How We Fell in Love: Grace and James's short story Read online

  How We Fell in Love

  Toni Aleo

  Copyright © 2018 by Toni Aleo

  All rights reserved.

  How We Fell in Love is a work of fiction. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  To everyone who stood beside me this summer through my dark period. I am happy to say I am peeking out, and I am trying to find my way.

  Contents

  March 17th

  March 28th

  March 31st

  April 2nd

  April 3rd

  April 13th

  April 14th

  May 3rd

  May 18th

  May 20th

  May 24th

  September 3rd

  September 7th

  November 22nd

  February 3rd

  Twenty years later…

  Present day

  Also by Toni Aleo

  ABOUT TONI ALEO

  Acknowledgments

  March 17th

  I move my hands through my hair as I fall back onto my bed. A long sigh leaves my lips, and I stare up at the blades of the fan as they spin around. I don’t look around or even admire the work I have put into this little apartment. I don’t care. I hate it now, which is utterly depressing since I worked damn hard to make perfect.

  Before, our apartment was the ideal balance of soft and hard. My brother is rough and tough, and though his eyes are as blue as the sky, gray is his color. I played off the gray with a stunning pale purple, my favorite color, and the apartment was flawless. We even had matching recliners where we’d watch the games or play Xbox. It was perfect. But then my brother left for a huge contract to be some big shot hockey player for the Nashville Assassins.

  Stupid twin brother.

  Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic for him. This is what he worked for, what we all strived for, but it’s the first time he’s left me behind. I know they say twins need to live their own lives, but my mom thought that was a load of shit. So we did everything together. She matched our outfits until we were old enough to complain, and I will not admit that age—no matter what.

  Wherever Shea went, I was there, and the same for him. We were in the same classes, the same clubs, the same camps—we did everything the same. I played hockey until I got hurt in college. It was probably for the best since, apparently, Shea got all the great hockey genes. Though, I still had a nice scholarship, and it gave me a chance to focus on my designs. Shea, he continued to kick ass, which is why he’s already being traded to the Assassins.

  He’s badass. What I didn’t realize was that, when he left, I wasn’t going. I don’t know who decided this. Maybe it was me being all stubborn and headstrong, but the last four months have been shit. And I want—no, I need to be where my brother is. Yes, we have that weird twin thing that might disturb normal folks, but to us, we’re just best friends. Even as teenagers, we got along, and now as young adults, nothing has changed. He is my best friend, and the phone calls and emails… Well, they aren’t cutting it.

  I hate how pathetic I sound, but Mom has already given me up, so it’s not as embarrassing when I ask, “Can’t you just come back?”

  Shea laughs loudly. “Grace, I signed a seven-year contract. I’m gonna be here awhile.”

  “Can we cancel that?”

  He scoffs. “No, I like the money.” Ah, I forgot about the millions he’s worth. “But the offer still stands. You are more than welcome. Actually, I’d love it if you came to live here.”

  “I don’t know if I’m the Nashville type.” I scrunch up my nose at the thought. I’m Boston born and bred. I have the mouth of a Bostonian, and I love chowder. Does Nashville have New England clam chowder? Doubt it. It’s probably called Nashville chowder. Ew.

  “You’d have a place. It’s just me right now, and I told you, I have that friend who runs a design and party planning company.”

  “I want to be a designer, not a party planner.”

  “Same thing,” he throws at me. “They make shit pretty.”

  “Not the same thing,” I mutter, but he isn’t listening. “And who is this friend? Your flavor of the week?”

  “Hey,” he laughs. “She’s lasted about four, and she knows about you. She said you have a job here.”

  “Until you break her heart.”

  He shrugs. “She isn’t the one, so I’ll let her down easy when I’m done.”

  “How do you know that? I never know who ‘the one’ is.”

  “Because you don’t give any guy a chance to become ‘the one.’” Well, he isn’t wrong. “How’s Brent, by the way?”

  I groan loudly. “We broke up last week.”

  “You didn’t tell me.” He sounds hurt.

  “I didn’t want to hear ‘I told you so.’”

  “Did he cheat?”

  I nod, and the tears are still a bit fresh. “Yup.”

  “Well then, I told you so because he was sleeping with you when he was married.”

  I grimace. “Well, if it makes it any better, he cheated on me with his wife.”

  “That doesn’t make it better.”

  I shrug. “I thought he was special.”

  “He wasn’t. He was a jackass, and you should have left when you found out instead—” Shea lets out a long breath. This is why I didn’t tell him. I didn’t need all this. “You need a nice fucking dude, sis.”

  I close my eyes. “Haven’t met one.”

  I can hear the disdain in his voice. “You know what? All that doesn’t matter. It’s time to restart. And I’m telling you, you’d love it here if you gave it a chance. People are nice, the team is awesome, and the food is amazing. I’m sure we can find a chowder that is up to your standards.”

  I grumble, though I do like the idea of a fresh start. I am starting to develop an unhealthy type here. I need a new dating sea of sexy fish, and maybe Nashville has that. Yet I’m hesitant. “I don’t know. What about my place?”

