” Janet smirked, “Chaotic is serving lamb to a vegetarian wedding party.”

Janet grabbed one of the suitcases and headed up the stairs. “Come on,” she laughed as Sarah stared blankly around the house, “Your room’s this way. I’ll help you unpack.”

Janet threw the suitcase down onto the bed of the guest room and Sarah placed the other next to it. Janet had not stopped rambling since Sarah arrived. “Your dad tells me you like cars,” she said, “I found a good deal on an old car. It needs some work, but I though you might like to fix it up. Then you’ll have something to do this summer and a way to get to school in the fall.”
Janet stopped talking and stood over the luggage puzzled. “Is this everything?” she asked as if that were impossible.

Sarah nodded and Janet broke into laughter. “Wow!” she exclaimed, “I would need more bags than this for my shoes alone.”

Sarah forced a smile and then began to wander about her new room. She looked out the window and saw a beat up old Mustang parked on the curb. Janet was right, it was pretty beat up but at least it was a classic year. She turned around to see Janet pulling things from the suitcases and hanging them in the closet. Sarah was a little confused why she was hanging up jeans but she didn’t bother to ask. Janet pulled a pair of overalls from the suitcase and held them up to examine them. They had grease stains on them and were starting to get worn out in the knees. She wrinkled her nose. “No offense Sarah, but you’re not going to turn many heads walking around in stuff like this all the time. Don’t you own a skirt?” She asked rummaging through what still remained in the suitcase.

“Oh, I don’t wear dresses.” Sarah replied.

Janet laughed but Sarah didn’t. Janet stopped her giggling and stared in disbelief at her niece. “You’re serious?” She gasped, “You really don’t own a skirt?”

Sarah shrugged and Janet shook her head in bewilderment. Finally she shrugged and her eyes lit up with excitement. “We can fix that easy enough. There’s tons of great shopping in this town. We’ll go this week.”

Janet’s phone rang and she groaned as she looked at the caller ID. She smiled at Sarah with a wink and then skipped out of the room. Sarah flopped down on the bed pushing the suitcases to the floor. “This is going to be a long year.” She said with a sigh.


********

A man in a tuxedo sat behind a beautiful grand piano filling a swanky restaurant with a romantic melody. Brian and Nick sat at a table set for four. Nick stared curiously at the door to the ladies room. Brian watched a well-dressed couple twirling gracefully on a small dance floor. The lovebirds shared a quick kiss and Brian began nervously fidgeting with his collar. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.” He said swallowing a large gulp of ice water. “I feel like Jerry Lewis doubling with Cary Grant.”

“What do you suppose they do in there for so long?” Nick said ignoring his brothers’ complaints.

“I don’t understand why you couldn’t get one of your buddies to baby-sit this girl.” Brian grumbled.

“You should be thanking me Bri. When’s the last time you went on a date?”
“I don’t have time to worry about girls.”

Nick sighed at the agitated tone in his brother’s voice. “Explain to me why your taking a full coarse load again? I think you completely missed the point of summer break.”

“The sooner I graduate the sooner I get out of here.” Brian sighed.

“You wouldn’t dare leave me alone in that house. It’s bad enough having you away at the dorms during the week. Remember you promised you’d save me from becoming the next President of the U of M Alumni.”

Brian rolled his eyes but then smiled at his younger brother. “That’s better.” Nick said when he saw the smile. “Keep the smile. I need you to at least pretend to enjoy yourself tonight. I need you to be my wing man on this one.”

“Your wing man?” Brian asked raising an eyebrow at Nick.

“You’ve gotta help me out. Deanna’s worried that I’m not serious about our relationship.”

Brian laughed recalling Nick’s track record for meaningless flings. “Deanna sounds like a smart girl.” He teased.

“Come on Bri. It’s different this time. I really like this one. You gotta help me look good.”

“What do you mean it’s different this time? Different how? You want get married or something?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. It’s been a month. I just want to get past a fifth date.”

“Right.” Brian said with a laugh and then sat up straight as their dates returned from the restroom.

A little later Brian cringed as Deanna fed Nick a bite of her pasta. This has been the most uncomfortable date Brian’s ever been on. He and his date both squirmed awkwardly in their chairs as Nick kissed Deanna. One kiss became two and Brian kicked Nick underneath the table. Nick looked at Brian somewhat hurt while Brian glared back. Seeing his brother’s discomfort, Nick rolled his eyes and then turned his charm toward Brian’s date. “So Veronica, Deanna says you’re an art major at NYU?”

“Art history.” Veronica corrected.

“That sounds fun.” Nick said making polite conversation.
“I like it.” Veronica shrugged.

Nick glared at his brother hinting at him to say something. Brian thought for a minute and then said, “It must be nice to study something you love.”

“Isn’t that the point?” Veronica asked a little less than impressed at Brian’s statement.

Brian was drowning and Nick stepped in to save him. He forced a laugh and said, “You’ve obviously never met our dad.” Nick laughed again and then in a tone of voice that clearly mocked his father said, “You have to be practical if you’re going to make it in this world. No time for play son, that’s what retirement is for.”

“I’m a business major.” Brian shrugged.

“Sounds fascinating.” Veronica replied sarcastically.

“It’s not so bad.” Brian defended himself thinking that the chemistry between him and this girl couldn’t have been worse, “Nick and I want to start our own business together. It’ll be worth it to be my own boss some day.”

Deanna looked at her boyfriend surprised. This news impressed her. “You want to start your own business? Oh honey, that’s so ambitious of you. And so cute.” She whined in a patronizing tone.

Nick flashed a look to Brian that sort of said, now your talkin’ and grinned wickedly at Deanna. “Well I’m a cute guy.”

Deanna couldn’t resist the smile and giggled as she rubbed noses with Nick. The two kissed again. Brian cringed again and forced an awkward smile at Veronica. She politely returned the gesture and broke the awkward moment by asking, “What kind of business are you going to start?”

“We don’t really know yet, maybe something to do with cars. Although we have slightly different taste, that is one passion that Nick and I share.”

Deanna pulled her lips away from Nick with a laugh. “That’s the truth.” She said, “I don’t know what it is about the Harper men and their cars. You should come by the house sometime. Grandfather is always looking for someone to show off his collection to.

Brian’s interest was peaked for the first time all evening and he sat up in his chair. “Your grandfather collects cars?”

Nick beamed with pride. “He has a garage that would make Henry Ford jealous.”

“Really?” Brian asked curiously thinking that this evening may not be a total waste after all.



******

It was another bustling day in the big city and Janet was one of the busiest bodies in it. She was quickly unpacking boxes from the trunk of her car and setting them on the front steps of her house. Her assistant, a young man the same age as Sarah, carried the boxes inside the house. Sarah drove up in the Mustang and parked out front. The cherry red car sparkled like new. “Back already?” Janet asked when Sarah stepped out of the car.

“Almost didn’t make it back.” Sarah laughed.

“Still having problems with the engine?”

“No.” Sarah said with a smirk, “But does there have to be a stop sign at the top of every single hill in this city?”

Janet chuckled. Sarah leaned against the door and proudly patted the vehicle. “I think she’s finally finished.” She announced.

“She’s fabulous!” Janet’s assistant exclaimed walking back outside.

The young man who was now admiring Sarah’s car surprised her. She forced back a giggle and looked curiously at her aunt. “You remember my assistant, Lance?”

Lance offered Sarah a flimsy handshake and she smiled at him. “The guy who wouldn’t hand me a wrench because he didn’t want to ruin his manicure?” she chuckled, “How could I forget?”

“The condition of one’s hands says so much about a person.” Lance replied dramatically and took a close look at Sarah’s hands. He wrinkled his nose at the grease-stained calluses and chewed up nails. “We have got to get these fixed before your big debut.”

Lance dropped her hand and picked up another box. “My what?” Sarah asked following Janet and Lance into the house with the last box.

“I told you she’s not going to like the idea.” Janet said to Lance as if Sarah weren’t even in the room.

“What idea?” Sarah demanded.

“A party.” Janet sighed knowing that Sarah would protest.

“Uh-uh.” Sarah said shaking her head forcefully.

“A beach party.” Lance elaborated hoping it might help sway her.

“No way!” she replied.

“You have to.” Lance said with a whine, “Every year the school throws a huge back to school party for the new seniors. The ocean, a barbeque, a DJ… Justin and Chris playing volleyball in the sand shirtless…”

Sarah and Janet exchanged glances as Lance drifted off into a dream. “It would be a good way for you to get to know some of the other kids.” Janet suggested.

Sarah hesitated but then gave up her protest. “Fine.”

Lance clapped his hands together excitedly. “Oh goody! I just love parties! Come, come. We have a lot of work to do.”

Lance grabbed Sarah and began to drag her out by the arm. “I am not getting my nails done.” She warned him and then turned her attention back to Janet, “And I’m not wearing a skirt!”

Lance pushed Sarah out the door and flashed a wicked smile at Janet. “It’s a beach party.” He giggled, “You don’t need a skirt, you need a bikini.”

The day of the party Sarah sat in the parking lot at the beach watching a couple of girls walk past her wearing bikini tops and sarongs. She frowned and announced to Lance, who was sitting shotgun, that she was not getting out of the car. Lance opened the door and dragged her out. Sarah clung tightly to the giant beach towel that she had wrapped around her body. Lance stole the towel revealing a plain one-piece swimsuit and some cut off shorts. Lance took off running toward the crowd while Sarah chased after him.

Chapter 4

The leaves around Whitmore Lake began to turn brilliant yellows, oranges and reds with the changing of the seasons. Brian couldn’t help but admire them as he drove up the tree-canvassed lane that led to the estate of Nick’s girlfriend, Deanna. Brian was stunned as he pulled through an enormous iron gate and drove into view of the mansion that made his extremely large house seem insignificant. He felt as if he could be swallowed up at any moment when he rang the bell but didn’t wait long before he was greeted by Deanna and his brother. “Brian!” Deanna exclaimed placing a polite kiss on his cheek. “I’m so glad you finally made it. It’s been months since I’ve seen you.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” Brian replied only partially sincere. “I doubled my coursework this year. I’m hoping to graduate a year early. Not to mention that my father seems to see me as some sort of free intern that he can dump his grunt work on whenever he pleases.”

Brian’s tone was a bit harsh but Deanna chuckled slightly. She’d been together with Nick long enough now to have a good understanding of Mr. Harper’s persuasive attitude. She herself had been grading papers just last week. “Well I’m glad you could make it today.” She said happily, “I really need your help.”

Deanna showed him through the house out to the garage. “I’m really sorry about your grandfather.” Brian said feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t made it to the funeral.

Nick had told him once that Deanna’s grandfather was the only family she had and when he died she was left all alone. He died nearly a month before and Brian was impressed at the way Nick stepped up and helped her through the terrible ordeal. He couldn’t help but think that maybe his little brother was finally starting to grow up.

“Thank you.” Deanna said, “But it was his time.”

She stopped in front of a portrait of the old man and sighed. “He was such a good man.” she said. “He left such a legacy behind.”

Deanna's grandfather had spent his years exploring the medical field. He’d done some amazing things and even received a Pulitzer once. Brian stared at the portrait and wondered if he would ever be able to make such an impact. He couldn’t help but have his doubts. “So what do you need my help with?” he asked when he realized that his thoughts were once again turning sour.

Nick’s face lit up. “You’re gonna love this Bri!” he said practically jumping up and down.

“Well I know how you Harper boys love your automobiles and Nicky tells me that you know more about the old classics than anyone. I need your help coming up with an estimate for them.”

“An estimate?” Brian asked curiously.

“Grandfather left me pretty much everything when he died.”

Brian did everything in his power not to over react to that news. Deanna’s grandfather was worth millions. If he left it all to her then she must have been the richest 18 year old in the state of Michigan. “You mean he left you the cars?” he asked.

Deanna sighed. “The cars, the house, a few off-shore accounts. Pretty much everything that he didn’t donate to charity.”

Brian looked up at the enormous house and it’s vast surrounding and felt overwhelmed at the idea of being responsible for so much. “So what are you going to do?” he asked.

Deanna released a long woeful sigh as she punched in the security code that would lift one of the numerous garage doors. “I thought I would go smaller.” She replied looking over her shoulder at the house. “Much smaller.”

The garage door slid open with grace revealing the showroom. Brian breathed in awe at the splendor of it all. Nick and Deanna grinned at one another as Brian reverently walked through the collection of priceless antiques. “It’s practically a museum.” Brianwhispered.
“You’re not going to sell these?” He gasped finally realizing what she meant by an estimate.

“I really hate to do it. These cars were Grandfather’s pride and joy. It will be kind of heart breaking to see them gone from the family, but I don’t know what else to do with them. They just sit here collecting dust and its such a shame.”

“You can’t do it. It would be a crime.”

“Unless you can come up with a better idea.” Deanna said shrugging helplessly.

Brian stared at the room again. There had to something she could do. The wheels in Brian’s head began to turn and he spun on his heels throwing a crazed look of excitement Deanna’s direction. “Don’t do anything yet.” He said, “Just give me some time and I will come up with the perfect plan.”

In the months that she’d known Brian, Deanna had never seen him so full of excitement. His eyes gleamed as he smiled at all the possibilities. Deanna looked at Nick and he shrugged. “The man is a genus. He won’t steer you wrong.”

“Alright.” Deanna said, “I won’t sell them just yet.”

Brian shook her hand vigorously. “You won’t regret this. I promise! I’ll come up with the perfect plan.”


********

Sarah and Lance stood in front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the middle of a giant mall. Lance had heaps of bags draped over his arms. Sarah leaned over a railing enjoying a corndog and a slurpee. She wore jeans and a t-shirt but her hair was down and a small purse hung from her shoulder. “I don’t understand how you can eat those things.” Lance whined as Sarah threw an empty stick into a garbage can. “If I even ate one bite of something that greasy I would gain five pounds.”

Sarah laughed. “You’d work it all off just by carrying around all that weight.” She teased pointing at the mound of bags he finally set at his feet.

“I can’t believe all these hours of walking the mall and we still haven’t found what we came for.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and began walking the mall again. Lance struggled to collect all his purchases and then caught up to her. “If we didn’t have to stop in every store we passed so that you could try on five million different pairs of pants, we could have been long gone by now.”

“I have to look dashing.” Lance laughed and then stopped in front of a store where a sleek red dress hung in the window. He raised an eyebrow. “And you have to look stunning.”

Sarah followed his gaze to the dress in the window and wrinkled her nose. I’m not wearing that.” She said before Lance could even suggest it.

“We’re talking about a high profile wedding here. It’s only the biggest event of this holiday season.”

“And I’m working it.”

“Wedding planners do not work weddings.” Lance said somewhat insulted that his little protégé was missing the point entirely.

“Fine, I’ll dress up but put me in a nice pants suit, I’m not wearing a dress. And no heels!”

Lance shook his head in shame and then stopped two guys about their same age that happened to be walking by. “Excuse me.” He said resting his hand on one of their arms and pointed at Sarah with the other.

“Do you think she would look better in a boring old pants suit or something fabulous like this?”

Lance gestured to the dress in the window. Both boys looked at the dress and immediately sided with Lance. Once of them even said she would look great in red causing Sarah to blush fiercely. Sarah rolled her eyes and walked away. “I’m not wearing a dress.” She grumbled.

Lance shrugged to the guys and thanked them for the attempt before catching up to Sarah with a dramatic pout on his face.


*********

Brian sat behind the wheel of his car staring up at his house knowing that he would have to go inside sooner or later. His mother had demanded he come home for the weekend. It was his birthday and she wanted to have a nice family dinner. Brian tried hard to find reasons not to come, but his mother could be as persistent as his father when she needed to be.

It was now nearly March and even though his dorm was less than 20 minutes away, Brian had not been home since Nick’s birthday over a month ago. He just couldn’t stand being there anymore. He was working so hard and under so much pressure that sometimes he felt he was about to crack. When he came home it never failed that Nick and Deanna would be hard at work finding new ways to play. It used to make Brian happy that his younger brother could do what he wanted, but the harder Brian worked the more he resented Nick’s playing. It also didn’t help that Nick and Deanna were always hanging on one another like a couple of newlyweds.

Brian sighed heavily and turned off the ignition. As he grabbed a briefcase off the passenger seat the corners of his mouth curved upwards. At least he had a plan now and in just a couple short months he would be graduated and it would all be over. With a slump he pushed his way through the front door praying that his mother had not planed some sort of surprise. He relaxed when all was quiet.

After dropping his briefcase on the kitchen counter Brian made his way through the house in search of his family. The TV was on and a cheesy looking monster movie was playing but the sound was barely audible. Brian found his brother and Deanna asleep in each other’s arms on the couch. He couldn’t help but stare at the two of them with a frown. He thought it ridiculous the way they fawned over one another and yet tiny pangs of jealousy pricked his heart.

With a roll of his eyes Brian rounded the corner of the couch to turn off the television and jumped sky high when he felt something squirm underneath his foot. A tiny bald Chiwawa let out a high-pitched shriek before jumping up on the couch with Nick and Deanna. “The prodigal son returns.” Nick teased as Brian continued to frown at the dog.

“What is that thing?”

“This is Fluffy.” Deanna laughed picking up the dog and kissing it on its tiny nose and then talked to it as if it were an infant.

“Fluffy?” Brian asked Nick curiously thinking that the creature looked more like a rat than a dog.

“Good to see you again.” Deanna greeted Brian as she walked past him to let Fluffy outside.

Nick smiled as he watched Deanna step outside. Brian stared curiously at the grin on Nick’s face. “What’s with the dog?” he finally asked.

Nick shrugged. “She’s been having a rough time since her grandfather passed. I thought she might like the company.”

Brian cracked a smile and threw his arm around his brother. “I’m impressed.” He said, “You’ve really stepped up this time. This is the most effort I’ve ever seen you put into anything let alone a relationship.”

Nick looked out the window again and sighed dreamily. “Yeah, she needs me. I kind of like it.”

Nick looked guilty when he saw the smirk on Brian’s face. “If you tell anyone I said that you’re dead.” He laughed.

Brian playfully shook his head in shame and the two brothers fell into a warm embrace. “Happy birthday man.” Nick said as he pulled away. “I’m glad you came. It’s been real lonely around here without ya.”

“I though that’s what Fluffy was for.” Brian teased.

“You know what I mean. Things just aren’t the same without my big brother around.” Nick said, “There’s no one here to make me look bad. When are you going to be done with all that school so that you can rescue me from this place. You know, I was thinking the other day that it might be kind of fun when I go to school next year, to find a place somewhere near campus together.”

Brian was surprised by his brother’s comment. “We could be room mates.” Nick suggested almost fearful that his brother would hate the idea.

Brian stared for a minute and slowly began to glow with excitement. “We could be more than that.” He said.

Nick curiously followed him into the kitchen. Brian became excited as he popped the snaps on his briefcase. He pulled out a thin booklet and handed it to Nick. “We could be partners.” He explained.

Nick flipped through the pages and then looked at Brian with anticipation. “What is this?”

“It’s a business proposal.” Brian announced proudly. “I had to create one for one of my classes and I figured why not make one for real. We’ve always said we wanted to go into business together.”

“What kind of business?” Nick asked now scanning the papers.

Brian grinned. “Remember when I came to see Deanna’s grandfather’s cars and she told me she didn’t want to have to sell them?”

“Yeah?”

“Well it’s sort of a rental company. Deanna would be a full partner of coarse and you and I could run the biz.”

“You mean we rent out Deanna’s cars?”

“Yeah! People would love it. Think about it. Wouldn’t you have loved to take your homecoming date to the dance in one of those? People would rent them for all kinds of special occasions.”

Nick starred at his brother pondering the possibility. Brian pointed to a graph near the front of the proposal. “I’ve already done the research. It could work. It wouldn’t take much of a loan to start up if we already had the cars and Deanna did say that she wished there were some way she could put them to use. Do you think she would like it?”

Nick flipped through the pages of the proposal again. They may as well have been typed in a forgien language, but the idea itself was crystal clear. Finally he formed a smile. “You know Bri? This just might work.” He said instantly becoming excited.

Chapter 5

The blossoms of early spring decorate the trees outside a huge church. The inside of the church is more elaborately decorated with beautiful lilies. Decorators scampered about the church putting finishing touches on what was to be the “wedding of the century” according to Time magazine. Sarah gazed around the chapel with a mixture of concentration and awe. Never in her life had she seen anything quite so beautiful and at the same time, never in her life would she have appreciated it the way she did now.

Sarah smiled proudly until something caught her eye. She stared for a moment at an arrangement of flowers standing next to the organ and then pulled a few flowers from it. She thought for a moment and then replaced the flowers in different spots managing to fill a gap that had previously been there. She took a step back to examine the bouquet and nodded in approval. Janet walked up behind her and stared at the flowers. “You’re right.” She said with an impressed look, “They look much that way.”

Sarah laughed. “My father’s never going to believe that you convinced me to come to work with you.”

“I hardly believe it myself!” Janet said throwing an arm around her niece. “But you have quite the knack for it. Now if I could only get you in a skirt my mission would be accomplished.”

Sarah smirked. “Keep dreaming.” She laughed, “I would almost put money on the fact that the first time I wear a dress I will be the one walking down the aisle.”

“And when do I get to have the pleasure of planning your wedding?” Janet teased.

Sarah was about to reply when they were interrupted by the sound of a suggestive cough. Both women turned around to see Lance standing at the back of the chapel with a table cloth draped over his head flowing to the ground behind him as if it were the bride about to walk the aisle. Sarah laughed and then turned to her aunt and said, “You can book the chapel the day Lance agrees to marry me. Just make sure he knows I get to be the only one in a dress.”

Janet laughed hysterically. Sarah grabbed a handful of babies breath and ran to Lance. She gave him his bouquet and playfully walked with him up the aisle. The two laughed the entire time. Janet watched them with amusement. Sarah and Lance had become practically inseparable and Janet was often amazed that it took a boy to give Sarah that feminine touch she so desperately needed. Janet’s look of amusement turned to a look of pride. She was proud of how far Sarah had come in the few short months she’d been there.


**********

Weeks later Sarah and Lance sat in the school library pouring over textbooks that were spread out over the entire table. Sarah was trying her best to make sense of the Greek mythology she was reading while Lance focused on more important things. He frowned as he watched two students hang a large banner advertising the spring formal. Sarah tapped her pencil on the page of the book as the words began to fall into place. “So Prometheus is the guy who stole the fire!” she said excited that she’d found the answer she was looking for.

Lance frowned at her statement but not for the reason she was thinking. “I bet Prometheus went to his prom.” He said with a pout, “PROM-etheus! It’s spelled in the guy’s feaking name. He was probably the king.

Sarah pushed away her books with a heavy sigh. “I thought we agreed not to talk about prom anymore.” She said sternly.

“But it’s prom!” Lance whined again, “There’s your wedding, and then there’s prom! It’s you chance to become a queen for a night. You have to come!”

“A queen for a night huh? Now I understand why you want to go so bad.”

Lance rolled his eyes at the lame insult and Sarah laughed. “I’m sorry, but standing around in heels all night with five pounds of glue in your hair just so you have a picture in your photo album doesn’t sound so fun to me.”

Lance wrinkled his nose. “Besides, what good is being a queen if you don’t have a king?” Sarah said with a hint of disappointment in her tone.

“Is that what the real problem is? That you don’t have a date? Honey all you had to do is say so, I can find you a date.”

"Don't bother."

Lance frowned and looked around the library. The first guy his eyes happened upon was a boy wearing a Star Trek T-shirt, punching an equation into a calculator. “I bet he doesn’t have a date yet.” Lance said as seriously as he could, pointing at the boy.

Sarah followed his gaze just in time to see the guy wipe his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. “Well then, beam me up Scottie!” She said sarcastically.

She and Lance burst into laughter causing the boy across the room to look up from his calculator. He gave them a disgusted look and hissed at them pressing his finger to his lips. Sarah and Lance only laughed more.



********

Spring was almost a distant memory now as the different shades of green deepened with the oncoming heat. Brian sat at a stoplight just up the street from the auto repair shop. He sighed thinking that he used to visit that shop a lot more often. A weary smile crossed his lips as he remembered a time when he had a reason for going there. He looked at the new Volvo he was now driving and almost felt sad that it never broke down; not that being at the shop was as fun anymore anyway.

Brian noticed a very familiar red Corvette in the garage and couldn’t help the smirk. Brian used to get excited when his cars would need work, but nothing tortured his little brother more than having his precious car up on the blocks. Brian looked up and down the street wondering where his brother might be and noticed a for lease sign in the window of the vacant building to his left. It was a decent size building with a large enough parking lot adjoining it.

Brian sat lost in thought until he heard the horn of the car behind him. He looked up to see that the light he’d been waiting on had turned green. Instead of his previous destination, he decided to pull his car over. He peered through the windows of the empty building and then looked again at the phone number on the sign. He searched his pockets for a pen until her recognized the sound of Fluffy’s annoying little yap. He looked up and saw Nick exiting a bridal shop holding a leash. Fluffy was nearly strangling his own neck attempting to free himself from Nick’s grip. Nick growled out of frustration at the noisy little ball of energy. “You brought that on yourself you know.” Brian laughed.

“Brian!” Nick said surprised to see his big brother. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I was just passing through, saw Fluffy.” Brian chuckled and then corrected himself, “Well, heard him is more like it.”

Brian looked curiously at the bridal gowns in the window in front of him. “So did Deanna convince you that Fluffy needed a real daddy?” he teased.

Nick shuddered at the idea. He looked in the shop at Deanna who was busy talking to a lady behind the counter. “God no!” Nick laughed, “It’s nothing that scary. Deana had to get measured for a dress. She’s going to be a bride’s maid at her friend’s wedding in a couple weeks.”

“A wedding.” Brian smirked sounding a little sorry for his brother. “That should be fun for you.”

“You remember Veronica? The art major from NYU.”

Brian thought back to the only date he’d been on in the last year; a total disaster. “I believe it was art history” he corrected remembering very clearly the awkward night.

“Yeah whatever.” Nick said, “The point is, the wedding is in New York.”

Nick grinned but Brian seemed to miss the point. “I don’t have to go.” Nick laughed.

Brian smirked but saw Deanna walking toward them so he changed the subject. “What’s your car doing at the shop?”

Nick’s mood changed instantly. “Transmission.” He grumbled casting a longing look up the street. “Two weeks! Can you believe it?”

“You shouldn’t ride her so hard.”

“On the bright side,” Nick said as Deanna arrived at his side, “I get to borrow the Porsche.”

Brian threw a smile Deanna’s direction. “You’re going to trust him with a car that can go nearly 300 miles an hour?”

“Can it really go that fast?” Deanna asked in surprise.

“Probably only when driven by the pro’s” Brian said.

Nick grinned wickedly and Deanna gave him a warning look but then smiled at Brian. “I guess I’m going to have to trust him sometime if we’re going to be partners and all.”

Brian’s eyes lit up. “So then, you’ll do it? You’re meeting went well?”

Deanna laughed but nodded her head. “My lawyers looked over everything and so did my insurance carrier. They were impressed with your business proposal and when I told them about you they actually said to send them your resume if you change your mind.”

“Really? Wow!” Brian said completely flattered.

“Hey now!” Nick said seeing how excited Brian got at the idea of some big shots being impressed with his work. “No straying from the plan! This isn’t just your business you’re starting up here.” he teased.

Brian laughed again, “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He teased. “But don’t just think you’re gonna be able to coast on through this whole thing. Eventually there will be some work involved.”

Brian, Nick and Deanna all had a good laugh and then spontaneously decided to go out to lunch in order to celebrate.


**********

The sun was shining beautifully as a bell rang out sending students fleeing in every direction. Lance slumped down into the passenger seat of Sarah’s mustang on the verge of tears. “How could he do it on the day of the prom? My life is officially over.” He stated dramatically.

“Your life is not over.” Sarah reassured him with a sympathetic smile and a soft pat. “You said it yourself last week that you didn’t think things were going to work out between the two of you.”

“But I was going to wait until after the prom. How could he do that? I already bought the tickets. I put a deposit down on my tux… My beautiful white tux.”

Sarah tried to keep a somber face while Lance sighed, “It was the only one in all of San Francisco with a fuchsia tie and cummerbund combo.”

“Fuchsia?” Sarah asked stifling a laugh.

“Not that anyone will ever see it now.” Lance spat bitterly.

Sarah sighed. She felt bad for her best friend, but she still didn’t see what the big deal was. “I believe your exact words were, ‘JC is as exciting as church.’ If that’s the case the dance wouldn’t have been much fun anyway. At least this way you won’t have a bad memory to haunt you forever.”

“But now I’ll never know.”

“It’s just a silly dance.”

Lance’s pout turned serious. “It’s not just a dance.” He said trying not to become angry. “It’s senior prom. It’s one of life’s defining moments. They make entire movies about it. It’s like a right of passage into adulthood.”

Sarah giggled. “You afraid you’ll have to join Peter Pan in Neverland if you don’t go to your prom?”

Lance’s smile returned for a brief moment. “Although I wouldn’t mind spending a night with the lost boys,” he said with a giggle, “I just don’t want to get old and have an empty photo album because I never took any pictures. Taking a bad picture is worth it if there’s a possibility that it could turn out to be your favorite one.”

Sarah was surprised at how profound her friend sounded. He was talking about prom and yet his words struck a chord in her heart. Sarah started her car and her mind drifted into thought.

As soon as she was home she wandered into Janet’s office where she found her aunt flipping through swatches comparing different shades of blue. Sarah came around behind her and then pointed to one of the fabrics. “I like this one.” She said, “Nice and light.”

Janet smiled. “That’s the one the bride picked. Unfortunately the groom likes this.”

Janet flipped to a blue camouflage and Sarah snickered. “Looks like you have your hands full with this one.” She laughed.

Sarah looked down on the desk and picked up a ring of fabrics that were all different shades of pink. She stared at the colors for a moment and then asked, “Which one of these is fuchsia?”

