Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
When I opened my eyes the next morning, the first thing I did was have a mini freak out.
Then, I took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh.
I needed to focus on what I could control, which was me.
And I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to let my fear control me.
Lucy was right. It was time to take the risk.
I rolled over and reached for my phone.
Grier: I want you to stay with me tonight.
I set my phone aside, assuming that Elijah would still be asleep, and climbed out of bed. Before I’d even taken two steps toward my bathroom, my phone chimed.
Elijah: Then I’ll be there.
My fingers itched to pick up the phone to reply, but I left it. I needed to take a shower and get ready for work. Lucy’s showing was in two weeks, and my prep checklist wasn’t getting any shorter, no matter how much I did. I would see Elijah at the gallery soon enough.
After I got out of the shower and made my first cup of coffee, I gave in to the urge to look at my phone.
Elijah: I won’t be at the gallery today. I have to handle some business with Marcus. I’ll see you at your apartment at 6:30.
I tried to ignore the disappointment that swirled in my stomach. I’d gotten so used to seeing him every day. I hated the idea that I wouldn’t.
Grier: Sounds good. Want me to cook something?
Elijah: I’ll bring Thai food. I’ll miss you today.
The disappointment morphed into butterflies. Elijah had been much more open about his feelings since we started seeing each other again. But this was the first time he’d shared anything like that.
Grier: I’ll miss you too.
Elijah: Have a good day, Brown Eyes.
Grier: You too.
Elijah:
I stared at the emoji he sent. It wasn’t typical of him, but I liked it nonetheless. After a brief hesitation, I sent him another reply.
Grier:
Though Elijah remained in the back of my mind all day, I managed to focus on what needed to be done. I spent the first half of the day putting Lucy’s photographs into frames. Davide helped for an hour but vanished after he got a call on his cell.
When I emerged from the storage area, it was nearly lunchtime. My stomach growled, and I thought of the sandwich I’d brought. Davide had a small kitchenette next to his office for caterers to use to prep food or drinks, and I often packed my lunch at home and put it in the fridge.
Before I could head back there, the sound of the bells over the front door had me walking through the gallery.
A young man came inside, carrying a brown paper sack with the words Maison de Campagne emblazoned across the front.
That was the name of the French restaurant down the street. The one I’d gone to with Elijah.
“Grier Carter?” he asked.
I nodded and walked forward to meet him. He held the bag out to me, and I smelled freshly baked bread, garlic, and onions.
“I didn’t order anything,” I said, even as I took the bag from him.
“Oh, that’s right.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. “This is from Elijah Lawson.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “Okay. Um, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, turning back toward the door.
“Wait. Let me get you a tip.”
“It’s already taken care of, ma’am.”
Ma’am? I stared after him with my mouth hanging open. He wasn’t more than a few years younger than me. Why was he calling me ma’am?
“I smell something delicious!” Davide called from the rear of the gallery. “What did you get for lunch? And did you get enough for me? I’m starving.”
“I don’t know.”
He appeared next to me. “How can you not know what you ordered for lunch?”
“I didn’t order it,” I answered. “It’s from Elijah.”
Davide grinned. “Oh, he’s got game.”
I didn’t argue because he wasn’t wrong. The butterflies were back to flitting around in my belly due to the fact that Elijah took the time to order me lunch from one of my favorite restaurants and have it delivered.
I carried the bag over to my desk and looked inside.
On top was a small white paper sack. I lifted it out and saw that it held a round loaf of bread.
It was still warm. I set it to the side and saw two white paper cups with lids.
The sides of the cups were warm when I lifted them out.
The scent alone told me it was likely soup.
I popped one of the lids off and grinned when I saw tomato basil soup, another one of my favorites.
Next were clear containers that held salads.
Sliced chicken breast rested on a bed of baby spinach and they were each scattered with chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese.
There was a container of vinaigrette in each one also.
“It looks like he sent enough for both of us,” I said to Davide.
“Damn, he means business.”
I glanced over at him. “What do you mean?”
Davide winced, which meant I gave him my full attention.
“What are you talking about, Davide?”
He sighed and turned toward me, propping his ass on the edge of my desk. “I might have stuck my nose where it didn’t belong.”
“How so?” I asked, putting the salads to the side and crossing my arms over my chest.
“I might have told him that he’d better not hurt you, or I was going to kick his ass.”
“Davide!”
He shrugged. “He’d already fucked you over once, I was gonna make sure he knew that there would be consequences if he did it again.”
“You can’t go around kicking people’s asses if they hurt me. Especially if you work with them!”
“Like hell I can’t,” he argued. “You’re one of my best friends. You deserve a man who’s gonna give you the world. Not some asshole who is going to go hot and cold on you.”
I knew my mouth was hanging open as I stared at him, but I couldn’t close it.
“Grier, don’t look at me like that. You’re sweet, smart, and gorgeous. Any man should realize how lucky he is to even get a date with you, much less anything more.”
“I—” I cleared my throat. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“It’s not nice. It’s the truth.”
“Why are you saying he means business?” I asked, directing the conversation back to Elijah.
“He didn’t just send you lunch. He sent us both lunch, which means he’s trying to butter me up.”
“Is it working?”
Davide sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”
I couldn’t suppress the giggle that escaped me. “So, your whole tough guy persona won’t hold up against freshly baked bread, soup, and salad?”
“What can I say?” he asked with a shrug. “I’m easy.”
