Christine and Angie were jealous of her invite. They had both tried to get tickets for the show during its eighteen month run and had failed, and since they had the chance to see Mason and Cassandra in their first production 'Save the Last Dance' they knew what they were missing. According to them, it added insult to injury that she had also been invited by the star's sister. It had been a relief to get out of the house.
When Grace arrived at the theater and picked up her ticket, she realized that it was for a box seat and she couldn't help being a little excited because she had never been to a Broadway show before. When she arrived at the box, Lizzy and Trisha were both already there, people watching.
"Oh good, you found us," Lizzy said, waving her into a seat next to hers.
Grace was enjoying listening to the two friends' gossip about some of the people below. She had never had a best friend but she imagined that if she had it would have been exactly like what Trisha and Lizzy shared.
The door behind them opened and Grace was the first one to turn around. She was expecting to see Rainer but instead she got a magnificent eyeful of Bryce. Her first thought was that he looked awesome in a tux, her next was, why was he there?
She saw the quick look of surprise in his eyes, making Grace was feel sure that he was not expecting to see her, but his surprise was quickly masked and the ever present coolness returned before the others turned around.
"Bryce!" Lizzy rose and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here? I was expecting Rainer."
Bryce returned her kiss and nodded towards Grace and Trisha. "He had something come up at the last minute. He knew I hadn't seen the show yet and that this would be my last chance, so he offered me his ticket."
Grace wanted to give a very unladylike snort. She had no doubt that Rainer was playing matchmaker again. She would bet her last dollar that Lizzy mentioned that she had met Grace and invited her to the show to Rainer.
Bryce did one of his silent demands looking from Lizzy to Grace, wanting an explanation, and Grace bit back a smile and turned to look back down at the audience.
"You know Grace of course. I only met her today. She's going to be helping at the Fosters fundraiser, and I'm afraid that your overprotective sister put her foot in it and was horribly rude. So to make amends I offered her Trisha's extra ticket for this evening."
"You should have seen Grace put Lizzy in her place. The only other person who has ever been able to do that is you, Bryce." Trisha smiled at Bryce.
Bryce returned her smile without comment, settling into a seat beside Grace.
"So Grace, is this your first Broadway show?" His voice sounded bored.
Grace could feel the heat coming off of his arm as it rested next to hers. That small connection was making her heart leap.
"Yes." She gave him one of her rare happy smiles.
He looked away from her and into the audience and Grace followed his lead by doing the same.
"I didn't know that!" Lizzy exclaimed. "That makes this extra exciting."
Grace could feel Trisha's gaze on her and Bryce. "I think I'm going to get a drink before the show starts, is anyone else interested?" Trisha jumped up from her seat. "Come on Lizzy."
Bryce was coolly polite after they had left and Grace berated herself, what did she expect? Did she really think that Bryce was going to sweep her into his arms and tell her he had been wrong, that she was the one for him?
"Are you settling into New York?" he asked, his arm brushing hers as he turned slightly in his seat to look at her.
"Yes, it is proving to be a good move." They talked some more about her current job and living conditions, and they had moved on to the dig in Kent and their lack of success, keeping everything very impersonal and polite.
When Trisha and Lizzy returned, Trisha seemed a bit perturbed that the air was clear and there was no hidden tension.
Eventually, the lights dimmed and the curtain rose. Grace kept her arm next to Bryce's for the whole first act and every once in awhile her heart would race when his leg would brush up against hers.
He smelled wonderful, and she felt giddy just sitting next to him. Outwardly however, she did her best to appear calm, cool, and collected, just like him. No one knew how personal it was between them, and they wouldn't find anything out from her. She couldn't be upset with the situation, she had set the parameters and he was keeping to them. Although, everything in her wanted to scream at him that she wanted some benefits and she wanted them now.
Despite her total awareness of Bryce, she was enjoying the show. It was a romantic comedy and the stars were enchanting. Cassandra Steven's voice was inspiring and the chemistry between her and Mason was beautiful. Grace leaned forward enraptured when they sang and danced to an old Johnny Mercer song 'Something's Gotta Give'. The song was the end of the first act and when the lights came up she turned to Bryce with a bright smile that told him she was enjoying herself.
"Who's the more irresistible one?" Grace asked, referring to the lyrics in the song.
Lizzy must have heard her question because she answered. "I'm sure if you ask Cassie she'll tell you that it's Mason and if you ask Mason he'll tell you that it's Mason too."
Trisha laughed at Lizzy's comment.
"Lizzy, I see some friends of Mother's down below and they've spotted us. We had better go and say hello." Bryce took Lizzy's arm and led her out of the box.