Janet stared curiously at the suspicious look in Sarah’s eyes and pointed to the right square. Sarah smiled. “I need your help with something."

A few short hours later Sarah stood on the front steps of Lance’s house. She was a vision in fuchsia. She pulled a pink rose from a plastic case, trying her best not to mess up her fresh manicure. She tugged at her dress and brushed a curly ringlet from her eyes and then took a deep breath as she rang the bell. Lance opened the door wearing nothing but pajama pants and a fuchsia bow tie. He stood in stunned silence at the beauty standing on his porch. Sarah blushed, took a slow spin and then held out the boutonniere. “I decided I didn’t want an empty picture book either.” She confessed.

Lance took the flower and Sarah wiped a single tear from his cheek. Without warning Lance leapt into Sarah’s arms practically knocking her off her feet. Sarah laughed and said, “Don’t take too long getting ready. There’s a difference between fashionably late and over.” Lance was overcome with excitement and dashed off so fast he left Sarah standing on the porch.

Chapter 6

Lance and Sarah slowly pushed their way through a crowded airport as they tried their best to delay the inevitable. Sarah was a ball of mixed emotions. In the year she’d spent there, San Francisco had become as much of a home as Whitmore Lake. There were several things that she was going to miss terribly, her aunt, the big city life, good clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, and the ocean, oh how she was going to miss the ocean, but most of all Sarah was going to miss Lance. She and Lance had become as close as two people could. She smiled nervously at him as they reached the security gate. Lance moped as if every step brought him a few inches closer to his ultimate doom.

Sarah looked up at the ceiling as her flight was announced over the intercom. There was no more delaying it; it was time to go. She took a deep breath and set her keys in Lance’s hand. “That’s me.” She sighed, “Now remember, no wandering eyes while driving past the beach! I don’t want to see a scratch on her when I come back this fall.”

Lance gripped the keys to the mustang as if he intended to guard the car with his life. He slipped them into his pocket and then pulled an expertly wrapped gift from his bag. “What’s this?” Sarah asked as he handed the box to her.

Lance held back a few tears and said, “Something to remember me by.”

Sarah tore off the paper and smiled at their prom photo in a fuchsia picture frame. A few tears fell from Sarah’s eyes and she kissed Lance on the cheek. “Don’t have too much fun without me.” She said and then stepped through the metal detector.

**********

The sun beat down relentlessly on the Whitmore Lake High School class of 2006. A clear blue sky hung above their heads undisturbed until hundreds of hats were whisked into the air with a roar of cheers. Nick slowly made his way through the crowd finding his girlfriend among the sea of matching gowns. The two then made their way to Nick’s parents. After surviving his mother’s hugs and kisses he was greeted by Brian. Brian hugged his little brother and the two posed for a few pictures to appease their mother. As soon as he could Brian headed for the parking lot but Nick quickly caught up. “Yo Bri! You headin’ out?”

“Yeah man. I got some stuff to take care of.”

“Do you have time to give me a ride to the shop? My baby’s finished!” He said excitedly.

Brian laughed. “Do you ever think of anything but that car?”

“Sometimes I think about my girlfriend.” Nick teased back.

Brian looked around suddenly surprised to see Nick solo. “Speaking of, where is your better half?”

“I dunno. She said she had some crap to take care of. She’s pretty preoccupied right now. She leaves for New York in the morning.”

“Oh that’s right.” Brian said, “How you gonna survive a whole week without her?”

“Well I’ll have my baby back so maybe I’ll take her for a nice long drive or something.”

“You know your obsession with that car is borderline sick.” Brian laughed but then agreed to take Nick to the shop.

As they reached main street Nick’s car came into view. It sat out front of the shop looking good as new. Nick’s eyes lit up but he frowned when Brian stopped a block shy of the shop. Brian looked in the window of the vacant building he was parked in front of. The for lease sign had been removed. Nick turned to his brother with a bit of a pout. “Why’d we stop? And why are we staring at an empty building?”

Brian grinned. “It’s not just an empty building, it’s our empty building.”

“What?” Nick asked not understanding what Brian was getting at.

“What do you think? I heard from the bank yesterday and our business loan was approved. If all goes according to plan we could open by the end of the summer.”

Nick looked at the building and then back to his brother realizing finally that Brian had pulled the crazy scheme off. “You didn’t!” he said impressed.

“I did.”

“Wow.” Nick said. Part of him never actually believed they would do it but here he was looking at what was going to become his future business. “That’s great Bri. You really did it. It’s really done?”

“Almost. We have to get Deanna to sign the final partnership agreement, but other than that you’re looking at the new home of Harper Priceless Rentals.”

“That sounds easy enough. Deanna will be back in time for the party tonight.”

“Perfect. She can sign it before she leaves for the wedding.”

Nick cringed at the mention of the word wedding. “I’m so sick of all the talk about weddings!” He began to grumble. “It’s turned Deanna into some kind of monster. You know she has ours planned down to the very last ice sculpture.”

“I can imagine.” Brian chuckled. “So has she talked you into getting her a ring yet?”

“Not for lack of trying.” Nick moaned. “I mean I know we’ve been together for a year and all but we’re only 18. If we’re still together in like 5 years then maybe, maybe we’ll talk about getting engaged.”

“What do you mean if? I thought you two were a done deal.”

Nick released a tiny sigh. “I know. I’m not planning on breaking up or anything, its just all the wedding talk lately, it’s creeping me out. And that damn dog! It’s like it’s our kid or something. The whole situation is just way too grown up for me.”

Brian burst into laughter but Nick didn’t appreciate it. “It’s not like you can talk!” He argued, “If you would take the time to go on a date once, let alone actually get into a relationship, you might understand how scary it can be.”

Brian shrugged and gave in. His brother did have a small point. Brian quickly changed the subject before Nick tried to set him up on another blind date. He glanced down at his watch. “The real estate guy should be here any minute to hand over the keys. You want to take a look inside?”

Nick looked up at the vacant building and then up the street but a big van was now blocking the view of his car. “I’ll see it later.” He said, “This has been the longest two weeks of my life and I want my baby back.”

Up the street the airport shuttle van drove away leaving Sarah standing on the curb in front of the shop. Everything about her had changed, her hair, her clothes, her confidence... All remnants of that shy confused girl were gone and in her place stood a beautiful young woman who was a perfect picture of style and sophistication. She set her bags down at the front door of the shop and was disappointed to see a sign in the window saying: back in ten minutes. Sarah glanced at the café across the street and smiled to herself.

Just when Nick reached his car he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sarah step to the curb. He’d never seen such a beautiful stranger in all his life, but to see one in his little town was even more thrilling. Sarah looked both ways as if she were going to cross the street when her eyes caught Nick’s and he flashed her his most charming smile.

Sarah could hardly believe that the first person she saw when she returned home was Nick Harper, the boy she’d spent her entire life fussing over. Surprisingly she’d hardly thought of him the past year but now that he was standing right there in front of her the butterflies in her stomach slowly began to flutter. She was happy to see him again and to see him smiling at her in such a way made all of those old, all but forgotten feelings rise to the surface again. “Hello.” She said with a smile every bit as charming as his.

The greeting surprised Nick. He knew she was talking to him but it was almost as if she knew him. The beautiful stranger intrigued him. “Hi there.” He answered walking up to her instead of the car.

“I should have guessed you’d be around here somewhere.”

Sarah laughed when she saw Nick’s look of confusion. She pointed to the corvette in the driveway. “Where there’s one, there’s always the other.” She teased.

Sarah was amused by the way Nick seemed to be fumbling over himself at the moment. It wasn’t that long ago that Sarah couldn’t string together a single thought when Nick was around but it seemed now that the tables had turned. It was obvious that he hadn’t recognized her and Sarah wondered how he would react when he found out. “You don’t know who I am do you?” she said with a giggle.

“Should I? It appears you know who I am, but I’m sure we’ve never met. I would remember someone as pretty as you.”

“Same old Nick. Always such a charmer.”

“So we have met.”

“Many times.” Sarah laughed.

Nick was dying now. This girl was casting a spell on him with her playful nature. It was driving him crazy that he didn’t know who she was. “Well we obviously never got that well aquatinted all those other times so what do you say we head across the street and get to know each other better over lunch?”

Sarah couldn’t believe that Nick was asking her out. Seeing his face again was like stepping through a time capsule except now he was paying attention to her, flirting even. It was like a dream. She wanted desperately to say yes but she had not yet seen her father and as much as her heart went thump, thump over Nick, she loved her daddy more. “Oh God Nick, you know I’d love to catch up, but I just got here and I’ve got a ton of things to do right now.”

Completely enthralled by the girl Nick couldn’t take no for an answer. He tried desperately to think of something else that might entice her to stay. His face lit up when he remembered his plans for that evening. “My mother is throwing a graduation party for my brother and I tonight. Why don’t you come?”

Sarah was a little surprised by the invitation but it made her heart flutter. She tried her best to keep cool and hide her excitement by simply smiling. The smile faded though when she realized exactly what he’d said. “A party for both of you? You mean Brian graduated?”

Sarah was surprised to hear that Brian was graduating but her reaction was a nervous one as she remembered her final night in Michigan over a year ago. Nick looked curiously at Sarah noticing the tension. He was now truly baffled because Brian had hardly even spoken of girls. The thought popped into Nick’s brain that maybe Brian had taken this girl out once or something but within seconds Nick laughed the idea out of his head. Even if his brother had gone on a date without him knowing there was no way he would have gone out with a girl like this. “Yeah,” he finally said answering Sarah’s question, “He finished a year early. So, just how well do you know Brian?”

“About as well as I know you.” Sarah replied honestly. In actuality Sarah had been around the Harpers her whole life and yet she’d never really spent much time with any of them.

Nick laughed at the way she seemed to be dodging all of his questions. “You have to come tonight.” He said, “Eight o’clock. Promise me you’ll come.”

Sarah smiled but never got the chance to answer because Brian had finished with the real estate agent and caught up to his brother. Once he was close enough he took one look at Sarah and his eyes grew wide. “Sarah!” he nearly gasped in shock.

Sarah forced a smile. “Hello again Brian.” She said politely.

Nick looked at his brother and then to Sarah. “Sarah.” He repeated glad to finally have a name. It sounded familiar and yet he still couldn’t place her.

“Wasn’t sure we were ever going to see you again. How was California?”

“It was nice.”

Nick watched them curiously. Everyone there seemed to be very well acquainted, except he had no idea who this girl was. “Sarah?” he said again trying desperately to figure it out.

Sarah shot a smile Nick’s direction trying not to laugh at the poor guy and at the same time she was so nervous being face to face with Brian. Brian however didn’t seem uneasy at all to her so she thought maybe he didn’t remember their goodbye. “Your dad must be thrilled to have you back.” Brian said again trying to make conversation, “I know he missed having you in the shop.”

“He actually doesn’t know I’m here yet. I took an early flight.”

Nick’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he finally made the connection. “Sarah Thompson?”

Sarah finally broke out into laughter and nodded confirmation. Brian gave his brother a strange look. “Oh my god!” Nick said, “I wondered what ever happened to you. Now I see.”

Sarah blushed briefly as Nick looked her over until she heard the bell attached to the café door. She looked up and saw her father coming out of the café. “I’ve gotta go. It was good seeing you again.” She said to Brian and Nick both and then dashed across the street and into her father’s arms. Nick continued to watch her shaking his head in disbelief until he felt his brother’s gaze. “What?” he shrugged as innocently as he could but still sounded guilty.

“What was all that?”

“We were just catching up.” Nick said as a suspicious grin spread across his face.”

Brian put a firm arm around his brother’s shoulder. Nicholas Gene Harper, don’t you dare.” He said playfully.

“What?” Nick replied innocently.

Brian looked at Sarah who was now headed back toward the shop with her dad and became serious. “Don’t even think about it.”

“But I was just-“

“No.”

Brian waited around with his brother while he picked up his car. He couldn’t believe the difference in Sarah, the change was impressive to say the least but she was still the same old Sarah in the fact that she was obviously smitten with Nick, and Nick wasn’t helping the situation any flirting very subtly and insisting that she come to the party that night. Brian couldn’t help but feel like he wanted to knock some sense into both of them. But he wasn’t too worried about it because if she did come to the party, she would meet Deanna and the problem would be solved. Sarah was bound to give up when she learned that Nick had a girlfriend for over a year now and Nick was bound to remember that he loved his girlfriend of over a year. Brian would make sure of it.

Once the boys were gone Mr. Thompson took Sarah home and helped her get her luggage up the stairs. As he entered her bedroom carrying two extremely large and heavy suitcases he had to step over a back and a purse just to get to the bed, which he had to clear in order to make room for the bags. He looked down at all the luggage and stared with a smirk at the pile. “I didn’t realize suitcases could breed.” He laughed.

“Not a whole lot different from rabbits actually.” Sarah joked.

The two laughed together and Sarah picked up the back pack removing the picture of her and Lance. She smiled to herself as she placed it on the stand next to her bed. “I’m glad to see you’ve made so much progress.” Mr. Thompson said pointing at the picture.

“Progress?” Sarah repeated somewhat confused.

“I guess it’s safe to say you’re not still pining over Nick Harper. You finally found yourself a real boyfriend.

“Lance?” Sarah screamed bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

“He’s handsome.” Mr. Harper said unsure of what was so funny.

“He’s gay.” Sarah said trying to control her laughter.

“He’s what?” Mr. Thompson gasped blushing. He was stunned speechless and his jaw dropped to the floor.

“It’s quite common in San Francisco.” Sarah replied as if it were second nature to her now.

“I see.” Mr. Thompson said still feeling a little foolish. “So, no boyfriend?”

“I dated a couple of people but no real boyfriends, no.”

“And Nick?”

Sarah sighed. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll see. He invited me to a party tonight. I thought I was over it I hardly thought of him the whole time I was in California but when I saw him today…”

Sarah’s voice trailed off as her mind began to wander and Mr. Thompson frowned. “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.” He sighed, “I guess some things never change.”

“But it has changed.” Sarah said in all seriousness, “I’ve changed.” Mr. Thompson gave his daughter a challenging look but she didn’t budge. “I’m not afraid anymore.” She said.

Mr. Thompson stood there a minute wondering how on earth his precious little baby grew up so fast. He stared admiringly at the young woman in her place. “I’m glad you’re back.” He finally said fighting back his emotions.

Sarah smiled and then jumped into his arms. “It’s good to be home.”

Chapter 7

After a hearty pep talk over the phone from her best friend who was an expert in both boys and wardrobes, Sarah found herself standing in front of the Harper House with high hopes. Her heart fluttered with excitement and anticipation. She looked down at the brightly colored floral print on the sundress dress she was wearing. It rested at her knee and accentuated the figure she always thought was nonexistent until Lance told her otherwise. As it turns out she’d always had it, she just hid it under t-shirts and baggy overalls. She wasn’t as big up top as she would have liked but Lance said that was an easy thing to fix. He said the best thing to do was to give the guys something else to think about.

“Nothing drives a guy crazy like bare skin.” He said when he’d pulled the very dress Sarah was now wearing off the store rack. Sarah’d never worn anything like it but after she tried it on Lance just wouldn’t rest until it was hers. The spaghetti straps were there purely as decoration and the only back the dress had was a crisscrossing set of ribbons that tied into a bow. Sarah could feel the moist summer breeze tickling her skin and she was suddenly grateful for the hot Michigan weather. The sun had finally set but it was still warm and the air was a little thick, a typical summer night. It was the perfect setting for what Sarah was sure would be a night she was going to remember for the rest of her life. How many years had she spent wishing Nick would want her to be a part of his life? It was finally happening and Sarah was not about to let this moment pass her by.

The front of the house was deserted but the doors were open and the faint sound of voices chattering and music could be heard coming from out back. It was well past eight but Sarah had learned the importance of being fashionably late. How is a girl to make an entrance if there’s nobody there to see it? Normally Sarah wasn’t the type to make grand entrances but this was her one shot to impress the boy of her dreams and no doubt there would be plenty of beautiful girls at this party all hoping to win the same thing she longed for, to be the girl Nick offered to take home at the end of the evening.

She sighed dreamily at the thought and then shook off the tiny hint of nerves that had settled in her stomach. “Here goes nothing.” She whispered to herself as she stepped through the house onto the back patio.

She stood for a moment appreciating the beauty of the scene. The pool was illuminated and sparkling lights twinkled in the large oak trees. There was a grand buffet table and an elegant dance floor in the middle of the yard. The party was as extravagant as some of the weddings she’d helped her aunt plan but the Harper’s never were a family to keep things low key.

During the few moments Sarah stood there enjoying the scenery she managed to capture the attention of more than a few pairs of prowling eyes. She could feel the gazes and knew the group of young men was staring, probably wondering who she was but she wasn’t worried about them. Her thoughts were fixed on one person and him alone. Nick’s eyes found her before she saw him and a smile creped across his face. Never taking his eyes off her, Nick excused himself and pushed his way through the cluster of envious friends. “Sarah!” He greeted with excitement.

He grabbed her hands to pull her close and brushed his lips against her cheek. Sarah was determined to stay absolutely calm and confidant even though her heart was forgetting to beat every so often. “I see your memory is working properly now.” She teased.

“I’m glad you made it.” Nick answered.

“It’s a lovely party.”

“It is now.” Nick said gazing into her eyes as if he were love struck.

Sarah’s stomach lurched up into her throat but she managed to swallow it back to its proper place leaving only a hint of redness in her cheeks. Nick smiled confidently when she glanced nervously at her feet. “How about a drink?” he asked and held out his hand out to escort Sarah to a table piled with refreshments.

He poured her a glass of punch and then one for himself. Sarah was glad to have something in her hands that would keep her from fidgeting. “Thank you.” She said and then took a sip. “So, blue and gold?”

Nick looked around at the Michigan color scheme and shrugged. “My father’s idea. Wolverine pride.”

“You’ll be carrying on the grand tradition then?”

Nick nodded. “Can I look forward to seeing you around campus?

“Headed back to California actually, end of the summer.”

Nick smile dropped from his face into a pout that made Sarah laugh. “But you just got back.” He whined, “Why would want to leave again?”

Sarah giggled and Nick’s playful pout turned serious. “Why did you leave in the first place?” he asked.

Sarah’s heart sank She couldn’t help but think about the fact that if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t be having this conversation with him. She wouldn’t be at this party tonight. “I didn’t have a reason to stay.” She finally answered with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Nick looked at her curiously as if he wanted to say something but chose not to. Instead he held out his hand to her. “Dance with me.” He demanded.

Sarah slowly took his arm and followed him onto the dance floor. Across the yard Deanna stood by the pool showing off her dress to Mr. and Mrs. Harper. Mrs. Harper fawned over the elegant gown while Mr. Harper seemed more interested in the cigar in his pocket. “What do you think?” Deanna giggled pulling at the silky material. “It’s the dress I’m wearing in the wedding. I thought I would wear it tonight since Nick won’t be there to see me walk down the aisle in it.”

“It’s absolutely stunning.” Mrs. Harper gushed, “You’ll nearly upstage the bride.” She turned to her husband who had yet acknowledge the girl’s attire and nudged him in the side. “Isn’t it lovely dear?”

“What ever you say honey.” He answered with the cigar now resting between his lips.

Mrs. Harper waved off the smoke annoyed by her husband’s disinterest in the matter. “Don’t mind him.” She said, “You look gorgeous. I’m sure Nicholas will be sad to see you go.”

Mrs. Harper frowned and began scanning the backyard. “Where is that boy anyway?”

“No doubt playing the role of the dutiful host. You know how he loves to charm an audience.” Deanna said.

Brian interrupted the women’s laughter. He kissed his mother hello and then smiled at Deanna. “Just the girl I was looking for.” He said holding up a briefcase. “I have the partnership agreement all ready. If you want, I can go over everything with you before you sign it.”

Deanna laughed. “I’ll sign your contract later.” She said pulling the briefcase from his hand s and setting it at his feet. “You’re at a party Brian. A little less business, a little more social.”

Brian frowned but then forced a smile. “You’re right.” He said searching for some sort of compliment. “Nice dress.”

Deanna’s face lit up with approval. “That’s better.” She said lightly patting his cheek.

Brian rolled his eyes but laughed as he shrugged her off and repeated the compliment a little more sincerely. “No really,” he said, “You look nice.”

Deanna’s face beamed and she took a slow spin to show off all sides of the new dress but she stopped mid turn at the sight of Nick and Sarah on the dance floor. Brian followed her distressed gaze and was also shocked to see his brother dancing with another girl. But the moment Nick turned and Sarah came into view, Brian’s mind drew a blank. He stared reverently having lost his breath. The smile entered his eyes first and then spread to his lips as he watched her. It wasn’t until he heard the sharp tone of Deanna’s voice that he was stirred from his daydream. “Who? Is that?” Deanna said trying hard not to shriek as she was instantly overtaken with jealousy.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Harper stared at the dancers with puzzled looks. “Well I’m not quite sure.” Mrs. Harper said.

Brian looked down at the briefcase holding an unsigned contract and then back into the angered eyes of Deanna and quickly felt the pressure of the problem at hand. “Oh that’s nobody.” He said trying to brush her off, “Just an old friend of the family.”

“I’ve never seen her before.” Mrs. Harper said.

“Sure you have.” Brian said starting to sound nervous. “That’s Sarah Thompson.”

Mrs. Harper couldn’t believe her eyes and Mr. Harper choked on the smoke in his lungs. “Dave’s little girl?” he asked suddenly interested in the conversation. He gave a hearty laugh and added, “Boy did she ever grow up.”

“Didn’t she move away?” Mrs. Harper said still somewhat oblivious to Deanna’s mood. Deanna’s eyes narrowed. “Apparently not.” She scowled.

Brian laughed nervously. “She’s like a sister to him.” He said.

Out on the dance floor Nick spun Sarah and then pulled her close… A little too close. “Or a cousin.” Brian choked unable to take his eyes off the seemingly happy couple.

Deanna’s hands clenched into fists and she took a step in her boyfriend’s direction but didn’t get very far. Brian held her hand tightly forcing her to stay put. “You know he loves you.” He assured her. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“I certainly hope so.” Deanna snapped with a piercing glare, “I would hate to think I am about to enter something as serious as a business partnership when my partner is so easily distracted by every pretty face that looks his way.”

Brian started to sweat. He put his arm securely around Deanna doing everything he could to keep her from causing a scene. “Deanna, sweet heart, calm down. You guys have been together for over a year. Has he ever once run off with someone else?”

Deanna pouted and Brian was relieved to see her begin to calm down. He also couldn’t believe that the answer to that question was honestly a “no” as many times in his life as he’s done that. It took Brian months to believe that Nick was serious about his relationship with Deanna and now it had been so long that he was actually surprised to see his brother falling into old habits. “When the song is over I’ll introduce you and you’ll see that it’s not what it looks like. Trust me. You don’t want to come across as the jealous girlfriend, do you?”

Deanna thought about it for a moment and decided that Brian had a point. She didn’t have a reason not to trust Nick and she didn’t want to leave town in a fight. Brian smiled. “Come on.” He said, “I’ll get you a soda or something.”

While Brian led Deanna to the buffet table Nick stared into Sarah’s eyes as he held her close. Neither of them was aware of anything or anyone around them. To Sarah, time seemed to be standing still. The entire moment was something out of a dream. Nick slid his arm further around her back in order to pull her even closer to him. Sarah shuddered at the feel of his fingers dancing over the strings on the back of her dress. Her skin melted at his touch and the heat was having just as much of an affect on Nick. He found himself unable to let her go. He smiled and then looked at her mouth thinking of what her lips would feel like pressed against his.

Sarah knew the look and averted her eyes when the redness entered her cheeks. She lowered her head and strand of hair fell into her face. Nick gently tucked it behind her ear causing her to look into his eyes once more. “I can’t believe the transformation.” Nick whispered in awe. “It’s like you’re a whole new person.”

“It’s still me, I just know who that is now.” Sarah said as she fought the urge to tremble. “Well, that and a little make-up.”

“Whatever it is, it’s incredible.” Nick said and then paused a moment to take in the sight of her once more. “You’re incredible.”

Their eyes locked for a moment and Sarah nervously stepped on Nick’s foot. “Sorry.” She said forcing a laugh, “I guess I’m a little more nervous than I thought.”

“Nervous? Of me?” Nick chuckled.

“Of coarse.” Sarah giggled with the blood rushing back to her face. She took a deep breath and decided to divulge all of the sentiments that were in the letter she never got the chance to give him. “I used to dream of a moment like this. The party… the dancing… you…”

The confession surprised Nick and he stared at Sarah curiously as she continued to spill her true feelings. “I used to watch you drive past my dad’s shop with the top down and a beautiful girl in the front seat. I always wanted that girl to be me.”

Nick was flattered. “You never said anything.” He said with a smile that told her not to feel embarrassed.

“I tried once.” Sarah replied.

“I don’t remember that.”

Sarah drifted off into a memory. “The night before I left.” She explained. “You were in a hurry. You were late for a date. A date I wanted so badly to go on.” Sarah laughed replaying the night in her mind. “I still remember her name,” she confessed.

Nick smirked but Sarah sighed. “Deanna.” She whispered.

Nick nearly gagged from the reflex in his stomach at the mention of Deanna’s name. He remembered for the first time since Sarah arrived that he had a girlfriend. Sarah didn’t notice the reaction because she was still lost in a daydream. Nick felt conflicted as his thoughts turned to his girlfriend. He knew he shouldn’t do what he was about to do but there were so many butterflies in his stomach that he simply couldn’t ignore them. He had to find out what they were all about. What if Deanna wasn’t really the one for him? Nick glanced nervously about the yard and when the coast seemed clear, he stopped dancing. “What do you say we get out of here?” he asked shocking poor Sarah nearly to death by the offer. “I’ll take you for that drive you wanted.”

Sarah blinked a couple times as she tried her hardest to contain her excitement. “I’d love to.” She finally managed to breathe.

Nick smiled and walked her toward the house. “Good.” He said. “Meet me out front. I’ll just go get my keys.”

Back by the pool Deana sat on a patio chair slowly sipping her drink. Brian had managed to temporarily distract her from the dance floor. However, he was unable to hide the look on his face when he saw Nick and Sarah walk off the dance floor arm in arm. Deanna looked over just in time to see the two enter the house together. Her face turned bright red with anger. “She’s probably leaving.” Brian gasped desperately. “I bet he’s just walking her to her car.”

Deanna couldn’t take it any longer and she stood up. Brian had to think fast. In a desperate attempt to keep her from seeing what he was now worried might be going on inside the house, he slid the briefcase at his feet in front of her. When Deanna stood up she tripped over the case and lost her balance. With a scream and a splash she plummeted backward foot over head into the pool. Mrs. Harper rushed to her aid and in the commotion Brian quickly slipped into the house unnoticed.

Chapter 8


Nick scampered about his bedroom somewhat giddy, as he got ready. A squirt of his favorite cologne, a quick check in the mirror and a splash of breath spray before grabbing his keys off his dresser. He hurried down the stairs where he found Brian leaning calmly against the front door with his arms folded tightly across his chest. “You wouldn’t dream of skipping out on your own party.” He said coolly.

“I was just-“

“I know what you were doing.” Brian said cutting him off. “Sure is a nice night for a drive isn’t it?”

Brian took the keys from Nick’s hands. Nick gave his brother a guilty expression. He knew he was busted. He figured there was no sense trying to deny it so he immediately began defending himself instead. “Brian, she’s amazing!”

Brian smirked at the stupidity of his little brother. He agreed that Sarah was amazing, but he knew Nick had no idea why. “I think I’m in love.” Nick said with a sigh.

For the first time in almost a year Brian was truly disappointed in Nick. It was like all the progress of the last year had been erased and he was staring at that same irresponsible, fickle, ladies man that he used to resent.

Brian was angry with his brother for so many reasons. Nick was being so selfish at the moment. He was about to betray Deanna and destroy everything that he’d spent the last year building with her as if her feelings didn’t matter at all. He also hadn’t stopped to think that if he broke her heart right now their little business venture would most likely fall apart. Deanna had not signed the contract yet and wasn’t likely to if Nick dumped her. The blatant threat she made to Brian by the pool was proof of that. Brian had worked so hard for this. It had consumed his life for months and he was not about to see it all flushed down the toilet because Nick decided to get a new crush.

“Love?” Brian repeated with disdain. He felt it obvious Nick didn’t know what that word meant and to hear him say it so cavalierly about a girl Brian held so dear to his heart was enough to make him feel sick. “That’s funny. You said the same thing about Deanna.”

Nick shrugged as if to say what can I do about it? “This morning!” Brian added making Nick’s face drop.

“I thought you liked being in a serious relationship.” Brian questioned in a very harsh tone.

“I did at first.” Nick insisted, “But lately I don’t know. She’s been driving me crazy with this wedding and talk about the future… and… and that damn dog!”

“You gave her that dog!”

Nick sighed as he struggled with the mixed emotions that were clouding his heart and his better judgment. “How can I stay in a relationship with Deanna when I feel this way about Sarah? I’m crazy about her. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her all day!”

“And what about Deanna? Are you just going to hurt her without even thinking it over first?”

“Better now than later don’t you think? I mean what if we’d spent three years together before I realized it wasn’t meant to be? What if we were engaged?”

Brian’s blood began to boil. “Listen to yourself!” he yelled, “Better now than later? God Nick! How big of a jerk can you be?”

Nick was surprised to see his brother so upset and it stung to hear him say he was a jerk. Brian regained control of his temper and placed his hands firmly on Nick’s shoulders. “I know you think you like Sarah.” He said quietly, “She’s beautiful and new and it’s exciting, but trust me, you’ll regret it tomorrow.”

Nick stared into his brother’s eyes feeling distressed and desperately searching for an answer. “Think about it.” Brian said, “You don’t want to break Deanna’s heart the day before her best friends’ wedding.”

