Best Foot Forward (The Best Girls 3)

Carlos tapped his finger on his chin, “I’d say give her a pixie cut and a brown temporary rinse to tone it down a little. That’s the best you can do. You can’t use any more bleach on that hair.” He reached out to crackle a strand between his fingers. “I’m not even going to ask what you did to cause this, but please don’t ever do it again.”

Grace was surprised she didn’t have the urge to cry. After her week of stressing about Brad, this seemed like a walk in the park. She smiled at Carlos, “I guess I’m getting a pixie cut. No worries—I’ll never do it again.”

She wished she could go back in time and make a different decision about her hair. But she wished even more she could turn back the days and reverse the decision to breakup with Brad. What should she have done when he declared his love and intent to marry her? All she knew was her decisions had resulted in heartache. She’d had no idea how much she would miss him. After all, they’d only been dating for two months. But there was nothing she could do about it now—he’d made it clear there was no going back, no second chances. At least her hair would grow back some day.

*****

Ben was really enjoying his visit to New York. Nothing gave him more pleasure than teasing his brother, and Brad had really set himself up this time. He was looking forward to an evening with Emily and Spencer and, of course, Grace. He ought to be able to gain enough fuel in one night to irritate his brother for a week or two. And if he managed to spur him into fighting for Grace, that would be even better. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d claimed Grace was the only one of Brad’s girlfriends he liked. He had no intention of allowing Brad to throw away the best thing he’d ever had.

“So where’s Grace?” Ben asked. “She’s not coming to dinner?”

Emily said, “She called to say she’d be late. She said something about having a hair appointment.”

“Well these fajitas are great—she’s really missing out,” said Ben.

“She’ll be here in time for the baseball game,” said Spencer. “She never misses a game.”

Ben said, “So before she gets here, we should discuss how we’re going to get her back together with Brad.”

“Great,” said Emily. “Do you have some good ideas?”

“Wait—that’s none of our business,” said Spencer, as he glowered at Emily.

“Of course it’s our business,” said Ben. “I’m Brad’s brother. You’re Grace’s brother. It’s our job to make sure our siblings don’t screw up their lives.”

“I agree,” said Emily. “Grace is miserable. How’s Brad doing?”

“He’s even grouchier than usual,” said Ben. “Grace kept him a lot more even-keeled. He has obsessive and perfectionist tendencies.”

“I’m sure they’ll get back together without our help,” said Spencer.

“Did he tell you he’s going to the baseball game with another woman? She’s one of the doctors he works with.”

Spencer scrunched his eyes to narrow slits. “No, he didn’t say he was going with a girl. They just broke up; I’m surprised he’s already dating someone else.”

Ben said, “Isn’t Grace dating some guy named Horatio?”

“That’s right,” said Emily. “I found out he’s a waiter at Per Se and getting a degree in Meteorology. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but I really wanted her to be with Brad. I think he’s good for her, and she’s good for him.”

“I have to admit, she hasn’t been quite as crazy since she started dating Brad,” said Spencer.

A knock at the door alerted them to Grace’s arrival. “I’ll get it,” said Ben. “You two just need to remember my ultimate goal is get them back together, no matter what I say to Grace.” He opened the door with a flourish. “Come in, Grace. We’ve been waiting...” His voice trailed off when he caught sight of the girl at the door. “Grace? Is that you?” This girl didn’t look like Grace, at least not the Grace he remembered. She was petite like Grace, but she had really short hair and it was... He wasn’t sure what color to call it. It was kind of a rusty brown.

“It’s me,” said Grace as she swept into the room. “I know... The hair is horrible. But believe me, it’s a lot better now than it was this morning.”

Ben glanced at Emily and Spencer who were gaping in silence. They weren’t going to be any help at all. He scrambled to say something reassuring to Grace, “It’s cute Grace. I just didn’t recognize you.”

Grace turned toward him and a laugh burst out. “Ben, that’s actually pretty good. I mean, I know you’re lying, of course. But you’re pretty good at it. Have you taken some acting lessons?”

He smiled at her good humor. “No, but I worked for a while at a used car lot.”

“Ah ha! That explains it,” she said, flashing her cute grin. “You don’t have to be nice. It was a terrible accident, and I’ve been told I’m lucky to have any hair at all.”

“You know, Grace. It’s growing on me. I think I actually like it.” This time he meant the words he said. She was just so good-natured about everything she couldn’t help but look appealing. He was more determined than ever she was the right girl for Brad. His uptight brother had really started enjoying life when he was dating Grace.

“Ben, you’re probably the only man on the planet who would say that right now.”

Spencer said, “The haircut is cute, Gracie. It’s just the color that’s kind of weird. But it’s probably not the worst you’ve ever looked. I remember one time when you got such a bad sunburn you were peeling like a lizard. And then one time you put some kind of temporary pink color on your hair, but it took like six weeks to fade.”