Chapter 26 Paige
Chapter 26
Paige
I was such a chicken. I’d been beating myself up about it all day, and I was in a total daze as I drove home from school. I didn’t think I’d heard a single word during any of my classes, and it was lucky I hadn’t needed to take any tests, because I knew I would have failed them all. The only thing I could think about was the way I’d felt when I’d been stuck alone with Grayson in the dark.
I’d wanted to kiss him.
Desperately.
I’d even tried to tell him as much while the power was out. It had been barely a minute, but in those brief moments everything magnified. It was like a door had opened inside me, and I wasn’t sure I could close it again. My attraction to Gray was undeniable, and I’d been so close to acting on my desires. Perhaps if we’d been in the darkness a little longer, I would have lost all control. But when the harsh lights flicked back on, my confidence vanished.
I shouldn’t have run from him, but I’d been terrified of how close I’d come to ruining everything. So, I’d hidden in Cammie’s room for the rest of the night, tormented as I replayed the things we’d said. More than that, I remembered the way he’d looked at me. It was as though he’d echoed my thoughts. Like maybe he wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
I’d only seen him twice today. In the morning, at breakfast, he offered to make me something to eat, so I’d grabbed a banana and bolted from the room. Then at lunch he’d come and found me in the newsroom while I was working on my article with Bonnie. He’d let me know he had a team meeting after school, but he’d be home at six for our date.
I had no idea what to expect, and Grayson hadn’t dropped any hints. But it felt like I was teetering on the edge of a precipice and one move either way could be the difference between safety or doom. Deep down I knew tonight was the night I discovered which way I would fall.
Nobody was home when I arrived back at the Darlings’. It was still early on Friday night, so it wasn’t that unusual. Amy and Danny were probably both still at work, the boys had their Devils’ team meeting, and Cammie practically lived at the ice rink so she was rarely around anyway.
I made my way into the house, still wondering exactly what Grayson had planned for the evening. I didn’t know the first thing about going on a date. And he’d been surprisingly tight-lipped about what we were doing. I guessed he was taking his job as coach seriously and wanted me to have the full date experience.
I slowly made my way up to Cammie’s room, my thoughts already on the next problem. What was I supposed to wear? I started mentally shuffling through the clothes I’d brought with me, trying to remember if I had any appropriate date attire. I even considered one of the Bonnie-approved outfits I’d bought during my makeover day with Grayson, but I wasn’t sure either of those was right. The clothes might have gotten a reaction out of Gray at the time, but I wanted something I felt comfortable in. Something that made me feel confident and pretty. If I was going on a date with Grayson, I wanted something perfect .
I stilled as I entered Cammie’s room. There was already a dress laid out on my bed. I approached it slowly. It looked familiar, and when I reached it, I immediately recognized the small, delicate flowers printed on the pale pink fabric.
“It’s my dress,” I whispered.
It was the one I’d tried on when we’d been shopping. The one that had made me feel just like me. The one I hadn’t bought because I didn’t think being me would ever be enough to catch a guy’s eye.
There was a note on it: The perfect dress for my perfect date.
Grayson did this? I wasn’t sure I could fall any harder for this boy, but he was making it far too easy. I’d always known Gray was sweet, and kind, and generous. But the way he made me feel like I was something truly special, just for being me, was incredible. As if there was any doubt left, I knew there was no coming back from this.
My feelings for Grayson had grown roots. They’d started as nothing more than a faint stirring in the back of my mind. A tiny seed, so small they were easily overlooked. But the roots had been slowly spreading and quietly weaving their way into my heart and thoughts. Before I knew what was happening, they’d anchored firmly within me, knitted into the very fabric of my being.
I still had a couple of hours before the date, so I took my time to do my hair and makeup. When I finally put on the dress, I couldn’t have been happier. Everything had come together better than I could have dreamed. I’d never expected to feel this way before a date. Such a mixture of anticipation, and uncertainty, but the dress gave me a quiet confidence I hadn’t expected, too. And while I knew this was only supposed to be a practice date, it already felt like so much more than that to me.
The doorbell rang just as I put the final touches on my makeup. I glanced at the bedroom door, wondering if I should go downstairs and answer it. This wasn’t my house, but no one else was at home, so I hurried down to see who was there.
When I opened the front door, I found Gray standing on the doorstep smiling. He held his hands behind his back, and there was a nervous glint in his eye that seemed to match my own. He was dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt that hugged tightly against his muscular chest and arms. I’d always thought Gray looked his best when he was wearing hockey gear, but clearly, I hadn’t spent enough time around him when he was dressed up. The way his clothes molded to his frame, and how he held himself with such quiet strength, it was like getting a glimpse of the man he’d be one day, and it was alluring in a way I wouldn’t have expected.
