Chapter 6 Grant
Over the next couple of days, I debated sending someone else to Ruby’s restaurant on Saturday. It would be a mistake to show up there, plain and simple. But instead of telling my head of personnel to contact her and get the details, I wrote to her myself.
Grant: Hey, Ruby, can you give me the run-down for Saturday again? When does it start?
She answered a few minutes later.
I chuckled and texted her back.
Grant: I don’t own anything shabby .
Ruby: Well, I figured. Then just wear something that doesn’t look too good on you.
Grant: You think I look good in a suit?
Ruby: You know you do.
Grant: What are you wearing?
Ruby sent me a picture of herself in a dress. Wow. It wasn’t exactly sexy—it was short but could pass as professional attire—but the way her curves filled it was driving me insane.
Ruby: This is what I typically wear during events. All serious, no bling. Helps me blend.
Yeah, there was zero chance of that. She could never blend into the background—not in a million years.
I decided on the spot that I’d go on with the original plan to attend the event myself.
* * *
I worked tirelessly from Monday to Friday every week.
Occasionally on Saturdays, too, but mostly I used the weekends to decompress and catch up with the family.
I called Sybil while I was drinking my first coffee on Saturday morning to let her know I wasn’t joining them today.
I usually gave her more of a heads-up when I canceled, so she was understandably shocked.
“Darling, please tell me you’re not working. That’s not necessary anymore,” she told me.
I’d gone practically nonstop the first five years of the business, but I had a more balanced lifestyle these days. Mostly.
“No. I mean, it is technically work, but it’s nothing stressful.”
“And it has to be today?”
I decided to be open with her.
“Yes. I’m attending an event at Ruby’s restaurant. ”
“And miss out on my pecan pie? Why on earth would you do that?”
We were all meeting at my brother’s home for dinner, and she was bringing her signature pie.
“Because I want to inspect the place during an event.”
She paused for a moment, then said in a softer tone, “Honey, don’t take this the wrong way, but aren’t you putting far too much effort into this? Why don’t you send someone from your team?”
That was a very good question. Logically, there was no reason to go there myself.
Sybil meant well, and I didn’t want to argue with her. “I’ll think about it.”
“Oh, that’s a no from you.” She knew me so well.
“Well, what can I say? I’m sorry to miss out on it this time. And sorry for telling you last minute. It completely slipped my mind. Everything okay with you and Thomas?”
“Oh, yes. I’m trying to convince him to sign up for this year’s marathon.”
That was a bold idea, but why not?
We debated what arguments she could use to encourage him, and we both decided that if she said he probably couldn’t do it anyway, he’d take the bait.
I enjoyed talking to Sybil. She was a very grounded person—and had more patience than anyone I knew.
My brothers and I certainly gave her enough headaches as kids, but she’d never even raised her voice at us.
After hanging up, I grabbed the breakfast my chef had prepped this morning from the fridge—avocado toast with boiled eggs.
I ate it standing at the kitchen island and looked out of the huge window wall.
My house was high on a hill in Arlington Heights.
The lower part was a solid concrete construction because the pool went around the house like a castle moat.
I enjoyed taking laps in a circle. Above the concrete base were two stories that, from a distance, made the house look as if it was made completely out of glass .
What could I say? I liked large windows.
I’d strategically picked this lot because there was a dense patch of trees on every side.
As far as I was concerned, this was the best damn view in the city.
I’d had my eye on Arlington Heights ever since I was a kid.
We passed it once on a trip to the doctor’s office while living in the group home.
I’d been shell-shocked to discover that places like these existed.
I had a few memories of our life with our parents, but I knew we’d lived in a small apartment.
After finishing breakfast, I went out to the pool. It was fifty-five degrees outside, and the pool was heated to a cool temp that allowed me to swim without overheating. I jumped in and began my laps, all the while thinking of tonight.
I knew exactly why I wanted to go to the restaurant myself—to see Ruby.
