Josie Day Is Coming Home (40 page)

“
Somebody
had to make sure you and your dad
didn’t lose touch with each other forever,” TJ explained. He pointed both
thumbs at himself, his beaming smile returning. “Dude! You guessed it. I’m
a freaking double
double
agent!”

Unbelievable. Luke released a pent-up breath.

“Your dad just wanted to make sure you were okay after
the argument you guys had,” TJ said. “When he asked me to come after
you, that’s what he said. ‘Make sure Luke’s okay.’ So that’s what I did. That’s
what I’m
still
doing.”

At his meaningful look, Luke frowned. “I don’t need my
dad here right now. This thing with Josie—”

“Is
exactly
why you need your dad here!”

Looking at TJ’s goofy, optimistic expression, Luke sighed.
Why was everyone suddenly determined to meddle in his life?

“Your dad really wants to meet Josie,” TJ urged.
“I told him all about her. He’s happy for you.”

“Wasn’t that a little premature?” Luke ran his
hand through his hair, feeling exasperated, overwhelmed…and okay,
fine—disappointed things hadn’t turned out better with his dad. “What if
Josie doesn’t come?”

“Dude, she’ll come. And when she does, your dad will be
there to see it!”

Oh, Christ.
“TJ. You didn’t.”

“I did. I invited your dad to come here on Saturday for
the big shindig.” TJ chortled, looking pleased. “He booked a room at
your aunt’s hotel. He already said yes!”

Great. If Josie didn’t show, Luke would be humiliated in
front of the whole town
and
his dad. And Tallulah and Ambrose and TJ
and, probably, Amber. That was just terrific.

Feeling even shakier than before, he went back to his
wiring. There was no backing down now. Luke only hoped he could pull off his
reunion with Josie better than he had his reconciliation with his father.

On Saturday morning, Josie awoke with a smile on her face
and not a stitch on anyplace else. After her showdown with Jenna—and her
subsequent strategizing session with Tallulah—she’d reverted to her old
ways…including sleeping in the buff.

Bare-naked snoozing might not be right for everyone. But to
Josie, it felt natural. It felt as much
her
as Frank, her false
eyelashes, and the tight pink pants she’d decided to wear today did. That was
good enough for her.

More importantly, it was authentic. Powered by the
realization that she’d never get anywhere—would never be honestly happy—if she
wasn’t true to herself first, Josie had returned to her roots. Triumphantly.

Only in the figurative sense, of course. A girl would have
to be crazy to give up the advantages of Clairol Sedona Sunset.

But oddly enough, the moment Josie had decided to quit
worrying about making a good impression on Donovan’s Corner…she’d started
making a good impression on Donovan’s Corner. Almost the same way Jenna had
predicted during her “baking cupcakes” lecture at Glenda’s Clothing
Cache.

As near as Josie could tell, the pro-Josie movement began
with her dad’s cable-TV campaign. It picked up momentum when he welcomed her
back home, and then reached a crescendo when she dared to appear in Donovan’s
Corner as herself—false eyelashes, short skirts, and all.

The whole experience had been pretty liberating. But what
mattered most to Josie was that having the town’s support would prove plenty
convenient when it came to today’s events….

And the surprise she had planned for Luke.

Looking forward to it, she hopped in the shower and then got
dressed, adding an improvised shuffle step here and a step-ball-change there.
Moving felt good. Anticipating Luke’s reaction felt good. Being herself—
really
being herself
—felt great. Finally, Josie had her self-respect back.

Next on the agenda was getting Luke back, too.

Flipping her head upside down, Josie squirted styling spray
at the roots of her hair and then blow dried for maximum volume. That was her,
too. Big hair, big dreams, big risk-taking. Her dreams would be on hold for a
while, but that was okay. Postponing her dance school plans—
modifying her
plans,
as her mom called it—would be worth it. It would be worth it if Luke
came back to her.

With a grin, Josie thought about the scheme she’d cooked up
with the help of Tallulah and Jenna and TJ and her mom. Thanks to Ambrose’s
phone call earlier this week, Josie’s visit to Blue Moon today would dovetail
with her plans nicely. Luke wouldn’t know what had hit him.

