Jinxed (22 page)

“Hey, if you are going to crawl, you gotta crawl in style. Hand me a bobby pin.”

“I have to wear a coat, Tracey. It’s ten degrees outside.”

“Cinderella didn’t wear a parka, toots.

“Cinderella was a cartoon! She didn’t freeze and turn blue!”

“Look at it this way. Your skin will match your dress.”

“Okay, Frannie. Steve’s got the car—er, pumpkin warmed up. Time to go to the ball.”

“Wait. In my bedroom. In the brown suitcase. There are sneakers. I need one.”

“Geez, give a woman a tiara and she turns in to a bossy-assed queen.”

“Tracey, don’t push me. I’m swaddled in pinned organza, my feet are pinched, I’m about to make a mammoth fool of myself and you won’t even let me have my coat. If I snap, it won’t be pretty.”

“No, but you could get off on an insanity plea.”

{

The fragrance of Christmas dinner wafted in the air. Normally Jinx loved his mother’s holiday meals but the thought of food turned his stomach. Matthew had tried to draw him into a video game but it held no appeal. Rachel tried to get him to drink some florally hot tea and his dad kept squeezing his arm as he passed by.

Pity sucks
.

Only Mike seemed to understand what he felt. His brother had pulled him outside in the freezing cold and told him to go for a run. Escaping the house sounded like a good idea at the time so he went. At first, he just jogged, slow, easy, barely breaking a sweat. But before he knew it, he was running full tilt to nowhere, legs burning, arms pumping, sneakers skimming icy patches, not caring if he fell. Perspiration streamed down his chest and back, chilling him through his sweatshirt as an internal volcano of misery churned. Sweat stung his eyes, blinding him, but he didn’t care.

Whether he was chasing demons or running from them, he didn’t know. But he pushed harder, seeking the blind numbness of exhaustion. He wanted the adrenalin and endorphins to push Frannie out of his heart. He left familiar territory and ran into the outlying area. The sun peaked and started to slip into decline and still he ran. Faster. Furious. Suffering. Pain shot through his legs and he eked out one last burst of speed, propelling himself across an empty school lot. The forlorn building sat silently, waiting for the laugh of happy children. He aimed his path directly at it. Brick bit into his skin as he collapsed, shoulder against the wall.

The wall seemed so solid, so immovable. It pissed him off. Brick walls. Screw brick walls, every single one of them, especially the one Frannie had built around her heart. Focusing every bit of leftover frustration at the stone, he screamed a primal wordless tone. He banged and kicked the bricks, leaving flakes and scrapes of skin behind. The pain was minor compared to his anguish so he continued until one last microspasm of energy erupted with a soft sob.

The brick wall stood firm.

Harsh breath sent billows of mist upward as he slid to the frozen ground. Head on his crossed arms, knees shaking with fatigue and sudden cold, he gulped great freezing breaths. It hadn’t worked. His heart might be beating furiously but it still felt. It still ached. The crunch of snow pulled his attention up. Mike stood a few feet away, hands tucked inside his coat pockets. The look on his lined face wasn’t pity. It was commiseration.

“You were hard to follow. Come on.” He motioned with his head. “I brought the car. Figured you wouldn’t want to walk all the way back home.”

With a nod that dripped cold sweat off his hair, he accepted Mike’s outstretched hand. Mike pulled him to his feet but did not release his hand. “Is she worth it?”

Still silenced by his exertion, Jinx simply nodded. He bent to rest his hands on his knees, sucking in more cold oxygen.

“Then stop sulking and fight for her.”

“Sulking?” The insult forced air into his lungs and he snapped up to glare at his brother. “I’m not sulking, damn it.”

“You were a pain in the ass as a kid and you haven’t changed. Go bug her. You’ve licked your wounds, now grow a set and go after her. Becca died, you couldn’t get her back. But Frannie’s just across town. Since when do you give up?”

Before a protest could form, Jinx saw the truth in his words. Hope sparked. Frannie loved him, no matter what she’d said. He knew that as well as he knew he loved her. She pushed him away the hardest when she was most vulnerable. Her push last night was the hardest ever.
Damn, I screwed up!

He had to get her back. She hadn’t wanted to start dating and he had worn her down. He could do the same now. Giving up was not an option. Lip tilted rakishly, he grabbed Mike’s shoulder and squeezed it in gratitude. A thankful nod dripped more icy sweat off his face.