There was no other reason. I could send anyone else in my stead; it wasn’t rocket science.
Hell, it wasn’t even a difficult task. But I simply wanted to spend more time with Ruby, which was insane.
I couldn’t understand what was happening to me.
She was attractive, that much was clear, but I couldn’t figure out why I wanted to go back.
And she was Daphne’s friend—which meant it was a no-go.
A long time ago, I hit on one of Daphne’s friends at a party, and she told me in no uncertain terms that her friends were off-limits to me.
I usually didn’t care about anyone’s opinion, and I certainly didn’t let others dictate what I could or couldn’t do, but there was such a thing as common decency.
I didn’t date in the real sense of the word—I had passing liaisons—so I understood why Daphne didn’t want me near her friends.
Ruby was definitely a nonstarter, so why couldn’t I stop thinking about her? I couldn’t explain it. The woman could get under my skin like no one else. She could rile me up with her snippy words and make me want to kiss her senseless at the same time. And that intrigued me to no end.
At five thirty sharp, I was at the restaurant.
As I stepped inside and took in the new seating arrangement, I had to admit Ruby was right.
This place could seat sixty people comfortably, which meant several windows needed to be secured better than others.
There was a lot of activity, as servers kept milling around.
They would probably have additional servers for a larger crowd, so my team would have to run background checks.
I cleared my throat, and one of the guys glanced at me.
“I’m looking for Ruby,” I said.
“She’s just taking a shower. I guess she’ll be out shortly.”
An image popped into my mind of Ruby wearing absolutely nothing while she was under the spray of water. Did she like to dance in the shower?
Damn it, I had no business imagining any of that.
I swallowed hard, taking off my suit jacket, then draping it over one of the barstools.
“Grant, you’re here,” Ruby exclaimed from off to the side.
When I turned to face her, I had to take a deep breath, schooling my features. Her black dress looked even sexier in person. Her hair was wet at the temples, falling in complete disarray over her shoulders. She was downright delicious.
As she walked toward me, she inspected my suit and sighed.
“No one will believe you’re part of the staff,” she murmured.
I shrugged. “It’s the best I could do.”
She narrowed her eyes, putting her hand on her hip and jutting it out to the side. “Did you even try?”
“Not very hard,” I admitted. “All my suits are custom-made from the same place. Makes no difference what I wear.”
“What about the shirt? Also custom-made?” she asked.
“Bingo. Because of the way I’m built, off-the-rack stuff doesn’t fit me, no matter how expensive. And I’ve tried a lot of brands.”
The corners of her mouth tipped up. I was certain she was going to give it to me good, but she didn’t say anything else.
“Then I guess we’ll have to work with... well, this.” She pointed at me dismissively. This woman. “You should stay behind the bar. That’s usually a place where people don’t look too closely. It’ll just seem as if you’re helping the bartender. Do you want to stay for the entirety of the event?”
It wasn’t necessary in the slightest, but I still said, “Yes.”
“I’ll have the kitchen prepare some food for you too.”
“That’s not necessary,” I countered.
“Did you already have dinner?”
“No. A late lunch.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I won’t let you starve. You’ll need something to get you through the night.”
That gave me an idea. “Let’s eat together. You and me.”
She sucked in a breath, like that had caught her off guard. “Sure. I usually go to the break room and take a little time-out when I eat.”
“I’ll join you.” Clearly, I couldn’t stay away from Ruby. “So, what kind of event is this?” I hadn’t even bothered to ask before.
“It’s a vow renewal. These are my favorite events.
So romantic,” she said, her tone somewhat dreamy.
“The couple today is well into their sixties, and they’ve been married since right out of high school.
They just love each other so much that they want to share it with all their friends. That’s amazing, don’t you think?”
I tried to keep a poker face. “Doesn’t matter what I think.”
She frowned. “Not even you can put a negative spin on this.”
