“All right, I’ll be back in a minute.” He nodded at the sign. “You go pay for your lame sign and then I have something very important to ask you”— he wiggled his eyebrows —“something I think you’re going to like.”
She tried to hide her nervous smile while shaking off his insult about her sign. Surely, he was talking about the Harvest Ball tonight. Everyone in Blessings went to it. It was the big event to look forward to every Thanksgiving. She’d always gone with friends. Never with a date. It looked like things were really changing this year. All thanks to Joseph.
“Sounds good.” She tried not to stumble over her words. “See you soon.”
Her eyes trailed him as he walked away. When he disappeared she glanced over at Joseph. He was watching her with a mixture of disgust and pain on his face.
“What?” She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling judged. “Am I acting too pathetic or something?”
“No.” He stood and mimicked her stance with his hands crossed over his buff chest. “I just think maybe this plan’s gotten out of hand.”
Shaking her head, she picked up the sign and went to hand the cashier a wad of cash from her purse. “What do you mean? It’s perfect. He’s going to ask me to the ball. Didn’t you just hear him? He’s got an important question to ask me.”
Men could be so oblivious. Obviously, the plan was working. Why was Joseph so freaked out?
“Well...yes.” He looked around, as if making sure no one was in earshot. “But what if I told you that this was all a mistake?”
She held the sign in her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if I told you that going after Garret is a mistake?”
A crowd of people pushed past her, jostling her in the hustle. The arts festival was getting busy. She grabbed Joseph’s arm and pulled him toward the nearest door, walking swiftly until they were outside in the warm sunlight and away from prying ears.
“What are you saying?” she demanded, turning around to face him. Dread had entered her heart. “I thought you were on board. I thought you said I’d be good for your brother.”
“I did say that.” He shuffled his feet and stared hard at the ground. “But maybe I was wrong.”
Her heart was threatening to escape from her chest. She took a step back, pain entering her voice. “So, now I’m not good enough?”
He looked up at her, panic flashing in his eyes. “No, that’s not what I was saying.”
“Then, what?”
She couldn’t imagine what had changed so rapidly to make Joseph think that she and Garret weren’t a good idea. She’d played along. Flirted
when he flirted with her. Returned all his smiles and teasing grins. Laughed at his jokes. All to make his younger brother notice her. What had she done wrong?
“I’m saying that Garret isn’t the guy for you.” He laughed nervously. “My brother is still a kid in a lot of ways. He’s got oats to sow. His whole plan for after college is to travel the world. You don’t fit into that plan.”
She felt her face crumple. Sure, she’d been having those niggling doubts of her own, but hearing Joseph say them out loud was like pushing a dagger through her heart. She didn’t fit in to Garret’s plan. Just like she hadn’t fit into his life during school, either. She’d come so far and gotten nowhere. It didn’t matter what she did.
“Well, thank you for the pep talk, coach.” She picked up her wooden sign and glared at him. “It’s nice to hear that I’ll never be good enough.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I’m saying, Michelle. If you’d just listen—”
“I don’t think I need to listen to another word of this.” She turned on her heels, ready to stomp away from this heart-wrenchingly sad conversation. “I thought you were my friend, Joseph.”
“I am.” He grabbed her wrist and rushed to cut off her path. Desperation showed in the lines around his mouth. Taking her hand in both of his, he leaned down just enough to look deep in her eyes. “But what I’m saying is: choose me. Don’t go to the ball with my brother. Go with me.”
Shock coursed through her. She could hardly believe what she’d just heard. Was he really asking her to go to the ball with him?
She tore her hand out of his and recoiled against the metal shed. “What?”
“I told you that today I wasn’t acting how a good man should. And that I wanted what someone else has.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’m allowing myself to be extremely selfish for a minute. I’m asking you to forget Garret and go with me instead. I want you.”
Michelle wasn’t sure what to think about this turn of events. Her brain had stopped working, along with her tongue. She just stared wide-eyed at him, waiting for him to pop a goofy grin and yell psyche!
She’d been practically in love with Garret for almost her whole life. And this weekend had been the culmination of over a dozen years of longing. How could Joseph ask her to just forget about all of that and go with him to the ball? It was absurd. He didn’t know what he was asking.