Page 7 of Two Hearts
Charlie rolled her eyes.“If you think he liked you like that, you wait till he sees you in your basketball jersey, sinking a three.”
“No.”She shook her head firmly.“No, he can’t see me like that.I mean…he wouldn’t have looked twice at me.No one ever has before.It was that whole image Mom made me put on last night.Don’t you get it, Charlie?”
“No.I don’t get it.”Charlie got up, took Gracie’s shoulders, turned her and stared at her.“Your mother doesn’t mean to do what she does, Grace.”
“Mother doesn’t…doanything.”
“Yeah, she does.She withholds her love until and unless her daughters conform to her idea of perfection.She’s done it to you all your life.For crying out loud, they were scouting you for the pros, Gracie!A dream come true!And what did you tell them?”
Gracie told herself that the burning in her eyes and the tightening of her throat had nothing to do with what Charlie was talking about.“Maybe that’s not my dream,” she said, sniffling.
“I raised you, remember?”
Gracie blinked.“It doesn’t matter.I made the decision and that’s the end of it.”
“Damn right it is.Chances like that don’t come along twice in a lifetime.”
“Let it go, Charlie.”
Charlie sighed, but she let it go.“So what’s your point, kid?”
“My point is that I think I met the man of my dreams last night, and he’s coming back tonight!I can’t wear the same thing, and I suck at putting these kinds of clothes together.I need help, Charlie.”
Charlie shook her head slowly.“I may be good at sneaking little girls out for phony etiquette lessons, helping them change into blue jeans and taking them to the park to play ball, all without getting caught, kid.But I’m not good enough for the level of deception you have in mind.”
Grace stared at her, blinking in shock at the judgment in her tone.“It isn’t deception!”
“Yes, it is.And the worst kind.What we did, we did so you could be who you really were.But maybe I shouldn’t have made it so damn easy for you.Maybe I should have made you stand up to your mother from the start, so you wouldn’t be too afraid to do it now.”
“I’m not afraid—”
“But even so, at least back then you were being yourself.What you’re doing now is pretending to be something you’re not.And no good can come of it, Gracie.”She headed for the door.
“Charlie, if you don’t help me, who will?”
Charlie shrugged.“Swallow your pride, and go talk to your big sister.”
Then she was gone.
Gracie fell backward onto the mountain of clothes and closed her eyes.Dammit, she hated to go to Hope for help.All her life, she’d resented her older sister.For being feminine and petite and perfect.For being small and beautiful, and for falling into the image of well-mannered heiress almost naturally.Hope had been waved in Gracie’s face constantly.“Why can’t you be more like your sister, Grace?Why don’t you ask your sister to take you shopping next time, Grace?My goodness, your feet are so big, Grace!Not tiny and cute like your sister’s…”
“Ooooooooooh!”
There was a tap on the door.
Grace leaped to her feet and yanked it open.“Thank God, you came back, Charlie.I knew you… Oh.It’s you.”
Hope stood there in a cute pink sheath that perfectly matched her nails, her shoes and her lips.Her hair was perfect, blond and gorgeous.Her makeup was flawless.Her eyes were big and innocent.“Yeah, it’s me.I was listening in.So what’s this about you coming out of the closet?”
Grace’s eyes widened, then she blinked.“Locker room.Coming out of the locker room.Not the closet.God, Hope, leave it to a little priss like you to think just because I’m a jock I must be gay.”
“I didn’t say I thought that.”Hope came into the room, looked around and frowned in distaste.
Grace scowled and turned away.“You shouldn’t be listening to private conversations,” she said.
“It’s not as if I didn’t already know.”
Grace spun, wide-eyed.