Nick shook his head slowly as he started to realize what his brother was talking about. He was confused but he really didn’t want to hurt Deanna like that. There had to be a better way. “Then what do I do Bri?” he asked.

“Look, Deanna leaves in the morning. Use this time apart to really think it over. If, by the time she comes back you still feel the same way, then break it off. Just don’t do anything impulsive that’s going to hurt people.”

Nick stood there thinking about his brother’s words when Deanna walked in the house, dripping wet with make-up running down her face. A look of concern swept over Nick and Brian nudged him. “Go be a good boyfriend.”

Nick began to walk off but suddenly turned to Brian with a worried look. “What about Sarah? She’s waiting outside.” He whispered.

Brian smiled. “Don’t worry about Sarah. I’ll talk to her.”

“Thanks Bri.” Nick said sheepishly and then quickly went to the aid of his very upset girlfriend.

Brian leaned against the door with a heavy sigh as he watched Nick help Deanna up the stairs. The crisis had been averted for the moment. Brian’s thoughts then turned to Sarah. He stepped outside to see her dreamily staring up at the stars as she leaned against the corvette. Brian smirked. There was something eerily familiar about all this. She may be wearing a dress but she was still the same old Sarah.

Brian quietly closed the door behind him and watched her for a moment. Brian had always watched her from a distance from the time he was old enough to take any notice but he wasn’t like his brother. The opposite sex made him nervous. He never knew what to say and always felt out of his element. Having Nick as a younger brother didn’t exactly make it easier either.

Brian desperately wanted the chance to talk to Sarah, he’d been dying for it ever since their bitter goodbye. She didn’t know it, but they were having the exact same problem that night. They were both in love with someone who wasn’t in love with them back. Brian wanted to simply whisk Sarah into his arms and run away to a place where no one would ever find them so they could live out the rest of their happy lives far away from Whitmore Lake. But Brian knew that would not be happening tonight because as long as he’d watched Sarah she’d watched Nick with the same look in her eyes. If only she knew. If only she could see past the charm. If only she could see what was in Brian’s heart then maybe she could look at him the way she looked at Nick. Brian took a deep breath, mustered all of his courage and then picked a flower from the landscaping as he slowly made his way to where Sarah was waiting for Nick. “Nice night for a drive.” He said as he walked up beside her looking at the clear night sky.

At the sight of Brian, Sarah’s beautiful genuine smile became forced. Brian gulped and then held out the flower with a shaking hand. “Nick wanted me to tell you that he is very sorry, but he won’t be able to make it tonight.”

Sarah didn’t try to hide her disappointment. She stared at Brian in confusion and then accepted the flower cautiously. Brian felt bad knowing that he was not the brother she wanted to see. He didn’t have the heart to tell her about Nick’s girlfriend but he still wanted to give her an explanation. “Something came up.” He said when he was unable to come up with an actual excuse for the lack of his brother.

“Is everything all right?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” Brian stammered, “Yeah he’s fine.”

Sarah waited for some sort of reason but Brian still couldn’t think of one that wasn’t going to hurt her and that was something he never wanted to do. Instead he held up the keys to the corvette and gave them a shake. “I’ve come to take you for a drive.”

The subject change was successful for the moment. Sarah was not only surprised by the gesture but also confused. “That is what you wanted, isn’t it?” Brian asked.

Sarah opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself and managed a polite smile. From what she could tell Brian was just trying to be nice. Brian nodded slowly. “I understand.” He said.

He turned around to lean against the side of the car. “Some things never change.” He sighed.

Brian looked up at his house resentfully. There was no use in trying. Sarah would never love him. Brian couldn’t help by feel angry and jealous. He didn’t understand why everyone liked his brother so much more. Sarah was a smart girl. How come she couldn’t see through his brother’s façade? What did Nick have that he didn’t? Brian’s mood turned in the blink of an eye. “Well there’s no use in waiting out here all night for someone who isn’t coming.” He spat bitterly, “So let me at least take you home.”

Sarah looked at Brian curiously and was insulted by the tone in his voice. He sounded so condescending and she’d never heard him like that before. “Did Nick send you to blow me off?” she asked becoming defensive, “Cause if that’s the case, you could have just said so.”

“Not that it would be the first time he’s asked me to do that,” Brian grumbled, “But no. Unfortunately, he really did want to come, he just couldn’t.”

Brian was venting his frustrations and didn’t hear how that sounded and was too busy sulking to realize how much he’d just offended Sarah. “Then why didn’t he come?” she asked.

Brian frowned and to himself mumbled, “Hopefully because he came to his senses.”

He didn’t manage to say that quiet enough and unfortunately for the both of them, Sarah understood every word he said. “Excuse me?” she gasped.

Brian was pulled from his inward tantrum by the sheer shock in Sarah’s voice. His face paled as he realized his mistake. “No! Wait! That’s not what I meant!” he said trying to backtrack but it was too late.

“And just what exactly did you mean? I mean I know I’m not exactly sorority material and all.”

Sarah’s sarcasm cut right through Brian’s heart. He came out here hoping to make the situation better, not worse. He began to panic. “Look, you don’t understand ok?” he pleaded.

Sarah folded her arms tightly across her chest and gave him an expectant stare. “Then help me understand because honestly I don’t see what’s so horribly wrong with me that you should be so against your brother and I going out.”

The more Sarah yelled at him, the more flustered Brian became. He was not the confrontational type. Especially not when it involved girls. He stared at her at a total loss for words. There were so many thoughts in his head he just wanted to scream out what he was feeling. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing wrong with her, that she was perfect. He wanted to tell her that Nick didn’t deserve her but the words just couldn’t escape the tip of his tongue. “There’s nothing wrong with you.” He finally managed, “It’s just that one dance with you and my brother’s ready to jump ship.”

“So you’re here to see that he doesn’t? Who made you damage control?”

Brian sighed again out of pure frustration. “I just want what’s best for my brother.”

“And that couldn’t possibly be me. What the hell do you know anyway? You don’t know me.”

Sarah was no longer just angry; she was quickly becoming upset. “I know you better than you think.” Brian said. “Nick is fine dining and expensive suits. You’re more K-mart and a carburetor.”

Sarah froze. She didn’t know how to react to such a comment. All the sudden the warm summer breeze felt icy against her bare skin and her eyes stung as she fought back the pool of tears behind them. Finally when she was sure she could speak without breaking down she looked at her feet and whispered, “Nick doesn’t seem to mind.”

“No?” Brian asked softly, “How many times did he ask you out before you got your hair cut and a fancy little dress?”

Sarah was crushed. The answer to his question hurt far worse than anything he’d said in the last five minutes. The tears she’d been holding back began seeping to the surface and the flower she held in her hand fell to the ground. The moment was pure torture for Brian. He knew he’d upset her but he also knew he was right about his brother and he wanted so badly for her to see that. Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes and gave Brian a piercing stare. In a calm cold voice she said, “I’m a big girl Brian. I’m capable of making my own decisions… and so can Nick. If I want to go out with Nick, that’s my life, not yours. If you want to live someone’s life, try living your own.”

As Sarah walked away from him, Brian realized she had a point. He needed to live his life. He was tired of making all his decisions for other people. He was tired of being a slave to it and he was tired of not having what he wanted. Before Sarah had time to get in her car Brian caught up to her and grabbed her hand. He gave it a gentle tug whirling her around to face him. “You’re right.” He said, “And I’m sorry.”

Brian’s heart began to race. His head and his heart were telling him two different things but this time his heart drowned out everything else. He’d wanted to tell Sarah how he felt for so many years but he never knew how. If he couldn’t tell her, then he would show her. Before he had time to think about it he pulled Sarah in for a kiss. Sarah was stunned. When Brian let her go he took a shy step back. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw how pale she looked. She was so confused that she couldn’t move. She didn’t know what to make of the kiss. How could someone be so angry at her and so insulting one minute and then kiss her the next? Sarah could hardly breathe and the tears returned to her eyes.

Brian immediately regret his action and felt like an idiot. All he’d done is frighten her. Even after kissing her Sarah just didn’t get it. She couldn’t see his feelings for her. Maybe she didn’t want to see. Sarah stared wide-eyed at him waiting for him to say something. Brian knew that if he were Nick right now he could say the perfect thing and she would leap into his arms, but he was just Brian and he had no idea what to say. He decided it was just best to call it quits and cut his losses. The best thing to do was say goodbye but he knew Sarah needed an explanation. All he could think of was, “Nick asked me to tell you goodnight. I just wanted to do it properly.”

Sarah thought he was mocking her and slapped him sharply across his face. She immediately drew back her hand showing some remorse for hitting him but said nothing. Her tears began streaming down her face and she was sobbing before she pulled out of the driveway. She was angry at herself for crying in front of him but not nearly as angry as Brian was with himself. He was so lost and overwhelmed by his emotions that he wasn’t really sure what just happened. He wasn’t sure why she hit him and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to make it right. He watched until her car turned the corner and was no longer visible, then slowly made his way back to the house. When he turned around he saw the flower he’d picked lying on the ground. He kicked the flower and then went inside to sulk in his new found depression.

Chapter 9

After his world-class blunder, Brian spent the night losing sleep and wondering how everything had gone so wrong. He couldn’t push Sarah from his thoughts no matter how hard he tried. He’d spent the last year doing everything he could not to think about her and had somehow dug himself into a vast lonely hole. He spent an entire year doing things that others wanted for him. Sure a part of him wanted to start this business but only because he knew it would create an escape rout for not only him but Nick as well. And sure he was happy to be done with his schooling a year early, but he’d missed out on so much in order to do so. Sarah’s unexpected arrival stirred feelings in his heart that he didn’t think he was capable of anymore. He suddenly had an overwhelming desire to actually live his life. What good was all the hard work if he wasn’t going to take the time to make himself happy?

As the hours grew later into the night Brian’s thoughts grew more extreme and his need became more urgent. He couldn’t help but think of Nick. Nick was always so quick to follow his heart. Until now Brian had always thought that a foolish quality but as he looked back on the last year he realized that Nick was happy. Nick would start college in the fall just like everyone else and he would then decide what he wanted to make of himself and he would eventually get there, but Nick was going to be able to look back on his college years with a smile. Brian couldn’t do that.

Brian finally decided that there was nothing wrong with stopping to smell the roses once in a while. It was high time he did something for himself, something that he could enjoy, and something that would make him happy. His thoughts automatically returned to the beautiful brunette he used to watch change the oil on his car. He smiled at the treasured memories. The smile faded though, the moment he thought of that evenings events. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for himself. He was sure that Sarah was one thing he would never get right. Even without competition he didn’t think he had a chance, but now with Nick paying her attention he knew it was a lost cause.

Brian found himself looking into the depths of despair again and was determined not to fall. If he couldn’t have Sarah then he just had to find another way to cheer himself up, but what? There were so few things in life that Brian really enjoyed. He figured in the morning he would take the day off and go for a nice long drive to clear his head and think. Being on the open road was something he’d always really enjoyed. He began to plan out his mini road trip and he thought of the Volvo sedan sitting in the garage downstairs, the one that replaced the sporty classic he used to drive. Couldn’t exactly pull the top down on that. For a brief second Brian thought of stealing Nick’s Corvette just for the fun of it and then it dawned on him. If he enjoyed the old classic cars so much, why not drive one? All thoughts of a road trip disappeared and Brian found himself excited at the prospect of buying a new car in the morning. Once he was able to put his mind at ease, he was finally able to get a little rest in the few hours that remained before the dawn would call him from his bed.

And arrive the day did, sooner than Brian would have liked, yet he still had no trouble pulling himself from the covers and into a nice hot shower. By 8:30 he found himself enjoying a hot cup of coffee at the kitchen table as he googled some of his favorite cars on his laptop. As he browsed the information of a promising choice, the ringing of his cell phone startled him. He cleared his throat in an effort to answer professionally when he recognized the phone number for the bank through which all of his business dealings went through.

Brian was in high spirits by the end of the conversation. His small business loan had gone through and he now had the money to convert his newly leased building into the perfect shop. He was officially self-employed. All of Brian’s hard work had finally paid off and he and his brother would be in business within the month. There was only one thing left to do. Brian needed Deanna’s signed partnership agreement.

Brian was soon joined by his very groggy little brother. Nick shuffled past him and headed straight for the coffee pot. Brian noticed the dark circles under his eyes and guessed he wasn’t the only one who had a long night. “Late night?” he asked with a bit of a chuckle.

Nick merely responded with a groan and poured some sugar into his otherwise black coffee. “Hey did Deanna sign the contract last night?”

“She was a little preoccupied.” Nick said still flustered but the previous nights events. “You know that dress she was wearing? It’s the dress she has to wear in the wedding. She was completely spazzed. I had to drive all the way to Detroit last night to find a 24 hour dry cleaners.”

Brian frowned. Not having Deanna’s signature made him nervous. Without her cars, there would be no business. “At least your good deed got you out of the dog house, right?” Brian asked hoping he would be able to get the signature today.

“Was I in the dog house?” Nick asked.

Brian smirked. His brother could really be clueless sometimes. “You’re kidding right?”

Nick shrugged. He honestly didn’t have the slightest clue what Brian was talking about. “When a girl wears a dress like that she doesn’t just fall into the pool.”

Nick gave Brian a curious look. “What do you mean?” he asked, “You telling me you pushed her or something? Cause that would put you in the dog house, not me.”

“Of coarse I didn’t push her.” Brian explained. “But she wasn’t exactly watching her step either. Her attention was focused elsewhere last night.”

Nick stared at his brother not picking up on what he was getting at. He looked at Brian as if her were crazy and Brian shook his head. If Nick didn’t realize how upset Deanna was by now, then there was no point in trying to spell it out for him. He went back to his internet search and casually said, “Sarah looked very pretty last night.”

Nick choked on his coffee nearly spilling it on his clothes at the mention of Sarah’s name. It was the first time he’d thought of her since Brian had intercepted him at the door. “Sarah!” he gasped, “I can’t believe I just left her waiting like that.”

“She didn’t wait long.”

“Did you see her? Was she upset?”

Brian frowned as a picture of Sarah’s shocked and tearstained face flashed in his mind. He didn’t think upset was the right word for it. “She’ll get over it.” He finally replied in a slightly bitter tone.

“I’d better call her.” Nick said reaching for his cell phone.

“It’s a little early.” Brian said furrowing his brow.

Nick glanced at his watch with a frown and then pulled a sticky note from the fridge containing a flight number and the time 10:AM. “You’re right.” He thought out loud. “I’d better wait. I’ll stop by after I take Deanna to the airport.”

Brian peered at his brother over the top of his computer screen and managed to turn his jealous glare into a curious look. “I know!” Nick exclaimed completely oblivious to Brian’s stare. “I’ll bring her flowers. Flowers always soften a girl up.”

Brian smirked haughtily. The flower he’d given Sarah last night didn’t seem to help him any. Secretly he hoped that Sarah was really angry with Nick for not showing up and would slam the door in his face, although deep down he knew that wouldn’t happen. Brian opened his mouth to protest but Nick skipped out the door too quickly.

Brian sat for a moment listening to the sound of Nick’s Corvette speeding from the driveway. He was beyond annoyed. Once Nick returned from the airport, girlfriend-free, he would most definitely show up on Sarah’s doorstep holding an elegant bouquet and Sarah would no doubt forgive him instantly. Then Nick would drive her out to Whitmore Lake where he would win her affection thus causing him to break Deanna’s heart and shatter any chance Brian had at happiness.

Brian pounded his fist angrily on the table out of pure frustration. He had to do something. He couldn’t let Nick get to Sarah but had no idea how he would stop him. Nick was by far his superior in the dating game, but there was more at stake here than just a relationship. Brian had spent so much time and effort on a business that hung in the balance of Nick’s actions this week. Not to mention he’d just taken on a substantial loan to cover the start up costs of the project. Brian had to push his personal feelings for Sarah aside and look at the situation from a business standpoint. From that perspective things were very clear to him. It all came down to Sarah. She was the distraction. Remove her from the equation and everything would fall into place. Brian looked at the pretty blue car on his computer screen and sighed, fun and games were just going to have to wait.

Or were they? Brian was about to close his laptop when he was suddenly struck with an ingenious plan. Instead of shutting down he dialed the phone number highlighted beneath the car on the screen in front of him.


****

A clock sitting on a night table next to a pretty pink prom picture read nine thirty. The sun was shining on the beautiful summer day although you’d never know it from the darkness that filled Sarah’s bedroom. The curtains were still drawn and a wastebasket sat beside the bed overflowing with crumpled tissues. Sarah lay hidden beneath the security of her covers talking to a cell phone as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. “Maybe I should just come back early. I’d probably have meor fun there anyway.” She sighed.

Across the country the sun had not quite risen yet but Lance sat in Sarah’s mustang creeping slowly through a beach parking lot. He clung to the steering wheel with one hand while sipping a latte with the other. He laughed into a mouthpiece that hung from his ear. “You know I would love for you to come back sooner, this boy sounds absolutely dreadful,” he spouted, “But are you really going to let him ruin your chance at true happiness? Honey you rattled my ear off about this Nick fellow for ages. You can’t give up on him just because he has Cruella Deville for a big brother.”

Lance parked the car and a seagull landed on the hood. Lance waved his hand at the bird. Sarah sat up in her bed letting the covers fall to her lap as she heard Lance shewing the gull through the phone. “Are you driving past the beach?” she accused, “In my car?”

It took a moment for Lance to answer because the bird had jumped off the hood and he was chasing it out of the way. He laughed nervously. “Honey I had too! There’s this armature surf competition going on today.”

“Don’t you dare wreck my baby because you’re too busy ogling surfers to look where you’re going!” Sarah warned.

“I wouldn’t…” Lance’s voice trailed off as his attention was sidetracked to two guys heading for the sand. One of them had a chiseled body and carried a surfboard and the other looked devastatingly familiar. Lance mads eye contact with the old acquaintance and gasped into the phone. “Guess who is here!” he said very disgustedly.

“I have no idea.” Sarah humored.

“JC!” Lance yelled in a whisper ducking deep in his seat.

“Who?” Sarah replied teasingly.

“He dumped me two days before the prom for that guy?!?!” Lance gasped ignoring Sarah altogether now.

Sarah couldn’t help but laugh. Part of her wanted to lie in bed depressed all day but part of her was glad that she’d called Lance. He had a magical way of cheering her up when she needed it and after last night, she needed it badly. She sat there for a moment listening to her best friend whine about the boring ex who’d landed himself a gorgeous surfer until her father knocked on the slightly open door to her room. Sarah waved her father in and he entered holding the telephone in his hand. Sarah interrupted Lance’s rant. “My dad’s here. I gotta go. Don’t crash my car!”

Sarah flipped her cell phone shut and clenched her eyes closed tightly when her father pulled open the curtains. She drew back from the sunlight as if it were painful. “Didn’t mean to break up the party.” Mr. Thompson said when she hung up.

“Actually your timing was perfect.” Sarah giggled.

Mr. Thompson eyed the Kleenex in her hand and then noticed the condition of her room. “Everything ok?” he asked trying not to sound like an over protective or nosy father.

Sarah nodded convincingly and Mr. Thompson smiled. “Good.” He said sitting at the foot of her bed. “Listen squirt, if you don’t have any plans today I could really use your help with something.”

“Lot going on at the shop?” Sarah asked.

She gave her father a loving smile and was a little excited at the idea of working with her dad again. Part of her missed that time with him a lot. “Uh, not exactly.” Mr. Thompson started, “Well yes. I do have stuff at the shop, but that’s not what I need your help with.”

“Really?” Sarah replied somewhat surprised. “What is it?”

“Well I have a really important client who is buying a car. He needs someone to go with him and check it out for kinks.”

Sarah grinned from ear to ear. “You know I’d never pass up the opportunity to bust the chops of a used car salesman.” She said eagerly.

“Great! Then get dressed. He needs to leave as soon as possible.”

Mr. Thompson kissed his daughter on the forehead and headed for the door. “Dad?” Sarah asked making him freeze in the doorway. “Who is this really big client?”

“Brian Harper.”

The name sent a chill down Sarah’s spine. She felt her stomach tie into knots. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Mr. Thompson pressed seeing the change in her mood.

He re-entered the room and sat back down on her bed a little closer to her this time. Sarah caught her breath and shook her head. “I’m sorry Daddy. I just can’t go.” She whispered.

Mr. Thompson stared at his baby girl puzzled but quickly became concerned as the blood drained from her face. “Sarah Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Sarah replied pushing back a couple tears, “It’s just, Brian Harper.”

“Is this because of Nick?”

“No.” Sarah said shaking her head although she wasn’t sure that was correct, “Brian Harper and I sort of had an argument last night. It would just be too awkward.”

“That’s funny. He asked for you personally.”

“He did?”

Sarah looked into her father’s eyes searching for answers that he didn’t have. Mr. Thompson gave her a sympathetic smile and gently patted her leg. “I’m sure whatever it was he’s already forgotten all about it. He was probably just stressed out. He’s starting his own business you know. One that will bring us a lot of business.”

Mr. Thompson sighed heavily and put a comforting arm around his daughter. He really didn’t want to ask her to do it anyway, but he didn’t have much of an option. “I hate to ask you to do something you don’t want to do, but I could really use your help this time. Brian Harper will be my biggest client here shortly.”

Sarah saw the sincerity on her dad’s face and she simply couldn’t say no. He loved her so much and had always worked so hard to take care of her. The least she could do was return the favor this once. “Ok, dad.” She agreed and then pulled herself from bed.

Chapter 10

A little less than an hour later Sarah found herself standing in front of Nick’s house. Its appearance was somehow different in the daylight, not nearly as magical. Or maybe it was just that today Sarah really, really didn’t want to be there. The sun was shining and the birds were singing yet as Sarah stared up at the house something loomed heavily over her heart. Every step she took toward the door seemed to make her physically ill.

Sarah was unable to push the jitters from her stomach as she walked past a truck that had a trailer hooked up to it. Why was she here? Why would Brian ask for her to go with him after the way he’d treated her the night before? Why had he been so cold and insulting in the first place? That wasn’t like the Brian she remembered, not that she’d ever paid much attention to him. He was three years older than her and she only ever saw him when she was at the shop with her dad. Brian had always been quiet but at least he’d been nice. Last night he was neither.

In fact Sarah didn’t understand it at all. In the day that she’d been back she’d seen more of the personal side of the Harper brothers than she had in all her life and Brian wasn’t the only one that puzzled her. The fact that Nick was paying attention to her had her stumped as well. What had happened around here after she left? Were things really that different in Whitmore Lake, or was it her that was different?

Sarah looked down at her low-rise jeans and form fitting tee and then ran her hand through her long brown hair. It was a shade or two darker now and wasn’t being held captive by an elastic. Sarah’s brow furrowed. She certainly looked different and to be honest she felt a little different on the inside but in her heart she felt as if she were the same girl she’d always been. She didn’t feel she deserved the harsh treatment she’d received from Brian, nor the praise she’d gotten from Nick for that matter. Her heart fluttered thinking of the way Nick held her close while they danced. She tried not to get her hopes up and reminded herself that he did blow her off without explanation and that it was Brian that called her this morning, not him. Maybe he didn’t like her as much as she thought. Maybe it wasn’t her that was different, maybe it what them. “I can do this.” Sarah said and took a deep breath. She walked up the steps with determination. If they were going to be jerks then there was no reason for her to waste any more time being hurt by them. It was their problem not hers.

She was about to knock on the door when she heard Brian’s voice coming from inside. Suddenly her confidence was gone and replaced with that sick feeling she’d had when she arrived. What was she going to say to him? Sarah quickly stepped down from the porch and walked away from the house. She couldn’t do it after all. Brian could find someone else to go with him. He wouldn’t be mad at her father if Sarah didn’t show. He may have been a jerk, but stupid was just something Brian Harper was not. He would understand why she wasn’t there. Sarah got as far as the driveway when the front door swung open and a familiar voice called her name. “Sarah!” he said, “Just the girl I was coming to find.”

Sarah was surprised by the tone. He sounded almost excited to see her. She held her breath nervously as she turned to face him. She forced a smile and within seconds his arms were around her. “Hi Nick.” She finally greeted completely surprised by the loving embrace.

Sarah was relieved that she was faced with Nick before Brian and she was glad that he was happy to see her. The tighter Nick hugged her the more he squeezed any negative feelings toward him right out of her and by the time he let go all anger had vanished and Sarah was back to her love sick self. “I was just coming to see you. I hope you can forgive me.”

Nick pouted expertly and Sarah couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. He was so adorable she would have forgiven him even if he’d acted the way Brian had. “I got caught up and then Brian said you’d left. I felt awful. I was on my way to see if I could make it up to you.”

Nick gave Sarah more puppy dog eyes and held up a picnic basket. Sarah peered curiously at the lunch. “What do you say we go out to the lake? It’s a gorgeous day.”

A day at the lake with Nick? The offer was a dream come true and Sarah desperately wanted to accept it. It hurt to have to turn him down. “That’s really sweet Nick.” She said, “But I was actually here to see Brian.”

The always calm and collected Nick briefly lost his composure as he felt the sting of jealousy and disappointment. Never in his life had he been given such a response. He quickly plastered the smile back on his face though. To be rejected for his brother? She had to be messing with him. “You’re here to see Brian?” he asked trying not to laugh at the idea of the two of them going out.

“He needs me to go with him to look at a car.” Sarah replied still heartbroken over the fact that she couldn’t go to the lake with Nick.

Nick began to laugh but Sarah wasn’t sure what was so funny. “You had me worried.” Nick confessed, “For a moment there I thought Brian was trying to steal you away from me.”

Sarah felt her cheeks get hot and she forced a nervous laugh. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. How could Brian steal her away from Nick? That would have to mean that she was Nick’s to steal. What exactly was he saying? Nick smiled when Sarah blushed and he held up the basket again. “When you get back then.” He said, “After all I still owe you a ride.”

Sarah was so excited she was unable to say anything. Finally it was her turn to be that girl riding next to Nick. She’d wanted to be that girl for so long and now it was almost happening. In an hour or two she would be back from her excursion and then she would happily spend the rest of the day at Whitmore Lake with Nick. She’d spend forever with him if he wanted. Sarah didn’t care what Brian had to say about it, she was going to follow her heart. She nodded shyly, accepting Nick’s invitation and his face brightened up at the response. “It’s a date.” He said as charmingly as he could.

“What’s a date?”

Sarah’s perfect moment was ruined by the reality of her present situation as Brian emerged from the house. The butterflies returned to Sarah’s stomach as she snuck a glance Brian’s direction. He placed a briefcase into the truck and looked back to Sarah and Nick with a questioning look. His eyes met Sarah’s briefly but she quickly turned back to Nick. Nick smiled and then placed his arm around her waist before walking her to the truck. He held open the passenger door just like the perfect gentleman and helped her into the car. Every look he gave her and every move he made caused Sarah to fall for him that much more. Nick placed a kiss on Sarah’s cheek and whispered the words, “Hurry back.” in her ear. Sarah shivered and stared dreamily as Nick shut her in the car.

Brian felt sick watching the way Sarah looked into Nick’s eyes. He gripped the handle of the driver’s side door with white knuckles watching the girl of his dreams fall for his smooth talking brother. He couldn’t stop the anger from growing in his heart. He was angry at Nick for trying to steal Sarah. Nick could have any girl he wanted and yet he picked the only one Brian cared for. And what hurt the most is that he knew Nick didn’t really feel anything for Sarah.

He was also angry at Sarah for letting Nick do this to her. How many countless girls had she watched Nick play throughout high school? How many hearts had he broken? Was Sarah really so stupid that she would let herself get hurt like that? Did she really not see what was going on, or did she simply not care? Brian cursed them both under his breath for being so stupid before getting in the truck. He knew he shouldn’t be angry; after all it wasn’t entirely their faults. He’d never breathed a word of his feelings to anyone, but still, it hurt all the same.

Nick blew Sarah a kiss as Brian slowly pulled the truck away from the house. Sarah waved sending him a soft smile. Brian’s heart couldn’t help but soften a little when she smiled. He was as much a lost cause for her as she was with Nick. Brian turned his attention back to the road ahead of him and when he turned the corner leaving his house and Nick behind Sarah was forced to look ahead as well. Suddenly they both realized how uncomfortable they were. Brian kept glancing at Sarah and she could feel him looking but refused to acknowledge it. She turned her gaze out he window. She smirked thinking that this felt strangely similar to the last time they’d been in a car together. “Something funny?” Brian asked glad to finally have a reason to break the silence.

The smile left Sarah’s face when Brian spoke. She shot him a dirty look and then went back to staring out the window. Brian shifted uncomfortably in his seat; maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. The silence was killing him. “I wasn’t sure you would come after last night.” He said trying again to get her to talk to him. “Thank you for doing this for me.”

“I’m not doing this for you. You’re an important client of my father’s. End of story.” Sarah clarified without making any attempt to spare Brian’s feelings.

Brian sighed. She was obviously still a little more than angry with him. “I feel bad about last night.” He said. “I was really mad at Nick and I guess I sort of took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that, and I’m sorry.”

That was the truth. Brian really did feel horrible. The tears that he’d caused in Sarah’s eyes haunted his dreams all night. Sarah said nothing in response to his apology. She knew it was sincere but she wasn’t quite ready to forgive. She continued to stare out the window until Brian turned off the road to Ann Arbor on to the expressway in the opposite direction of Detroit. Sarah frowned. “Where exactly is this place?”

Brian hesitated but then murmured the word, “Chicago.” knowing that she was bound to find out sooner or later. The muscles in his body tensed up as he braced himself for the explosion he knew would follow his confession.

“Chicago!” Sarah screamed right on queue.

Just as she yelled out their destination, they passed a sign that said: Chicago 242 miles. Brian kept his eyes calmly on the highway prepared for Sarah’s outburst but it didn’t come right away. She didn’t yell at him right then. She was so mad that she didn’t know where to start. She sat in her chair with her arms folded tightly across her chest, fuming that he’d tricked her into a four-hour drive across state lines.

