Page 71 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
“Best legs for sure,” Morgyn said. “Best boobs goes to Brindle. Best butt is Amber—”
“Really?” Amber squealed and turned in front of the mirror, trying to see her butt.
“Oh yes,” Brindle said. “Best overall figure is—”
“Sable,” they all said in unison, then tumbled onto Grace’s bed in a heap of laughter at the silly Best Of game they used to play.
Grace lay between Amber and Morgyn, smiling up at the ceiling. “Where is Sable?”
“She got stuck rebuilding an engine at the shop. She’ll be late, but she’ll meet us there.” Morgyn paused for only a second before saying, “Besthiddenfigure is—”
“Pepper!” they all said at once.
“Morgyn’s best lips, eyes, and hips,” Amber said. “You’re so lucky, Morg.”
“And Axsel’s got itallgoing on,” Grace added. “Lucky dude!”
She felt Morgyn and Amber lace their fingers with hers and knew Brindle’s and Morgyn’s were also linked. How had she gone so long without this closeness? When they all lifted their hands, hers were right there with them as they all recited the silliness they had since they were kids: “Not a loser in the bunch!”’
Amber and Morgyn jumped off the bed and pulled off Grace’s heels. Brindle danced around the room singing a senseless song about country girls and sexy dresses, and Grace realized this wasn’tsillinessat all. She pulled on the dress Brindle handed her, and Amber gathered her hair to the side and zipped it up. The dress was snug around the bodice, but soft and surprisingly comfortable.
Morgyn draped several necklaces of varying lengths around Grace’s neck, and Brindle pushed bangles onto Grace’s wrist as if she were their personal Barbie doll.
“Wait!” Grace grabbed her skirt and dug the boyfriend-girlfriend bracelets Morgyn had made out of her pocket. “Help me put these on under the bangles.”
“You haven’t given him his yet?” Morgyn helped her put them on, then slid the bangles down over the beaded bracelets.
“We’ve had a lot going on, but tonight’s the night. I can’t wait to see his face when I surprise him.”
Their mother appeared in the doorway, smiling the way mothers do when they’re happy to see their children playing nicely with one another. Grace rolled her eyes as if to say,I didn’t have a choice, but inside she was enjoying every second of it.
“We packed up all the food to bring with us, and the dogs are inside,” her mother said. “We’re ready when you are. And oh, my word. Reed is going to lose his mind.”
“You think so?” Grace asked hopefully.
“Goodness, yes,” their mother assured her. “Not that he needed any incentives.”
“Sit down, Gracie,” Morgyn urged. “I repurposed these just for you.”
Morgyn slipped Grace’s feet into a pair of gorgeous cowgirl boots embellished with lace, leather straps, and beaded rope.
“I’ve never seen anything like these. Not even in New York. Thank you, Morg!” Grace hugged her. Then she went to the mirror to admire her outfit. She could hardly believe she was looking at herself. Her legs looked a mile long in the cute sleeveless floral minidress. The bodice had ribbing down the center with tiny unmatched buttons, and the skirt flared out with three ruffles. The boots and accessories made the entire outfit look like a fashion statement.
“Morgyn, did you make this dress?” Grace asked.
“Yes. Would you believe it was ankle length, long sleeved,andplus sized when I got it? Check this out.” Morgyn turned her by the shoulders. “Look in the mirror.” She pointed to button-embellished darts she’d sewn into the back of the dress.
“Aren’t they fantastic?” Brindle said.
“Yes. It’s so pretty,” Grace said. “You have the best vision. I’d never pick out anything with ruffles or flowers.”
“We know,” her sisters and mother said in unison.
“You look gorgeous, Gracie,” Amber said.
Then they were hugging again, laughing as Brindle began messing with Grace’s hair, and they convinced her to let them do her makeup. Their mother went outside as the girls huddled around the bathroom mirror, and Grace’s heart swelled. These were the people, along with her other siblings, who made her believe she reallydidhave great legs, who had encouraged and inspired her to move to New York and chase what probably had seemed to everyone like an impossible dream, despite how much they’d each miss her. And they were the ones who had unknowingly held her together all those years ago when she and Reed had broken up. Only Sable had known why her heart had shattered, but nevertheless, they’d all been there to pick up the pieces.
She wondered how many of their crises she’d missed over the years and who was there to pick up the pieces for Pepper and Axsel, who both lived so far away. She silently vowed to make a concerted effort to stay in closer touch withallof her siblings.