At first she’d worried he would bolt, wanting to avoid
seeing her. But Tallulah had assured her that Luke was so busy working on Blue
Moon—getting it ready for auction, Josie guessed—that he’d stick around.
Reassured, she’d decided to go ahead.

Not that it had been easy. She’d had to swallow her pride
and ask for help. She’d had to contact the same people who’d turned up their
noses at her and ask them to pitch in for Luke. She’d had to organize and
strategize and plan ahead…none of those skills a strong suit for her. But now
that the day had arrived, Josie
knew
it would work.

It had to work. She needed to make things up to Luke. She
needed a second chance with him. If she couldn’t do that….

Well, she
would
do it. She refused to admit the
possibility of failure. All the same, butterflies tangoed through her
midsection as Josie slipped into her pink pants and a cute halter top. Her
fingers trembled as she fastened the straps on her rainbow wedgies. Her smile
faltered as she examined her appearance in the mirror and wondered how Luke
would react when he saw her.

Would he see her with love? With happiness? Or with the same
disdain Donovan’s Corner had? She’d left it behind once, too. Regaining its
trust had been an uphill battle all the way.

She guessed she’d just have to wait and see.

“It’s show time,” she whispered to her reflection.

Then Josie lifted her shoulders and—for courage—performed an
exemplary showgirl walk, all the way to her car.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Somehow, when Josie’s back was turned, her simple real
estate auction turned into a three-ring circus.

Arriving at Blue Moon, she couldn’t even park her
convertible in the driveway. Gawking at the crowds of bikers, of running
children, of Chardonnay-drinking PTSO members, Josie pulled past the estate
house. She followed the handmade signs—where had those come from?—to a sandy
improvised parking lot.

As she got out of her car, still confused by the hubbub all
around her, a yellow balloon zoomed past her head. Powered by helium, it soared
into the clear Arizona sky. Josie watched it disappear, feeling equally set
adrift by this change of plans.

Well. She’d just have to get her bearings and go from there.
Making her way toward the house, she waved to a few familiar people. She caught
a whiff of hot dogs grilling. The citrusy tang of lemonade tickled her nose.

Hot dogs? Lemonade? Gazing across the lawn until she located
them, Josie frowned. This was supposed to be an auction. An auction designed to
gain Luke the money he needed for his motorcycle mechanic’s shop. Not a potluck
barbecue.

Something was definitely off-kilter here. Did she have the
wrong day? Did Luke have other plans? This sure didn’t
look
like the
hard work of prepping the place for sale.

On the lookout for Tallulah or Jenna or TJ, Josie continued
past the carriage house, feeling a pang as she looked up at Luke’s apartment
window. Somewhere nearby, a band played. She couldn’t quite identify the
song…probably because of the conversations taking place everywhere.

Visitors dotted the lawn that Luke and TJ had raced their
competing mowers across. Laughter wafted from the distant open windows of Blue
Moon’s estate house. Tallulah’s shih tzu barked at the neighbors’ curious cat
as it streaked into the pine trees, rustling the boughs.

Here and there, Josie spied the well-heeled townspeople,
contacts of her mother’s, whom she’d invited with the hopes of enticing big
bids from them. Feeling mystified by the presence of everyone else—especially
the kids and the bikers and the blue-collar families—she circled the house. Now
and then she shook hands or passed out auction info sheets.

Where the heck was everyone? She glimpsed Luanne from
Frank’s Diner, a contingent from the Donovan’s Corner ladies’ auxiliary,
and—for one brief instant—David, with Emily in his arms and Hannah by his side.
But Jenna was nowhere to be found, and neither were her mother or Tallulah.

Squinting, Josie checked her watch. The auction was due to
begin in just under an hour. If her mother didn’t show soon, she didn’t see how
she could pull this off.

Moving forward, Josie recognized one of the PTSO moms from
Hannah’s school. On autopilot, she handed her the auction info.

“Hey, cute pants,” the woman said. “Where’d
you get them?”

A compliment? From the super-judgmental Mommy & Me crowd?
Now Josie
knew
something was wrong. She blurted out the name of her
favorite discount store, then offered an apology and made her getaway. She felt
seriously freaked out. If she could just find Tallulah or her mom….