I tried to speak, but I couldn’t get the words to come out. I couldn’t think of how I was supposed to react in this situation. It was too difficult to pretend I was unfazed by the sight of him looking so good. Or by how cute it was that he’d rung the doorbell of his own house to make this practice date feel more real. Perhaps it was the surprise of seeing the effort he’d gone to, or maybe it was just that I was still getting to grips with the strength of my feelings for him. But words continued to fail me. Instead, I stood there gaping at him like a fish gasping for water .
“You look beautiful, Pidge.”
“And you look...” My voice trailed off as he pulled his hands from behind his back to reveal a large bouquet. “You got me flowers?” He’d already gone to more than enough effort, and this was the sweetest thing, but I had to do my best to mask my disappointment. Bouquets of flowers always filled me with a twinge of sadness. Why pick something so beautiful only to let it die in a vase? But when I took them from his hands, I realized there weren’t any real flowers. The bouquet was actually an arrangement of all my favorite candy.
“I know most people get flowers, but I thought you might prefer these.”
“Candy?” I said. “You got me candy flowers?”
“Is that okay?”
“I love them,” I murmured.
“I’m glad.” A smile played at his lips. “Are you ready to go?”
I nodded and took his outstretched arm in mine. Honestly, I wasn’t close to feeling ready, but I trusted Gray, so I knew, whatever happened, it would be okay.
Grayson drove us into town, and my nerves began to abate just a little when we parked outside Nino’s. It was the best pizza restaurant in town, and my favorite place to eat. It was also the perfect place for a practice date. We’d been here a million times before, so I felt much more at ease knowing we’d be somewhere familiar .
“Nino’s? Good choice.”
“Hope you’re hungry,” he said.
I thought my stomach might be too full of butterflies to eat, but I nodded and shared a smile with him. “I’m always hungry for pizza.”
He jumped out of the truck and came around to open my door for me, taking my hand as I climbed down. The butterflies only intensified. “Thanks, Gray,” I murmured.
“You’re welcome,” he replied softly.
We walked into the restaurant, but after the host gave Gray a wink, he led us past all the regular tables to the door that led out to the back terrace and the garden beyond. I hesitated in the doorway. Everyone loved sitting in the outside area, but it was only open during the summer. As soon as the weather turned, Nino’s closed it off.
“We can’t go out there, Gray.”
“Trust me,” he replied, taking my hand in his once again. He gave it a squeeze, before opening the door. I gasped when I stepped outside.
The whole area was covered in fairy lights that basked the snow-covered garden in a warm orange glow. In the middle of it all was a large clear dome. It looked like a giant snow globe, and inside I could see an intimate table and two chairs had been set up. I instantly recognized it from the Winter Wonderland carnival our school had hosted last year. They’d had about a dozen domes set up, and I’d spent the entire night snuggled inside one with a hot chocolate in my hands. I remembered going on and on about how much I’d loved them. I didn’t realize Grayson remembered that too.
“The snow domes are back?” I whispered.
“For one night only . . .”
I stared at him in wonder. “You organized this?”
“Well, even if it’s just for practice, I wanted your first date to be something special.”
“But how?”
“I’m a Darling Devil. No one stops us from getting what we want.” He donned the lethal expression I was so used to seeing whenever he was facing down an opponent on the ice.
I let out a laugh. “Seriously, Gray. How’d you do it?”
His fearsome expression vanished and he shrugged. “We didn’t really have a team meeting after school today. The domes are stored in a lockup in the gym. Coach Ray pulled one out for me, and a few of the guys agreed to help me set it up. Then I just had to convince the manager at Nino’s, which wasn’t too hard—he’s got a kid who loves hockey. I said I’d take him for a skate, and that was enough to get the go-ahead.”
I was as impressed as I was surprised. Gray had really gone above and beyond. All so I’d feel special on a date that wasn’t even supposed to be real. I was starting to question whether Grayson was real himself. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better guy.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he said. “It’s no big deal. Come on...”
He led me into the snow dome and pulled back a seat so I could take my place at the table. Our practice date had only just started, but I was beginning to think a proper date with another guy could never compare. Gray had bought me the perfect dress, given me my favorite candy, and taken me for my favorite food in what might be the prettiest, most romantic location in town .
I stared up at the lights glittering above us like we were sitting in the middle of a snow globe, surrounded by stars.
“Is this the kind of thing you do for other girls when you take them on dates?” I asked, once he was sitting down across from me.
“What other girls?”
I couldn’t decide if he was giving me a line or being serious. “I know you’ve been on dates before.”
