Suzie-Q

Chapter Twenty

Suzie turned in front of the mirror as she admired the dress. It was a cute little sundress her mother had found for her during one of her shopping trips and knew how pretty she looked in red. The bodice and skirt were patterned by mini black polka dots which went along with the thin, black spaghetti straps and the border print hem. The waist was accented with similar print as were the ends of the ties that cinched in her waist gently and allowed her subtle curves to be present without being prominent.

She looked dressed to kill… or at least to knock some poor, unsuspecting boy's socks off. She smiled and shook her head, feeling the weight of her hair as it bounced around her face in delicate golden ringlets and checked her light application of eye shadow.

Her hand was shaking before her eyes as she carefully wiped at a small smudge. Taking in a deep breath, she paused to calm herself. The usual butterflies in her stomach had stopped moving about, so she hadn't even realized that she was nervous until she visibly saw herself shaking.

She needed to remember that it was just dinner. That was it. She was only going to meet this boy for the sake of her grandfather and then he'd end up going off to school like he was supposed to. She'd probably never even see him again, anyway.

So why did she feel this way?

She really didn't have an answer to that question and she couldn't figure out why.

She needed something to distract her. Anything.

Then she spotted it through the mirror's reflection. The still unopened package from Lucy. Still waiting for their guests to arrive, now would be a perfect time to open it.

Walking over to her bed, she sat down and pulled it into her lap. She pulled at the line of tape holding it together and allowed to paper to pull apart in her hands. She smiled at the image on the front of the photo album. Lucy had pasted a group shot of the six of them standing on the beach with the waves behind them—D had been the photographer—to the front cover and wrote a small caption underneath with a black marker. "A Summer We Will Never Forget," was scrawled out in Lucy's familiar script.

Pages and pages were filled with images of all her new friends, each with an amusing comment or a descriptive caption underneath. There were a few action shots of her out on the waves and even a few stills that Suzie hadn't even realized had been taken of her.

One of her favorites was one where she was sitting on the beach, the setting sun casting a golden orange glow over the water as she just looked out and admired nature's beauty. The image gave her chills. It was artistic and beautiful and just so…

What was the word?

She paused her musing as her eyes glanced at the caption, a small gasp coming to her lips.

"Sparky Took This."

The three little words brought tears to her eyes, but she didn't dare let one fall for fear of having to do her makeup all over again. Her heart gave an unnatural clench and the breath rushed from her chest.

That was the reason why she couldn't find a proper description for Lucy's photo. It hadn't been taken by her after all and now that she knew the photographer, she could only use one word to describe it: Love.

There was something so tender and loving about it that she felt like weeping with joy. His feelings for her were just as strong as hers were for him. He didn't have to tell her to know, all she had to do was look at that picture.

Flipping through more pages, she smiled at the amusing antics of Crash and Harvard, who had revealed their real names to her at Grampa's barbeque. Crash's real name was Bobby Manning and Harvard's was Myles Leland the third. Of course, with a nickname like 'Harvard' the boy would have to have some sort of title to his name.

Finally, she arrived at the last page and the photograph took Suzie's breath away. It was a picture of her and Sparky that had been taken the morning after her first run. The morning after Sparky had kissed her for the first time. She recognized the familiar look of new love in their eyes as they posed for the camera, his arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned against his chest.

And underneath this picture were only two words: "True Love."

Suzie's smile grew so much wider. Lucy still had faith that everything would work out between her and Sparky, but how could they when she had no way to contact him?

No matter what, she wouldn't focus on that. Sparky would always be her first true love and the memories they had together were the most amazing she would ever have. If that was all that she would have for the rest of her life, then she would be happy.

Her bedroom door opened a crack and a familiar head poked itself inside. If her smile had been wide before, it was even wider now. "Levi!"

The retriever entered the bedroom and rushed over to her. She jumped off the bed before he could jump up on it and happily accept his eager, wet and excited doggy kisses. He'd obviously missed her after spending practically every day of the summer with her.

She chuckled as she fought to avoid his searching tongue. "I missed you too, buddy," she said and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close enough to her to give him a hug, but far enough away to not get dog hair on her new dress.

He gave her a few more kisses and then turned toward the door where an amused visitor was chuckling. Her gaze lifted to find her grandfather standing there, his arms crossed over his chest as he casually leaned against the doorframe. All she could do was give a squeal of excitement and rush into his arms. "I missed you too," she muttered into his chest.

His chest shuddered underneath her and she looked up to see him still chuckling. "Me too, Suzie-girl." He squeezed her tight as he smiled down at her. "Your mother sent me up to tell you that all of your guests had arrived and that dinner is almost ready. And Levi was really eager to see you too." He had to make sure he added that, though that was already obvious.

Her eyes suddenly were clouded with worry. "I still don't know…"

"Hey, would this old man steer you wrong?" She shook her head as he pointed to himself. His hand come down to rest gently upon the curve of her shoulder. "Then, trust me." He added a wink into the mix.