She and Trisha were silent for awhile and when Trisha spoke, Grace jumped, not expecting it. "Rainer is too obvious, but I could be wrong."
"Excuse me?" Grace looked at Trisha over her shoulder.
"Lizzy is convinced that you have an interest in Rainer, but I'm not so sure, my gut tells me it's Bryce."
"Why don't you believe it is neither?" Grace kept her polite smile in place bluffing as hard as she could, and Trisha must have bought it because she eventually grinned. "It must be the romance of the show. I'm trying to play matchmaker."
Lizzy walked in a moment later. "What did I miss?"
"I was trying to figure out which one of your brothers Grace is interested in the most. I told her your money is on Rainer but I'm rooting for Bryce."
Lizzy's head whipped around. "Bryce?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Grace. It appeared that Lizzy was most protective of Bryce.
"I assured Trisha that it was neither." Grace's words did not sooth Lizzy and there was some palatable tension in the air when Bryce returned.
He sighed and looked at Lizzy. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes," Grace stood ready to leave, "it seems to be me. Lizzy and Trisha are determined that I'm out to land my claws into either you or Rainer. Lizzy is O.K. with it being Rainer but doesn't like the idea of it being you." Grace's tone was even and her face was bland but she was deeply upset. "I assured her it was neither but..." she shrugged.
Lizzy flushed and Trisha was sitting on the edge of her seat enjoying her own private little show. It was clear to Grace that she was one who liked to stir up things.
Just then the lights started to dim. Bryce's cool voice suggested they all sit. His hand took Grace's arm and physically moved her towards her seat and held her in place for a moment, to make sure that she would stay seated. The contact of his hand on her bare arm was torture and it was even more so after he removed it.
Grace sat silently through the rest of the show but her enjoyment of it was ruined, and as soon as it was over she turned to make for the door.
"Aren't you joining us for dinner?" Trisha asked, completely unaware that there was still a problem.
"No, thank you." Grace shook her head as Rainer entered the box all smiles.
Bryce was leaning against a side wall of the box watching.
"Grace!" Rainer exclaimed, enveloping her in a hug.
"Rainer," she greeted, barely hugging him back and speaking with no inflection in her voice, just as she had that morning that he and Bryce had upset her.
Rainer frowned as he looked from her to Bryce, but quickly changed it to a smile, "Did you enjoy the show? I was floored when Lizzy told me she had invited you. I rushed over as soon as I could to join you all for dinner." He kept his arm around Grace's shoulder.
"The show was great, Rainer, but I have an early start to my day tomorrow and couldn't possibly do a late dinner."
"I won't take no for an answer, besides don't you want to meet the stars?" Rainer looked back at Bryce with a question in his eyes, but if Bryce answered it, it wasn't obvious to Grace.
"I think that meeting them would ruin the magic," Grace said finally, forcing a smile. Maybe if she acted like there was no problem he would let her leave.
"Hardly," Bryce drawled, startling everyone. "Mason seems to generate his own magic."
Everyone laughed at his comment except Grace and Bryce, and Grace was doing her best to keep from looking at him. Lizzy was already suspicious, and Rainer was just looking for an excuse to keep up his matchmaking attempts, and a longing look at Bryce would give her away.
"Grace, Lizzy is a bit over protective, but I'm sure she did not mean to insult you. She knows Rainer and I well enough to know that we can take care of ourselves, especially when it comes to guarding our virtue," Bryce stated in his dry voice.
Grace finally looked at Bryce and noticed his lip twitch, it was very subtle and she wondered if anyone else caught it. He was trying to tell her she was being overly sensitive.
"But Grace if you want it, my virtue it is all yours," Rainer said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I'm sure your virtue is something that you share freely with every pretty lady." Grace couldn't help the barb since she was angry at his interference. It was his fault that she was standing next to Bryce and her heart was breaking a little bit more. He deserved everything he got in her opinion
Rainer covered his heart as if wounded, forcing another smile.
"I am sorry if I put my foot in it again, please join us for dinner." Lizzy moved to stand beside Rainer giving him her support.
"Lizzy, I don't think that you're the only one responsible for the misunderstanding." Bryce nodded towards Trisha and everyone turned to look at her grinning face.
"I don't deny it. I've always been a trouble maker and I always will be." She walked over to Grace and put her arm around her shoulder. "I'm bound to piss you off on a regular basis. It's what I do best."
Grace doubted that she would see her on a regular basis.
With her arm still around Grace, she led her out of the box and towards the exit, and before Grace knew it she was sitting in a restaurant wondering how she had failed, yet again, to stay away from Bryce. Was she doing it to herself, were there greater forces at play, had she angered the Gods in some way?