“I think good date etiquette is to avoid talking about past relationships,” Gray replied.
“Guess it’s lucky this isn’t a real date then.” I was too curious to let it go. “Seriously, I can’t be the first to go through the Grayson Darling date experience. There must have been other girls.” I wondered how well I was hiding my jealousy. I hated the thought of Gray going to so much effort for someone else.
“Like I said before, what other girls?” he murmured.
“Well, what about... Uh, didn’t you...” The truth was, I couldn’t say who else he’d dated. I didn’t know. Girls at school always talked about how intimidating Grayson was, but they’d do anything to go out with him all the same. He was the strong, silent type, and was generally considered one of the hottest guys in school. But when I thought about it, not once could I remember a girl saying they’d gone on a date with him.
“I’m sure there’ve been others,” I said. “You just don’t want to bore me with the details. ”
“I play hockey, and I hang out with you. I promise you, there are no other girls.”
His words rattled me, and my mouth went dry, but I wasn’t giving up that easy.
“Okay, so you don’t date.” That wasn’t so unusual. Plenty of guys didn’t date. “But there must have been girls you’ve found yourself alone with in dark corners at parties, right?”
Gray shuffled uneasily in his seat, but he didn’t get a chance to answer because the server returned to take our order. She couldn’t have reappeared at a worse moment. This wasn’t the first time Gray had managed to avoid a similar question. I didn’t just want to know his answer. I needed it.
Gray gave the girl our usual order. Neither of us had even picked up the menu. I always got the same pepperoni pizza when I visited Nino’s. It was just too good. Gray went with his signature barbeque chicken pizza with extra chicken.
As soon as the server left, Grayson started talking before I could continue questioning him about girls.
“I feel like we should start with a practice conversation.”
“A practice conversation?” I laughed. “How is that different from a real one?”
“I ask you all the things a guy would ask on a date.”
“That sounds incredibly boring. We already know everything about each other.”
“You don’t know everything about me,” Gray replied.
“Didn’t I prove I did during the interview the other day?”
“That’s not how I remember it. There were a couple of things that took you by surprise, weren’t there?” He smirked slightly, and my skin sparked at the memory. “I’m sure there’s things that would surprise me about you too. ”
“I doubt it, but let’s put it to the test.”
“Fire away.”
“Okay . . . where was I born?”
“Minneapolis.” He shook his head at me, as though he were disappointed. “If you’re going to test me, you could at least make it a challenge...”
I thought I had been. I’d lived there before moving to Ransom, but I was so young I never really talked about it. I totally thought that would have slipped him up. “Fine. What’s my favorite color?”
“The soft shade of pink at sunrise.”
“My favorite holiday?”
“Christmas—another easy one.”
“What Disney movie makes me cry?”
“What Disney movie doesn’t?”
So, perhaps I wasn’t all that good at coming up with difficult questions on the spot. I took a moment and really thought about the next one.
“Okay, if I was an animal, what would I want to be?”
“Either a butterfly or a penguin. Depends on how long it’s been since you watched Happy Feet .”
He was better at this than I expected. But he was also proving himself wrong.
“See, you do know everything about me. I’m not surprising at all.”
“I’m sure there are some deep, dark secrets in there somewhere.” His eyes glittered. “But maybe we don’t need to share them all on our first date. ”
“Perhaps the second then.”
“Perhaps,” he agreed with a shy smile.
When he smiled like that, he awakened a flurry of delicate flutters in my chest. It was almost like the butterflies within me were lightly brushing their wings against my heart. Grayson was right. There were things we held back from each other. And despite the fun and flirty banter, there was an unspoken tension underlying tonight.
I wasn’t sure exactly where our friendship stood right now, but I didn’t totally hate this place in between. It was filled with love and optimism, and it felt like anything could happen. It was kind of beautiful in its own way. And I thought I might prefer to live in this friendship no-man’s-land forever rather than risk shattering the illusion of what we could be.
I cleared my throat, trying to derail that train of thought. “How do you feel about tomorrow?” I asked. “You excited to sign?”
A solemn look entered his eyes as he shrugged. “It’ll be a weight off my chest when it’s done. But I don’t want to talk about hockey.”
“No?”
“No.” He leaned forward on the table, a spark reigniting his expression. “You brought up our second date, and I want to hear about what you’ve got planned.”
“Me?” I laughed. “Maybe I’ll ghost your texts and calls.”
“You would never. Besides, this date isn’t over yet. And there’s no way you’ll be ghosting my calls after tonight is through. ”
“Oh, really. And why is that?”
A tender smile graced his lips. “Because the best is yet to come...”