  “We’ll sell it. I know a guy.”

  “And my stuff?”

  “We can ship it.”

  “But what if I don’t like it there?”

  “Then you can go back, Grace. Come on, let’s be adults and think critically here.”

  I roll my eyes. “But you won’t come back?”

  A pregnant pause falls between us, and I can just see him running his hands through his hair in frustration. I’m four minutes older than Shea, but no one believes that. Shea is just the kind of guy who runs shit. He’s a leader, and he fights for the people he loves like no other.

  “No, Nashville is home now. I told you that when I left Philly.”

  I want to cry at the simple sentence. It’s so rude. “I know.”

  “You should have come with me instead of going home.” I don’t know if he’s right. I close my eyes as he goes on, “Listen, I know the last couple months have been tough. They have been for me too, but Grace, you can do this by yourself. You know that, right?”

  “Well, duh, I’m badass.” I know I can live here without Shea; I just don’t want to. “I just miss your smelly ass, and I’m hungry. No one is here to order good food. I don’t know where to order from.”

  I hear the grin in his voice. “I told you to learn how to cook.”

  “Eh, keeps my waist in check.” Or not. Pretty sure I’ve gained weight from eating gas station food. Hot dogs and Slurpees are a banging dinner.

  “Nerd,” he laughs, and
I smile. “Why don’t I buy you a plane ticket, and you come down to see how you like it?”

  “I’ve done that,” I remind him. “For a solid month. Nashville is nice, beautiful, and hot, but it isn’t Boston.”

  “I know, but it has me. And I think that’s what you’re missing, if Mom is telling me right.”

  “Mom runs her mouth too much.”

  “So do you.”

  I glare at the blades of the fan. “I don’t have a job, and my savings isn’t all that great since I like to spend money—”

  “I’ll take care of you until you get on your feet.”

  I bite my lip as I arch my brow. “Are you still having those parties with the strippers?”

  He lets out an aggravated breath. “It was one damn party! They weren’t even strippers.”

  “Fine, escorts.”

  I hear him pull in a breath through his teeth. “Classy ones.”

  I snort. “Sure. But for real, I can’t deal with all that.”

  “Same rules as last time. No sex anywhere but the bedroom.”

  I glare as if he can see me. “Especially the bathroom sink.”

  “Hey, you’ll have your own bathroom here.”

  “My own?” I gasp, and he laughs.

  “And a guest suite. The condo is fan-fucking-tastic. I love it. It’s so big.”

  “A guest suite too? How’s the closet?”

  “Bigger than I need, for sure. Two closets the size of the one you have there, I think. Maybe three.”

  I sit up. “Oh, I’m there.”

  I’m met with his laughter. “So it’s the condo that got you? I would have told you about that months ago.”

  My face breaks into a large grin. “Aw, you’ve missed me too?”

  “More than you know, dweeb.”

  My heart warms. “Good. Well, buy me a ticket. I’m gonna start packing.”

  I hear a chime, and then he says, “I already bought it. You leave next Tuesday at four.”

  “So I have a week to pack?”

  “Yup, and then you’ll be here.”

  Excitement radiates out of me. I still have empty boxes left over from when Shea moved, and I know Mom will be down to help. She knows how much I miss him. While I’m sure she’ll miss us, she’d rather us be together than apart.

  I’m moving!

  “Maybe we can try not to get in trouble?” Shea says as I get up, making my way through the apartment to find the boxes.

  I laugh as I throw open the door to the garage. “I doubt it.”

  He laughs along with me, and I can’t even express how excited I am.

  “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  March 28th

  You know how when you meet a woman for the first time, it can go one of two ways? You either love the chick and you hit it off, or you hate her and want to leave the room right then. For the ladies who can feel indifferent when they meet someone, I envy you because I am not that kind of girl.

  And because I’m not, I don’t like Jackie McCory.

  She is a classic puck bunny. Tits and ass bigger than they need to be. Her waist is tiny, and her bleached-blonde hair is currently blinding me. Fake lips, Botox, and color contacts, oh my! She’s dressed in a tight bodycon dress, and I’ve been waiting for it to burst at the seams since I walked into her office, the Planning Guru. It’s everything Shea said it would be, but he did leave out the part about the Barbie he decided he was going to date this month.

  “We do a lot of party planning. Especially with the Nashville Assassins.” She says the name of the NHL team like she owns it or something. I know for a fact that she doesn’t, but she likes having them as a client. “We also do some interior design for the players when they need it, but mostly we do real estate stagings for our business associate. He and I have been in business together for a long while. He’s like family, ya see. He lost his parents a while back, but my parents love him, so we take care of him.”

  Why is she telling me this? I don’t care. I don’t even know the dude. Though, since being in Nashville for the last three days, I’ve noticed everyone overshares. And they’re so nice. Like, overly nice. Shea and I walked to breakfast yesterday, and we were waved at by almost everyone. I chalked it up to the fact that I was walking with the new face of the Nashville Assassins, but then later, I went to the supermarket by myself, and everyone still waved. It’s bizarre, but also kind of nice. It’s better than being flipped off like how it is back home.