“I wasn’t trying to.” I shrugged. “I just don’t think that’s anything worth celebrating.”
She gasped. “You did not just say that. You think two people loving each other their whole lives isn’t something to value?”
“People do many things to show off. But it doesn’t matter. My opinion is neither here nor there.”
Vow renewals were completely ridiculous, as were engagement parties. Why did people insist on making a big show out of everything?
She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes but didn’t push the topic. “Okay, well...”
She bit her lower lip, and I had a visceral reaction to the sight. My mind went to places that it had no business going .
“You can sit anywhere you want until the guests start arriving,” she said at last.
“Actually, I want to move around. I won’t be in anyone’s way, I promise.
And that brings me to another question.” I fixed my eyes on her so I wouldn’t be tempted to glance down at her breasts.
“I need the names of everyone who’ll be part of your staff that evening.
I assume you’ll hire additional servers. ”
This time, the corners of her mouth went up, and then she burst out laughing. “My God. You leave no stone unturned.” Once she reined herself in, she said, “Just so you know, I always use a very reputable company for my events. I’ve never had an issue with their servers.”
“I do my own due diligence.”
She nodded with a snort. “Of course you do. Sure, I’ll send everything over shortly before the event so you can vet them all.”
“Perfect.”
Taking a step back, she tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Hmm... lose the tie.”
“What?”
She came closer and began to loosen the knot of my tie. Fucking hell, did she know what she was doing to me? I was so damn close to grabbing her wrists, pushing her against the bar, and kissing her senseless.
“Why is that necessary?” I asked.
“No one will believe you’re part of the staff with this fancy-ass tie.” She yanked it off me and rolled it up around her fingers. “Want me to keep it safe for you?”
“Yeah, do that.”
“All right. I’ll put it in my purse.” Once again, she looked me up and down. I exhaled sharply, barely keeping myself from doing the same. “They’ll still probably think you own the place or something, but we’ll manage.”
“I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. If you prefer, I can just stay for a brief period and then leave. ”
“I thought you said you need to keep an eye on this place the whole evening?” She frowned, clearly confused.
What could I say? “I just want to keep an eye on you” ? That was crazy.
“As I said, I don’t want to impose.”
“Really? You strike me as a guy who is very happy doing just that as long as you get your way.”
“You’re poking fun at me.”
“What gave me away?” She grinned. “I’m starting to think you do have a sense of humor.” She stepped forward and tapped my chest with a finger. “The day I met you, I figured you had none at all.”
I caught her wrist. If she touched me one more time, I was definitely going to kiss her.
“Careful, Ruby.”
She swallowed hard, looking straight at me, then licked her lips. I dropped her hand, and she immediately took a step back.
“Right. I’ll go tuck your tie away safely.” She waved it at me, awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to the other, as if trying to decide something. Then she ducked into the back and out of sight.
I didn’t talk to Ruby much after that, as her guests started to arrive. She briefly explained to the bartender that I was staying behind the counter as well, and I spent the first two hours taking in every single detail. I discovered a few weak spots that I hadn’t thought of previously.
Jesus, Grant. You’re not trying to defend this place from a revolution. Relax a bit.
But that wasn’t how I functioned. I gave my all to everything, even when it wasn’t necessary.
Around eight o’clock, my phone lit up with a message from Ruby.
Ruby: Hey. Want to join me for dinner? I’m in the break room .
I’d completely forgotten about that, but fuck yes, I did want to join her.
After telling the bartender where I was going, I headed directly to the back. I’d expected to be completely alone with Ruby, but to my intense disappointment, the chef was there too. There was a plate of spaghetti on the small table in front of the bench.
“Hey,” he said. “Grant, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Richie.”
I nodded. “I remember you.”
He stood and gestured to the spaghetti. “All right, I’m done. Enjoy your dinner.”
The second Richie left, I took in a deep breath.
Fucking finally. I’d wanted to be alone with her all evening.