Chapter 4 #2
Grace rolled her eyes. "I know you're used to being the man of the house and taking care of everything for everyone.
But newsflash, Hermano, I'm the woman of the house now, and I've already taken care of it.
" She smirked at Gabe. "My car is currently at Ken's Auto Shop getting new tires.
A guy named Scott said they'd drop it off here for me when it's done. "
Damon's brows arched, and he gave her a nod of admiration.
"Good." Gabe nodded then chuckled. "I'll remember you're the woman of the house next time your drains are plugged, and you need help unclogging them."
Everyone chuckled, then Damon said, "So I'll pick you up at ten-thirty, Grace?" When she nodded, he eyed her legs below her shorts. "You should probably wear long pants, preferably jeans." He turned to leave then spun back. "I don't suppose you own cowboy boots?"
Boots? Oh brother, what have I gotten myself into?
Grace jumped when a knock sounded on the front door.
In the last thirty minutes, she'd tried on more than half her closet.
Everything was either too dressy, too tight, or too casual.
Grabbing the last shirt she'd discarded on top of the pile on her bed—a red button-up shirt—she pulled it on and buttoned it as she hurried to the door before her mother got up.
It was silly to stress over what to wear on a date she wasn't sure she even wanted to go on. Chalk it up to being nervous—and a little excited. But mostly nervous. She hadn't dated much over the last few years, so going out at all felt monumental.
It's not a date. Damon is just showing me around.
She'd be less likely to fall for him if she didn't think of today's outing as a date.
Mom was halfway out of her lazy boy when she entered the living room. "Stay put, Mom. I'll get it."
Pasting on a smile, she pulled the door open and sucked in a sharp breath.
She hadn't expected Damon to look so amazing in a white T-shirt and faded jeans.
Nor did she expect him to be holding a big bouquet of roses.
However, it was the sight of his Aunt Hope beside him that caused her eyes to widen.
Why did he bring his aunt along on their date?
It's not a date!
She looked more closely at the petite blond woman beside Damon. Wait. Maybe that was his mom, Charity. Or his other aunt?
Grace hadn't met Paige's Aunt Faith yet, but she'd quickly learned—after meeting Charity—that the three sisters were triplets, and although not identical, they looked very similar.
"You must be Grace." The woman at Damon's side spoke before he could.
She held out her hand. "I'm Aunt Faith. I wasn't able to help when you guys moved in last weekend, but I've been looking forward to meeting you.
When I heard Damon say he was headed over here, I invited myself along. Hope that's okay."
"It's nice to meet you, Faith. Please come in." Grace stepped back and opened the door wider.
Faith walked in, leaving Damon standing on the doorstep.
"Nothing like being upstaged by my aunt." Damon gave a wry smile as he stepped inside.
Grace laughed and reached for the bouquet of roses and carnations. "Those are beautiful."
"Sorry, these aren't for you." He held them away from her.
"Oh." Feeling awkward and a little disappointed, Grace dropped her hand.
"I heard your mom loves flowers. Figured this was the best way to make a good impression on her."
"It certainly is." Instead of letting the chair raise her up, Mom pushed to her feet. The action looked as if it took every ounce of strength she had.
Grace balled her fists at her side to keep from stepping in and helping her mom. Marisol Rivera had chastised her children many times for treating her like an invalid. She'd let them know in no uncertain terms that if she needed their help, she would ask for it.
Recently, she'd started asking more often.
Grace was happy to help her mother with whatever she needed, but each time she did, she realized how much weight her mom had lost. Grace was acutely aware of how frail her mom had become.
"Mrs. Rivera," Damon handed over the flowers after shaking her mom's hand. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Damon Knight, Paige's cousin."
"Yes, Grace told me how you kept her calm in the elevator last night. Then followed her home." Mom's smile changed to a scowl.
"Don't worry, I have been properly chastised by Paige, and I have already apologized to Grace." Damon held his hands up and stepped back, his expression contrite.
"Good," Faith and Marisol said in unison. Then her mom smiled. "Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful." She handed them to Grace. "Put these in a vase, please. Then place them on the end table here, so I can enjoy them."
"Sure." Before leaving the room, she turned back and looked at Damon. "Would you like to help me?"
She didn’t need help, but he looked uncomfortable standing in the middle of the living room while Faith engaged her mom in conversation.
When they reached the kitchen, she motioned to the cupboard above the fridge. "Would you mind getting me a vase from that cupboard?" She could do it herself, but it would mean standing on a chair. She may as well put him to work, rather than give him a view of her backside.
She took the vase and walked to the sink. "Thank you."
Arms folded, he leaned against a nearby counter and watched as she filled the sink with cold water and unwrapped the flowers.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked when she put the flowers in the sink.
"They're too tall for the vase, so I'm trimming them under the water where they'll suck water into the cut stems rather than air. It will help them last longer."
"Hmm...I didn't know that." Damon continued to watch her, making her not only self-conscious but very aware of his presence.
