transforming yourself into Hooter Barbie, you think the Neanderthals will take you out to dinner and be mesmerized by your scintillating wit and sharp mind?”
“‘Hooter Barbie’?” She laughed. “Okay, since when do you hang out at the boobie bar?”
“I’ll have you know that I can be just as turned on by a pair of big knockers as the next Neanderthal.”
She looked at him for a long moment, then shook her head, clearly thinking he was kidding. In her mind, he was apparently above such an earthy male response. He didn’t bother to correct her. What was the use? One of the things he most appreciated about their friendship was that she was so easy to talk to. Always had been. Where Jana was quick with an opinion and never shied away from defending it, popular or not, Lucy was the opposite. She was open and guileless, never meaning to offend. She was the first to laugh at her mistakes and quick to smooth over those of others. She didn’t let him off the hook when he didn’t deserve it, but always came up with a tension-deflating, smart-ass comeback when he did.
And because he valued her friendship above all else, this was the one topic he’d never broached with her. He didn’t plan to start now.
“Well, I’m not here to get big knockers.” She glanced down. “Even the fairy godmothers aren’t that good.” Grinning, she said, “Anyway, this isn’t
Extreme Makeover.
I’m just going to learn how to, you know, enhance the positive.” Then she rolled her eyes and slumped back in her seat. “God. Who am I kidding, right?”
And that was the paradox of Lucy Harper. Such a confident smart-ass one minute, then that flicker of sincere vulnerability the next. Never failed to draw him in.
Yeah,
he thought,
like a fly to the web.
Christ, what a pair they were.
He blew out a deep sigh and reached for her hand, tugging it between his even when she tugged back. “I can’t believe you’re wheedling this out of me, but you know I just want you to be happy. With yourself, or whatever it is you think needs improving. Both Jana and I want that. We just don’t want you setting yourself up for disappointment, that’s all.”
Lucy stared at him with those frank hazel eyes of hers. “I’m not a teenager anymore. This isn’t a whim. Okay, so coming here might have been. But I’ve wanted to fix this . . . I don’t know, this feeling that I don’t match up, for a long time. I just had no idea how to go about doing it. I tried convincing myself that I should settle for what I’ve got. But after a while, that began to feel an awful lot like copping out.” She shifted her hands so she now held his. “If you want to improve your mind, you take another class, right? Well, I like my mind just fine. I want to improve whatever it is that keeps people from seeing the real me. Only it’s not as simple as signing up for another college course.”
He just sighed. She’d never get it.
“Worst case is I find out this is all there is. That this is the real me people are seeing. And then I guess I accept it and go from there. But I have to know I tried. Can you at least trust me that this is something I have to do?”
Grady rubbed his thumbs along the outside of her hands. “Yeah. I just wish you didn’t feel so incomplete.” Because it made him feel like he’d failed her somehow.
“I know you think this is a shallow endeavor, but—”
He shook his head. “Like you said, it’s what you have to do.”
She smiled. “A ringing endorsement.” She pulled him forward and gave him a resounding kiss on the cheek. “But I’ll take it.”
On impulse he hugged her. Not that he didn’t ever hug her. He did all the time. Just not when he was feeling . . . well, like he was feeling at the moment. “Just come back the same Lucy Harper I know and love, okay?” he murmured against her hair. Then sat her back and quickly shifted the tone. “Or Jana and I will be forced to confiscate your secret decoder ring to the Up
“‘Hooter Barbie’?” She laughed. “Okay, since when do you hang out at the boobie bar?”
“I’ll have you know that I can be just as turned on by a pair of big knockers as the next Neanderthal.”
She looked at him for a long moment, then shook her head, clearly thinking he was kidding. In her mind, he was apparently above such an earthy male response. He didn’t bother to correct her. What was the use? One of the things he most appreciated about their friendship was that she was so easy to talk to. Always had been. Where Jana was quick with an opinion and never shied away from defending it, popular or not, Lucy was the opposite. She was open and guileless, never meaning to offend. She was the first to laugh at her mistakes and quick to smooth over those of others. She didn’t let him off the hook when he didn’t deserve it, but always came up with a tension-deflating, smart-ass comeback when he did.
And because he valued her friendship above all else, this was the one topic he’d never broached with her. He didn’t plan to start now.
“Well, I’m not here to get big knockers.” She glanced down. “Even the fairy godmothers aren’t that good.” Grinning, she said, “Anyway, this isn’t
Extreme Makeover.
I’m just going to learn how to, you know, enhance the positive.” Then she rolled her eyes and slumped back in her seat. “God. Who am I kidding, right?”
And that was the paradox of Lucy Harper. Such a confident smart-ass one minute, then that flicker of sincere vulnerability the next. Never failed to draw him in.
Yeah,
he thought,
like a fly to the web.
Christ, what a pair they were.
He blew out a deep sigh and reached for her hand, tugging it between his even when she tugged back. “I can’t believe you’re wheedling this out of me, but you know I just want you to be happy. With yourself, or whatever it is you think needs improving. Both Jana and I want that. We just don’t want you setting yourself up for disappointment, that’s all.”
Lucy stared at him with those frank hazel eyes of hers. “I’m not a teenager anymore. This isn’t a whim. Okay, so coming here might have been. But I’ve wanted to fix this . . . I don’t know, this feeling that I don’t match up, for a long time. I just had no idea how to go about doing it. I tried convincing myself that I should settle for what I’ve got. But after a while, that began to feel an awful lot like copping out.” She shifted her hands so she now held his. “If you want to improve your mind, you take another class, right? Well, I like my mind just fine. I want to improve whatever it is that keeps people from seeing the real me. Only it’s not as simple as signing up for another college course.”
He just sighed. She’d never get it.
“Worst case is I find out this is all there is. That this is the real me people are seeing. And then I guess I accept it and go from there. But I have to know I tried. Can you at least trust me that this is something I have to do?”
Grady rubbed his thumbs along the outside of her hands. “Yeah. I just wish you didn’t feel so incomplete.” Because it made him feel like he’d failed her somehow.
“I know you think this is a shallow endeavor, but—”
He shook his head. “Like you said, it’s what you have to do.”
She smiled. “A ringing endorsement.” She pulled him forward and gave him a resounding kiss on the cheek. “But I’ll take it.”
On impulse he hugged her. Not that he didn’t ever hug her. He did all the time. Just not when he was feeling . . . well, like he was feeling at the moment. “Just come back the same Lucy Harper I know and love, okay?” he murmured against her hair. Then sat her back and quickly shifted the tone. “Or Jana and I will be forced to confiscate your secret decoder ring to the Up
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