We both laughed, breaking the solemn air that had fallen over us.
“I think I’m in love with him, Davide.”
He came around the desk and gave me a quick squeeze. “That sounds scary.”
“It is.”
“Has he told you how he feels?”
“He hasn’t said that, but he’s made it clear that he sees a future with me.”
Davide huffed out a rough chuckle. “I guess that’s better than nothing.”
“We’ve only been officially dating for a couple of weeks,” I said, shrugging. “I’m not really counting all the time before.”
“It sounds like your heart is.”
“That may be, but it’s a little early to bring up the L-word.”
“You’re probably right,” he sighed. “I think he’s smitten with you, but he is a former fuck boy, so you probably need to let him get used to the idea.”
“Davide!” I snapped, smacking his arm. “Don’t call him that.”
“Well, it takes one to know one so…”
I rolled my eyes. “Just for that, I’m keeping the dessert he ordered. Both of them.”
I scooped up the paper bag.
“Hey! No fair. He ordered one of those for me!”
Laughing, I scurried toward the back of the gallery, keeping the bag just out of his reach.
I didn’t have time to be nervous about Elijah coming over that night. I left work fifteen minutes later than usual and I was barely going to make it home in time to meet him.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I pulled into my parking spot. I didn’t see his vehicle in front of my building. I jumped out of my car and leaned in to grab my purse and water bottle from inside.
“Do you need a hand?”
I screamed and threw my water bottle into the air, spinning around so quickly that my big leather tote bag smacked Elijah in the gut.
He grunted and stumbled back a step but managed to remain on his feet.
He fared better than me because my heel collapsed beneath me, causing my ankle to bend, and I crashed into the side of my car.
I grabbed onto the roof and managed to keep from sliding down the back fender of my car like a Jello mold off a plate.
I definitely wobbled like a plate full of gelatin though.
“We have to stop meeting like this,” Elijah said, coming to stand next to me. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. You just startled me.” I glared at him. “And you’re the one always sneaking up on me, so maybe you need to announce yourself. Or wear a damn bell or something.”
He laughed as he put a hand on my lower back. He steadied me as I regained my balance and straightened, taking my weight off the car.
“Are you okay?” I asked him. I’d hit him pretty hard with my bag, and it wasn’t exactly light. Maybe my self-defense classes hadn’t been completely useless after all.
He chuckled. “I’m okay. It’s good to know you can defend yourself if you need to.”
“I guess it’s better than freezing in the face of danger.”
Elijah leaned down and scooped up my water bottle. The light green coating was scratched from the asphalt on the parking lot. “Sorry about your bottle.”
“It’s okay. I’ve had this thing for years.”
“I’m glad you didn’t hit me with this,” he joked as I took it. “It would have hurt even more than the bag did.”
I gathered my things, locked my car, and turned to face him fully.
I was at a loss for words because he was dressed in a black suit, complete with a vest beneath it.
The lines of the expensive fabric draped over his muscled frame, calling attention to his broad shoulders and the tapered shape of his back down to his hips.
While he still wore a tie, and his clothing was without wrinkles, his hair was mussed as though he’d run his hands through it several times.
He held a plastic bag with Styrofoam containers inside with one hand and had a small duffle bag slung over one shoulder.
“You ready to go inside and eat?” he asked, breaking the spell.
I shook my head, then nodded. “Yeah. Sorry. I zoned out for a second.”
His smirk told me that he knew exactly why I zoned out, but I ignored it. I led the way up the stairs to my apartment and unlocked the door. As soon as we were inside and the door was shut and locked, I kicked off my shoes and dropped my tote next to the console table I kept by my front door.
“I’m going to change into something more comfortable before we eat,” I said, leaning down to scoop up my heels. “I’ll be right back.”
“No problem.” Elijah put the food on the short counter that separated the kitchen from the living area and served as a place to eat.
I was in my bedroom for less than five minutes, but when I came out, Elijah had stripped off his jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves.
Holy freaking forearms. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a romance novel.
His eyes wandered over me even as mine moved over him. He grinned at the soft cotton lounge set I wore.
“That looks soft and cozy.”
“It is,” I agreed.
“I got yellow curry and some roti for you.”
I smiled. “That sounds great. Do you want a beer or some iced tea?”
“Water, please.”
We fell into a familiar rhythm as he took the food out of the bags and I got our drinks. We settled at my bar, our stools close enough for our hips to touch. His knee swiveled out to touch mine.
“What did you do today?” he asked.
“Prep for Lucy’s showing. We finalized the menu and ordered the wine and champagne we’ll need for the event.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “Thanks again for lunch. Davide said that he’s reconsidering his threat to kick your ass. Especially after he saw the crème brulee you ordered for dessert.”
Elijah chuckled. “I’ll have to do it more often then.”
“What did you and Marcus get up to?”
He made a face. “Meetings with our financial advisor, accountant, and a bunch of other people who keep trying to tell us what to do.”
It was my turn to laugh. “You prefer to be the boss, huh?”
The look he gave me was so heated that my teasing words dried up. “Yes.”
I averted my gaze. When I invited him over, I fully intended for us to end up in my bedroom at some point. Now that he was here, it felt different. Like it was more than just dinner and sex.
He leaned over and pressed a kiss to my shoulder where my shirt had slipped down, baring my skin.
“I’m glad you invited me over tonight,” he said as he straightened.
I managed to meet his eyes. “I am, too.”