She should make conversation, but Grace found herself at a loss for words. Attraction flared even though she was still annoyed with him for scaring her last night. She was also confused as to why he wanted to spend the day with her instead of with his family that he didn't see very often.
Ten minutes later, the flowers sat on the end table, and she and Damon stood awkwardly in the family room.
Grace would have invited him to sit, but she doubted his plans included hanging out with his aunt and her mother.
Besides, the two women were so busy comparing their salsa recipes to noticed they were there.
Faith looked up as though surprised to see them. "Oh, don't let us keep you two. I'm sure Damon has something fun planned." She waved them away. "Don't worry about your mom, Grace, I'll visit with her until she's ready to rest, and I'll make sure she has some lunch before I let myself out."
"Oh." Grace looked at her mom. "Are you okay with that? Do you need anything before I leave?"
"I'm fine. Stop fretting over me." Mom made a shooing motion. "I'll ask Faith if I need help with something. She's a retired nurse, you know."
"I didn't know that." Grace smiled at Faith just as the older woman winked at Damon. "That's great."
Before Grace had time to process what Faith's wink could mean, she found herself sitting beside Damon in his rental car, heading north of town. Silence stretched between them as wide as the barren landscape.
"Are you ever going to forgive me for freaking you out last night?" Damon's deep voice startled her.
"It depends."
"On what?" He cast her a brief glance before returning his gaze to the road.
"Why did you follow me?” She went on before he could speak. “I’m not helpless." There was an edge to her voice that she didn't recognize. “I know how to change a tire."
After another quick glance in her direction, he shifted again, leaned forward then back in his seat, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
When he didn't speak, she went on. "You figured out who I was when I mentioned Gabe and Paige's name in the parking lot, didn't you? You knew you'd see me again, so why follow me?"
Damon let out a sigh and pulled the car to the side of the road. After putting it into park, he shifted to look at her. "Why were you in such a hurry to leave without giving me your number?"
She turned her gaze out the window. She couldn't tell him the truth. That she liked him and could see herself falling for him. But what was the point when he’d be leaving soon?
"I followed you because I felt something in the elevator.
" The low baritone of his voice sent a pleasant shiver rippling down her spine, and she turned to look at him.
"And I'm not just talking about when we kissed.
" His gaze dipped to her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes.
"You were so intent on getting out of there, that I was afraid I'd never see you again.
Even after I figured out who you were, I couldn't help thinking, 'What if I'm wrong? ' and you didn't drive to Providence?"
A flutter raced through her chest as her heart rate sped up. It was nice to know she wasn't the only one whose world shifted—figuratively as well as literally—when they kissed. But Grace had been let down by the men in her life too many times to get her hopes up.
"Well, you know you'll see me a lot. And you've cornered me into going out with you. Now what?"
"What do you mean? I didn't corner you." Hurt filled his eyes, sending a twinge of guilt through her midsection. "If you don't want to go out with me, just say so, and I'll take you home."
Damon definitely considers this a date.
"I didn't say I didn't want to go out with you.
I just felt..." She let out a huff as she looked out her window again.
She couldn't think straight while staring into his pretty hazel eyes.
Eyes whose centers were rays of gold that turned green and were surrounded by a ring of brown.
"I felt like everyone ganged up on me. But what's the point of us spending time together?
" Then she rushed on before he could speak.
"I'm not interested in being your fling while you're home on leave. "
"Fling?" His head jerked back. "That's not my thing. I'm not that guy."
"You've never been a player? I recall Paige mentioning how you had a dozen different girlfriends in high school."
"That's because they always wanted to get serious. To be exclusive." He rolled his eyes. "They wanted commitment."
"So you're afraid to commit? You cut loose anyone who's ready to plan a future?" Grace couldn't help the bitterness that filled her voice.
"What? No. I was a teenager, of course I wasn't ready to settle down back then.
" A flash of something that looked like guilt or regret crossed his face.
"I will admit that for a time after joining the Army, I stepped away from the Christian values I was raised with and did a lot of things I'm not proud of.
Those included relationships. But I left that lifestyle behind years ago. "
Grace looked at him more closely. He'd made mistakes, like she had.
She couldn't fault him for the choices he'd made, just like she didn't want him to judge her for hers.
But his honesty, even though they barely knew one another, was disarming.
Like the endearing way he spoke about his mom yesterday in the elevator and brought her mother flowers today.
He was tearing down her walls, and it scared her. How did she protect her heart around him? Damon would leave after the wedding, and she wasn't sure when or if she'd ever see him again.
"I can see you don't trust men, or maybe just me.
" Damon's gaze grew intense. "But I assure you, I'm not looking for a fling.
I like you, Grace, and I want to get to know you better.
But if you're not ready to explore a relationship, maybe we can be friends.
" He gave her a charming smile. "What do you say, will you let me show you around? "
Friends?
"Friendship I can do."
If they were just friends, then he wouldn't expect her to tell him her deep dark secrets, and he wouldn't walk away when he found out the truth about her.