She was so cute when she was angry and whether he wanted it to or not, a smirk slowly spread across Brian’s face. Sarah saw the smile and glared daggers at her travel companion. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Chicago?”

“I didn’t think you would come.” Brian answered trying to wipe the smile from his face.

“I wouldn’t have.” Sarah stated matter-of-factly.

“Well then I guess I made the right choice keeping quiet.” Brian smirked.

Sarah’s face turned red with anger. “You’re unbelievable!”

“You may want to relax just a little. We’ve got quite a drive ahead of us.”

Brian smiled. He was becoming more comfortable every second and was, not without a little guilt, starting to enjoy giving her a hard time. His nonchalant behavior sent Sarah’s annoyance through the roof and she let out a frustrated scream. Brian laughed but still felt a little bad. Although he was thrilled that he would have her company for the next ten or so hours, he knew that was not her ideal way to spend the day.

Four hours there, four hours back and however many hours he might be able to talk her into wandering around Chicago with him. If he could convince her to have dinner with him in the windy city it would almost be like a date. Even if she hated him and hardly said two words the entire day, it would still be time alone with her. Maybe he could wear her down somehow. Maybe he could convince her that he wasn’t really a bad guy. Brian viewed the day as his one and only shot to make her notice him but that would never happen if he couldn’t somehow cheer her up. “It’s not so bad.” He said, “Think of it as a mini vacation. When’s the last time you visited Chicago?”

“Vacation?” Sarah sneered, “That would imply having a good time. This is more like… a business trip. To put it in terms you might understand.”

“Can’t it be both?”

“Eight hours in a car with you? Doubtful.”

Brian rolled his eyes and frowned playfully at Sarah’s comment giving off the impression that her insult hadn’t hurt, but deep down Brian was upset. Sarah retrieved an mp3 player from her purse and cranked up the volume in order to drown Brian out. So much for wearing her down…

Sarah was a stubborn girl and after that she and Brian hardly spoke the entire four hours to Chicago. Having her right there and not even being able to talk to her was torture on Brian’s heart. He tried several times to start up conversation but never managed to get more than a three or four word response. After the first couple of hours he was fed up with her and he quit trying to be friendly. If she wanted to pout then so be it, at least he’d accomplished one goal today. Sarah was not spending the day at the lake with Nick. Hopefully spending the day alone was making Nick miss his loving girlfriend and his little crush would soon be forgotten. Brian may not be able to win Sarah’s heart today, he couldn’t even manage to scratch the surface, but at least she wouldn’t get in the way of his only escape rout.

Chapter 11

The four-hour drive ended up being closer to five since they were pulling a trailer and it was well after three in the afternoon when they pulled into a small used car lot. Brian jumped out of the car but Sarah stayed put. She looked around unimpressed by the rows average two and three year old sedans that littered the dirty lot. Brian saw her still sitting in the car and opened her door. He held out his hand to offer her some assistance. After looking at him like he was crazy, Sarah frowned and jumped out of the car refusing the kind gesture then stalked off toward the office without saying a word. With a sigh Brian shut the door and quickly caught up to her.

From inside the office an overzealous salesman grinned in pure delight as he eyed the well dressed young man. “A sucker born every minute.” He laughed to himself until he noticed the young woman that accompanied his next victim. “Even better.” He said appreciating the curves beneath Sarah’s casual outfit. The salesman plastered a rehearsed smile on his face stopping to check himself out in a mirror before stepping out of the office.

Sarah sized the man up the moment he stepped outside. He was so stereotypical that a small disgusted laugh escaped her lips. His greasy hair flopped to one side and he strutted proudly in his cheesy suit completely unaware that the 70’s ended over two decades ago. Sarah loathed his type and grinned knowing he had no idea what was about to happen to him. Even if the entire day were going to be a total waste, at least this part of it would be fun. The man greeted Brian with a confidante handshake and winked obnoxiously at Sarah. “How ya doin’ sweet cheeks?” he asked with a smile that was as crooked as he was.

Sarah smiled patronizingly. She decided not to unleash her temper just yet. She was one hundred percent certain that this man was going to try and hustle them and she decided to save her energy for that. “So how can I help you fine folks today?” the man asked practically drooling over the opportunity to make a buck.

“Are you Larry?” Brian asked and the man nodded. “I’m Brian Harper. We spoke this morning?”

The salesman’s grin got even bigger and he pointed to a dirty old garage in the back of the lot. “The one you’re looking for is right in there.”

Brian and Sarah followed the salesman across the lot. Brian was anxious to see the car. He hoped it was everything the add promised. This had always been his favorite car and he was excited at the idea of owning one. He looked at Sarah who was shaking her head disapprovingly at the prices marked on the windshields she passed through the sea of cars. He pictured her sitting next to him in the passenger seat with the top down and the wind blowing her long chestnut locks wildly around her face. He smiled thinking that she would only enhance the beauty of such a classic automobile.

When they arrived at the garage the salesman reached beneath the collar of his shirt exposing a small patch of hair on his chest and pulled a chain from around his neck. He raised his eyebrows up and down quickly showing Sarah a key. “Feel privileged sweet cheeks. I don’t show the goods to just anybody.”

Sarah was not impressed. “No offense to the poster boy for hair plugs here,” she said to Brian dryly, “But there is nothing on this lot worth a four hour drive.”

The salesman forced a laugh at Sarah’s insult. “Feisty little girlfriend you got there.”

“That’s definitely one way to describe her.” Brian smirked.

He also didn’t bother to correct the status of their relationship. He knew it would never be true but he still liked the sound of it. His fantasy didn’t last long though. “I am NOT his girlfriend.” Sarah stated firmly.

“Really?” The salesman mused aloud as he less than discretely ogled her. Sarah tried not to gag as the salesman flashed her another one of his cheesy grins. But he creeped her out when he took a step toward her and attempted to put his arm over her shoulder. She instinctively stepped close to Brian. Brian was surprised to feel Sarah’s arm lock securely around his and then her body seemed to hug his tightly as she pushed him between herself and the salesman. Brian grinned as he looked down at the petite hand clinging nervously to his sleeve and with his free arm he placed his hand delicately on top of hers. His heart melted when she didn’t pull away. Although he knew she was merely using him to shield herself from the advances of the unctuous salesman, Brian was thrilled to death to be her protector.

Brian gave the other man a warning look and he immediately backed off. With a shrug he placed the key he was holding into an old padlock and pulled the rusty garage door open. Brian laughed at how big Sarah’s eyes got when she saw the Porsche in front of her. “A 356 Speedster?” she gasped as she looked up at Brian with excitement shining through her emerald green eyes.

Brian laughed and even though he didn’t want to, he let her go and she immediately headed for the car. He enjoyed watching her look over the car like a kid on Christmas morning. Her face was glowing as she climbed into the driver’s seat and Brian knew he’d found a weakness. “This is a 1953!” She called to Brian who was still just watching her. “It’s a pre-A! Do you know how rare these are?”

“The girl knows her cars.” The salesman said impressed.

Sarah sighed to herself as she dreamily ran her hands along the car’s interior. “Even in 1953 this baby could easily top 100 miles an hour.”

Sarah stepped out of the car and began meticulously inspecting the vehicle. Brian forced his attention away from the girl and smiled at the salesman. “You’re right, she really is a beauty.” He said.

“Never a boring night with a car like this! You’ll have the women lining up for blocks. I betcha even that little firecracker you got over there would happily give it up parked under a starry sky in that baby.” The man laughed suggestively nudging Brian in the side with his elbow.

Brian blushed at the man’s candid remark and had to push the heated visual from his mind. He forced a nervous laugh and then quickly changed the subject. “Um, you said it runs well?”

The salesman didn’t answer Brian’s question because his attention was focused on Sarah who was tinkering with the engine sporting a very puzzled look. “Careful there sweet cheeks! I’d hate to see you get grease on that pretty little blouse of yours.” He laughed.

Sarah ignored his comment and started up the engine revving it a few times to get the gas pumping through its veins. The salesman watched her nervously for a moment and then, as if flipping a switch, turned on his greasy salesman charm once more. “Purrs like a kitten.” He said throwing an arm over Brian’s shoulder. “Prime condition. I have her listed at a hundred but you look like a nice guy. And that feisty little girl of yours? Woah! I could knock a few thousand off the price. Give her to ya for ninety.”

Brian contemplated the offer and the salesman frowned as he watched Sarah crawl underneath the car. “She always like that?” he asked.

Brian smiled as he shrugged a reply. The salesman quickly replaced a nervous look with his trademark cheesy grin. “What do ya say? We have a deal?”

Sarah crawled back out from underneath the car and brushed the dirt from her clothes. She frowned as she noticed a spot of grime on her shirt. “Did you say ninety thousand?” She asked as she licked her finger and dabbed at the stain on her shirt.

“Didn’t I tell you that was going to happen?” The dealer laughed pointing at her outfit, “You should listen to ol’ Larry next time”

He then turned back to Brian and smiled. “Should we step into my office?”

Brian looked questioningly at Sarah. “So what do you think? You want to take it for a test drive?”

Sarah glared at Brian and then looked at the salesman. Finally she let her eyes rest on the car and sighed. “It’s a beautiful machine alright. The dark blue is a nice color for it too. A mint condition classic Porsche like this could easily go for $125 at auction.”

The salesman let out a silent breath of relief and Brian looked at Sarah somewhat disappointed. “If you say so.” He said and then looked at the man trying to sell him the car. “If the lady says it’s a good deal, then it’s a good deal.”

Brian reached out to shake the man’s hand. “So we have a deal?” the man said holding back his excitement.

“I guess we have a deal.” Brian agreed.

Sarah coughed suggestively when the two men shook hands. Brian looked back at her curiously and let go of the salesman’s grip. The dealer forced an impatient smile. “I’m sorry, you misunderstood me.” Sarah said calmly to Brian. “I said MINT it would be worth $125.”

The salesman laughed forcefully, “Sweet cheeks, you trying to tell me there’s something wrong with my car?”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to tell you… sweet cheeks.” Sarah said biting back her anger.

A smile crept across Brian’s face and he waited anxiously to hear what Sarah had to say. “I assure you it runs fine. I had my mechanic go over every inch of this car.” The salesman reassured Brian brushing off Sarah completely.

“You might want to re-think his salary.” Sarah said reiterating her thoughts.

The man glared his annoyance for a brief second but recovered instantly with a smile and a laugh, “Ooh! Feisty!”

The salesman threw his arm around Brian once again and lowered his voice. “Just like a woman. It’s amazing how they all seem to think they know everything.”

Brian glanced nervously at Sarah who was now fuming. “My being female has nothing to do with the blown head gasket on this car.” She yelled.

Both Brian and the salesman looked up in surprise. The salesman shook his head with a challenging look and Sarah stalked over to the car. Brian watched proudly as she plopped herself back into the driver’s seat and turned on the engine again. “Get in.” she commanded and Brian immediately obeyed scurrying over to the car hoping into the passenger seat. “Feel that? Feel how it’s riding rough?” Sarah asked when he got comfortable.

Brian nodded slowly and Sarah threw the car into reverse. As the car rolled back Brian felt a slight clunk underneath him. It was barely even noticeable but Sarah had caught it instantly. “Did you feel that?” she asked again.

Again Brian nodded and looked curiously at the nervous salesman. “It just needs a tune-up.” He said shrugging off the noise. “Eighty-five.”

Sarah rolled her eyes at the cheesy response and turned off the engine. Brian listened carefully as she explained herself. “When a car rides like that, check the dipstick.”

Brian followed her to the engine and watched with wide eyes as she pulled the stick from the car. “See that? There’s water in the engine. That’s a classic sign of a blown head gasket. And that clunk you just heard when it went into reverse? Best case, it’s a simple U-joint. Worst case it’s the transmission, or it could mean a bad rear-end. I’d have to take it apart to know for sure.”

Sarah put the dipstick back in its place and looked up to see Brian staring admiringly. Her cheeks turned red under the intense gaze and she nervously stepped back shutting the hood. “I give it three months before you have to rebuild the entire engine.” She said nervously backing away from him.

She wiped her hands on a towel that had been sitting on a nearby counter and looked at the car one more time still avoiding eye contact with Brian. “I could fix it.” She said, “But it’s not like 50 year old German parts are easy to come by, or cheap. Not to mention there’s rust in the rocker panels. You’re looking at thousands of dollars to get her in shape, and that’s looking at it for five minutes. Who knows what else the bastard’s lying about.”

She paused for a moment contemplating a fair price and finally said, “It is one of the rarest models of the 356 but I still wouldn’t pay a dime over 50 for it.”

“Fifty?” Brian repeated and the salesman choked out the number at the same time.

Sarah glared at the now panicky salesman and said, “Even the dumbest mechanic in the world would have known about a problem like that. But I’m sure Larry here didn’t know it’s a federal offense to sell a car without disclosing all known mechanical information.”

Brian continued to stare dreamily at Sarah as she handed the keys back to the completely dumbfounded salesman. She glared at the man and waited for a response. He laughed nervously as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. Brian looked at him curiously and he shrugged. “Girl knows how to bargain.”

After an hour and a half or so of paperwork Brian’s truck finally pulled out of the old lot with the Porsche secured snug under its cover on the trailer behind it. Both Brian and Sarah wave happily out their windows to the salesman as they drive off. The salesman waves back flashing his big cheesy grin one last time.

Sarah watched Brian glance ecstatically in the rear view mirror at his new prize possession. He could hardly sit still he was so excited. The twinkle in his eyes was kind of cute but silly and Sarah let a tiny laugh escape her lips. Brian heard it and grinned from ear to ear as he glanced her direction. “I didn’t know you were capable of showing emotion.” Sarah said.

Brian knew that wasn’t exactly a compliment but he didn’t care. He was so excited that he’d done this for himself that nothing could have dampened his spirits. “That was incredible!” He gasped. “Nick was right, you’re fantastic!”

Sarah looked at Brian as if he’d lost his mind. “Come on, admit it, that was fun! The way his mouth hung open like that? The guy was actually sweating! I knew there was a reason I dragged you along.” Brian chuckled to himself and then grinned. “Aside from all the stimulating conversation you provided on the drive here.” He smirked.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but she deserved that so she gave in and cracked a smile. Her heart softened a little toward the poor guy. He was right about needing her to come. While he may have had exceptionally great taste in cars, he had no clue how to handle a salesman. Sarah couldn’t help but feel satisfied with her good deed. “Maybe the drive wasn’t such a waste after all.” She finally admitted.

They both laughed together but it quickly faded into an awkward silence and Sarah panicked at the way Brian seemed to be looking at her. She turned her gaze out the window and Brian looked out at the road a little disappointed by the sudden set back. “You saved me a ton of money today.” He said.

“Not as much as you think.” Sarah replied, “You’re still going to have to rebuild that engine.”

“No really. I owe you big.” Brian insisted.

“It was nothing.” Sarah shrugged.

“After all that excitement I’m starving. Why don’t you let me buy you dinner? It’s the least I can do. Anywhere in Chicago.”

Sarah wasn’t sure how to answer. Obviously they had to eat before they left town, they still had a good five hours of driving time ahead of them. But she just couldn’t figure Brian out at all. His mood was so drastically different from the night before that she wondered how it could have even been the same person. He always seemed like this shy, serious person who was too busy to have a good time and yet today he had spent hours to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a car that was anything but practical. And although he still seemed very shy it was a really bold move the way he tricked her into coming with him and several times he’d been quick to give her a hard time. Suddenly a man she always thought was so cut and dry was now the biggest mystery she’d ever come up against and she was curious to find out more about him. “Ok.” She said hesitantly accepting Brian’s offer for dinner.

“Good.” Brian replied, “So what are you in the mood for?”

As Sarah thought about what she wanted to eat for dinner Brian suppressed the fluttering feeling in his stomach. Sarah had not only agreed to dinner but she didn’t even have to be talked into it. He wasn’t sure what had done it, but she was beginning to relax and Brian felt a flicker of hope in his heart.

Chapter 12

Sarah stepped away from a sidewalk hot dog vendor with a corndog in one hand and a slurpee in the other. She slowly headed down a path that led to the waterfront while Brian ordered a hot dog of his own. He paid the cahier and then caught up to Sarah who was now leaning against a railing gazing out at the endless waters of Lake Michigan. The Windy City lived up to its reputation as a cool summer breeze blew forcefully off the lake. The gust forced Sarah to pull her hair into a ponytail. When she was no longer at risk of getting hair in her food, Sarah took a big bite of her greasy dinner. “God I love these things.” She admitted with a laugh when her mouth was clear.

Brian returned the laugh. The fact that when Sarah had been given her choice of anything to eat she chose hot dogs and slurpees surprised Brian, but he absolutely loved that about her. Brian had been raised in a much more formal setting than Sarah. Not that he was complaining about the comforts he’d grown up with, but every time he’d seen Sarah she seemed so free and he envied that.

Growing up, Sarah was very shy but she never pretended to be anyone but herself. Now that she was back she was still the same girl Brian had always loved, she had just learned how to be proud of who that was and Brian found her more irresistible than ever. He watched her take another bite and then looked down at the food in his hand. He smiled as he took a bite, unable to remember the last time he’d eaten a corn dog. He’d never really been a fan of the greasy processed meat, but seeing how much Sarah enjoyed them somehow made it taste better. “These things are just a heart attack on a stick.” He laughed.

“Maybe so.” Sarah replied, “But they’re worth it.”

“All that time in San Francisco, I would have pegged you for a sea food lover.”

Sarah cringed at the suggestion. “Even if I spent my whole life there I’m afraid that’s one custom I could never embrace.”

“Still,” Brian said grinning at the sour face Sarah was making. “A great city like this with lots of fine dining and we’re eating corndogs?”

Sarah shrugged as she finished off the rest of her “heart attack on a stick”. Brian smirked and then said, “I have to admit you’re the cheapest date I’ve ever had.”

Sarah’s smile was gone when she was reminded of the hurtful things he’d said last night. “Yeah well you can’t exactly buy sushi at K-mart.” She said sarcastically.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Brian replied a little hurt by the bitter remark.

Sarah sighed as she found a seat on a nearby bench. “Please let me apologize for last night.” Brian said.

“You did already.”

“Then forgive me.” Brian begged taking a seat next to her.

“Do you have any idea how much you hurt my feelings last night?” She asked sadly as she drifted off into a memory, “It’s funny, before I left, I never would have thought you were capable of behaving like that. I guess we both did our share of changing last year huh?”

Brian didn’t know how to respond. Sarah’s words shot through him like a thousand nails that left his spirit littered with holes. She was right. He had changed, and not in a good way like her, every day he became just a little more bitter and resentful. Last night he’d lost his temper and said awful things out of spite and jealousy, and he’d said them to the one person he never wanted to hurt. That was something that a year ago he couldn’t have done even if he meant to. Brian stood with a heavy heart and wandered back to the railing hoping to find peace in the calm water. “You’re right.” He said, “I’m not the same person I was a year ago.”

Sarah was surprised by the openness. There was obvious regret in his voice and Sarah let go of her hostility. She joined him in leaning against the rail, letting her arms rest only an inch or two from his. The pain he seemed to be feeling made Sarah feel the need to be close to him. She couldn’t help but feel a little responsible. “What happened to you?” she whispered sincerely.

“Life I suppose.” Brian sighed.

He lifted his eyes from the lake and was surprised at how closely Sarah had positioned herself next to him. He was even more surprised at her soft, understanding smile. Brian hated how she made him so nervous that he couldn’t think straight and yet he loved the way she made him feel. Sarah was trying to figure out what was going on inside his head. Brian was afraid she might see right through him and he quickly diverted his eyes back to the water. “I hate to sound cliché.” Sarah offered, “But life’s a journey. It’s always gonna take you somewhere. You have to decide whether you’re gonna ride shotgun or get behind the wheel.”

“Listen to you.” Brian said now unable to take his eyes off of the woman he admired so much. “So grown up now. I can’t believe the transformation.”

Sarah blushed but Brian held his gaze. Nervous energy swept through her body as a flash of him kissing her the night before entered her thoughts and she jumped back from the rail. She began walking down the path and closed her eyes as she took a deep relaxing breath of the fresh air. “This place reminds me a little of San Francisco, but it’s strange to see all that water and not hear the sound of waves crashing.” She said in an attempt to change the subject.

“It’s not quite the ocean is it?” Brian replied, “But it is a big step up from Whitmore Lake.”

“I love Whitmore Lake.” Sarah nearly pouted. “It may be little but it’s so peaceful. I remember going there when I was just a little girl, before my mom died. She loved building sandcastles. We would dig in the sand and get all messy and have to clean off in the lake before Dad would let us get in the car to go home. It’s one of the few memories I have of her. That lake has kind of been my escape ever since. I was worried that it wouldn’t be the same when I went to California but I discovered that the water is still the water.”

This was a side of Sarah Brian had never seen before. In all the years they’d known each other he’d never really talked to her and all he could do was listen. He wished she would continue on forever and tell him everything there is to know about her.

“I never knew you liked the water so much.”

Sarah looked out at the water again and smiled. “I love the water.” She continued, “In San Francisco there’s this pullout right after you cross the Golden Gate Bridge where you can stop and take pictures. It’s kind of a tourist spot but there’s a path that you can walk down where you have a better view of the bay. It’s not really marked and the tourists don’t usually know its there so it stays pretty quiet. Whenever I had a bad day I would walk all the way to the end of that path and just watch the ships sail under the bridge out to see. It was so peaceful, it always cheered me up.”

“So I take it you liked California?”

“My home away from home.” Sarah confessed. “You seem surprised.”

“Well it’s just that the last time we talked you didn’t seem to happy to be going.” Brian chuckled, “You seemed devastated actually, like it was the end of the world.”

Sarah laughed nervously as she remembered that dreadful night before she left. It seemed like ages ago now. “To tell you the truth I didn’t like it at first. It felt like a prison that I’d been wrongfully sentenced too.”

Brian smirked. He knew that feeling all too well. His entire life felt like that. “So then what happened? Why the change of heart?”

Sarah stopped walking and looked at Brian. “I found someone who inspired me.” She said, “Someone who helped me discover myself and discover life. He showed me all the things I was missing out on.”

Brian’s stomach lurched up into his throat. “You fell in love?” He asked trying not to let his voice give away his disappointment.

Sarah was surprised by the question but laughed hysterically “Love? No! No, it wasn’t like that.”

Sarah was too busy giggling at a picture of Lance having his nails manicured to catch Brian’s look of relief. “Actually, love is the main reason I didn’t want to go in the first place.” She said calming her giggles.

Brian looked at Sarah curiously and she smiled. “I was in love before I left.” She explained.

Brian’s momentary relief was replaced with sadness. He knew exactly who she was talking about and it killed him to think about it. “Nick?” he said in almost a whisper.

A year ago Sarah would have died before answering that question but she didn’t see the use in denying it anymore and she shrugged. “As long as I can remember.”

Brian forced a smile and started walking down the path again. Sarah stayed at his side peering up at him every so often as they walked. She was curious at the change in his countenance and was the first to break the silence. “What about you? Ever been in love?”

Brian froze as the words escaped her lips. He hadn’t expected that question. Being asked the question by the very person who was the reason for the answer was more than just ironic, it was torture. “Once.” He finally admitted.

“What happened?” Sarah pried softly sensing the soreness of the subject.

Brian couldn’t stop himself from staring longingly at Sarah as she studied the sadness in his eyes. He started to say something to her but then thought better of it. Nothing he could say would do him any good. Sarah was in love with someone else, and not just anyone, his little brother. She always had been and she always would be. Brian couldn’t compete with that and he knew it. He looked up at the sky. “The sun’s starting to go down.” He said, “We’d better get going. We still have a long drive ahead of us.”

Brian turned around and slowly headed back in the direction of the truck. Sarah watched the heartbroken man walk away with his shoulders slumped and his head hanging in defeat. He kicked a rock as he passed it and the sight of him nearly brought tears to Sarah’s eyes. Her heart reached out to him but she let him go. He looked like he needed a minute to himself.

Sarah stayed pretty quiet until they were well within the Michigan borders. The tables had turned and she was now the one wishing there was more conversation, but Brian had hardly said four words since leaving the city. He thought spending the day with her was what he wanted but she turned out to be more wonderful than he’d expected and it caused pain in his heart that he wasn’t prepared for. Finally Sarah couldn’t bare the silence anymore and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dig up any painful memories.”

“What?” Brian said snapping from his thoughts. “Oh no, you didn’t. I’m just… It’s just been a long day.”

“You want to talk about it?” Sarah said knowing that Brian wasn’t just feeling tired.

Brian glanced nervously at Sarah. He definitely did not want to talk about it. “Sometimes it helps to just get it out there, ya know?” Sarah continued. “I know I felt a million times better after I talked to my friend about Nick. I don’t know that I’d be able to help you any, but I’m a good listener.”

“I’m sure you’re a great listener.” Brian said nervously, “But there’s really just nothing to tell.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. You were chatty and playful all day and now suddenly you’re really upset.”

“Look I just don’t want to talk about it ok?” Brian snapped desperately.

Brian shifted uneasily in his seat and Sarah whispered, “Ok.” as she sat back in her chair.

She felt bad for pushing when she saw just how upset Brian was and she figured that the drive home would now be as cheerful as the drive over had been. She reached for her MP3 player and was about to turn on the music when Brian suddenly started talking. “There was this girl once but I could never tell her how I felt.”

Sarah set down her headphones. She was glad that Brian was talking but she didn’t expect he would say much more. Just in case, she gave him an opportunity by asking, “And how did you feel?”

“Like she was the only person in the world that could make me forget what was going on around me.” Brian answered heavily. “All my life I’ve done things just to make other people happy and I hate it. But I would gladly spend the rest of my life doing whatever I could to make her happy as long as I got to be with her.”

Brian took a deep breath and stared straight ahead. He was shocked by the words that had come from his mouth. They were words he thought he would never be able to say and yet he just spit them out without thinking about it. Brian didn’t understand how he could say all that to her and not be able to tell her he was talking about her. He wanted to. He wanted to more than anything, he just couldn’t.

Brian wasn’t the only person surprised by his honesty; Sarah was dumbfounded by the speech. She had no idea so much love was tucked away in his heart. And after seeing how nervous he looked she guessed that no one else did either. “Wow Brian.” She whispered in awe, “You weren’t kidding about being in love. That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Why don’t you just tell her? You obviously still care about this girl.”

“I couldn’t do that.”

“Why not? She’d have to be crazy to turn you down after a speech like that.”

Brian felt his face getting hot. He knew Sarah was being sincere, but he also knew she wasn’t including herself in that statement. He shook his head more for his own sake than Sarah’s. “It’s too late for that.”

“Are you sure?”

Brian looked at Sarah and the way she was watching him was almost motherly. It was the exact opposite of the way she looked when she was talking to Nick. “I’m sure.” He said. “Besides, I’d never be able to get the words out anyway.”

“You had no problem just now.”

“And that was definitely a first. I’m usually no good with words. Sometimes I wish I was more like Nick.”

A dreamy smile spread across Sarah’s face when Brian mentioned his younger brother. “He is very charming isn’t he?” she giggled.

Brian frowned at the lovesick girl as gazed out the window up at the stars. “Maybe a little too charming.” He muttered, “It’s not easy being related to a teenage Brad Pitt.”

“Oh come on Brian.” Sarah laughed.

Brian gave her a confused glance. “You’re not exactly Buddy Hackett you know.”

Again Brian felt himself blushing. “I on the other hand,” Sarah laughed, “was raised in an auto shop by a man who only uses his iron to make toast. Could you imagine what Nick would have said if I’d have told him how I felt a year ago? Trust me, you have a lot more going for you than I ever did. If there really is as much love in your heart as you say there is a girl could only be so lucky to have it.”

Brian rolled his eyes although his cheeks went from pink to deep purple. It was the nicest thing any girl had ever said to him but he refused to get his hopes up. He was well aware that it would take next to nothing for Sarah to break his heart without even knowing it. “I’m serious.” Sarah said optimistically, “I think you should ask that girl out.”

Brian looked at her contemplating what might happen if he came clean right now, but quickly pushed that option from his thoughts and shook his head. Sarah grinned, “Take her for a ride in that gorgeous new Porsche of yours and tell her all that stuff you just told me. You might just be surprised at the outcome. All girls are suckers for that kind of stuff.” She said with a wink.

Brian smiled at the carefree tone in Sarah’s voice. “You make it sound so easy.” He laughed.

“Maybe it is.” Sarah replied.

Brian was about to argue when he saw Sarah yawn. “Sleepy?” He asked.

“Yeah actually.” Sarah laughed but smiled awkwardly when she admitted that she didn’t get much sleep last night.

Brian’s face dropped. “I really am sorry about Last night.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“How can I not? I feel awful. I probably got less sleep last night than you.”

Sarah was touched by the confession and placed a reassuring hand on Brian’s knee. “It’s forgotten, ok?”

Brian’s entire body tensed at her touch and he feared that Sarah might notice he was trembling beneath her. He glanced down at her hand and then quickly up to her face. Sarah looked him straight in the eye and said, “Don’t feel bad anymore, please?”

“Ok.” Brian croaked nervously with a slight nod.

“Promise?” Sarah asked leaning in just a little closer with a concerned look in her eyes. She figured he’d had enough hurt. He didn’t need to worry about her on top of it.

Brian swallowed a lump in his throat. “Promise.” He replied.

Sarah’s face perked up immediately and she gave Brian’s knee a soft pat before letting go. She then sank deeply into her seat and rubbed her tired eyes. “Why don’t you try and get some sleep?” Brian suggested.

“Oh that’s alright, I don’t want you to get lonely.” She teased but then yawned again.

Brian laughed. “I’m serious. You should rest. You’re exhausted. Don’t worry about me. If I get sleepy, I’ll wake you up.”

