Chapter Nine
Nine
LATER THAT EVENING, AS HE knocked on the cabin door, Grayson’s hello died on his lips when Bernie greeted him. “Hello, young man. I hear you’re coming to pick up my niece. What are your intentions?”
The way the old guy smiled so wide that it gave him more wrinkles told Grayson that Bernie was joking. Still, his palms went clammy. It’d been way too long since he’d felt like this, and he hadn’t exactly improved his game over the years.
Charlie nudged Bernie with her hip. “Nice try. No one did that when I went on a date at fifteen, and I don’t need it to go hang out with a friend who you can’t stop talking about.
” She crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Bernie, an adorable smirk on her lips.
“In fact, I should ask what your intentions are, since you seem to be smitten with the whole Keller family.”
Bernie chuckled. “Give it time, dear. You will be, too.”
Not all of the tension seeped out of Gray’s shoulders, but he relaxed his stance a little, flashing a smile at Charlie. “We are a charming bunch.”
She arched her brows and shook her head as if she already knew that.
They said good night and Gray led the way off the porch and along the side of the lodge.
The garden that Ollie, Jilly, Presley, and a few others had started a couple summers ago was now going strong.
They planted flowers, herbs, onions, and carrots and had wanted to add so many more things that Levi, Gray, and Beckett had extended some planter boxes around the side of the lodge.
“I hope you’re not going to make me forage for our dinner,” Charlie said, walking beside him.
Grayson laughed. Her easy sense of humor and the way it felt like he’d known her for longer than he had only heightened his attraction. He genuinely liked her, and maybe he should just go with that. It was okay to have friends.
“If I was going to do that, I would have filled up on something first.”
It was her turn to laugh. “Hey, I could be a survivalist or something.”
Placing a hand on her elbow when the ground turned slightly uneven, he made an mm-hmm sound. “That would be more plausible if you hadn’t already admitted to not being an outdoor enthusiast.”
Charlie laughed again. “I forgot I said that.”
They took a left to the start of one of the trails where he’d parked the ATV. He patted the storage box on the back of the vehicle.
“I packed a pretty good dinner, but if you want to eat flowers or worms, you’re welcome to.”
Smiling in an almost disarming way, one that could easily make him forget how badly he’d been hurt before, Charlie shook her head. “I’ve seen some weird menus in LA, but I’ve never been that adventurous when it comes to food.”
Grayson handed her a helmet and helped her do it up, telling himself he wasn’t lingering longer than he should, that he wasn’t standing too close or becoming addicted to the scent of her shampoo.
Putting on his own, he threw his leg over the seat and waited for her to get onto the bike behind him.
She wrapped her arms around him and something in his chest tilted.
Or maybe it slotted back into place. Returned a missing piece. He didn’t want to think about that.
He started the engine and took the trail at a slow speed, feeling every dip and curve of Charlie pressed against his back as much as the path.
They should have walked. Then he wouldn’t know what it felt like to have her hands resting on his stomach, her fingers clutching his shirt, her nails digging in just a little in a tantalizing way, her thighs locked against his own.
After twenty minutes of trying not to think about any of those things, they arrived. He’d brought her to a lower summit on the other side of where they’d been earlier, but it had a gorgeous view and a picnic table he and Beckett had hauled up there at the start of summer.
He parked next to it, cut the engine, and waited while she got off the ATV. He followed, taking both of their helmets.
When she shook her long hair out, his thoughts froze in his head.
She was another level of beautiful. With her face makeup-free, wearing a simple gray T-shirt and a pair of jeans, she looked like she belonged out here in nature.
There was a soft elegance to the way she lifted her chin, the way she smiled, and the way she looked a person right in the eyes. She was enchanting.
And suddenly he wished it was just basic attraction: chemicals and hormones and simple things that people got out of their systems all the time. But he already knew there was nothing simple about a woman when just looking at her made his heart rev like someone flooring the gas pedal.
When she arched both of her brows up, he jolted, realizing he was staring. Opening the small crate at the back of the ATV, he pulled out their provisions, a couple of sweaters, a blanket, and a tablecloth.
