Her mother smiled serenely as she reached out and touched her daughter’s hair. “I still can’t believe you cut your hair, Mallory. It was so long and…”
“I donated it to Locks of Love, Mom, so it went to a good cause. And besides, it was time. It was way too long and nothing but a hassle.” Turning to look at her reflection, Mallory had to admit she missed her long tresses, but now with her hair gently brushing against her shoulders, she knew it was the right thing to do.
“Still,” Susannah said, “I look at you now and see a young woman instead of my little girl.”
Then it was definitely the right thing to do…
Smiling, Mallory said, “I’ll always be your little girl, but it’s time I started to look like an adult.”
Sam came over and put his arms around the two of them and hugged them tightly. “And I’ll always be your little boy, Mom,” he teased, giving her a loud, smacking kiss on the forehead before doing the same to Mallory. “And I’ll always be your older and much more attractive brother.”
She elbowed him in the stomach. “Two minutes! You’re older by two minutes!” she said with a laugh.
“Still older and still more attractive,” he said, quickly sidestepping another elbow to the gut.
“You two,” Susannah said with a soft chuckle as she made her way toward the door. “Our guests will be here soon and I need a hand in the kitchen so…”
“We’ll be down in a minute, Mom,” Sam said. “I just need to talk to Mal first, okay?”
She smiled at her children. “Five minutes.” And then she was gone.
Mallory stood and waited for whatever it was her brother had to say, even as her stomach was churning and her heart was racing a mile a minute. The Summerfords were coming for dinner. Did that mean Jake would be with them? He was their only son and Mallory’s every dream come true.
Granted, he was four years older than Mallory, but now that she had finally stopped looking like a twelve-year-old, he could see her for the woman she was. And maybe, just maybe, he’d stop treating her like a kid and treat her like a…
“Okay, wipe that goofy grin off your face,” Sam snapped, effectively interrupting her train of thought. “Please tell me you didn’t do all this…” He motioned to her whole self again. “For Jake. Please.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she murmured as she moved around him toward the door. “C’mon, Mom needs us and…” One strong hand on her arm stopped her. Letting out a long breath, Mallory faced her brother.
“I know exactly what I’m talking about,” he said calmly, softly. “You’ve been crushing on that guy for years and…I don’t want you to get hurt. He’s older than you and he’s a little out of your league.”
Pulling her arm from him, Mallory wanted to argue, but to what end?
“You can be pissed at me and tell me I’m wrong, but we both know I’m not.” He paused and studied her. “This whole makeover thing? If you did this for you – to make you feel good – then that’s great. But if you did this to get Jake Summerford to notice you? Then you’re crazy.”
“Are you done?” she asked flatly.
“I’m just looking out for you. He’s never seen you as anything other than a kid and he’s still going to look at you like that – no matter how much you play dress up and try to pretend otherwise.” He stopped and gave her a sad smile. “Look, I’m not trying to be a jerk…”
But she was done listening.
More than done.
“Thanks for the advice.” And without a backward glance, Mallory walked out of her room with her head held high and made her way down the hall to the grand staircase to go help her mother.
The old house was massive – a coastal plantation home that was built around the turn of the century – and right now, she welcomed the long walk from her room to the kitchen. The place was in total need of a makeover, but Pops was against it. He claimed this was the way the house had always looked and it’s the way he wanted it to stay. A quick glance at the faded and ugly floral wallpaper made her cringe. This place could use a little life breathed into it.
Off in the distance, she heard a door slam and knew it was Sam, which brought her out of her home-makeover reverie. Now as she slowly walked down the stairs, she thought about what he said.
It didn’t matter that her brother was probably right – Jake Summerford had never shown any interest in her ever – but that didn’t mean it couldn’t change. She had gone and done this makeover specifically with Jake in mind – hoping that he would finally notice her, but after Sam’s harsh words, she was second-guessing herself.
A small sigh escaped before she could stop it. Just the thought of Jake – of his sandy brown hair, his dimples that were always on display because of his ever-present smile, and his incredible blue eyes made him…perfect. What she wouldn’t give to be able to run her fingers through his hair and kiss his lips and…
“Oof!” Turning the corner at the bottom of the stairs, she ran right into someone. Taking a moment to get her bearings, Mallory startled at the hands on her arms. When she looked up, she gasped.
“Hey, sorry. I was just going to look for…” Big blue eyes went wide. “Oh my God…Mallory?” It was hard to tell if he was surprised or horrified by her appearance. Only one thing was certain – he was definitely seeing her.
If anything, he couldn’t seem to look away.
One hurdle crossed.
2
Holy hell.
Jake jumped back as if he’d been burned. What the hell happened to little Mallory Westbrook? Last he saw her – which was only a year ago – she was…well…she was a kid! Okay, technically not a kid but…that’s how he saw her. Glancing at her now, it was hard to believe the difference a year made.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “Um…where’s Sam? I was coming to see if he could give me a hand moving some chairs around.” Another quick throat clear. “Your mom said he was upstairs, so…”
Maybe it was his imagination but Mallory looked a little disappointed. Then again, he wasn’t allowing himself to examine her too closely because he was certain he would gawk until it got awkward.
“He’s still upstairs,” she said quietly, motioning over her shoulder toward the stairs. And before he could thank her or say anything else, she brushed by him and walked toward the kitchen.
And yeah, he watched her walk – admiring the soft sway of her hips and the way her short, floral dress moved against her thighs.
Unable to help himself, Jake instantly wondered if her skin was as smooth as it looked and how it would feel against his hands, his lips, his…
“Hey, Jake!” Sam came up behind him and clapped him hard on the shoulder, nearly causing him to jump.
Quickly pulling himself together, he turned around and smiled. “Hey, Sam. You and I are on furniture moving duty. You ready?”
The two of them made their way to the dining room and began moving chairs from the storage closet to the table. It was the perfect mindless activity – a distraction. If nothing else, it afforded him a few minutes to get his head on straight. Right now, Sam was talking about school and how the last thing he wanted to be doing right now, after a brutal semester, was spending time with his extended family and Jake simply nodded and let him talk.