Brian was sure he wouldn’t get tired though. The amount of blood that was now pumping through his veins after Sarah touched him was enough to keep him wired all the way home. And the conversation they’d just had was more than plenty to keep his thoughts entertained. “I’ll be fine.” He promised, “You sleep.”

“Twist my arm.” Sarah finally chuckled as she brought her headphones to her ears and let her heavy eyes flicker shut.

It wasn’t until Brian heard the deep melodic breathing, assuring him of Sarah’s unconscious state, that he released a heavy sigh. He was sure that after today his want of her was going to be a physical need and he had no idea what he was going to do.

Chapter 13

Brian dramatically blinked his sleepy eyes as he pulled up to Sarah’s house. The moon hung high in the night sky and the streets were deserted. Brian slowed the car to a gentle stop and leaned back in his seat giving his tired body a moment to relax. He looked over at Sarah with wistful eyes. Still deep in a dream world, her headphones had dropped from her ears and a strand of hair had fallen over her face. The moonlight accentuated her soft features showing off her natural innocence. Her smile hinted of her relaxed mood and she seemed so peaceful that Brian hated to wake her.

The day had been an unexpected pleasure and as tired as he was Brian wasn’t ready to see it end. He sat there a moment daydreaming as he watched Sarah sleep. He wondered what it felt like to hold her in his arms and wished he could just pull her into them. A woeful sigh brought him back to reality knowing he couldn’t do that and he softly whispered her name. “Sarah?”

Sarah was so deep in sleep that she didn’t respond at all. Brian again lost himself in a daydream and without thought lifted his hand to push the brown locks from Sarah’s eyes. His fingers lightly traced the outline of her face as he tucked the hair behind her ear. She stirred at his delicate touch and he quickly pulled his hand back. “Sarah?” he whispered again.

This time Sarah’s eyes fluttered open and she met Brian’s gaze with a sleepy grin. “Home already?”

Brian nodded and then quickly hopped out of the truck to open Sarah’s door for her. He offered her his hand and was pleasantly surprised when she accepted it. He helped her out of the truck and then nervously shoved his hands in his pants pockets as he escorted her to her door. He stood on the porch trying his hardest not fidget like the nervous wreck that he was as Sarah unlocked her door. With a heavy push Sarah stepped over the threshold of her home and offered Brian one more smile. “Thank you for going with me today.” Brian said.

“You’re welcome.” Sarah replied sweetly.

“Well, um, goodnight.” Brian shrugged with the tiniest layer of pink frosting his cheeks.

Sarah noticed him blush and thought it was adorable that he seemed so nervous. He was such the opposite of his brother. She giggled at the comparison and said, “Goodnight Brian.” Before closing the door between them.

Brian did an about face and slowly released a long breath. Sarah peered curiously from behind the curtain and watched Brian return to his car. She smiled when he stopped for a minute to take in the view of the stars before getting in the truck. She watched him drive off and couldn’t stop thinking about him as she made her way up the stairs. When she reached the top she noticed her father’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. The soft glow of the television seeped through the crack into the dimly lit hallway. “Hey pumpkin is that you?” a sleepy voice called as Sarah passed.

“Yeah dad, I’m home.” Sarah said inviting herself into his room.

Her father put down the book he’d been reading and set his glasses on the nightstand when he noticed the look on his daughter’s face. “You didn’t tell me I was going to Chicago.” She said sounding playfully stern.

Mr. Thompson chuckled. “I know. I’m sorry kiddo. I would have, but Brian said if you knew, you wouldn’t go and he really wanted the chance to apologize.”

Sarah smirked imagining the inarticulate explanation Brian must have given her father in order for him to go along with the crazy scheme. Mr. Thompson was glad to see the smile on his daughter’s face. After the way she looked when he asked her to go he’d worried about her all day. He felt bad but knew it would be good for her in the long run. “So was it as awkward as you thought it would be?” he asked suddenly curious of the details.

“At first.” Sarah admitted but then shrugged, “Deep down he’s actually kind of sweet.”

Sarah’s lips curled slightly upward as her thoughts retuned to the shy man but she soon became very perplexed. “I don’t understand him at all.” She said causing her dad to smile.

He’d always had his suspicions about Brian’s feelings for his daughter. After all, it’s a father’s duty to know those kinds of things. Of course he didn’t know for sure, but he wouldn’t mind if it were true. He’d known the Harpers forever and was likely one of the few people that understood Brian. Sarah’s father liked the young man and had actually offered him a job as an assistant when he was in high school, but his father had already lined of up a job for him at the college. Over the years Brian spent an unusual amount of time in Mr. Thompson’s auto shop and he always figured it was either that Brian hoped to see Sarah or was attempting to escape the pressures he had a home. The way Mr. Harper pushed his son was no secret, at least not to him.

Mr. Harper studied his daughter carefully. Before she went to California she’d never expressed any interest in boys, save Nick Harper. Not that he disliked the younger of the Harper boys, but he really wished his daughter would move past her childhood crush. Though the thought of his baby girl dating scared him to death, part of him wished she’d found a nice boy while she was in California so that she could stop being so love sick. “It takes more than one day to get to know someone Sarah.” He said gently.

“Yeah, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

Sarah frowned. “I don’t know.” She sighed, “You know him, has he always been like that?”

“Like what?” Mr. Harper asked trying not to laugh.

“I don’t know exactly. It’s like his spirit is broken.”

Mr. Thompson smiled sadly. “No, he wasn’t always like that. It’s been a long year for him. He used to come by all the time but I’ve hardly seen him lately.”

“I guess he’s been under a lot of pressure.”

“Or maybe after you left his reason for coming here was gone.” Mr. Thompson said warmly.

It took a moment for Mr. Thompson’s meaning to sink in, but when it did Sarah’s eyes grew wide. She quickly composed herself and forced a nervous laugh. “Yeah right dad. I’m sure that’s not it.” Sarah said.

“I’m not so sure.” Mr. Thompson replied seriously.

Sarah gave her father a curious look. “What?” Mr. Thompson shrugged trying but failing to look innocent. “He’s a handsome young man, hard working, college graduate…”

“And the new owner of a very nice Porsche.” Sarah teased.

“I’m serious.” Mr. Thompson laughed.

“I’ll bet you are.” Sarah laughed as she stood up and kissed her father on the forehead. “I’m going to bed now.”

“Ok.” Mr. Thompson said giving up his attempts at playing matchmaker for the night. “Night pumpkin.”

“Goodnight daddy.” Sarah replied as she left the room.

Once she was in the hall and her father’s door was tightly shut, Sarah slumped against the wall letting her thoughts catch up to her. She tried to laugh off her father’s ridiculous theory but she couldn’t seem to push Brian entirely from her mind. True he was no Nick, but something about him stuck with her and for a moment she could almost see herself with him. But, she laughed it off as she entered her room knowing her feelings for Nick weren’t somehow going to magically going to switch from one brother to the other.

Sarah fell to her bed feeling the exhaustion from the long day and then noticed a huge vase of red roses sitting on her dresser. She jumped up and took a deep breath of their sweet aroma before reading the card that that was attached. “Waited all day. Nick.” She read aloud.

Her tired body was suddenly filled with energy and she plucked one of the beautiful stems from the vase. Pulling it close to her heart she fell dreamily to her bed and eventually spent the night dreaming of a certain blonde-haired blue-eyed heartbreaker.



********

The next morning Brian drug himself downstairs a little later than normal. He’d slept surprisingly well and wasn’t sure if he forgot to switch his alarm on before going to bed or if he’d actually slept through it. Either way he felt refreshed which was something that he’d needed for quite some time now. He was excited to have a day off today. Until Deanna returned and signed the partnership agreement, there was not a whole lot Brian could do business wise so he decided he was going to take the week off. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do, but he knew he would start by taking his new car for a spin. When he got downstairs he was surprised to see Nick slurping down a bowl of cereal. What may have been late for Brian was still early for Nick. Brian ruffled Nick’s hair as he walked past him into the kitchen. “Hey little brother!” he chirped.

Nick glared at Brian. “Had fun yesterday, did ya?”

“What?” Brian asked confused.

“You’re in an awfully good mood this morning.”

Brian shrugged. He knew Nick wouldn’t like hearing that he was in a good mood because he’d dreamt of Sarah all night, so he said, “I got such a sweet deal on my car, I’m excited to take it for a drive. You wanna come?”

Nick frowned and mumbled something under his breath. “What’s wrong with you?” Brian laughed.

“Like you don’t know,” Nick whined. “I was going to take Sarah to the lake yesterday but you kidnapped her… ALL DAY!”

Brian couldn’t help the smirk on his face and Nick became even more upset. “It’s not funny man! Deanna’s only gone for a week. How am I supposed to figure out if I like Sarah if you keep hogging her?”
“What do you mean IF you like Sarah?” Brian said pulling a container of orange juice from the fridge, “I thought you said you were falling in LOOOOVE with her.” He added sarcastically.

“I could be.” Nick retorted. “That’s why you can’t steal her anymore.”

“I didn’t steal her. I can’t help it if she’d rather spend time with me than you.” Brian teased even though it hurt because he knew it wasn’t true. Not only would she most definitely rather have spent the day with Nick, but he really did practically hijack her.

It also stung a little when Nick laughed so forcefully, as if such a suggestion were impossible. “I guess we’ll see about that.” Nick laughed.

“Why? The two of you have plans?” Brian asked starting to lose his really good mood.

“Not yet, but we will as soon as I go over there. I owe her a ride and she owes me a day at the lake.”

Brian frowned as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. What had he been kidding? All his efforts yesterday wouldn’t make any difference. All it did was delay the inevitable because as soon as Nick finished his breakfast and got himself showered he would take Sarah out to the lake and they would live happily ever after. Brian frowned picturing the image until his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Nick’s cell phone ringing. Nick glanced at the caller ID and then chose to ignore the call. Brian sat down across the table from Nick watching him eat his breakfast as if he didn’t have a care in the world. A moment later the house phone started to ring. Brian got up to answer it and Nick about had a heart attack. “Don’t answer it!” he yelled in a panic.

Brian let his hand rest on the receiver but didn’t pick it up. He eyed his brother curiously. “It’s Deanna.” Nick explained.

Brian gave his brother a confused look. “Since when are you avoiding her calls?”

“Since I spent the whole day talking to her yesterday instead of seeing Sarah and the point of this week was supposed to be just the opposite.”

Brian was glad to hear Nick had at least talked to his girlfriend but he was still getting angry. “Do you even feel guilty at all?” he asked.

“About what?” Nick replied.

“About Sarah?”

“What about her?”

“Well Deanna’s been the perfect girlfriend to you for a very long time and all of the sudden you’re planning romantic days at the lake with another girl? That’s a pretty crappy thing to do.”

Nick frowned. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Yet.” Brian warned.

“I already told you I can’t help it if I have feelings for Sarah. And if I do, then how do I know Deanna is the right one for me? What if the right one for me is Sarah and I just never knew it before? It’s not like she was ever around until now. I can’t just ignore my heart. I have to at least find out what this feeling is.”

“And what about Sarah? You think she’s going to be happy when she finds out that you have a girlfriend?”

“There’s no point in telling her about that right now. If I really do like her as much as I think I do then I’ll break it off with Deanna. But if we go out while Deanna’s gone and I decide I don’t really like Sarah then nothing happened, no harm done.

“Right.” Brian sneered, “No harm done. You just break Sarah’s heart, and then Deanna finds out about her and you break her heart too. Then you have no girlfriend and Deanna doesn’t sign the contract and we have no business.”

“Is that what this is all about?” Nick said starting to raise his voice. “Do you even care about my feelings here? Don’t you want me to be happy at all?”

Brian clenched his fists in anger. “I’m trying to stop you from throwing away the best thing that’s ever happened to you for a girl you barely know, and I don’t care about your feelings?” He said in total disgust. “Not to mention I only started up this whole business thing so that you won’t end up grading papers alongside dad for the rest of your life. No, you’re right, I don’t care about you at all.”

“Don’t you dare try to lay a guilt trip on me!” Nick yelled, “I haven’t forced you to do anything! You want to get out of here as much as I do. You know what I think it is? I think you’re just jealous of me because I enjoy my life and you don’t.”

Mr. Harper heard the raised voices from upstairs and called down to them. “Nick? Is that your brother down there?”

“Yeah dad.” Nick called back glaring at his brother.

“Oh by the way,” he smirked rudely, “There’s an alumni get together today. Dad said something about some special welcoming thing for their new golden boy. Hope you have a speech prepared. Sorry I have to miss it, I’m going to be gone all day, but you have lots of fun.”

“Grow up!” Brian hissed as Nick stomped up the stairs.

Brian’s stomach churned at the thought of spending the day with his father and all his alumni buddies. He grabbed his keys and headed straight for the front door. He hoped he could escape the house before he was dragged off to the wolves’ den for cigars and cocktails.

Chapter 14

Sarah stepped out of her car in front of the Harper house just as Brian came storming out the door. Brian didn’t notice her and climbed into his new car. Sarah knew instantly that he was upset. She smiled when he closed his eyes and revved the engine as if it would eat away all his troubles. With a rose in her hand she looked up at the house and then changed her course for Brian. She stood next to him for a moment watching as Brian let the vibrations lull away any negative feelings. That was something the two of them did in common. “Hey you.” She giggled when she finally decided to greet him. “Gonna take her for a spin?”

Brian was startled to death by the interruption and jumped sky high. He looked up at the girl of his dreams and for a moment thought he’d fallen asleep. “Sarah!” he gasped, “What are you doing here?”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” Sarah laughed, “I can go if you’d like.”

“No.” Brian said quickly. He blushed a little as he gathered his composure. “You just surprised me.”

“Sorry.”

Brian shook his head. “It’s a welcomed distraction.” He promised.

“You did seem pretty focused, everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Brian replied resisting the urge to sigh. “I’m just trying to get out of here before my father drags me off to some boys club meeting.”

“Sounds exciting.” Sarah teased.

“Exhilarating.” Brian smirked.

“Well I’ll let you get going then. I’d hate for you to get stuck hanging out with your dad all day.”

Brian forced a smile. He really didn’t want to get stuck going to Ann Arbor with his father but he couldn’t make himself leave when Sarah was standing there. Sarah looked around the house and frowned. “Did I miss Nick?” she asked when she noticed Nick’s shiny red corvette wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Brian looked up and was suddenly grateful that his brother decided to use the garage for once. “I don’t know where he is.” He shrugged. “But he did tell me that he planned on being gone all day. He’s probably trying to hide from my dad too.”

“Bummer.” Sarah said wrinkling her nose in disappointment. She held up the rose in her hand. “I wanted to thank him for the flowers. I told him I would go to the lake with him yesterday before I knew I was going all the way to Chicago. He waited for me all day. I hope he wasn’t too upset.”

Brian felt bad for lying to her, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to keep Nick and Sarah apart. “Nick’s a pretty easy going guy. I’m sure he understands. Besides, I didn’t really give you much choice in the matter.”

“No you didn’t.” Sarah laughed, “I’ll just tell him I was taken prisoner and pretend it was horrible.”

“Pretend?”

“Well I can’t exactly tell Nick I enjoyed being held hostage all day, now can I?”

Sarah winked playfully at Brian and he was glad he was sitting because he felt his whole body starting to turn to jello beneath him. He forced a smile and tried not to stare like a like an infatuated schoolboy. “All right,” Sarah said stepping back from the Porsche, “I’m sure you have things to do, so I’ll get out of your hair. If you see Nick tell him to call me.”

Brian nodded knowing he would never give Nick the message. “Actually I really don’t have anything-

Brian was interrupted when the front door swung open and he cringed at the booming sound of his father’s voice. “Brian! I’m glad I caught you before you left.”

“Actually I was just on my way out Dad.” Brian said dismally.

He knew his attempts to get out of his dad’s plans would fail. Somehow he always got sucked in. Sarah felt bad for the poor guy and whirled around to face the man approaching Brian’s car. “Hi Mr. Harper.”

“Well hello there Ms. Thompson.” Brian’s father greeted back. “Boy did you grow up into a lovely young woman.”

Sarah blushed from the compliment while Mr. Harper offered her a firm handshake. “But I hear you still inherited your father’s mechanical genius.”

“I don’t know about genius.” Sarah laughed.

Mr. Harper glanced at his watch and then smiled at Sarah. “It’s good to see you again honey. Tell your father hello for me.”

“I’ll do that.” Sarah agreed.

Mr. Harper turned his attention to Brian. “Did Nick tell you about the alumni lunch today?”

“Yeah he did, but I was just going to-

Mr. Harper cut Brian off completely ignoring his response. “We have to get going if we’re going to make it on time.”

Sarah saw all the emotions behind Brian’s eyes that his father seemed oblivious to and immediately understood what her father meant the night before about Brian’s dad being overbearing. She felt bad for Brian and wanted to help. “Actually, Mr. Harper,” she said stepping next to Brian’s car. “Brian and I were just about to take the new car for a test drive.”

Both Mr. Harper and his son stopped bickering and looked at Sarah with wide eyes. They were equally surprised but Brian’s was the only mouth to drop open. His father’s instead curved into a smile. “Really?” he asked with a hint of amusement. He noticed the rose in Sarah’s hand and smiled. “My oldest son is actually spending time with a beautiful young lady?”

“It’s hard to believe, I know.” Sarah laughed glancing down at Brian with a smirk, “But I’m a sucker for fine automobiles and after seeing it yesterday, I absolutely insisted he take me for a drive.”

Mr. Harper’s face lit up. “Why don’t you come with us to the lunch? I bet the guys would get a kick out of you. It’s a nice drive to Ann Arbor and God only knows the last time Brian had a date.”

Brian sat in his car with his heart racing a million miles a minute. He was horrified and humiliated and yet strangely excited at the same time. He had no idea what Sarah was talking about. He wasn’t sure why she was telling his father about plans that didn’t really exist but he wasn’t complaining. He could hardly keep up with the conversation. His face turned bright red when his father mentioned his lack of female companionship and yet that embarrassment felt like nothing compared to the fact that his father was now trying to suck Sarah into the meeting as well; although he had to admit that the day would be a lot less horrible if Sarah were with him. He looked nervously up at Sarah when she laughed at his father’s suggestion. “Thank you Mr. Harper, that’s a very kind offer.” She said making Brian’s heart sink at the polite rejection. “As much fun as it sounds to defend my decision to go to UC San Francisco to a bunch of proud Wolverines over lunch, I don’t know that it’s the most ideal setting for a first date.”

Mr. Harper’s eyes darted back and forth between Sarah, who was smiling angelically at him and Brian, who was now pale and could barely managed a bewildered shrug. “I really had my heart set on going to the Festival of the Sun over in Lansing and today is the last day.” Sarah continued, “Another time though.”

Mr. Harper looked her over curiously one more time and then cracked a smile. “Alright.” He laughed giving in to the young woman.

Mr. Harper escorted Sarah around to the passenger side of the Porsche and helped her into the car with a twinkle in his eyes. “You kids have fun today, but you make sure my son in a gentleman.”

“I’m sure he will be.” Sarah replied.

She tried not to laugh as she looked at Brian. “Shall we?” she asked.

Brian wasted no time backing out of the driveway. Sarah waved goodbye to Mr. Harper as they pulled away. “And just like that, you’re free.” Sarah laughed when she and Brian were safely out of sight from the house.

Brian didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure what to do either. He didn’t know if he was supposed to be driving around he block until his father left or if he should really be driving to Lansing. Sarah giggled when she saw the confusion. “You don’t really have to take me out.” She said, “Unless you want to. I was serious about the festival. I go every year.” Sarah grinned wickedly and laughed, “All kinds of great foods on a stick.”

Brian laughed for the first time since seeing his father. “I was going to ask Nick if he wanted to go.” Sarah continued to explain, “But you said he’s busy all day and I’d still love the company.”

Brian couldn’t believe what had happened. All he had to do was say yes and he would be spending yet another day with the girl of his dreams and this time it was her idea. He’d never been more nervous in his life but he still managed a smile. “You sure you want to want to spend the day with me again?”

“Turned out ok yesterday.” Sarah teased. Then she flashed Brian a brilliant smile. “Besides, I really have been dying to ride in this car since the moment I saw it.”

Brian loved the way Sarah’s face lit up when she was truly excited about something. He was so in love with her smile that he wanted to make sure it stayed where it was. He pulled over and Sarah watched with a confused look as he got out of the car and opened her door. It wasn’t until he dropped the keys in her hand that she understood what he was doing. “I can’t remember how to get to Lansing.” He teased. Maybe you should drive.”

Sarah released a giddy squeal and quickly hopped behind the wheel. Brian made himself comfortable in the passenger seat satisfied with the fact that he could now spend the drive watching Sarah instead of the road.

For most people the drive from Whitmore Lake to Lansing is an easy forty-five minute drive on a fairly busy interstate. Not too much traffic but not a lot of peace either. On a clear summer day as nice as it was, in an antique Porsche with the top down, taking the expressway would have defeated the purpose of the trip. Sarah tingled with excitement all the way from the fingertips that gripped the leather steering wheel to the toes that held down the accelerator as she opted to take the scenic route. The quiet two-lane highway cut gracefully through the wooded Michigan landscape and with the exception of the wild rabbits and curious squirrels poking their heads up every so often to catch a glimpse of the passing strangers, Sarah and Brian were completely alone.

Brian stayed pretty quiet as he enjoyed his unexpected company. He was content simply sitting next to her. Sarah noticed the lack of conversation but the silence was a comfortable one so she relaxed and enjoyed the piece of engineering genius beneath her. The low purr of the engine and the blowing wind were all the conversation she needed. She did however, manage to steal a couple of glances Brian’s direction. The way his body seemed to mold perfectly into his chair made him look more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. And the smile that his mouth pushed up into his eyes causing them to sparkle erased all the wear and tear that the stress of the last year had put on. At that moment Brian seemed like an entirely new man. Sarah had never taken the time to notice him before because she’d always been blinded by Nick, but she decided that, in his own way, Brian was every bit as good looking as his brother when he smiled. She looked at him again and this time he met her gaze. She returned his relaxed grin and said, “You know, that smile is a really good look on you. You should wear it more often.”

Brian smirked. “You keep rescuing me from my father and whisking me off to exotic places and I just might.” He teased.

“I’m serious.” Sarah replied with a lighthearted laugh.

“So am I.”

“Your father didn’t seem all that scary to me.” Sarah chuckled, “And Lansing is hardly exotic.”

“Spend as much time locked up in school as I did last year and even Downtown Detroit starts to look good.”

This time Sarah’s laugh was more forceful than lighthearted. “Wow!” she said, “Your dad was right. You really do need to get out more.”

Brian’s eyes quickly darted back to the road before he had to see the look on Sarah’s face. “So you did hear that completely embarrassing comment my dad made about my nonexistent love life.” He said.

He hoped he sounded like he was joking and he tried his best not to turn red in the face, but the giggle he got from Sarah told him it wasn’t working. “It’s a parents’ duty to humiliate their children whenever they can.” Sarah laughed, “I should know, my father’s an expert. But don’t sweat it, I’m not exactly little miss social either.”

“Yeah right, a girl like you?”

That response was meant to be only a thought but somehow his brain messed up and the words came out before he could stop them. All the nerves Brian had managed to suppress rose to the surface when Sarah peered peculiarly at him. With a gulp he forced himself to elaborate. “I’m sure you had all those California boys fighting over who got to escort you to the parties on Saturday nights.”

Sarah smirked thinking that Lance was always fighting to get her to go out with him on the weekends but that wasn’t quite the same thing. “There may have been one or two.” She admitted with a shrug, “But nothing serious.”

“No boyfriend?”

“No.” Sarah laughed, “No boyfriend.”

Sarah instantly felt stupid for laughing. It made her sound like she thought she would be eternally single. She wanted to get the attention off of her before Brian realized that she was almost as pathetic as he was. She’d been asked out many times in California but hardly ever went on a second date because no one ever measured up to Nick. She knew that was a really unhealthy habit and did not want to have to explain the twisted logic to Brian. She laughed nervously and then with a shake of her head said, “Anyway, what about you? It can’t really be as bad as your father made it sound.”

Brian laughed but Sarah sensed the nervousness behind it and her curiosity was peaked. “Just how long has it been?” she asked.

“Since what?”

“Since you hade a date.” Sarah confirmed.

“Do I get to count yesterday?” Brian asked with a hopeful look.

“Only if you consider kidnapping a date.” Sarah teased.

“That’s not fair. I didn’t MAKE you come with me.”

“After you told me we were going to Chicago, would you have taken me home if I’d asked?”

Brian thought about it for a moment and grinned. “No.” He replied with a smirk.

“Then you can’t count it as a date.”

Brian feigned a pout but the pout turned into a real frown. “Even with you refusing to speak to me for the first five hours, it still went better than my last date did.”

“That’s pretty bad.” Sarah said with a giggle.

“You have no idea.” Brian said trying not to grumble at the memory. “After that I sort of swore off dating forever.”

“Aw you poor baby.” Sarah playfully said in mock sympathy. “And how long ago was that?”

“Long enough that the girl I went out with is getting married this week to a guy she met after our date.”

“Ouch.” Sarah said putting her giggles aside. This was no longer a laughing matter. She sobered herself up and then asked, “She isn’t THE girl, is she?”

“What do you mean? What girl?”

“What girl?” Sarah repeated incredulously, “The one you were telling me about yesterday. The girl you want to spend the rest of your life making happy.”

Brian’s face went pale in the blink of an eye and he felt a hint of moisture begin to condense in the palms of his hands. “Oh.” He choked, “That girl. No. It wasn’t that girl.”

“Well that’s a relief. I would hate for us to have to break up a wedding.” Sarah teased.

Brian forced a smile at Sarah’s kindness but he couldn’t help his thoughts from turning to the fact that his situation was worse. Getting married was one thing, people do it all the time. But Sarah, the love of his life, was in crazy, hopeless love with someone else. Married or not she would never be his. His smile faded fast and he became quiet again the way he had the day before. Sarah offered Brian a genuinely sympathetic smile this time. She was amazed at the way his mood turned at the mere mention of this mystery girl. Whoever she was, she’d obviously done quite a number on his heart. Sarah didn’t want to, but she pitied Brian. He was tormented by love and Sarah of all people knew what that felt like. She studied him for a minute and then became determined to help him forget his heartache. She flashed him a perfect smile and said, “Well I don’t care what happened on your last date. You can’t swear off dating forever so we’ll just have to make sure that this date goes extra well to make up for last time.”

Had Brian been a little older his heart would have given out entirely when Sarah confirmed that what they were on was in deed an actual date. Instead, it merely skipped a beat or two. Brian tried not to read too much into it, but that was a near impossible task. Sarah seemed to be really enjoying herself. Her manner was almost flirtatious even. It was a dream come true and suddenly Brian was overwhelmed with a unique combination of intense excitement and tantalizing fear. Not knowing what to say, he forced one more tense smile and then turned his attention back to the beautiful landscape around him.

Soon enough Sarah and Brian found themselves following a crowd through the streets of Lansing’s historical district toward Burchard Park where the festival was taking place. Brian noticed that many of the people around him were carrying their own beer mugs and they were selling souvenir wine glasses at the entrance to the park. He stopped walking and glanced curiously at the large yellow banner that said; Seventh Annual Festival Of The Sun. “What exactly is the Festival Of The Sun?” he questioned when a man wearing a beer dispensing hat passed him.

Sarah giggled before responding. “Technically it’s a beer and wine tasting festival”

Sarah laughed again at the strange look Brian gave her. “But it’s also has a lot of gourmet foods as well.” She added in her own defense.

“I didn’t realize there was such a thing as a gourmet corndog.” Brian smirked.

“Oh there are definitely some superior corndogs out there.” Sarah said in a serious tone, “But I’m not just talking about hot dogs here. They have all kinds of good stuff.”

Brian studied Sarah for a moment with a smirk on his face; she was definitely one of a kind. Sarah grinned and then grabbed his hand. “You’re gonna love it.” She assured him as she enthusiastically dragged him into the park.

Chapter 15

Sarah dragged Brian all over the place making him try everything from teriyaki ostrich to skewered lamb marinated in a fine merlot. They tasted some of the finest that Poland, Italy, France, China, India and the American Heartland had to offer. Eventually they decided that there was no way they would have room to try everything and Sarah suggested they each try one last thing. “But,” she said, “Let’s make it interesting.”

“You mean eight different kinds of soft cheese on one cracker wasn’t interesting enough for you?”

“Oh, no, that was definitely interesting.” Sarah laughed with a groan as she held her stomach, “But I was thinking we should find out how much we learned about each other. Let’s play a game.”

“What kind of game?” Brian asked with his curiosity peaked.

Sarah grinned. “We split up and each pick out one food that we think the other will like based on everything we’ve tasted so far.”

Brian grinned wickedly. “Too easy.”

Sarah was surprised by Brian’s sudden burst of confidence. “There’s a lot of food out there. You think you can pick the one thing that will make my knees buckle?”

“I know so.” Brian replied

Brian had Sarah so completely intrigued that she was almost flustered. As she stood there trying to figure out where the almost cocky attitude had come from, Brian smiled down at her with a dangerously playful stare. She found it strangely exciting and was shocked when her eyes wandered to his lips. She quickly pulled her gaze back up to his expectant baby blues and shook off the spontaneous urge. She plastered a smirk on her face before Brian could guess her thoughts and matched his playfulness. “If you’re so sure then why don’t we make it really interesting. Whoever gets it more right gets to make the other try whatever they want.”

Brian raised an eyebrow and his smile grew even wider. “You’re on.” He said clasping Sarah’s hand to confirm the bet.

“I hope you like stomach soup.” Sarah teased.

“Not as much as you’re going to like pickled pigs feet.” Brian replied.

“Meet back here in 10 minutes?”

“I only need five.” Brian said confidently and then walked off.
Five minutes later Brian and Sarah found themselves face to face both with their hands behind their backs. “Are you ready for this?” Sarah asked, “I found something I think you are going to absolutely love.”

“You better hope you’re right.” Brian said loving all the playful banter.