The restaurant was not what she had been expecting, it was a small little family owned Italian establishment. There was a large dance floor surrounded by tables and in the back was a large table that sat twelve or more and that was where they were led.
After their were seated food started to magically appear and everyone started eating.
"You look confused, Grace," Rainer said sipping his wine, he had been more reserved than he had ever been in the past. He and Bryce had traveled to the restaurant separate from the women and whatever they had discussed had affected Rainer's mood.
"No one ordered." Grace, who wasn't the least bit hungry, noted.
"No, we never do, and there probably won't be a bill either. Bryce knows a guy who knows a guy and he helped said guy out of a jam so we eat for free. The only catch is we eat what we're served," Rainer explained.
"You really should learn to tell that story better, it makes Bryce sound a bit Mafia-ish." Grace smiled.
Rainer's eyes grew wide at the thought as he re-considered what he had just said, then he laughed. "Bless you Grace. I needed a laugh."
"What's the joke?" Mason Stevens asked, joining the party with his beautiful redheaded wife trailing behind him.
Introductions were made and Cassie insisted on sitting next to Grace, saying that she never got to meet anyone new.
When all eyes turned back to Rainer he looked at Grace. "I will let Grace do the honors."
Grace shrugged. "I simply asked why no one ordered."
"And then I told her there wouldn't be a bill either because Bryce knows a guy who knows a guy and he helped said guy out of a jam so we eat for free. Give them the punch line Grace."
Grace blushed. "I said he should really learn to tell that story better because it made Bryce sound Mafia-ish."
The entire table fell out laughing, causing a few heads in the restaurant to turn. Grace looked at Bryce and the only sign she saw that he found it amusing was that little quirk of his lip.
"Oh, come on Bryce, lighten-up," Lizzy insisted.
"You're not the one being accused of being in the Mafia." Now he was teasing Grace and she refused to rise to the bait. If it had been the two of them she would have, but not with everyone watching.
The conversation continued around her and eventually the restaurant emptied out and they were the only ones remaining. Cassie turned to her after everyone else was involved in their own conversations.
"I have been looking forward to meeting you. Rainer has told me all about you." Cassie whispered.
"He has?" Grace asked weakly.
"Yes, he has. He was very disappointed that his matchmaking attempts didn't work tonight."
"I knew it," Grace muttered, shooting Rainer a glance.
"He was back stage and kept watching the box from the wings. I think he expected you and Bryce to fall into each other's arms." Grace sighed at the thought.
Grace had a kind of grim satisfaction that they hadn't. "Did he really think, that even if there was something between myself and Bryce, that Bryce would do that in public?"
Cassie just shrugged.
Grace shook her head thinking it was strange that even his own family didn't really know him. They thought they did, but the more Grace came to know him the more she realized that very few people really knew him, including his own family.
Cassie watched Grace, whose gaze had wandered to Bryce for a moment, watching him as he listened to something that Trisha was saying.
"I know it's hard, unrequited love." Cassie gave her a squeeze. "But it's worth it in the end." Then she jumped out of her chair before Grace could even raise a denial.
"Bryce play for me, I feel like singing." Cassie grabbed his arm and hauled him out of his chair. Mason managed to get in a pinch as Cassie walked by him, and Grace was astounded as Cassie led Bryce over to the piano.
"Mom was insistent that we all learn an instrument. Bryce was the only one that really excelled." Rainer whispered into her ear. "Mom loves all of the old standards so she asked Bryce to learn them. It's a good thing because Cassie loves to sing them."
Grace watched as his large hands ran across the keys stroking them as he had stroked her and Grace suppressed a shiver. Why, why had she agreed to go to the theater, why had Bryce, why did he continue to make her fall more in love with him by the moment?
Bryce played well and didn't need any sheet music. Every song that Cassie chose he could play by memory, and she allowed herself to watch him as his hands flew across the keys never once making a mistake, even when he would look up at Cassie and smile at her. It was a nice smile, not his devastating or sexy smile but still it affected her, everything he did affected her. When Cassie launched into a song, 'All or Nothing at All,' Grace couldn't take it anymore, and as soon as she could make a reasonably timed exit she rose from the table thanking everyone for an enjoyable evening.
Rainer insisted on seeing her home, and they left while Bryce was still playing and Cassie was still singing. She knew it was the coward's way out but she couldn't help it. If she had to talk to him or touch him it might be her undoing.
She would help Lizzy and Trisha the best she could with the fundraiser, but she would not be socializing with them. It would mean running the risk of seeing Bryce again and she had learned her lesson.