She nodded as she took in a deep breath and allowed him to lead the way. He nodded and signaled for Levi to follow him.

Taking careful breaths, she waited a few seconds before checking her hair, dress and makeup one last time and then carefully walking out of her bedroom. Standing at the top of the stairs, she could see her parents standing off to the one side and her grandparents to the back so her focus would settle on their guests. The older man had thick, wavy black hair that was now mostly peppered with gray and the most amazing—and yet familiar—brown eyes she'd ever see. He would have been quite handsome in his younger days, she considered.

Her gaze instantly shifted to the young man at the foot of the stairs.

His face was hidden from her as he was bent over, giving Levi's ears a friendly scratch. After giving his hand a lick of approval, the dog sat obediently at the boy's feet. His tongue happily lolled out in his familiar doggy smile and his tail waved like a majestic golden fan behind him.

Well, she thought, if Levi wasn't worried about him, she supposed there was nothing for her to worry about either.

She took the first step down the stairs and watched as the boy slowly lifted himself to his full height. His hair was similar to his grandfather's. Thick and black with curling waves. They kind of reminded her of ocean waves and—strangely enough—they made her fingers itch to run through them.

His eyes sparkled as he flashed a gorgeous, crooked grin her way.

Suzie gasped as he completely revealed himself to her. She suddenly forgot how to breathe and her knees weaken. Grasping stiffly onto the railing, she stared down at him with wide eyes.

Slight movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Her mother had taken a step forward to speak to her. "Sue, sweetie, this is Roger's grandson Jack." Carla's eyes shifted from her daughter, to the boy and back as she silently urged her to say something to him.

Jack spoke first. "Hello, Sue," he said, a sense of confidence evident in his stance. He continued to smile up at her and even held out a small bunch of different colored carnations up for her.

Suzie wasn't certain she could find her voice. Her mind had gone completely blank as the shock of the moment refused to abate. Then, after a moment, one word began to dance around the tip of her tongue and she looked at him curiously. She didn't know how it had sounded as she said it, but she knew how it felt when she whispered the name she knew him as. "Sparky?"

His heart quickened its pace at the sound of her voice. It had been too long since he'd last heard that melodious sound. He'd been an idiot. Even after all of their friends, D and Donna, not to mention his grandfather had told him so, he'd only realized it right at this moment. She was standing right in front of him, she was real. As was the love he could see shining in her eyes.

He swallowed thickly and took a step closer to the stairs. "Hey there, Suzie-Q," he grinned.

A shuddering breath escaped her as her allowed her gaze to flicker at the five other smiling faces around them before returning back to him. "Is it really you?" She felt like her heart was about to jump right out of her chest. This had to be a dream.

He nodded, "It's me." And for added measure, he lifted his fist to his chest and moved it in a circular motion. "Sorry."

Tears were suddenly streaming down her cheeks and before she knew it, she was at the bottom of the stairs, jumping into his arms. Sparky was shocked. He'd expected something worse from her. He'd expected yelling, berating. He'd expected angry tears.

He smiled as he breathed in the scent of her hair. He should have known better when it came to her.

They stood there like that for a few minutes and by the time Suzie had pried himself out of his embrace, they'd discovered that, except for Levi, they were the only two ones left in the foyer. Sparky could hear his grandfather talking in the living room and figured that the adults thought it would be best to give the two of them their privacy.

Thank goodness. He really did not feel like eating crow right in front of his own grandfather… again.

Suzie sniffled loudly and reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. Sparky was there to rid her cheeks of the streaks she'd missed. "Do you think we could go somewhere quiet and talk?" he asked. There were just some things he knew he couldn't say in the presence of others.

She nodded and led the way through the kitchen, to the back door. The backyard was accented with a large patio overlooking her mother's flower garden. A porch swing hung in the corner of the patio, an old, worn blanket being used as a seat cushion.

"This is nice," he commented as he took a seat on the swing and waited for her to do the same before he put it into motion. It was then that he realized that he still held the tiny bouquet of flowers. He rolled the clutch of stems between his fingers before he finally held them out to her. "These are for you." There was something about this that made him feel like a thirteen-year-old boy again, trying to ask a girl to go with him to the big dance. Of course that would explain why his palms felt all sweaty.

Suzie smiled softly as she accepted the colorful bouquet. "Thank you." Bringing them up to her nose, she took in the light scent of the carnations. "How did you know carnations were my favorite?"

"Your Grampa told me." She was surprised by that. How often had those two talked about her without her knowing? "He told me that ever since you were born he would bring you a bouquet on your birthday."