“OK, close your eyes.” Sarah ordered.

Brian did as he was told and smiled when Sarah slipped a fork full of crab into his mouth. “Mmm. That’s some good crab.” He said opening his eyes.

“Alaskan king crab.” Sarah specified proudly when Brian was clearly pleased with what he tasted, “Glazed in a tangy lemon sauce.”

“Crab is one of my favorite foods. What made you think to go with it? We have steered clear of all seafood today.” Brian asked impressed by her choice.

“Lucky guess.” Sarah said, “My dad and I came to your house for a dinner party once when I was about 12 and I was terrified when I saw the crab legs in front of me. I remember you mom saying it was all three of her boys’ favorite.”

Brian’s eyes lit up at the memory. “I remember that.” He said with excitement. “Mom noticed that you weren’t eating and told Nick to make you something else. Everyone enjoyed crab that night and you ate peanut butter and jelly.”

Brian laughed again thinking that the story fit Sarah perfectly. “That was forever ago. I can’t believe you remembered that.”

“Of course I remembered that.” Sarah said, “Not only was it the first time I’d ever seen crab legs, but it was the first time I ever really talked to Nick. I was so embarrassed when your mother made a big deal about fixing me something else but Nick was so sweet. He took me in the kitchen and did this whole cooking channel routine as if PBJ were the most sophisticated food ever to exist. He made me laugh and I felt much better after that.”

Sarah laughed and pulled herself from the daydream missing the look on Brian’s face. “Anyway,” she explained, “I remembered the crab thing and hoped it was still your favorite.”

“You were right. It is still one of my favorites and that was some exceptionally good crab.” Brian said trying not to let Sarah’s story dampen his good mood.

“Still feeling that confidante?” Sarah asked.

Brian grinned. “Let’s find out.”

Sarah closed her eyes and Brian pulled a bite size chocolate coated morsel from behind his back. “Open.” He demanded and then placed it in Sarah’s mouth.

A reverent smile crept over Brian’s face as he watched Sarah’s reaction. Her eyes stayed closed as the heavenly dessert melted in her mouth. She chewed slowly as if every second was pure ecstasy and seeing her so full of delight made Brian’s mouth begin to water. He wanted to enjoy the taste of Sarah’s lips. He knew they would be every bit as delicious as the cheesecake Sarah was eating. She was so intoxicating that Brian’s face slowly drew closer and closer to hers until she released a groan that snapped him from his trance. Brian was startled by just how close he’d come to kissing her and quickly stepped back as she said, “Oh, god, you win!”

Sarah finally opened her eyes and was immediately met with a smirk. “How did you know?” she asked almost as if she were accusing him of cheating.

“I haven’t met a woman yet that didn’t have a serious weakness for cheesecake.” Brian laughed.

“Not just cheesecake, but raspberry cheesecake.”

“Dipped in dark chocolate.” Brian added.

“Seriously.” Sarah said studying him suspiciously, “”How did you know?”

“Lucky guess?” Brian teased.

“No way. You knew. How did you know?”

Brian grinned wickedly. “That’s not important.” He laughed, “What’s important is that I won. That means I get to make you eat anything I want.”

Brian snickered when Sarah noticed that he still had one hand behind his back. “You already have something?” Sarah asked.

“I knew I was going to win.” Brian replied.

Sarah tried to keep a straight face as her eyes narrowed at Brian, but despite her best efforts, she burst into laughter. “It’s not really pickled pigs feet, is it?”

“They are considered a delicatessen.”

“Bring it on.” Sarah said mentally preparing herself for the worst.

Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You ready for this?” Brian giggled as he pulled another bite of cheesecake from behind his back.

Sarah nodded. “Ok, try not to get sick on me.” Brian teased.

Sarah squeezed her eyes as tightly as she could and then opened her mouth. Brian gently placed the treat on her tongue. He subconsciously let his hand linger and Sarah’s lips brushed over his fingers as she closed her mouth. While neither of them would admit to the electricity in the touch, neither was in a hurry to pull away. Both of them took a moment to recover from the sensual moment and finally it dawned on Sarah that she had cheesecake in her mouth again. He eyes flew open in shock and Brian burst into laughter. “Pickled pigs feet taste surprisingly like raspberry cheesecake.” Sarah said.

Brian shrugged still amused with himself. “I’m in a good mood.” He said.

“Not that I don’t appreciate it,” Sarah said, “But you could have chosen anything and you went with cheesecake? Where’s the fun in that?”

“Believe me, watching you eat that cheesecake was plenty entertaining.”

Sarah laughed but the tiniest hint of redness still entered her cheeks. “I am a big sucker for a good piece of cheesecake. She said shrugging off the embarrassment. “And it was very nice of you to not make me eat something disgusting.”

“Well I’m a nice guy.” Brian said with a big cheesy grin.

Sarah stood there a moment examining Brian. He really was a nice guy, you could see it in his eyes. True he wasn’t always the best with his words, but Sarah realized that deep down his heart was made of gold. She was truly impressed by him and the way he’d completely changed her opinion of him in a single afternoon. “You’re full of surprises.” She said with a smile that caused Brian to swallow a rising lump in his throat.

Brian suppressed his desire for Sarah that was growing by the minute and forced a smile as he held up a small plate of remaining cheesecake bites. He grinned proudly when Sarah’s eyes grew wide. “I knew raspberry was your favorite but I thought you might like to try all the other flavors too.” He said. “Shall we find a seat and have some dessert?”

Sarah nodded enthusiastically and then took the arm that Brian offered her. They soon found themselves sitting at a table enjoying some live music over cheesecake and sparkling grape juice. “So which one did you like the best?” Sarah asked Brian when they were staring at an empty plate.

“That’s a tough choice.” Brian said, “But I bet you still liked the raspberry swirl the best.”

“So are you going to tell me how you knew that or not?” Sarah asked again.

Brian was powerless to deny Sarah anything she wanted and it was obvious she was dying to know the truth, so he finally broke down and divulged the secret. “Last October I took my car to your fathers shop for a tune up and Dave practically forced me to sit down and eat some cheesecake. He said that even though you weren’t there it wouldn’t be right to not have cheesecake on your birthday. I think he really missed you.”

Sarah sighed but still smiled at the sweet story. “He told me raspberry was your favorite.” Brian said, “He also told me that you usually eat most of it which is why he needed my help to get rid of it.”

“Oh did he?” Sarah replied with a roll of her eyes.

“Yeah. He actually told me lots of good stuff about you.” Brian teased.

“I really don’t think I want to know.” Sarah groaned.

“It’s probably better that way.” Brian agreed.

Brian leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head as he watched the band play. “Is this the part where we get all sluggish and take a nap because we ate too much?” He joked.

Brian closed his eyes as if he really were prepared to fall asleep. Sarah laughed but then looked at the dance floor. She smiled as she watched several couples shuffle around to an unfamiliar country tune. Sarah wasn’t much of a dancer but she’d spent enough time at wedding receptions with her aunt over the last year to learn a basic two-step. She stood up and held her hand out to Brian. “Will you dance with me?” She asked.

Brian’s eyes flew open and he nearly fell out of his chair at the request. “What?” he asked nervously.

“Do you know how to two-step?”

“It’s been a long time.” Brian replied.

“It’s not that hard.” Sarah said, “Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can do it. I’m sure it will come back to you. Come on, we’ve got to work off all that cheesecake somehow.”

Brian stared hesitantly at Sarah’s outstretched hand. He wasn’t nervous about the dancing. With all the dancing lessons he’d had over the years, he danced a lot better than he cared to admit. It was the dancing with Sarah part that had him so scared. He’d nearly kissed her without even realizing it when she was merely eating a piece of cake. He feared that holding her in his arms would prove to be very dangerous and the day was going so well he didn’t want to screw it up now. “I don’t know.” He said slowly.

“Ah, pretty please?” Sarah pouted.

Brian simply couldn’t resist the big doe eyes he was staring into and he let Sarah pull him to his feet. He reluctantly followed her onto the dance floor and she could feel how tense he was when she placed her hand on his shoulder. Even as uncomfortable as he seemed, Sarah was still surprised to feel a slight tremble in his arm when he slid it around her back. Sarah giggled at the amount of space he left between them as he began leading her around the floor. “It’s ok to get a little closer.” She teased, “That’s kind of the point of dancing.”

Sarah stepped deeper into Brian’s embrace and the closer she got to him the more nervous he became. “What’s with all the nerves?” Sarah asked. “You weren’t this nervous yesterday when you were busy dragging me to Chicago.”

Brian forced a smile. “I was terrified of you yesterday.” He admitted truthfully, “Have been ever since too, you just never got close enough to me to notice until now.”

“Well I’m not gong to bite.” Sarah said leaning in just a little more, “So you can relax.”

“I can’t help it. It’s been a long time since I’ve done the two step.”

Sarah was sure that dancing wasn’t the reason for his nervousness as she realized that he was pushing her around the floor as if it were second nature to him. “Where’d you learn how to do this anyway?” she asked impressed.

“My mom taught me a long time ago.”

Brian found the conversation to be a helpful distraction and he started to relax a little. He whirled Sarah around and she fell comfortably into place at his side as they stepped in time with the music. “Nick was always the better student though.” Brian laughed recalling his childhood lessons.

Sarah smiled at the way she fit perfectly tucked into his side. She pulled on his arms forcing him to hold her just a little tighter. “You seem to be doing OK to me.” She whispered.

Sarah couldn’t believe how comfortable she felt with him and Brian couldn’t believe that such a perfect moment could be such torture. The song ended and gracefully merged into a song with a much slower tempo that called for a traditional slow dance. Brian let go of Sarah and she immediately took his hand. “One more.” She said tugging his hand gently. “You were just starting to relax.”

Brian said nothing but didn’t object when Sarah guided his hand to her waist. He was so confused when Sarah threw her arms around his neck. He didn’t want to analyze the situation but Sarah certainly wasn’t acting like someone who was in love with his brother. She was being attentive and affectionate and she was tying his heart into knots. Brian wanted to believe that she wasn’t as infatuated with Nick as she claimed, but every time his named was mentioned Sarah’s eyes glossed over as if she were in some sort of happy dream. And although she seemed to be having a great time, she’d not once looked at Brian in a way that even came close to that.

All Brian could do was tell himself to enjoy the dream while it lasted since he knew his heart was a lost cause either way. Finally he decided it was time to let go of his restraint a little and he pulled Sarah as tightly against him as he’d wanted to all along. He didn’t leave more than an inch between them and he dropped his hands significantly lower around her hips. Sarah was dumbfounded by the sudden one-eighty but she was strangely excited by the obvious sexual tension between them. She looked deep into his eyes trying to figure out what just happened. “Sorry.” Brian said, “I don’t get to dance very often.”

Sarah was thrilled to see him finally get past the shyness and her eyes twinkled with delight as she said, “Well you can call me anytime you feel the need to practice.”

The music may have been slow but Sarah’s brain was running a mile a minute. She rested her head on Brian’s shoulder and worried that she was enjoying the dance a little too much. Brian had arrived in her life so out of the blue and there was no questioning the chemistry between them. Sarah couldn’t deny it, she was just shocked by it. She’d never had eyes for anyone but Nick and now that it looked as if that dream finally had a chance at coming true she found herself in the arms of his big brother. Could her heart be turning? Was that even possible? She pulled her head off of Brian’s shoulder to get another look at the man who was quickly warming his way into her heart. She was unable to tear her eyes from him as she searched her feelings for some sort of answer and for the second time that day her eyes found their way to Brian’s lips. She chewed on her bottom lip as she imagined the feel of Brian’s lips on hers. Her thoughts were painstakingly clear to Brian and he wanted to devour the lips that were miraculously being offered to him, but he didn’t. He knew that he would never recover from the pain such a kiss was sure to leave behind.

To Brian’s relief the song ended and the band announced a fifteen minute break giving him the escape route he needed. He was playing with fire now and when it came down to it he was scared of getting burned. “Thank you for the dance.” Sarah said when it was obvious the moment between them had passed.

Brian offered her a smile trying not to look as ill as he felt. Brian was sending so many mixed signals that Sarah was losing control of her emotions fast. She was so mixed up inside that she feared she was moments away from tears. She politely excused herself to the ladies room needing a serious breather.

Chapter 16

Sarah stood hunched over the counter in the ladies room staring at herself in the mirror. She was desperate to figure out what was going on with her. She was flirting with Brian, almost shamelessly. Not that she was completely foreign to the act of flirting, but she had done all she could to entice him on that dance floor save pulling him to the ground on top of her, and that was very uncharacteristic of her. What confused her the most though, was how disappointed she felt that he didn’t try to make a move. “Nothing!” She vented into the mirror.

“What do you care anyway?” she continued to spout to herself, “You barely know the guy and you’re only here with him because his brother, the one you really wanted to go out with, wasn’t available. What the hell are you thinking?”

Sarah took a calming breath and looked around the bathroom suddenly feeling very lucky that there was no one else in there to witness her crazy emotional outburst. While she was in the bathroom deciding whether or not she liked Brian, Brian made his way back to his seat and kicked himself over the missed opportunity. When Sarah excused herself, the adrenaline left his body leaving him both physically and mentally drained, but his thoughts were still relentlessly eating away at him. He couldn’t figure out what all that was about and it was killing him. He could have sworn she wanted him to kiss her just now but how could that be?

Brian became a nervous wreck as he pondered the possibility of Sarah being even the slightest bit interested in him. Finally he came to the conclusion that he just wanted it so badly that he was just imagining something that wasn’t really there. He resolved then and there that the only thing for him to do was keep his distance as best he could. He couldn’t kiss her, he just couldn’t. The last time he tried it he made her cry. That was an action he didn’t want to repeat. He was so confused by just how well this day was going that he was scared by it. He almost liked it better when she hated him. At least then he knew where he stood. But the way she was acting now? It was all just getting to be too much for Brian and he felt he was doomed for disaster.

Back in the ladies room however, Sarah’s thoughts were running in quite the opposite direction. She was still very confused but instead of going with the whole keeping her distance approach that Brian was going with, she was leaning more towards the whole go for it route. Somewhere in the last two-minute conversation she’d just had with her own reflection, Sarah decided that she couldn’t rule Brian out. She wasn’t ready to give up on Nick entirely, but she’d tried so hard for so long to get over him and no one had ever come close to penetrating those feelings. Not until today. Sarah couldn’t let that go and she decided to be brave and give Brian a chance. Maybe he could be the one to cure her of her Nick sickness. So far so good anyway…

Sarah checked herself in the mirror once more and re-glossed her lips in a sweet watermelon flavor. She suddenly found herself a little nervous to face Brian again and took a deep breath as she exited the bathroom. When she found him, the two of them decided to go for a walk. There were both a great deal more nervous but each was so encased in their own thoughts that they didn’t notice just how quiet they were being. They wandered aimlessly through the festival grounds opting not to risk upsetting their full stomachs by going on the carnival rides. Finally they came across a hayride that would take them on a tour of Lansing’s historical district and they agreed that it sounded relaxing. They climbed up onto the wagon and Sarah was kind of happy to see it so crowded. Now she had an excuse to cuddle up close to Brian. She smiled warmly as she leaned against him giving him no other choice but to drape his arm around her. When he did, she nestled herself as tightly against him as she could, relaxing against his body. “This will be fun.” She said leaning her head back on his shoulder, “I’ve lived in Michigan my whole life and I’ve never actually seen the capitol building.”

Sarah smiled up at Brian and when he looked down their faces were mere inches apart. Brian had to swallow back his nerves. Sarah noticed the gesture and looked at him curiously. “What is it?” she asked.

Brian tried not to panic. What was he supposed to say, that it killed him to finally know what it felt like to hold her? Instead he said the second thing that came to his mind. “You smell good.”

Sarah grinned. “That’s my lip gloss, watermelon, it’s good stuff.” She said and then smirked as she added, “You wanna taste?”

Sarah puckered her lips playfully and Brian’s face went white. His brain screamed, “Oh god more than anything!” so loudly that it could have caused an avalanche in the Himalayas. But he didn’t kiss her. He just couldn’t do it, not when he knew nothing would ever come of it except a lot of sleepless nights dreaming about it. He again reminded himself of his decision to keep his distance and forced a laugh while he nervously ran his free hand through his hair. “Maybe if it were vanilla.” He said hoping she would accept the joke instead of a kiss.

Sarah laughed at his response in an attempt to hide her disappointment. She didn’t understand Brian at all. Sometimes when he looked at her it seemed as if he wanted her desperately. She’d seen that look several times, and yet other times it was like it was painful to be in her company. Sarah’s thoughts drifted to the girl that Brian mentioned before, the one that kept his heart locked away from the world, and she realized that right now she was every guy she’d dated over the past year; all the guys she’d gone out with once that never got a second date because her heart belonged to someone else. She may have decided to try and move on, but Brian obviously hadn’t.

Sarah’s eyes fell to her lap with a tiny sigh. Millions of thoughts went through her head but there was one that kept coming back to her. There was an obvious spark between them. If she couldn’t deny it, then maybe he couldn’t either. She thought, or hoped rather, that he was trying to get over this girl the same way she was trying to get over Nick. Maybe he just needed a little push; he was after all a very shy man. Sarah decided not to give up on him quite yet and attempted to get some conversation going again. She noticed a ring on his finger and casually, yet very much intentionally, picked up his hand in order to get a better look. “Is this your class ring?” she asked.

Brian looked down but his eyes focused on Sarah’s hand instead of the jewelry. “Yeah,” he sighed, “It was a gift from my father. I’m not a big fan, but I think it would hurt his feelings if I didn’t wear it.”

Sarah ran her fingers over the large gem. “I was accepted to U of M.” she admitted.

“Really?” Brian asked, “I thought you said you were going back to San Francisco.”

“Yeah, well that was the final verdict.” Sarah replied, “”UCSF is a great school too.”

Sarah quit fiddling with Brian’s ring and laced her fingers through his before letting their hands fall to his lap together. Brian stared down at their interlocked fingers. He may have imagined her wanting him to kiss her, but he certainly wasn’t imagining her holding his hand. The feeling was indescribable and no matter how much he told himself he wasn’t going to give in to his weakness, he was starting to crack. She was definitely not making things easy for him. He forced himself to concentrate. He cleared his throat before he spoke fearing that his nerves were going to make him sound like a fifteen-year-old suffering from puberty. “What made you decide to go with San Francisco?” he finally asked. “Don’t you miss it here? Don’t you miss your dad?”

Sarah released a heavy sigh. “It wasn’t an easy decision. I love Michigan and it will always be home, but my life is in California now. San Francisco turned out to be my escape. I just never knew how badly I needed to get out until I got there.”

Brian frowned at yet another reason to not get close to Sarah. It nearly killed him the first tie she’d disappeared from his life. The second tie was sure to be fatal. He couldn’t blame her for going though. “You’re lucky to have that opportunity.” He said, “Some of us will be stuck here forever.”

“That’s not true.” Sarah chided, “You could get out if you wanted.

“I don’t think so.” Brian said with an astringent laugh.

Sarah sat up and turned so that she could face Brian. Her heart broke at the sound of his defeated voice. He seemed to have it all together on the outside but when you looked into his eyes he was lost. “Brian.” She said in a soft pleading voice, “You’re 21 years old. You just graduated college. Your entire life is ahead of you. You can do whatever you want with it.”

“You don’t know my father.”
“You’re a grown man Brian. Your father can’t control you unless you let him. Maybe you should think about leaving too. Sounds like it’d be good for you.”

“What? You mean just up and go to California like you did?” Brian replied incredulously.

“Or wherever.” Sarah said with a gentle laugh. “Although if you came to San Francisco you would have someone to show you around.”

Sarah watched Brian carefully as he imagined a life far from Whitmore Lake. She smiled thinking about how much fun it could be to have Brian in California but Brian ruined that fantasy when he shook his head forcefully. “I couldn’t do that.” He said attempting to convince himself more than Sarah.

“Come on, you’re a Harper. You probably walked away from college with several job offers and glowing recommendations from the entire U of M staff. And knowing your family, there is probably a nice little trust fund somewhere with your name on it, so if you can’t get out of here it’s because you don’t want to.”

Brian was taken aback by Sarah’s reproach and he hated how right she was. “What’s holding you back?” Sarah asked sympathetically.

Brian had always dreamt of escaping his home but the truth was, he could if he wanted to, he was just scared. Something was holding him back. “It’s Nick.” He finally answered.

Sarah let out a single laugh and Brian wondered what was so funny about that. “It seems your brother is the key to both our fates.” She joked, “We both seriously need to let him go.”

“But I can’t do that.” Brian said.

“Join the club.” Sarah laughed bitterly.

Brian and Sarah both slumped back against the wagon and fell into silence as they rode through the rows of beautiful old buildings. Neither of them spoke again until they passed the capitol. “There you go.” Brian said, “Now you’ve seen it. Not that exciting, huh?”

“We both know what my issue is with Nick, but what’s your story?” Sarah asked completely ignoring Brian’s remark about their state’s capitol building.

Brian sighed. “He’s always been a bit of a pain in my butt, but I still love him. I can’t just abandon him. He’s so carefree and whimsical all the time. He’s kind of a free spirit, but it makes him sensitive. Without me there to block for him, my father would destroy him.”
“The way he’s destroying you?”

Brian’s heart sank deep into his stomach. He was unable to deny the accusation so he starred down at his lap too ashamed to even look Sarah in the eyes. Sarah hated to be the one to break the bad news, but Brian needed a wake up call. “When’s the last time you did anything for yourself?” she asked.

“Well there’s the business that Nick and I are starting.”

“And did you do that for you? Or did you do it for Nick?”

Brian frowned. “I’m doing it for both of us. I may never make much of a difference in the world and Nick isn’t exactly the most ideal partner, I’m sure I’ll always end up doing most of the work, but at least it gets our father off our backs.”

Sarah gave Brian a very unsatisfied look. “It’s not all bad.” Brian said defending himself. “At least its cars, nice ones. I’m as big a sucker for cars as you are for cheesecake.”

“Yeah but cheesecake, even raspberry cheesecake, isn’t enough to make me happy. This is your life you’re talking about here. Are you sure this is really what you want?”

“I don’t not want it.” Brian shrugged. “The job doesn’t really matter to me as long as I don’t have someone standing over my shoulder telling me how to live my life.”

“If you say so.” Sarah sighed, “But even still, that won’t be enough to make you happy. You’ve got to put yourself out there again. And by that I mean no more swearing off dating.”

Sarah settled comfortably back against Brian’s shoulder and with a smirk, gave him a little nudge. “You’re not as bad at it as you think.” She said.

Brian was relieved to hear the playfulness in Sarah’s voice and was grateful for the return of the lighter mood. “Oh no?” he teased back as he wrapped his arm around her again.

After happily adjusting to his grip, Sarah grinned up at Brian and said, “You’re almost as charming as your brother.”

“Almost.” Brian repeated sarcastically.

“He’s had more practice.”

“You’re biased.”

“Maybe.” Sarah chuckled.

At the risk of getting an answer he really didn’t want to hear, Brian decided to ask a question that had been plaguing him for years. He had to know Sarah’s true feelings. “What is it about Nick that you love so much?” he asked.

Sarah became quiet as she pondered her answer. It was a question she’d asked herself many times over. “I’m not sure really.” She said, “To be honest I hardly know him. I’ve probably spent more time with you in the last day and a half than I have with him my whole life.”

“Then how does he have such a hold on your heart?”

That glossy, love struck look returned to Sarah’s eyes and her smile turned from fun to almost sad and distant. “It’s just a feeling I get when I see him. I get so nervous and my heart goes thump, thump until it’s in my stomach.”

Brian smiled through his disappointment; that answered that question. “I’ve tired to get over him.” Sarah continued, “Loving him is kind of like a crutch that keeps me from living my life, ya know? At one point last year I thought I’d actually managed to forget him. But then I came home and he was there, suddenly back in my life. Then when we danced it was like nothing I’ve ever felt before and in a flash I was back at square one.”

“I know the feeling.” Brian mumbled.

Brian was in the middle of the best date he’d ever been on and the girl of his dreams was snuggled peacefully at his side holding his hand tightly in hers and yet after their conversation he felt that Hell itself would have been kinder to him. He was so relieved when the ride came to an end because he was simply tired of the torture. Luckily for him they had already seen everything there was to see and after walking back through the park they decided to head back home.

As they made the drive back to town Sarah knew why Brian was so quiet. She knew what it meant to be tortured by love and she wanted to help him get over it as much as she wanted to conquer it herself. “I’m not the only one who’s being held back by love am I?” she said when she couldn’t stand to watch him suffer anymore. Brian cringed at the question but Sarah didn’t let up. “If you really do love someone that much, then you have to do something about it. You have to tell this girl how you feel.”

“Wouldn’t do me any good.” Brian replied coldly.

“How do you know if you’ve never tried?”

“The girl I love is in love with someone else.” Brian sighed, “You know the way you feel about Nick? If someone told you that’s how they felt about you, would it make a difference? I mean just look at me. There’s no other girl in the world that could erase my feelings.”

“If that’s true then maybe it’s time to just forget this girl and move on.”

“Like you’ve moved on from Nick?”

Brian’s confession struck pain in Sarah’s heart. The first glimmer of hope in overcoming her heartache was officially gone and she suddenly felt sick. “I guess we’re both a lost cause.” She said pushing back the threat of tears.

Chapter 17

The drive home was a dismal one and Brian and Sarah shared the doom and gloom atmosphere, feeding off of one another’s heartache. Never before was there such a sight to see. The two of them coming home from the best date either had in years, possibly ever, and they both seemed to think the world was going to end because of it. Neither were in much of a talking mood as Brian pulled the Porsche into the driveway. But, always the gentleman, Brian thanked Sarah for the wonderful day as he walked her to her car. Sarah leaned against the driver’s side door prolonging her exit as long as she could and forced one last sad smile. “No, thank you.” She said, shyly glancing at her feet. “I had a great time.”

Brian managed a weak smile, “Today was a good day.” He agreed.

“Almost perfect.” Sarah muttered under her breath.

Neither of them moved an inch. They both stood there waiting for the other to shatter the stillness, both wanting the same thing, the kiss that would slap the title of perfection onto their first date. But, as much as the words that so desperately needed to be spoken went unsaid, the kiss stayed just a thought in the front of their minds. Sarah pulled her eyes up to meet Brian’s and when they locked with his, his lips parted to let in a sharp intake of nervous breath. Logic and reasoning no longer had any hold over him and he moved ever so slightly forward. This time the look in his eyes was unmistakably desire, and anticipating the feel of his lips, Sarah’s eyes fluttered shut.

As fate would have it, one kiss would have been enough for Brian and Sarah to realize that they were meant to be together, but Nick’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect, or disastrous depending on how you look at it. The sound of squealing tires and a booming bass caused Brian to jump back a good two feet and that was the end of Sarah and Brian’s date. They both knew it and shrugged awkward glances at one another as Nick found his way over to them.

Nick eyed the couple suspiciously and then after sending a split second of the iciest glare he was capable of Brian’s direction, he greeted Sarah with a dashing smile. “I’ve missed you.” He said sliding his arm around her waist.

Nick planted a soft kiss on Sarah’s cheek that sent a chill up her spine. Brian noticed her shiver and felt like he was going to be sick when he watched Sarah’s eyes gloss over the way they had so many times before. Sarah noticed the change of color in Brian’s face. “Brian?” She said feeling truly concerned, “Are you feeling ok?”

“Yeah Bri, you’re looking kind of pale.” Nick agreed.

“I’m ok.” Brian said with a shake of his head. “But I’m gonna go. I’ll talk to you guys later.”

“Later man.” Nick called as Brian made his way into the house.

Sarah watched with worry as he went away. He really didn’t look good when he left and after the day they’d had she hoped he wasn’t getting sick from something he ate. Her attention wasn’t pulled from Brian until Nick demanded it. “I can’t believe I’ve had to wait almost two full days to spend some time with you.”

“Huh?” Sarah said when she realized she hadn’t been listening to him.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the other night. Why don’t we go out to the lake or something where we can talk.”

Sarah was torn. Part of her wanted to go inside and make sure that Brian was alright, part of her wanted to go out to the lake with Nick and part of her was too exhausted to do either. The light was just beginning to fade into the evening but the added emotional stress the day had brought was taking its toll and Sarah just wanted to go relax. “That sounds great Nick.” She said sweetly, “But I’ve had a really long day. I don’t know that I’m up for a trip to the lake.”

Nick pouted expertly at the rejection. “Ok.” He said as if she’d broken his heart. “We’ll forget the lake. But now that I have you I can’t let you go quite yet. Fifteen minutes? We won’t go anywhere, just talk.”

Sarah was tired and had a lot on her mind but she could spare fifteen minutes, especially for Nick. However she had a sneaking feeling that talking to Nick would only add more weight to her already heavy heart. “Fifteen minutes won’t kill me.” She said causing Nick to grin with delight.

Nick’s face perked up and he opened the passenger door to the Corvette. “Step into my office.” He joked.

Sarah laughed as she sank deep into the smooth leather seat and Nick joined her in the car. “So what would you like to talk about?” Sarah asked.

********

After surrendering his love to his brother, Brian had stormed into the house and headed straight for his room where he slammed his door out of frustration just like an angry child. But he didn’t stay put long, he just couldn’t sit still. His brother was downstairs shattering all his dreams and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it, or would do anyway. He began to pace his room and as he passed the window he peered down into the driveway. The image of Nick helping Sarah into his car was too much for Brian to stand. He was suddenly desperate for some air and just as Nick sat down in his car, Brian came out of the house, mustered whatever smile he could as he passed and then drove off. “He really didn’t look very good.” Sarah said as she watched him drive away. “I hope he’s ok.”

Nick laughed, “I wouldn’t worry about him too much. That’s just Brian, always grumpy. The poor guy doesn’t know how to relax.”