Then, midway between the hot dog-covered barbecue grill and
the spot where a clown was making balloon animals—no, scratch that, where
TJ
was making balloon animals—Josie spotted him.

Luke.

Her heart stuttered. A sense of unreality gripped her.
Unable to move, she watched him instead. He wore a fitted gray T-shirt, jeans,
work boots. His tattoos flashed, and so did his smile. As she watched, he
leaned toward someone, talking, his dark head bent in concentration.

In that moment, Josie knew what yearning felt like. What
need felt like. Because all she could do was stand there—stand there and wish
it was
her
ear Luke murmured into,
her
arm he touched briefly as
he spoke,
her
face he smiled at. In a rush, she remembered the sound of
his voice, the callused feel of his fingertips, the warmth of his body.

She remembered what TJ had said, the stories he’d shared
about “Link.” She remembered knowing, with certainty, that she owed
Luke more than her usual dodge-and-run routine. More than “pulling a
Josie.” Which was why she was here today. Why she was coming back, really,
for the first time in all her life.

Luke laughed, and Josie felt herself drawn toward him.
Gathering her courage, she squared her shoulders and started walking. Groups of
people parted as she moved between them, her gaze fixed on the man she
loved…on the man she’d arranged every moment of this occasion for.

Hazily, she wondered why he wasn’t confused by the crowds
descending on his estate. Why he wasn’t befuddled that his lawn, his house, and
his impromptu “parking lot” overflowed with Donovan’s Corner
residents. But then Luke glanced up and saw her. All rational thought fled,
chased by the significance of knowing there was no backing out now.

Surprise registered on his features. His gaze zipped over
her halter top, her sexy pink pants, her wedgies. It had been a long time since
she’d worn them. As though he’d only just realized that fact, Luke let his gaze
linger on her rainbow shoes. A grin kicked up the corner of his mouth.

His attention swerved to her face.

Oh, wow.
She’d forgotten the impact of having Luke
completely focused on
her.
All at once, Josie felt as though everyone
else on the lawn faded away…as though someone had pressed a gigantic mute
button. All that remained was Luke. And her. And her clumsy, trembling,
embarrassingly damp palms.

“Hey,” he said when she reached him.

His voice, deep and beloved and familiar, reached all the
way inside her. It easily found every lonesome, missing-him molecule Josie had
tried to push aside. Faced with Luke, here, now, pushing aside anything—least
of all her feelings—was downright impossible.

His smile widened. “You came.”

Was it her imagination, or did he look relieved? She
couldn’t imagine why that would be, but…
oh, wow.
Luke touched her
hand, tentatively interlaced their fingers, gave her a gentle tug—a tug that
clearly communicated
I want you…but coming closer is up to you.

Heart hammering, Josie bravely stepped nearer. At her
movement, Luke
definitely
looked relieved. If she hadn’t known better,
she’d have sworn
he
was the one who’d planned a surprise for today.

“Of course I came.”

She had no idea how she managed to string those words
together. Her head reverberated with a chant of
Luke, Luke, Luke.
Her
hands still hadn’t quit shaking. Her knees wobbled. She figured she could pass
off her hot, blushing cheeks as a sunburn. Or maybe the result of an
overzealous application of her Cover Girl Wild Raspberry Cheekers. But the
overall meaning of those symptoms was unmistakable.

This meant the world to her.
Luke
meant the world to
her. That was all there was to it. On the verge of telling him so, Josie was
stopped by the strange expression on his face. He looked…nervous?

“Josie, I’m sorry,” he blurted. Roughly.
Sincerely. “Things got out of hand with Blue Moon. I know it’s no excuse, but
I never meant to hurt you. You’ve got to understand that. To believe it.
I—”

“No,
I’m
sorry!” she interrupted, squeezing
his hand. “I should never have cut and run like that. I know you. I should
have known you had a reason, a
good
reason, for everything.”

It wasn’t enough. Not enough to make up for hurting him, for
not believing in him. Contrite, Josie shook her head.

“I want to make it up to you,” Luke said
seriously. “That’s why…this. All this.”

He released her hand and opened his arms wide, indicating
the throngs of people. All the hullabaloo.