  It’s only been three days, but I already feel a load better. Even Mom mentioned how great I sounded on the phone. I feel it too, which is wonderful. I hit the ground running when I arrived. Shea’s condo is already our condo. It’s as if I took everything from Boston and brought it here. I’m good with that, and so is Shea. He hasn’t stopped smiling since I arrived. I know most people don’t understand, but we’re good. Even though he’s my brother, he is my chosen best friend.

  “Shea tells me you’ll be in town for a while.”

  Jackie’s words bring me back to the conversation. When Shea suggested I get a job with Jackie, I was hesitant. But then I remembered I was one proud chick, and I don’t take handouts well. Moving kicked my savings in the balls, so I need to build that back up. Plus, I like blowing money on things that sparkle. So, I need a job. If that job can allow me to afford things that sparkle, then I’m there. I just have to work with this chick. I smile as I nod eagerly. “Yes, the plan is to move here permanently.”

  “Aw, y’all are just so close and all.”

  I don’t think she likes me. I don’t have real evidence, but I don’t like the way she looks down on me. Or the quirk in her brow, almost as if I’m not good enough to be here. Yes, I haven’t been working in design long, but I graduated second in my class, and I can design the hell out of anything. None of that matters, though, because she really likes Shea, and I’m pretty sure she thinks she’s the one.

  Sorry, sister, you’re not.

  I like to think of Shea’s match from time to time. I’d love her, of course. She’d be fantastic and love me just as much. She wouldn’t be a Barbie either. She’d be drop-dead gorgeous, but she’d be normal. I see him with someone shorter, if only for the fact that he likes being the protector. She’d be the yin to his yang, but she’d be able to put him in his place. Yeah, I can’t wait to meet her. And one thing is for sure—Jackie McCory is not her.

  I nod. “Yup, we sure are.”

  When a knock comes to the door, her face changes to an expression of annoyance in one point two seconds flat. I swear her accent gets thicker as she hollers out, “I’m in a meeting, Mandy!”

  The door opens, and in comes Mandy. But, wait… I’m pretty sure he’s not. Maybe it’s a nickname, and if so, he might need to change that. He’s way too hot to have such a feminine name. His gaze moves from Jackie to me and, whoa, nice eyes. They’re dark but have flecks of gold. His face is nice too, high cheekbones and a thick jaw. His nose is narrow but fits his face. He’s clean-shaven, and his hair is high and tight, giving him a classy look.

  “Oh, it’s you, James.”

  “Hey, sorry. Not Mandy. She’s in the back, chain-smoking,” he says, but his eyes haven’t left mine. He holds his hand up as he comes in. His lips curve, his eyes go a bit dark, and a shock runs through me. Oh, he is sexy. He pulls his gaze from mine back to Jackie. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “Of course she is,” Jackie moans. “What can I do for you?”

  He clears his throat as I drink him in. He’s probably my height, lean, and looks damn good in that suit. He reeks of money, which isn’t really a turn-on for me. Most of the time, those guys are complete dicks. And if they’re not dicks, they’re way too safe for my liking. “I need the files on Gavorite, Lydel, and Marrett.”

  She lets her head fall back. “I told Mandy to send them.”

  He shrugs. “She must have misplaced them on one of her many trips outside.”

  My cheek pulls up with a grin as Jackie gives him a
pointed look. “Are you trying to tell me my assistant sucks?”

  He blinks, his face like stone, but a grin is hiding in there. “Yes, massively. Fire her now.”

  She rolls her eyes as she stands, getting the files.

  He looks over at me and smiles, his white teeth gleaming. “Hire her. She looks way more qualified.”

  I snort. Is that his pick-up line?

  “That’s Shea Adler’s sister. She’s here to replace Tammy as my partner in crime.”

  His eyes widen. “That’s why I thought I knew you. Y’all two are twins.”

  Y’all two? It’s a whole different language down here. “Guilty,” I say, and his eyes glide over me like warm honey. Heat gathers between my legs and…all over, actually.

  “I’m James Justice.”

  “Grace Adler.”

  His lips curve even more, and the sweetest little dimple appears at the side of his mouth. “So I was right. Way too qualified for Mandy’s job.”

  “Maybe,” I say with a shrug.

  Jackie holds out the files, and he takes them, though his eyes stay on me. He taps the files to his palm and then nods. “Well then, thank you for these, Jackie. Fire Mandy. And hey, maybe I’ll see you around.”

  I shrug once more, pursing my lips. I hope they’re still nice and glossy. “Maybe.”

  He leaves after that. Hmm, interesting. When Jackie sits down, she leans on the desk. “The job is yours if you want it.”

  “Oh.” I mean, I know I’m awesome, but I had started to feel like she wasn’t going to give me the job. “Let me ask you something before I accept.”

  “Sure.”

  She folds her perfectly manicured hands together, and I take in a deep breath. “If you and Shea break up, what does that mean for me?”