“Aw, that’s not true. He and I had a great time today. He wasn’t grumpy at all. He may have been a bit nervous, but it was probably just first date jitters. ”

Nick tried to hide his look of surprise but the shock was too great. “You were with Brian today?” He gasped, “He asked you on a date?”

Sarah laughed, “Well not exactly, it just sort of happened.”

Nick waited for further explanation because his brain was never going to be able to make any sense of this without one. “I came over to invite you to go to this festival with me, but I missed you and Brian said you were going to be gone all day so I asked him to come with me.” Sarah said. “Rescued him actually.” She added with a laugh, “You father was trying to make him go to some boring school thing.”

Nick couldn’t believe what Sarah was telling him. Just what exactly was his brother up to? Brian had left the house long before he did that morning which meant he’d lied to Sarah. And then he went out with her when he knew Nick was interested. Brian may have been a lot of things, but a liar and a betrayer? That was new even for him. Nick was hurt and he felt angry but he didn’t lose control of his emotions, he would save those for Brian. Ultimately no harm had been done though, Sarah was here with him now and he focused on his original goal. He smiled perfectly as if nothing was bothering him. “That was very nice of you.” He said, “But now it’s my turn to be rescued.”

“What could you possibly need to be rescued from?” Sarah laughed.

“Myself.” Nick answered.

“Yourself?”

“Yes. I’m driving myself crazy and I need you to put my heart to rest.”

Sarah laughed at the dramatic line that Nick managed to deliver with a completely straight face. “How could I put your heart to rest if you’re the one driving you crazy? Wouldn’t that mean YOU need to put your heart to rest?”

“But I’m driving myself crazy over you! I can’t stop thinking about you. I mean god, look at you. Before you left you were so…” Nick searched for the right word, but when he couldn’t come up with one he simply kept going. “You’re not so shy anymore and you’re so beautiful now. It’s like you’re this totally new person and I think I might be falling for you.”

Sarah wanted to burst into laughter but Nick seemed so serious that laughing would have been rude. His words were definitely romantic and charming, and they were the words that Sarah’d wanted to hear him say all her life. But now that he’d said them, they just sounded ridiculous. In that moment Sarah’s eyes were opened and she saw Nick without the glossy haze that used to distort her vision. When she looked closely she realized that Nick was not the one for her and her heart was finally set free. She saw things so clearly now that she had a hard time understanding how she could have been so fooled. She smiled very sincerely at Nick. She didn’t want to hurt him. Nick was a very passionate person which would make the pain of rejection that much more intense. “Nick.” She said as gently as she could, “You are a great person. You’ve always been kind to me. You’re passionate and funny and extremely gorgeous.”

Nick smiled at the compliment, but he could feel the rejection in Sarah’s tone of voice. Sarah returned the smile and then continued on with her speech. “But Nick you can’t be falling for me. You barely know me.”

“Then give me a chance to get to know you.”

“You’ve had eighteen years to get to know me.” Sarah said sadly. “I’m still the same girl I always was. And as much as I’ve always wanted this to happen, the truth is, I’m not the girl for you.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I know you Nick. I’ve watched you all my life.” Sarah said and then smirked. “He was right all along.” She laughed under her breath.

“Who was right?” Nick said confused.

Sarah laughed again. “Nick, you’re fine dining and expensive suits. I’m more like K-mart and a carburetor.”

As Sarah repeated the words that had been so offensive to her just days before, she pictured the look on Brian’s face as he said them and it made her smile. He wasn’t trying to be mean, he was just trying to make her see. He was trying to help her. He understood her. Once again Brian had surprised her and suddenly she wished it was him sitting next to her instead of Nick.

Nick was surprised as much as he was disappointed. Sarah saw his saddened expression and leaned over the center console to place a kiss on his cheek. “You need a girl who is going to spend an extra hour in the bathroom just to make sure she looks extra good for you.” She explained. “A girl who’s afraid of bugs and will call you when she’s stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire. You’re a knight in shining armor Nick. You need a damsel.”

Nick listened carefully to everything Sarah said the girl she was describing matched Deanna perfectly. Nick hated that Deanna was late all time and it was always because she took too long “getting ready”, but she did always look like an angel. And she definitely had that damsel in distress act down. She always seemed to need him for something and not just stupid little things like killing bugs. She needed him on a deeper level and that was something that he loved about her. A dreamy smile crept over Nick’s face. Sarah was relieved to see it but she was intrigued. “I know that look.” She laughed.

“What look?” Nick asked.

“Why are you sitting here with me when there is someone else that can make you smile like that?”

Nick couldn’t think of an answer for that question. Even with Sarah right in front of him his thoughts had quickly turned to Deanna. He pictured her walking down the isle in the dress she’d made such a fuss over, upstaging the bride with her beauty, and suddenly whished he was there to see it. After all the headaches this wedding had caused him over the last few weeks, he couldn’t believe that he was sad he wasn’t going to see it. “You’re right.” He finally said still amazed by his own feelings. “This isn’t where I should be right now.”

“Me either.” Sarah said.

Nick and Sarah exchanged understanding looks and then got out of the car. Sarah headed to her car but before she got in it Nick stopped her. “Sarah?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. You did rescue me, just not the way I expected.”

“I know the feeling.” Sarah laughed.

Nick stood on the driveway waving until Sarah was gone and then he went inside to find a New York florist and make an overdue phone call.

Sarah went home to call Lance. She was excited to tell him of her newfound freedom. “Are you coming home to me?” He greeted instead of saying hello.

“I’m afraid I have even better news than that.” Sarah laughed.

“There is no better news than that.” Lance whined, “Seriously Sarah, it’s been three days and I’m completely miserable. Come home and play with me.”

“I’m over him!” Sarah announced proudly. “Eighteen years and I’m finally over him!”

“No more Nick Harper?” Lance repeated just to make sure he’d heard right, though he was sure he hadn’t.

“No more Nick Harper.” Sarah confirmed. “And it’s ok. You know, I don’t even feel bad.”

Lance was still skeptical. All he’d heard for the last year as far as Sarah and boys were concerned was Nick Harper this and Nick Harper that. How could she go home and just be over him? “Details.” Lance demanded. “I want every single detail and then I’ll tell you if you’re over him or not.”

Sarah laughed again and Began from where her last phone call had ended, which meant starting with the Chicago trip. She was in such a good mood that her body was restless from excitement and she paced around her house as she explained in great detail everything that had happened. He father eavesdropped from behind his book as best he could and couldn’t help but laugh at his crazy teenage daughter. He was really glad to see her like this though and he silently rejoiced when he overheard her talking about her and Nick’s most recent conversation. As Sarah aimlessly wandered about the kitchen she looked up to catch a glimpse of her father’s smirk and blushed fiercely. “I’m proud of you sweetheart.” He laughed.

“Dad!” Sarah whined and then stepped out onto the front porch where she would have a little more privacy.

“I’m finally free.” She said as she finished her story.

She listened very impatiently to the silence on the other end of the line. “Lance!” she called, “What do you think? This is good right?”

Finally Lance gave his opinion of the situation. “Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!” He sighed. “You are over Nick.”

“But?” Sarah added sarcastically.

“You are not free.”

“What do you mean? I’m not in love with Nick Harper anymore! Of course I’m free.”

“No.” Lance insisted, “You’re still just as much in love as you always were, you’ve just switched from one Harper to the other.”

“What?” Sarah laughed.

“Sarah and Brian sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Lance sung obnoxiously.

“You’re so immature.” Sarah groaned. “And besides, there was definitely no kissing.”

“She said in utter disappointment.” Lance teased, “See! You love him.”

“I hardly know him.”

“So, you want him like a fat man wants twinkies.”

“Oh that’s nice Lance. I don’t even know why I bother calling you.”

“Because you love me too.”

“Lord only knows why!” Sarah laughed.

“Cause you always want what you can’t have.” Lance smirked.

Sarah finally gave up and laughed at Lance’s corny humor but the laugh was followed by a sigh. He had no idea how true that was. “OK.” She said, “Let’s just say I did like Brian, a tiny, tiny bit.”

“Which you do.”

“Ok maybe I do.” Sarah snapped, “A little. It doesn’t matter because I can’t even go there.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s in love with some mystery girl. You should hear the way he talks about her. And the look he gets in his eyes. He’s like I was with Nick but like a thousand times worse. I can’t compete with that.”

“Nope. You’re right, you’re screwed.” Lance chuckled.

“Lance!” Sarah whined again, “Help me here! You have to tell me what to do!”

“I already told you.”

“What?”

“Come home and play with me. What do those Harper boys have that I don’t?”

“A Y chromosome.” Sarah laughed.

“Ha Ha.” Lance pouted. “I’m serious. Come home. I can’t survive without you.”

“I’m serious too! I really need your advice.”

Lance sighed. “OK, you want my advice?”

“Please!”

“Kiss the hell out of him.”

“What?”

“You said he almost kissed you today.”

“Yeah?”

“Well then maybe he’s trying to get over this girl. So give him the chance. Tell him you like him and then kiss the hell out of him. If he doesn’t automatically fall to his knees and declare his love for you then he’s crazy and he doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

There was no more hint of play in Lance’s voice and his kind words put Sarah’s heart to rest. “It’s worth a shot.” She said.

“Just promise me that when you guys get married you’ll move to California.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Well then in that case good luck sweetie. Go get him.”

Sarah chuckled lightly one more time and then said, “Thanks Lance,” as she hung up the phone. “I have to go for a little bit Dad! I won’t be late.” She called into the house.

“Take your time Pumpkin.” Mr. Thompson laughed suddenly appearing at the front door.

“Dad!” Sarah yelled making her father laugh even harder.

“Good luck Honey.” He said as Sarah jumped into her car.

Chapter 18

The few short blocks to Brian’s house felt like an eternity to Sarah. Her heart was pumping her blood through her body so fast she felt as if she would explode at any moment. Sarah had never done anything like what she was planning on doing right now. In fact the closest she’d ever come to it was the night before she’d left for California and the results of that had been devastating. She couldn’t believe she was about to do it again. She was a little more confidant this time but still, the longer it took her to just get it over with the more she was likely to chicken out all together.

Sarah reached the Harper house and leapt from her car before she had a chance to hesitate. She ran to the door so fast that she didn’t realize Brian’s car hadn’t returned. She knocked on the door and barely had the time to take a deep breath before Nick answered it. “Sarah!” he said in pleasant surprise as he pulled a cell phone away from his ear. “You’re back!”

“Yeah.” She said blushing, “I’m looking for Brian.”

“Brian?” Nick repeated sounding surprised yet again. “I don’t think he ever came back.”

“Any idea where he went?”

“Who knows.” Nick shrugged.

Sarah frowned and all of the momentum she’d built up was now gone. “OK, thanks anyway.” She sighed.

Sarah turned to leave but then stopped. She eyed the cell phone in Nick’s hand and smiled with excitement. Pointing to the phone, she mouthed the phrase, “Is that her?”

Nick nodded his head with a proud grin and laughed when Sarah whispered, “Good for you.”

They waved goodbye and when Sarah left she realized how upset she was. She slowly made the drive home which gave her plenty of time to rethink Lance’s crazy plan and the severe let down that was sure to follow. Her triumphant moment was all but defeated as she pulled into her driveway and one or two tears of confusion escaped her eyes.

Across town Brian stood on the banks of Whitmore Lake skipping rocks across the otherwise still water. He’d ended up there because that’s where Sarah said she always found her peace, but to Brian the solitude only made the screaming thoughts in his head sound louder. The longer he stood there the worse he felt. He didn’t know how long he’d been there but the sun was only a glow above the horizon now and all the “peace” of the beautiful sunset and the quiet lake didn’t seem to help at all.

Brian had moved one step beyond the disappointment of Sarah and Nick because that was a pain he was used to dealing with after all these years. Right now he was more angry with himself for being too scared to control his own destiny. He’d put up with so much for so long that now he just gave way instantly. His whole life was about to fall apart and he was too weak to stop it. Sarah was right, he had been destroyed and it felt a great deal worse now that he’d realized it had happened. He picked up another rock and instead of aimlessly skipping it across the lake, hurled it as far as he could causing a faint splash in the middle of the lake.

Brian was so angry that tears welled up in his eyes but he quickly batted them away when he heard the sound of a car pull into the small parking lot behind him. He whirled around and instantly recognized the car to be Sarah’s. “That’s just great.” He grumbled up to the sky thinking he’d already seen enough of the happy couple to last a lifetime.

He was shocked when Sarah was the only one to step out of the car. She smiled as she walked toward him and Brian double checked to make sure she was really alone. “Sarah?” he asked as confusion replaced his anger. “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you it looks like.” Sarah replied a little anxiously. “It’s been a long day and I needed some air.”

“Yeah me too.” Brian confessed.

Sarah couldn’t believe her luck. She’d sat in her driveway for a good five minutes unable to actually go inside the house, probably because she knew her curious father would drill her the moment she did. So instead she came out to the lake hoping to relax a bit. When she’d driven up and seen Brian’s new car in the parking lot she nearly cried tears of relief. She told herself that this was the chance to do what she set out to do but when she saw him standing there so completely upset she didn’t know if she could go through with it. She smiled a smile that showed a hint of all the different emotions she was feeling and held out a nervous hand as she said, “Well we started the day together, maybe we should finish it together.”

Brian stared down at her hand and gulped as he shyly accepted it. They walked down the short beach to the water’s edge and stared at the tiny ripples in silence. Sarah was the first to break it with a sigh and then she whispered his name. “Brian?” she asked.

“Yeah?” He replied in a voice equally as soft.

“Is everything ok? You seem really upset about something.”

Brian released a desperate sigh. “You were right about me.” He answered faintly, “I don’t live my life. I’m suffocating here and if I don’t get out, what you said to me earlier will come true. My father, Nick, my job… everything! It’ll destroy me.”

Brian steadied his faltering voice and muttered, “If it hasn’t already.”

Sarah’s eyes closed and she took in a deep breath to fight off the tears she wanted to cry for him. If she could have ripped out her own heart to replace his broken one she would have. “Brian?” she whispered again.

“Yeah?”

Sarah looked up at Brian and the moment their eyes locked she reached up and cupped Brian’s face in her hands. Her soft loving touch tingled his soul and before he knew it her lips were on his. Brian pressed his eyes tightly shut afraid of the moisture that was gathering in them. The shaking of his knees was the only thing that moved at first as his body adjusted to the blissful shock. But when he recovered, his arms found their way around Sarah and he pulled her against him lifting her onto her toes to deepen the kiss. Sarah responded by turning her sweet kiss into a passionate one and the energy from it gave Brian the strength he’d been looking for all his life. When they finally pulled away Sarah smiled meekly up at Brian with crimson cheeks. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.” She said still trying to catch her breath.

Brian was unable to speak but he mindlessly nodded his head as he fought to regain control of himself. This was where the feelings of insecurity swept through Sarah like a dessert sand storm and the only thing she could bring herself to look at was her own feet. “I just… Look…” she stammered trying to find an explanation for her actions. “I’ve been avoiding relationships my whole life, refusing to let people get close to me because I couldn’t get past my feelings for Nick.”

Brian just let Sarah ramble nervously as he watched her with a dreamy smile. “And I know you have a lot going on right now,” She continued, “So I understand if you don’t want me, but you’re the first person to ever break the barrier so I just had to make sure.”

Brian’s silence made Sarah’s stomach churn and she braced herself for the, “it’s not you, it me” speech. Brian couldn’t believe that of the two of them, Sarah seemed to be the insecure nervous wreck. Her eyes were fixed permanently on the ground and Brian could tell that she was fighting a tremble in her body. He was only quiet because he was sure that if he said something he would wake from this dream. Placing a finger under her chin Brian raised her face to his. Sarah held her breath as she looked into his eyes and he ran the back of his hand delicately over her cheek before placing another soft sweet kiss on her lips.

When Brian pulled back he gave Sarah a smile that said she didn’t have to worry. Sarah’s look of fear vanished and she broke into a smile. She threw her arms around Brian and buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Oh god Brian.” She whispered in a half laugh, half cry, “I can’t believe this.”

Brian held her tightly and learned what his life should feel like and could feel like all the time. Now that he knew what true happiness was, there was no way he was going to let anyone take it from him. “I have to get out of here.” He said, “I have to leave Whitmore Lake and I want you to come with me.”

“What?” Sarah gasped.

“California sounds really good right about now.” Brian said, “So let’s go. We can take a week or two and make a road trip out of it.”

“When?” Sarah asked getting excited by the thought of escaping with Brian.

“Why not right now? Just pack a bag, throw it in the car and take off. Let’s just get out of here and leave all the crap behind us, just you and me on the open road with the top down, maybe Mount Rushmore?”

The more Brian spoke the more he became giddy at the idea and the more Sarah realized just how badly he needed it, but she couldn’t hold back her laughter. “We couldn’t leave tonight Brian.”

“Why not?”

“Well for starters,” Sarah laughed, “That pretty little car of your still has a busted head gasket. We’d probably get as far as Nebraska and find ourselves stranded.”

“So we spend a couple extra days in the middle of nowhere. It could be an adventure.”

Sarah looked at Brian unconvinced and he grinned wickedly, “I’m sure we could find some way to occupy our time.” He said playfully tightening his hold on her.

Sarah’s eyes nearly popped out of her head and she jump back blushing fiercely at the insinuation. Brian’s smirk spread widely across his face and his eyes sparkled with a hint of the devil in them. “There’s probably a large ball of twine we could go see or something.” He teased.

Sarah swatted Brian playfully feeling embarrassed by what Brian knew she was thinking and Brian laughed forcefully. He pulled Sarah back into his arms and looked down at her with big pouty blue eyes. “Please?” he begged, “If I don’t do it now, someone will talk me out of it for sure. I need this…”

“Alright.” Sarah caved, “But can we at least wait ‘till morning? It will take me at least that long to explain to my father why I’m leaving less than a week after I got back.”

“And it will take even longer to convince him that you’ll keep your hands to yourself on the way there.” She added with a chuckle.

Brian frowned, “Who said I was gonna?”

“Brian!” Sarah laughed with another playful swat.

“I’m only kidding.” Brian chuckled.

When Sarah stepped back and eyed him defiantly he threw his hands in the air as if he were on the wrong side of a stick-up. “I swear.” He laughed, “”I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

Sarah crossed her arms and sized Brian up curiously. She didn’t question his intentions. She knew he would be a gentleman. She knew her father would trust him too; she was just giving him a hard time. Finally she frowned. “I hope not too much of a gentleman.” She teased, “That would make for kind of a boring trip don’t ya think?”

Brian burst into laughter and then pulled Sarah in for a playfully lustful kiss, but he couldn’t hold it long because Sarah couldn’t keep a straight face. Her giggling made him laugh and he had to let her go. He looked at her funny and she shrugged. “I’m sorry.” Sarah said, “This is just all so strange. I never would have imagined that you and I would…” The redness returned to Sarah’s face, “Well that things would end up like this.”

“Believe me neither did I.” Brian said becoming serious again, “But I’m not complaining.”

“Me either.” Sarah said shyly, “In fact it’s quite the contrary, I can’t believe how happy I am right now.”

Brian’s heart jumped in his chest to think that he, not his ever so charming, gorgeous younger brother, but him, plain old, quiet, boring Brian, could be the man that made Sarah happy. Happy couldn’t even begin to cover how he felt right now. He wanted to stand there holding her forever but he knew he couldn’t so he smiled and somehow managed to let her go. “We should probably get going.” He said, “Got a lot to do if we’re really going to leave in the morning.”

Sarah tugged on Brian’s hand. She’d just found him and wasn’t ready to let him go quite yet. “Can we just stay a little longer?” she asked.

Brian grinned from ear to ear. He found a comfy spot on the ground to sit and pulled Sarah into his arms and suddenly he understood why Sarah found the lake so peaceful.

Chapter 19


Sarah woke the next morning having slept better than she had in ages. Things between her and Brian happened so fast that as she made her way downstairs in the direction of the cold cereal, her head was only now starting to spin. Sarah had been so lovesick over Nick for so long that finally being able to have romantic feelings for someone other than him was a relief in itself. But to have those feelings returned was better than she could have hoped for and Sarah was overwhelmed by it all.

She’d only spent another twenty minutes or so at the lake with Brian before deciding that she’d better get home to begin the process of explaining everything to her father. She was ready for the task though. She’d spent those twenty minutes telling Brian about San Francisco and how much it was going to be good for him. By the time she got home she was so charged up for the trip that her father couldn’t have stopped her even if he’d tried, which surprisingly he didn’t.

One look from Sarah when she got home was all it took for Mr. Thompson to know that things had gone well, extremely well. Sarah was glowing in a way he’d never seen before. Mr. Thompson playfully pried for the details as he always did, but nearly fell out of his chair when Sarah offered them up freely. She was walking on so much air that she happily told him everything that had happened. When she told him that Brian asked her to go to California with him he was shocked, but not in the way you’d think a father would be. He was surprised that Brian finally had the courage to do what so desperately needed to be done. The fact that Sarah had been the one to give him that courage only confirmed what Mr. Thompson had always suspected. Brian Harper was in love with his daughter. And as scary as it was to know someone felt that way about his baby girl, he couldn’t think of anyone more suited for her than Brian.

When Sarah confessed her plan and shyly asked not for his permission, but for his blessing, his eyes misted over. In that moment he didn’t see his baby girl, but a beautiful young woman who was finally ready to experience her adult life. He had no choice really, though he hated to see her go, but to wish her luck and send her on her way. When he pulled her into his arms and told her to have fun, be safe, and call every fifteen minutes, she laughed through tears of joy. All of her stress, all of her heartache, it was all gone. She went to sleep on the clouds that night and it wasn’t until morning that it all started to catch up with her.

As she sipped on a glass of juice she started to really think about what had happened last night. She realized that even though she’s known him her whole life, Brian was practically a stranger. There was no denying that his kisses were desirable and being held in his arms just felt so right, but was she ready to trust him with her heart? Less than 24 hours ago he told her that his heart was a lost cause and that no one would ever be able to change that. If that were the case, then why did he kiss her? And why would he ask her to take this trip with him?

Sarah began second guessing herself because Brian was still such a mystery to her. Then she realized that her father had been very quick to agree with her and she found that just as strange. Over the years her dad had spent a lot more time with Brian than she had. In a way they were almost friends. Sarah was curious to hear her father’s perspective so she decided to forgo breakfast and head straight over to the shop where her dad was already hard at work. “Shouldn’t you be packing?” Mr. Thompson questioned when Sarah appeared next to him under the hood of a car.

Sarah shrugged. “Wasn’t much to do. I never really got unpacked.”

Sarah was never an expert at hiding her emotions and Mr. Thompson immediately knew something was weighing on her mind. “What’s going on pumpkin?” he asked.

Sarah sighed. “Are you sure you’re ok with this?” she asked.

Mr. Thompson glanced curiously at his daughter and then replied, “Are you sure you’re ok with it?”

“Well yeah.” Sarah said with a hint of hesitation, “I mean it’s not like he asked me to marry him or anything, he just asked me to drive to California with him. I was going back in a month anyway and I know we’ll have fun.”

“But?” Mr. Thompson asked.

“I like him.” Sarah replied. “I really like him a lot.”

Sarah’s dad was quickly becoming confused. “So what’s the problem then? Go. You’ll have fun. You know Brian really needs to get out of here.”

“But that’s just it.” Sarah replied, “He’s in a difficult place in his life right now. He’s confused, brokenhearted, and probably a little vulnerable. I want to help him and I’d like a relationship, but I don’t want to end up getting hurt.”

Mr. Thompson stopped what he was doing and gave his full attention to Sarah. He put a comforting arm around her and said, “Getting into a relationship is always scary. But it you ask me, you have nothing to worry about.”

“What do you mean?” Sarah frowned.

Mr. Thompson smirked ever so slightly. “I think it’s pretty obvious that Brian cares a lot about you sweetie.”

“What?” Sarah gasped.

“Well he went through all that trouble to get the chance to apologize after he’d upset you. And you’ve spent so much time together since you got home. Brian’s usually a very busy guy. If he didn’t want to be with you, he wouldn’t be.”

Sarah’s cheeks flushed but her father’s words rested her worried heart. Brian did go to quite extremes to spend some time with her. The Chicago trip had been disastrous at first, but Brian never gave up and by the end of it, she’d forgotten all about her anger toward him. Why would he do that unless he liked her? And the way his mood changed when she kissed him by the lake was so clear. All of his stress was gone. He seemed… happy. Sarah smiled at the thought that maybe she’d found a way into his heart they way he’d done to her. Mr. Thompson watched her as her mind raced through a hundred thoughts. “If you’re unsure,” he finally said, “The best thing to do is just ask.”

Sarah thought for a moment longer and then kissed her dad on the cheek. “Thanks dad.” She said and then wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Sarah’s dad was right, she needed to talk to Brian. She just needed to clear up the subject of the mystery girl. She needed to know exactly where she stood with him and if the answer was right, then she would happily drive off into the sunset with him. She hopped in her car anxious to see Brian and just before she left Nick’s shiny red corvette pulled up next to her. “Good morning!” she greeted cheerfully when he quickly hopped out of his car.

“Must be.” Nick laughed. “You’re sounding awfully chipper this morning.”

“Well I had kind of an exciting night.” Sarah teased.

“Yeah, me too.” Nick replied sounding every bit as peppy.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Nick said as he looked at Sarah with excitement, “A really, really good night and I owe it all to you.”

Sarah was flattered but for the life of herself had no idea what she could have done to cause so much excitement. Nick saw the confusion and sobered up a little. “Look, I owe you an explanation, and really big thank you, so I was hoping I could take you to to get some coffee or breakfast or something.”

Sarah’s curiosity was killing her. Aside from wanting to know what happened to him last night, she was curious to spend some time with him now that she wasn’t terrified of him. She glanced at the old café across the street from the shop and smiled. “I am kind of hungry.” She said with a smile.

Minutes later Nick was perusing a menu. He frowned when Sarah hadn’t picked hers up. “I thought you said you were hungry.”

“She doesn’t need to see a menu, she’s been eating here ever since we opened.” Said a voice interrupting them. “Let me guess, raspberry crepes?”

Sarah smiled at the familiar waitress. “You remembered.” She laughed. “Yes please. It’s been way too long since I’ve had such excellent crepes.”

After the waitress had taken they’re orders Sarah smiled at Nick. “So, what happened to you last night that was so wonderful?”

“Ok, this is going to sound really bad.” Nick warned.

Sarah’s curiosity was now peeked even more and she put on a face of total concentration as she prepared herself for whatever crazy news he had to tell her. There was no easy way to say this so Nick took a deep breath and just spit it out. “My girlfriend and I have decided that we’re going to move in together.”

“Wow.” Sarah said blatantly surprised, of all the things she’d expected, that didn’t come anywhere near making the list.

Nick grimaced as he waited for the typical outburst of female emotion that should come after such a confession, but none came. Sarah was way too surprised by the news to know what to think. “But didn’t you say… All week you…”

“I know.” Nick said cutting her off. “I’ve been a jerk, and I’m sorry.”

“Well I appreciate the honesty,” Sarah said, “But why would you ask me out if you had a girlfriend?”

“Well Deanna was my first serious relationship.”

“Deanna?” Sarah repeated when she heard the name she’d held on to for the last year.

Nick blushed a little then shrugged. “Yeah. We’ve been together for over a year now and lately things have been getting very serious between us. It sort of freaked me out.”

Sarah couldn’t hide the smirk on her face but Nick was lost in his own tale and didn’t notice the reaction. “I was pretty stressed.” He continued, “And then you showed up and you were so beautiful and you said all those things about liking me… I sort of got carried away.”

This time Sarah was the one blushing. “Anyway,” Nick said quickly, not wanting the moment to get awkward. “After our conversation yesterday I realized that I was just scared because I cared so much about her. We had a great talk. I told her everything, all about my feelings, and about you. She was upset at first, but we worked it out and I feel better than I have in weeks.”

“Congratulations?” Sarah replied as her mouth broke into a hint of a smile. “I’m really happy for you guys.”

Just then the waitress returned with Nick and Sarah’s breakfast. They happily dug in and once there meal was underway, Nick struck up the conversation again. In a very humbled voice he said, “I’m really sorry if I’ve done anything to hurt you.”

Sarah was surprised by the sincerity and even a little grateful for it, though she didn’t really feel hurt by his actions. “Actually,” She said with a smirk, “Things sort of turned out perfectly, don’t you think?”

Sarah assumed that Brian would have already told Nick about the two of them, however the look of confusion on his face showed no indication that he knew. “How do you figure?” Nick asked.

“Well,” Sarah said shyly, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but after our conversation yesterday I realized that I wasn’t as crazy about you as I thought.”

Nick playfully threw his hands over his heart as if Sarah had broken it, but when he grinned Sarah giggled. She shrugged and with the slightest layer of blush in her cheeks said, “It turns out that it’s Brian I’m crazy about.”

“Brian!” Nick gasped as he chocked on his food. “Brian Harper? My brother Brian?”

Sarah giggled at how truly stunned Nick was. He stared at her with wide eyes wanting to ask her how, but he couldn’t seem to form any words. “I don’t know?” Sarah answered without making Nick actually complete a full sentence. “The night of your party he was so mean to me that I almost went back to California just to avoid ever seeing him again and now only days later he’s completely swept me off my feet and I’m actually taking him back with me.”

Sarah chuckled and then after another moment said, “Did you know he actually tricked me into going to Chicago with him? I had no Idea that’s where we were going until it was too late. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he was trying to keep me away from you. I can’t blame him though, Nick Harper is quite the competition.”

Nick didn’t respond to Sarah’s compliment. Instead his face paled at the thoughts that were now entertaining his brain. Brian, his brother, was not the type of guy who swept girls off their feet. The thought of Brian actually caring for Sarah never entered Nick’s mind and he feared the worst. He knew Brian was very determined, but he never dreamed he could be so malicious that he would actually use Sarah to get what he wanted. He was filled with rage, but contained it as best he could, he didn’t want to risk hurting Sarah. Sarah saw the emotions despite the fake smile now plastered on his face and was going to ask him about it but he spoke first, “So, what’s this about going back to California?” he asked.