Get ready, Frannie. I’m going to rock your world
.

{

“Dayum. I forgot about his family.”

Icy dread slithered down Frannie’s spine as she noted the numerous parked cars. The pale fabric of her gown caught the late afternoon sunlight and glistened like diamonds but could not mask her quaking nerves.

She did not want to do this. This was so not her. Theatrics were Tracey’s venue. And Jinx’s. Any man who carried her fanny up into a restaurant, announced a fictitious pregnancy in a grocery store, and bought out an entire aisle of feminine hygiene products could be described as dramatic. This wasn’t her. But it was
for
him. He deserved every humiliating second of this. It would serve her right if he told her to piss off.

The car pingpingpinged as she cracked the door. Drawing a deep breath, she tried to still the acrobatic bats in her stomach.

“I need mice.”

“What?” From the driver’s seat, Steve questioned her with a blank look.

Frannie clutched the ragged sneaker to her chest and pleaded. “I need mice, you know, Cinderella’s mice, for moral support. Come on, both of you.”

The couple exchanged quick glances and shrugged. The unlikely trio exited the car and crossed the street. Frannie knew she had lost the right to use her key, so she stepped up on the porch and rang the bell. Her stomach made a loud gurgle and she pressed a shaking hand to it.
Dear Gawd, give me the strength to do this and not puke on the floor. I do love him.

“Just one thing,” Tracey whispered as they waited. “No way in hell am I wearing some butt-ugly bridesmaid gown so pick something nice, Cinderella.”

“Shut up, Drizella, before I make you wear this piece of crap.”

Filled with hopeful plans and crazy ideas, Jinx showered and dressed. He stuck a finger in the steaming gravy pan. Popping the digit in his mouth before he got caught and swatted, he glanced around for his mother. He was starving. Jack Daniels had not made a very filling breakfast.

The turkey rested on the platter, potatoes were piled in a creamy heap with melted butter, and fresh yeast rolls sent heavenly scents into the air. Just as he thought of snagging a roll, he heard the doorbell peal. The Boys were in the great room and would answer it so he decided to risk stealing one roll. Most likely it was just his elderly neighbor at the door. She’d given him a rock-hard fruitcake last year.

Fruitcake.
The word made him think of Frannie. Straightening his shoulders, he vowed he would make things right with them. Somehow.
Wonder what the penalty is for kidnapping the woman you love? And how smart a lawyer is Dave?
He had barely touched the golden crusts when Matthew barreled into the room, causing him to snatch his hand back guiltily. The teen had a dazed expression on his face.

“Uncle Jay, you better go in there.”

“Why? Who was at the door?”

“Uhm, Cinderella, a chick with weird hair and some tall blond dude.”

Bread forgotten, Jinx braced his hands on the counter, heart thundering.
Frannie and company are here? What does that mean?

I bet this is how zoo animals feel.
A small smile pasted on her lips, Frannie glanced around at Jinx’s family. Of course her outfit was unusual, but the stares she was getting weren’t exactly what she’d hoped for. The Boys grinned broadly at her ensemble, finding her costume hilarious. Beverly and the other women sent sour looks her way but hope lurked in their eyes. Frank and Mike glared at her like she was Jezebel incarnate. Rachel’s husband Carl cracked his knuckles nervously.

Mmkay, this is a total flop so far. Maybe I’ll just send him an email.
Before she could bolt, Steve grabbed her arm and steadied her. The quivering smile she sent him was met with a solemn nod. Swallowing her nerves, she straightened her spine.

Jinx walked casually from the kitchen and her breath whooshed out. Had it only been last night since she was in his arms? It felt like an eternity. Gone from his body language was the easy grace of lighthearted laughter. Now he moved stiffly, warily, almost angrily. She had stolen his joy and her heart broke anew.

He stopped a few paces from her and looked her up and down, a grim set to his mouth. “Who are you supposed to be?”

“Uh, Cinderella.”
Damn, did her voice have to pick now to crack and sound like chipmunks on steroids?

“Cinderella, huh?” Refusing to look in her eyes, he spied Tracey behind her.

Tracey jumped and squeaked under his scrutiny. “Don’t look at me. I’m just a mouse.”