She smiled as memories of birthday's past flooded her mind. Out of everything, those flowers were usually the one gift she anticipated more than anything. "And just how much have you two talked about me behind my back?" She still held the flowers up to her nose, the petals gently caressing the skin of her cheek as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"A few times," he admitted, feeling the heat of embarrassment creeping up the shells of his ears. A second later, he became serious. Picking up the hand that rested in her lap, he pulled it into his embrace and looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sue. I'm really, truly sorry. I was a jerk."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "You got that right."

He waited until her eyes completely traveled the circumference of their sockets and return to him before he continued. "I deserve that."

Sue instantly sobered and squeezed at the hand that still held hers. "No. You don't." She wasn't one to hold a grudge and she wasn't one to point fingers or kick a man when she was down. As of right now, she wasn't going to say any more about it.

"I know I shouldn't have said the things I did. I really didn't mean them. It's just that seeing the two of you…" Ugh! It made him sick to the stomach just thinking about it. "It just brought back the memories of last time and I just lost it." Stealing one of his girlfriends was bad enough but when he thought of Slick getting his hands on two, his mind had just filled with rage and the only way to prevent himself form pounding Slick to a pulp was to focus his anger on someone else.

Suzie just happened to be the first person he saw at the time and she'd had the bear the brunt of his harsh words. If he could take them all back right now, he would.

"I told you that you didn't have to worry. I mean, sure, it wasn't exactly the greatest plan in the world, but at least it stopped Slick from winning."

"And sending me home in a body cast," he pointed out. Or worse, he added as an afterthought.

"Can we just pretend like this never happened?" She was willing to just put the past behind them and forge on ahead. She wanted to forget all of this had ever happened.

He scooted closer to her and wrapped his free arm around her shoulder. Giving her a gentle squeeze he smiled at her. "I've got a better idea. How about we start over from the beginning?" He noticed her confusion and tweaked the tip of her nose gently with the tip of his finger. "Hi. My name is Jack, but my best friends call me Sparky."

Suzie grinned as she finally got the idea. "Sparky, huh? That's cute." He looked a little put out by her statement. After all he went through to earn that nickname—including ruining his favorite pair of shorts—she had to find it "cute". She wrinkled her nose playfully as he purse his lips in indignation. "My name is Sue, but only a select few are allowed to call me Suzie."

His smile returned. "I think I like Sue better. And I know we just met and all, but would you be offended if I said you look very beautiful tonight?"

Her cheeks turned a flattering shade of rose under the light of the porch lamp. Her curls bounced around her angelic features as she shook her head. "No. I wouldn't."

He nodded as he considered his next question. He just couldn't get over how beautiful she really did look tonight. The curls in her hair, the light dusting of makeup coloring her cheeks and eyes; not to mention that dress. Of course, Suzie would have been able to wear a potato sack and she'd look just as beautiful then as she did now.

He'd almost forgotten how she could take his breath away with one simple glance in his direction.

"Okay, then," he whispered softly only because it was as loud as his voice would go. "Would you be offended if I tried to kiss you right now?"

A thrill of excitement raced down her spine at the question. She wanted to scream out, "heck no!" and wait for his lips to gently touch hers, but there was no way her voice could be that powerful at the moment. With him sitting so close to her and looking at her the way he was with stars shining in their endless dark depths, she'd be surprised if she could find her voice at all. "Why don't you try and find out?"

That was all the invitation he needed. Reaching up, he gently cupped her chin and brought his mouth down to hers.

A sigh of contentment escaped her the moment their lips touched. The sweet, warm breath danced lightly across his cheek, eliciting a groan from deep inside his chest. His hands ran up the lengths of her arms, searching for ways to wrap around her and pull her closer to him.

Suzie moaned as she felt the heat of his tongue skim across her bottom lip, but didn't demand the entrance it was so eager for. It teased and taunted until she swore she could take no more. She shivered in his arms as her lips worked against his, her teeth lightly nipping at his lips.

That was where Sparky had had to pull away. If he'd let her continue with her torture for any longer, he'd lose all sense of control he had over this situation. He didn't move far away, though. Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and grinned as they each fought to take in adequate air.

"I love you."

His eyes opened then. His eyes met with a serious pair of hazel orbs. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at that moment and her declaration only a second ago had been an even bigger surprise. That is, if he'd heard her right.

"What did you say?"

She swallowed thickly as she stared into his eyes. She wasn't afraid to admit it. She wasn't afraid of anything as long as he was by her side. "I said: I love you, Jack." She reached up and cupped his smooth cheek in her palm.

That's what he'd thought she'd said.

"And it doesn't matter to me if you don't feel the same," she was quick to reassure him. "I just want you to know that no matter what, my heart will always belong to you."

He couldn't believe it. She'd said she loved him. And she'd actually meant it. He could tell by the shining depths of her eyes that she'd actually meant the words. No girl in his life had ever said those words and had actually meant them.

But did he return those feelings?

He simply smiled and mimicked her as he cupped her chin between his fingers. "Sue, I love you too."