“He didn’t tell you?”

Nick shook his head pushing back the urge to pound his fists on the table. “Brian asked if he could drive me back to San Francisco. We’re gonna take our time, make a nice little vacation out of it.”

“That sounds like fun.” Nick said starting to feel a little relieved that Brian was at least planning on being friends with her after Deanna got home. “So when does school start for you? When are you taking this road trip?”

“As soon as he’s packed.” Sarah said. “Probably an hour or two.”

“Today?” Nick yelled failing to control his anger this time. “You’re just going to up and leave?”

“Brian just needs to get out of here Nick. He needs to get away from this place.” Sarah said startled by Nick’s reaction.

“Is that what he told you?”

“Yeah,” Sarah said becoming upset. “And judging from your reaction I understand why he didn’t bother explaining it to you.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason he didn’t tell me.”

“God Nick!” Sarah said harshly, “He’s not Superman ya know. You can’t expect him to stick around here forever living his life for everyone but himself. How selfish can you be?”

“Don’t be so naïve Sarah, you don’t know Brian like I do.” Nick spat standing up from the table. He threw some cash down and muttered, “I gotta go.”

Nick stormed out of the restaurant leaving Sarah stunned and moments away from tears. “You ok there sweetie?” the soft voice of a friendly waitress said behind her.

Sarah smiled up at her and then sighed. “I’m fine.” Sarah replied mindlessly, “I just didn’t realize how bad things were. I don’t understand how he can be so blind when it’s so painfully obvious to me.”


The waitress had no clue what Sarah was talking about but she slumped down in the booth across from her listening anyway. “Lord honey!” she laughed. “That’s just a man being a man.”

The waitress sighed wistfully and her eyes drifted out the window in the direction of the auto shop. “Men will never figure out what they need until us women spell it out for them.”

Sarah eyed the woman curiously as she continued to gaze out the window. With another woeful sigh the waitress said, “Some of us aren’t brave enough to do that though.”

Sarah grinned at the woman who blushed fiercely when she realized that Sarah figured out her secret. “But good for you honey,” She said trying to avoid any questions Sarah might ask. “You did the right thing even if he did get angry and storm out.”

“You’re right.” Sarah said finding her courage again. “I am doing the right thing. I’ve got to get over there before he changes his mind.”

“Good luck honey.” The waitress laughed.

“Thanks Betty.” Sarah replied and then grinned wickedly, “I think you’ve gone above and beyond you’re serving duties this time, I’ll have to put in a good word for ya.”

Sarah winked at the bright red woman and then ran out of the café. Hopefully she could get to Brian before it was too late.

Chapter 20

Brian’s day started quite a bit differently than Sarah’s had. He, unlike Sarah, was far too excited to sleep. He’d spent most of the night replaying that perfect half hour at the lake in his mind, when he miraculously ended up with everything he’d ever wanted. The memory was so vivid that he could still feel Sarah’s warmth. He could still taste her kiss. He even slept in his clothes because he could still smell a hint of the perfume she’d left on his shirt. His thoughts eventually drifted from the endearing memory to the possibilities that the future now held. He imagined what his life could be like in California, with Sarah, and the sheer thought of it was a new kind of freedom that he didn’t know existed.

Brian woke up that morning having only managed a couple scarce hours of sleep in which his mind stayed busy with hopeful dreams. However despite the actual amount of rest he’d gotten, Brian awoke feeling completely rejuvenated. He was ready to start a new life. On the bright side he’d used the sleepless hours tying up some loose ends. He didn’t want to just up and leave his brother in a total lurch, so he went over all the details of their budding business making sure it would be simple enough for him to continue in Brian’s absence. After writing up a foolproof to-do list, he also put together a current resume and e-mailed some of his old college professors. Everything else was just details that didn’t seem to be all that pressing at the moment.

The only thing left to do was tell his family he was leaving. He wasn’t especially looking forward to it, nor wasn’t sure what he would say to them or how they would react. He broke the news to his parents over breakfast but Nick was nowhere to be found. As he began the speech he’d tried to prepare several times throughout the night, he kept silently repeating the words Sarah said to him the day before. Your father can’t control you unless you let him. Brian was through letting his father control him so he knew he had to be firm from the minute he saw him.

He was surprisingly confidant and it’s needless to say that his parents were a little more than shocked. But, once they recovered Brian’s mother, although in tears, was supportive of her baby boy. His father was a different story. There was a short lecture about spontaneity and running away from your problems, but knowing what waited ahead of him kept Brian strong. He tried to explain to his father that he wasn’t running away from his problems, but rather chasing a dream, but that didn’t do too much good considering he’d kept the part about Sarah to a bare minimum. No need to tell them something they would never understand.

Even though his father seemed very disappointed in him, Brian was feeling larger than life after the conversation was finished. It was a scary kind of liberation to defy his father’s wishes and he felt like more of a man now that he’s finally stood up for himself. He went upstairs to pack a bag. He knew he needed to talk to Nick and he knew that would be the hardest part about all of this. He knew Nick was not going to be happy. Nick was always so excited about going into business with his older brother, and he was always telling Brian that he could never leave him here alone. Though they had their differences, the two Harper boys had always stuck together and Brian was scared leaving like this was going to hurt Nick. He was kind of glad that Nick wasn’t at breakfast because he wanted the chance to sit down with him one on one and explain it to him. Brian’s Chance for that explanation came a lot sooner than he had expected. Almost as soon as he’d had the thought the front door swung open loudly followed by a very heated, “BRIAN!”

“I’m up here Nick!” Brian called back.

Seconds later Nick plopped down on Brian’s bed and watched as Brian neatly tucked clothes into a duffel bag. “Going somewhere?” Nick tried to ask calmly, but the anger radiated through his voice straight into Brian’s heart.

Brian quickly turned to him. “Now look, it won’t be so bad.” He defended.

“Not for you I suppose.” Nick said in a tone that made Brian’s confidence waver.

“Nick I have to do this! I need this! I can’t stay in this house obeying Dad’s every whim for the rest of my life. I thought you would understand.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed as his patience vanished. The whole ‘give him the benefit of the doubt’ thing no longer seemed like a good idea. “Oh, I understand!” Nick said starting to raise his voice, “I just never realized you could be so selfish!”

“Sometimes you have to be.” Brian said.

“Jesus Brian!” Nick finally exploded, actually causing Brian to jump back in surprise, “I knew you were a little coldhearted but I had no idea you were capable of hurting someone like this.”

Brian sighed. He knew it was going to be difficult, but he didn’t expect Nick to react quite like this. “I didn’t mean to hurt you Nick.”

“I’m not worried about me! How could you do it to Sarah?”

“Sarah?” Brian asked, suddenly clueless to what his brother was talking about.

“I can’t believe you would go to such lengths just to keep her away from me. I’m not going to let you take her to California.”

“That’s what you’re angry about?” Brian repeated incredulously. He then let out a disgusted smirk, “And I actually thought you were upset that I was leaving.”

“That’s kind of hard when you’re acting like such a jack-ass!” Nick hissed.

Brian began to lose his temper. He was done trying to help his brother if that’s how he felt. “You’re damn right I kept Sarah away!” he yelled, “From the minute I saw you spinning her around the dance floor I’ve done everything in my power to keep her as far from you as possible.”

“You saw us dancing?”

“I’m not the only one!” Brian laughed bitterly, “Deanna was one giant splash away from gouging Sarah’s eyes out.”

“You pushed Deana into the pool didn’t you?”

“Well she didn’t fall in all by herself.”

“You’re sick Brian.” Nick said in a low voice. He was now so disappointed in his brother that he no longer had the energy to yell. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Don’t you dare give me that look.” Brian said lowering his voice as well, “You didn’t leave me a choice. You never think before you act Nick. You just do whatever your little heart desires and never stop to think about who you’re going to hurt in the process. I have been cleaning up your messes since you were born. The only difference this time is that I didn’t wait for you to screw up. You were about to destroy everything and there was too much at stake. Too many people’s feelings were going to be hurt this time.”

“You mean YOUR feelings.” Nick spat.

“Yeah my feelings… And Deanna’s feelings, and Sarah’s feelings. If you’d have gotten together with Sarah you would have ended up breaking both their hearts.”

“So it had nothing to do with Deanna’s unsigned contract? You weren’t the least bit concerned about the business falling apart?”

Brian looked down at the bed in shame. He couldn’t say no. He knew he was not entirely guilt free in this whole ordeal. He felt bad for having lied to Sarah, but he still felt he’d done so rightly. He decided it was time to tell Nick about his true feelings for Sarah. Maybe then he would understand. “This was not just about our business, it was about Sarah.” He said quietly.

“Brian, you lied to her.”

Brian’s eyes again fell to the floor. “You manipulated her.” Nick continued, “You tricked her into falling for you.”

Brian looked up at Nick shocked by his words. “I had breakfast with her this morning.” Nick explained, “She said she’s crazy about you. God Brian! Driving her to California just to keep her away from me? How do think she’s going to feel when she finds out that you totally played her just to keep from losing the business?”

Brian’s face went white and his mouth dropped open as he stared at his brother with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe that Nick thought he was capable of something so cruel. He was so deeply hurt that he couldn’t find his voice. There was silence for a brief second and then it was broken by a quiet shaky voice. “I feel pretty stupid actually.”

Brian and Nick were both startled by the intrusion and whirled around to see Sarah standing in the doorway with tears starting to stain her face. “Sarah!” Brian gasped in panic.

Brian felt so sick that he sank to the bed. “Sarah, I-“

“Don’t.” Sarah snapped. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then whispered a lot more calmly, “Just don’t”

Nick whispered, “I’m sorry.” And then attempted to give Sarah a hug.

Sarah pushed him away and backed out of the room. “Please Nick.” She said, “I don’t want to hear and apology.”

“Please let me explain.” Brian whispered.

“I don’t need any more explanations either. First Nick and now you? I think I’ve heard enough for one day.” Sarah took another moment to steady her voice and then looked at Brian. “I’m sorry I got in your way, but believe me, I won’t be anymore. I never want to see you again.”

Sarah left the room and headed for the exit as quickly as she could. The moment she left the room a waterfall of tears poured from her eyes. Nick glared at Brian, who was just sitting helplessly in shock on his bed, and then ran out the door after her. “Sarah wait!” he called.

“Nick just stop!” Sarah yelled. “What I said goes for you too! I have spent too much of my life worrying about you and I’m done. You’re right I was naïve and I didn’t know Brian as well as I thought, but guess what, lesson learned, ok? I’m sorry we can’t be friends Nick, but I’m going back to California and I’m leaving ALL the Harper’s behind me. It’s time to move on.”

“Sarah.” Nick tried one more time as Sarah climbed into her car.

Sarah looked up at Nick as she wiped furiously at her tears. “At least this time you guys have made it pretty easy for me.” She said bitterly and then drove away from the Harper House for the last time.

Nick stood in the driveway still completely filled with anger. He looked up at the window to Brian’s room and then stormed back into the house. When he got back upstairs he found Brian quietly packing his bag. “What are you gonna do, go after her?” Nick said sarcastically. “I think she made herself very clear.”

Brian ignored his brother and continued stuffing clothes into the large duffle. “I don’t think going to California is such a good idea Brian. I think she needs her space.”

“I’m not going to California.” Brian muttered.

“Then why you still packing genius?”

“Cause I’m still leaving, genius.”

Nick frowned. “What do you mean you’re still leaving? Where you going?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Nick was now so confused, but his confusion only made his anger increase. “So what, you just broke Sarah’s heart for nothing? What about your little business?”

Brian glared at Nick with tears in his eyes and pushed the briefcase into his hands. “Knock yourself out.” He said coldly and then zipped his bag shut and flung it over his shoulder.

As he walked past Nick headed for the door, Nick stopped him. “I don’t understand you man.”

“You never have.” Brian replied sincerely. “It’s not your fault though. I’ve never been easy to understand.” Brian smirked. “I think Sarah may have been the first. She understood me better than I did.”

Nick watched suspiciously as a dreamy smile appeared on Brian’s face at the mention of Sarah’s name, but quickly as it had appeared it was replaced with sadness. Brian shocked Nick by pulling him into his arms for a big apologetic hug. “I’m sorry Nick. I only ever wanted the business because you said you did. I thought it would be fun to escape together. Guess I was wrong.”

Brian let go of Nick and smiled up at him sadly. “And for the record? The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Sarah.”

Brian walked out the bedroom door and flipped the light off behind him. “Don’t let Dad push you around once I’m gone. He can only control your life if you let him.”

As Nick stood there slowly piecing together the entirety of the situation, Brian got in his car and drove away. Nick could hardly believe it, but Brian wasn’t playing Sarah, he was in love with her. The feelings he’d confessed to Sarah that she’d tried to explain over breakfast? Those feelings were real. Sarah tried to make Nick understand and instead he’d filled her head with nonsense. “Oh God, what did I just do?” he said aloud to the dark empty room.

Chapter 21

Nick ran after Brian but it was too late. By the time he got outside Brian was long gone. Nick felt awful. He knew Brian wouldn’t get very far, but he couldn’t stop feeling like he’d royally screwed over his brother. That hadn’t been his intention, but then, it never was. Nick needed to do something. He needed to make things right. Nick needed to clean up his own mess for once but had no idea how to do it. He needed to calm down and he needed a plan. He needed, “Dee?”

“Hi baby.” Deanna chirped into the phone.

“Honey I messed up.”

“Déjà vu.” Deanna giggled, “Didn’t we have this conversation yesterday?”

“I mean it Deanna. I screwed up big this time. It’s Brian. I need your help.”

Deana’s playful attitude turned serious when she heard the hint of panic in Nick’s voice. “Ok sweetie calm down.” She said, “Tell me what’s going on and we’ll find a way to fix it.”

Nick took a deep breath. “Babe, you are not going to believe this…”

********

Brian sat for a while staring out at the water from the very spot he’d been holding Sarah just hours before. Until this week he’d never spent much time at the lake, he wasn’t really much of a water person, but now he couldn’t tear himself away from it. The short time he’d spent last night would now be his most cherished memory and his most haunting nightmare, a constant reminder of what he almost had. How had things gone so wrong so fast? He thought of going after her. If he could just have two minutes to explain himself he knew she would be able forgive him, but then he would picture the look on her face when she told him she never wanted to see him again and his feelings of guilt and remorse would overtake him.

His hope was all but shattered, but he refused to give up entirely. He may not be able to have Sarah, but hearts heal with time. Sarah had done so much more for him than just waken his heart. She’d given him life. She’d given him the strength and courage to stand up for himself. And if that was all she would ever give him, then he was going to cherish it. Brian was not going home. He too needed to move on. He stood from his resting spot, pulled himself away from the lake and just before he left, glanced out at the water one last time and whispered a sweet goodbye.

********

Mr. Thompson heard the sobs before he saw Sarah. She ran into the garage and threw herself into the comfort of her daddy’s arms not caring in the least that he was head to toe covered in grease. Mr. Thompson held her tightly and his heart broke at the feel of her trembling body. He didn’t say anything. He knew his daughter and knew that when she was this upset it was best to just let her work it out. After a moment Sarah was able to stop the tears long enough to smile at her father. “You ok pumpkin?”

Sarah shook her head lightly but then replied, “I will be though.”

“You want to tell me what happened?”

Again Sarah shook her head and suppressed more sobs, “Let’s just say that Lance will have me all to himself when I go back to California.”

“Sweetheart?”

“It’s ok though Daddy. It’s probably better that way.” Sarah smirked through her depression, “Lance gets kind of jealous sometimes.”

Sarah laughed bitterly at her not so funny joke and then more tears began to stream down her face. Mr. Thompson pulled his distressed daughter back into his arms. “I’m sorry Sarah.”

“Don’t be dad.” She said gaining control of herself once again. “Everyone has to have their heart broken sometime. At least now I should be able to put the Harpers behind me forever.”

Mr. Thompson sighed, “I guess that would probably be a good thing for you, but you know, you can do that without leaving. If you wanted to stay, I wouldn’t object.”

“I know dad.” Sarah said turning her frown once more into a sad smile. “It’s not that I don’t love you, but San Francisco suits me more. I need to go back.”

Mr. Thompson smiled. “You always were too much of a good thing for this small town to handle.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, but threw her arms around her father again. “I love you dad.”

“I love you too pumpkin, and I’m gonna miss ya.” Mr. Thompson replied as he squeezed his baby girl as tightly as he could. “It gets really lonely around here without you.”

Sarah pulled away from her father and grinned mischievously. “It doesn’t have to ya know. I think maybe it’s time you moved on too,” she said. “I know mom wouldn’t want you spending the rest of your days alone.”

Mr. Thompson frowned, but Sarah smiled even bigger and then glanced over her shoulder at the café across the street. Mr. Thompson followed her gaze curiously. “I think maybe it’s time for a coffee break, don’t you?”

Sarah gave her dad a little nudge and she grinned when he nervously cleared his throat, still staring in the café windows. “Don’t you need a ride to the airport?”

“Don’t worry about me dad. I’m a big girl, you go get that coffee.”

Mr. Thompson stared proudly at Sarah for a moment before his eyes drifted back to the cafe. “Come visit me in California?” Sarah said.

“As soon as I can.”


********

When Brian didn’t come home that night or show up all day, Nick’s stress levels went from bad to worse to dangerous. He thought for sure he would have called by now, but he hadn’t, and then one more night passed. Nick didn’t sleep all night. His concern was more than just wanting to make things right now; he was genuinely scared for his brother. He didn’t believe that Brian would actually leave, but he had, and he’d left angry and heartbroken. Nick was worried that something bad might have happened to him.

By the time morning came, Nick was barely functional. If Deanna hadn’t appeared in the doorway when she did, he may have just had a complete meltdown. She took one look at him and held open her arms. Nick fell into them as though he’d never missed anyone more in his life. “You’re home early.” He said before pulling her in for a much needed kiss.

“Only one day. Veronica left for her honeymoon last night and you sounded so stressed on the phone that I jumped a red eye.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“No, but you love me and that’s good enough.” Deanna teased. “Now, let’s go get Brian shall we?”

“He hasn’t called. It’s been two days and he hasn’t even called to let us know he’s ok. I don’t know how to find him.”

“He’s in Grosse Point.” Deanna giggled, “At your Uncle Jack’s house.”

Nick stared at Deanna too relieved to be confused at first but eventually the bewilderment caught up to him. When Deanna saw the mystified look she giggled. “You mom’s out front in her flower garden. I asked her on the way in.”

“Bri called my mom?”

“Actually she said your Uncle Jack gave him away. So, should we go get him?”

Nick grinned from ear to ear. “We have one stop to make first.”


Nick and Deanna made one stop on their way out of town at Mr. Thompson’s auto shop. Nick was a little nervous about talking to Sarah’s dad, but it had to be done. Mr. Thompson didn’t take a whole lot of convincing though, so they weren’t there for but a few minutes. After that they drove out to the eastern most border of Detroit, not to mention the nicest. Nick and Deanna had come up with a plan, now all they needed to do was convince Brian.

Nick knocked on the door to his Uncle’s house and held his breath as he waited for an answer. Deanna smiled at her nervous boyfriend and laced her fingers through his for support. “Don’t worry.” She whispered just as the door swung open.

Brian smirked when he saw the familiar faces. “I knew Uncle Jack couldn’t keep a secret.”

Without any further greeting Brian walked back into the house leaving the door open behind him. Nick and Deanna followed him into the house and joined him at the dining room table where he had been busy on his laptop. Nick and Deanna sat there staring at Brian for a moment but he expertly ignored them as he clicked away. “What are ya doing?” Nick asked trying to sneak a peek at the computer screen.

“Looking up colleges actually.” Brian sighed, “I was thinking maybe I’d go back for my masters. What do you think about Florida? I hear it’s really nice there.”

“I think it’s as far away from San Francisco as you can get without actually crossing an ocean.”

Brian glanced up at his brother with a piercing glare. “What are you doing here?” he grumbled.

Nick rolled his eyes. “What are you doing here Brian? This is stupid. Just come home and finish what you started.”

Deanna opened up the briefcase she’d brought with her and slid a signed partnership agreement across the table. “We’re all ready to go.”

Brian looked down at the paper with an empty expression. After a moment of silence he took the contract and ripped it in half. “No thanks.”

Nick smiled at Deanna. “You see?”

Deanna giggled and Brian could feel his anger rising as he met their smirks. “Yeah, but how did you know he would actually tear it up?” Deanna questioned Nick.

Nick shrugged, “Maybe I know my big brother a little better than he thinks I do.”

With a deep breath Brian ran his hands through his hair fighting the urge to give it a good tug. “Would you guys just get to the point already?”

“Alright.” Nick smirked.

Deanna pulled another contract from the briefcase, the real copy, and slid it across the table to Brian. “Don’t tear this one up. We’ll need it in order to open next month.”

Deanna now had Brian’s full attention. Nick cleared his throat as if about to make a very important speech and then said, “Thanks for the little to do list you left me. I never could have figured any of that stuff out without it.”

Brian stared at his brother in utter amazement. He hadn’t been so sure that Nick would understand any of it even with the help. He couldn’t believe he was actually putting forth some effort; he even seemed excited about it. It almost broke his heart to say no. “I’m sorry Nick.” He said, “But I can’t come home.”

“I know.” Nick replied, “That’s why Deanna and I have decided to hire a manager to run the business for us, at least while we’re in college. Then after we graduate, and I don’t know maybe get married or something, then we can take over the business together.”

Deanna stopped giggling over the marriage comment long enough to add, “Of course you will still be a partner, so if you decide you don’t like California then you can always come back home.”

“Florida.” Brian corrected as he gritted his teeth.

“Come on Brian.” Nick sighed. “You have to go.”

“Aren’t you the one who so graciously pointed out what a terrible idea that was?”

“That was before I knew how much you loved her.”

Brian’s mouth hung open in sheer astonishment. He knew he felt that way, but he’d kept it so secret for so many years, that to hear somebody say it out loud nearly knocked the wind from him. “It’s true, isn’t it?” Nick repeated, “You love her.”

Brian felt almost ashamed of his feelings, but he didn’t know why. He figured it was because the truth of it hurt too much. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does. Bri, if you love her, you can’t just give her up.”

“She doesn’t want to see me.” Brian grumbled, “Ever again, remember?”

“She doesn’t know the truth.”

Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of grease stained paper with an address scribbled on it. “Here.” He said handing Brian the San Francisco address. “Mr. Thompson seems to agree with me that she’ll give you the chance to explain.”

Brian stared down at the paper in his hand. He couldn’t believe Nick had gone through all this trouble. “Go.” Nick urged.

“Why are you doing this?” Brian asked memorizing the set of numbers he was looking at.

Nick smiled the most sincere smile he’d ever smiled in his life. “Because you’ve always cleaned up my messes. It’s time for me to clean up yours for once.”

Brian couldn’t believe his ears and didn’t know what to say. Nick smirked and then added, “Besides it’s sort of my fault she thinks you’re the biggest jerk on the planet and is probably getting fat on Ben and Jerry’s right now. If I were you I wouldn’t wait too long or she’ll blame you for gaining five pounds too.”

Brian didn’t want to laugh but couldn’t stop himself from cracking a smile. “Cheesecake.” He smirked. “Not Ben and Jerry’s.”

Deanna reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Brian’s. “That’s why you have to go. Trust me, she’ll hear you out, and when she realizes how much you love her, she’ll forgive you.”

“No she won’t.”

“Even if she doesn’t,” Nick said, “You owe her the explanation.”

“Yeah, well maybe you should go. She likes you better anyway, always has.”

“No she doesn’t. Now you’re just making up excuses. What was it she said to me the other day?” Nick laughed as he tried to recall Sarah’s exact words, “I think she called me fine dining and expensive suits and then referred to herself as K-mart and a carburetor.”

Brian froze when he heard his own words being thrown at him and it gave him a glimmer of hope. Nick could see in Brian’s eyes that he was getting to him; he couldn’t stop now. “I hate to admit it,” He continued, “But her exact words were, ‘It turns out that it’s Brian I’m crazy about.’”

“She said that?”

“Shocking, I know.” Nick teased. “Come on. If you leave now you can probably still make it by a decent hour.”


********

Brian knocked timidly on the large wooden door and was surprised when a young blond opened it. Lance sized up the curious stranger and smiled approvingly into his fierce blue eyes. “Are you looking to get married?” he asked raising a suggestive brow.”

Brian did a double take as his mind pieced together the blatant advance, then took a step back to double check the address on the building. Lance laughed, thinking the innocence of the stranger was amusing. “Are you looking for Janet Thompson?” he asked a little more seriously this time. “The wedding planner?”

“Uh, actually, um, I was hoping to see Sarah.”

All of the friendliness that Lance over exuded twenty-four seven vanished instantly. “Which one are you?” he demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“I know you’re one of those awful Harper boys, which one are you?”

Brian gulped. He hadn’t expected he’d have to get through security first. “I’m the stupider one.” Brian muttered.

“Well, well, well. I wondered if you’d show up looking for her.”

“Please I just want to talk to her.”

“Brian, is it?”

Brian nodded. “You should have saved yourself the trip.”

Lance stepped back inside but Brian placed his hand on the door before it could be slammed in his face. “Wait!” he said, “I have to see her.”

“She doesn’t want to see you.”

“I screwed up ok?” Brian pleaded, “I’ve never been completely logical when it comes to Sarah.”

Lance’s interest was peaked by the confession and he hesitantly stepped back outside. Brian let out a short breath of relief. “You have to let me talk to her. She turned my life upside down this week and I don’t think I can live her without now.”

Brian waited anxiously for passage into the house, but was instead attacked by Lance. “Oh my God that is just the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard!” He cried as he threw is arms tightly around Brian. “Oh my god you have to tell her that.”

“Does that mean I can go inside?” Brian asked as he attempted to escape the hug.

“She’s not here.” Lance sighed as he slowly pulled himself away from Brian. “She left an hour ago. She said she needed some air, but I can call her.”

“No need.” Brian said as Lance whipped out his cell phone. “I think I might know where she is. Could you tell me how to get to the Golden Gate Bridge?”

Lance grinned wickedly and then looked at the rental car parked on the street. “You know what?” he said, “I’ll drive.”

Lance frowned when Brian looked at him as if he were insane. “If you think I’m going to miss this, you’re crazy.”

Fifteen minutes later Brian stared up at the beautiful rust-colored beams of the most famous bridge in all the world. His heart was beginning to skip a beat every so often as he anticipated his arrival. Moments later Lance pulled off the highway in front of a small path. He stared down the path nervously, knowing he would find Sarah at the other end. Lanced watched him take a deep breath and then gave him an encouraging smile. Brian released the breath and then heaved himself from the car and slowly made his way down the trail.

Sarah sat just a few steps off the beaten path mindlessly pulling long strands of grass as she watched the ships sail under the bridge. Her mind seemed to be a million miles from where she sat. Her expression was somber and her eyes were dark red as if instead of sleeping she’d spent the nights crying. Brian stood there watching her pluck the grass and then let the breeze whisk it away from her fingers. It was almost as if she was waiting for the wind to carry her away too.

It hurt Brian to see the pain he had caused her and he worried that he wouldn’t be able to take it away. While he stood there trying to figure out how to say hello, Sarah felt his stare burning a hole in the back of her head. She looked up and froze when their eyes met. Brian slowly waked toward her “What are you doing here?” Sarah whispered when Brian took a seat next to her.

“You never gave me a chance to explain.”

“I think Nick did just fine the other day. You can spare me the details.”

“Nick was wrong. He jumped to conclusions because he was angry.”

“Sounded like he had a reason to be.” Sarah said as she cast her eyes back out to the bay.

Hearing the bitterness in Sarah’s voice made Brian let out a sigh. “You’re right. He did have a good reason to be mad at me, and so do you. I lied to you Sarah. I did everything I could to keep my brother away from you. And I’m sorry that I hurt you, but I didn’t know what else to do, I was desperate. I couldn’t let him steal you away when you had just walked back into my life.”

Sarah stopped pulling grass and closed her eyes trying not to let Brian’s words get to her. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I love you Sarah.”

Sarah whipped her eyes away from the water so fast that it took a moment for them to focus on Brian’s desperate gaze. What he was saying couldn’t be possible. She wanted it to be true so badly it hurt, but she didn't know how to trust him. “I love you.” He said again. “This has been the most amazing week of my life and it’s all because of you. I can’t lose you now. I need you.”

Tears began spilling from Sarah’s eyes and Brian reached up to wipe them away, but she pulled away from his touch. “You spent all week telling me about some girl who has your heart locked away from the world and that your feelings could never change. How is today any different?”

“It’s not.” Brian smiled gently. “Do you remember this?” he asked as he retrieved an old faded piece of paper from his pocket. The paper had been ripped in half and then taped back together. Brian continued to talk as Sarah scanned the letter in shock. “I fell in love years ago with a girl who was in love with my little brother.”

Sarah placed a hand over her mouth as she read the lost confession. “This is the letter I wrote to Nick.” She whispered faintly.

“But it says, so beautifully, everything I always wanted to tell you.”
Sarah took a moment and just let herself feel the shock. She then let the letter fall to her lap and threw her arms around Brian. Brian let her squeeze him for a moment and then dried her tears once more before proving the feelings in his heart with a powerful kiss. Now that there was nothing holding him back, he gave his entire soul to her and the kiss sent shivers through Sarah’s entire body. All of her doubt and her fear and her pain was gone, now there was only love.

The kiss was interrupted by a high-pitched giddy squeal off in the distance. Sarah and Brian looked over to see Lance jumping wildly up and down. “I think there’s something seriously wrong with your friend.” Brian frowned.

“He just gets a little excited over happy endings.” Sarah laughed.

“But this is just the beginning.” Brian replied throwing his lips on Sarah’s once more.