“A mouse?” His gaze slid to Steve. “What’s that make you, the Fairy Godmother?”

“Hey, I object to the title of ‘fairy’…and the title of ‘mother’.” Smirking, Steve waved his hand magnanimously. “You may call me God.”

The Boys burst out laughing while the men hid chuckles behind cupped hands. Beverly blushed and tried to herd everyone into the kitchen.

“Oh no, stay—you won’t wanna miss this,” Tracey volunteered.

Frannie sent her a death stare before turning back to Jinx. He hadn’t smiled once. Her disgustingly froufrou dress shimmied with the trembling of her knees and her heart pummeled her chest wall. She sought his eyes and for the first time couldn’t read them. He had sheltered his thoughts from her behind the smooth cold mask he used in business.

Just peachy, I’m a guppy in a prom gown facing a pissed-off shark.

“What are you doing here, Frannie? You said your piece last night.”

Galvanized into action, she grabbed her couch pillow from Steve and held it out to Jinx, complete with dilapidated sneaker on top. His eyes flicked to it before returning to her face. The rehearsed lines tumbled from her lips.

“If you please, kind sir. I am Cinderella, the stupid and sorrowful. I’m looking for my Prince Charming. It seems I’ve lost him along the way due to my foolish pride and fear. This shoe belongs to him. I’ve sworn to marry the man who wears this sneaker, if he’ll still have me.”

Heart on a platter, she offered it to him along with his running shoe. When he didn’t immediately answer, her stomach quivered violently. He rolled his tongue around the inside of his cheek and she sent him her best I’m-sorry-please-forgive-me-don’t-crush-me smile. Mike’s wife sniffled and she glimpsed a nod of approval from Frank out of the corner of her vision but dared not take her eyes off Jinx.

He stood with arms crossed, solid and unmoving. “What changed? Why is today different than last night?”

“Nothing changed. Except now I’m not afraid to tell you I love you.”

His left eyebrow twitched and his eye flinched as if she struck him. Desperation consumed her and she dropped to her knees in front of him. “Please, won’t you try on the sneaker, see if you’re the man I lost. I have to find him. You see, without him, I’m nothing. I love him so much.”

Tears blinded her and she let them fall. She had bared her soul, before him and everyone else. There wasn’t anything more she could do—without telling him the dark hidden secrets of her heart—except hope and pray.

“Get up, Frannie.”

The coldness in his voice stung her but she complied. Pulling bravery from depths she didn’t know she had, she raised her eyes to his.

Jaw tight, he glared at her. “Two things. First, you never, and I mean never, call yourself nothing again. And second, you burn that revolting dress.” Millimeter by millimeter, his lip curved to a smile. “I want you walking to me in white.”

She laughed and she cried but she was never sure which happened first. Maybe they happened at the same time. All she cared about was that he took her into his arms and kissed her. Spontaneous cheering broke out but Frannie ignored it. Tears continued to stream as he kissed her over and over. The emotional outburst left her quaking fiercely and he wrapped his arms around her, giving her his strength.

“I love you,” she whispered again, privately, her cheek pressed against his. “I’m so sorry, Jinx. Please forgive me.”

“I love you. I was coming after you, you know? There was no way in hell I was going to let you slip through my fingers, dollface.”

Raising his head, he framed her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly. And then he laughed. Warmth exploded in her body as the rich timbre echoed around her. She could never live without that sound again.

“I can’t believe you did this. And you call me crazy.”

“What can I say? It rubbed off on me.” Impishly, she shrugged and touched his hand. Jagged edges pricked her fingers and she pulled his hands away from her face. The rough uneven scrapes along the sides made her gasp. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I just had a fight with a brick wall. It won.” He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a light kiss on her knuckles. One thumb ran over her bare ring finger. Blowing out a soft sigh, he admitted, “I’m not sure where your ring is.”

“It’s here.” Digging into the loose bodice of the gown, Frannie fished the diamond out of her bra. His eyes shone with humor as he took it from her.

“I’m going to go back on a promise I made you. I told you I’d propose and then leave you alone if you couldn’t say yes. I did that. It sucked. So I’m going to ask you again…for the last time.”

One knee went down and he held the ring to her finger. She felt rather than saw his family turn to watch them. Lightheaded, she took several noisy breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly to avoid passing out. This was her dream. She would not faint in the middle of it.