“Come on. Let’s eat.” Focus on anything but how good she looks standing in one of your favorite spots.
“You thought of everything,” she said as they laid out the tablecloth before unloading the picnic dinner Levi had kindly packed. “This looks amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had fried chicken. Did you make this?”
Gray shook his head, gestured for her to sit. “No. Levi is the chef in the family. And he’s a damn good one. I can make a few meals, but nothing like this.”
They spent a few minutes digging into the chicken, macaroni salad, and fresh biscuits.
Birds and animals and other unknowable critters created an orchestra of sound around them.
The trees swayed softly as the sun dipped lower in the sky.
They should put some twinkle lights up here as well, Gray thought.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Charlie said, staring out at the water from their spot at the picnic table.
“Just wait until the sun goes down. About an hour from now, the whole sky will be lit with stars.” Another of his favorite things.
She grinned at him. “You’re a romantic.”
He chuckled, wiped his hands on a napkin so he could pick up his bottle of iced tea. “Hardly. I just like the stars.”
“And the outdoors.”
Easy enough to admit. Maybe he could learn how to do this in a different way.
He could spend time with a woman, keep it light and fun, and not think about what was next.
Because nothing has to be next. “I do. A lot. How about you? What do you like? Are you a romantic?” Why did he ask that?
So not light and fun. If he was trying to talk himself away from temptation, that wasn’t the right direction.
They were just having a meal together. Friendly.
Friends. He took a long drink, set it down.
She shook her head as she scooped up a bite of macaroni salad. “No. I mean, I like a good rom-com as much as the next person, but I don’t pine away for romantic moments. Or wish on stars. So far, I like it here, but a cabin might be as outdoorsy as I get.”
“No tent camping?” He grinned, pointed his fork at her.
She laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Everyone should wish on stars.”
She held his gaze as she finished her bite of food. “What would you wish for?”
Gray pulled in a deep breath. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I feel like I have everything I need.”
Charlie’s smile turned playful. “Wishing isn’t for needs; it’s for what you want. What do you want?”
Was she really asking him that? He focused on his food, taking a couple of bites.
It’d be easier to tell her what he didn’t want; it was clearer in his mind.
He didn’t want to feel this pressing ache to kiss her, to feel her mouth under his and weave his hands into her hair.
He didn’t want to become enamored with a woman, the way she laughed or the way her smile reached her eyes.
He didn’t want to lose sleep thinking about and dreaming about a woman.
He didn’t want to be scared to feel. Lifting his gaze, he met hers.
“I want Beckett and Presley to have the wedding of their dreams. For everything to go smoothly for Levi and Jilly. For Ollie to be excited about her new sibling when she finds out. And for you and Bernie to stay in each other’s lives now that you’ve found each other.”
Charlie set her fork down. She stared at him for several beats, like she was trying to see through his invisible shield. “All of those things are for someone else.”
He put his own fork down, no longer hungry. Shifting on the seat, he stared out at the water. “I feel happier when the people I love are happy.”
He could feel her stare but didn’t turn his head. “From what I’ve seen of your family, they’d say the same. What about you, Gray? What would make you happy that has nothing to do with their happiness?”
Now he turned to meet her gaze. “This. Right now. I feel happy, here with you. In this moment.” His lips quirked. “What’s your last name?”
Something flashed in her expression, making a little line appear between her brows. It took her a couple of beats to reply. “Ashford.”
Unsure of what he’d said to bother her, he grinned, trying to smooth things out. “I bet you’re a great therapist, Dr. Ashford. Is that what your patients call you?”
She shook her head, grabbed her iced tea, and took a long drink. When she finished, she set it down and shrugged but the tension stayed in her shoulders. “If they want to. You have a great place here. You and your family. How long have you owned it?”
Gray reached out, covered her hand with his.
She turned to look at him and he could have sworn she held her breath.
“I’m sorry if I said something wrong.” Though he couldn’t imagine what.
See, this was just one reason to stay single.
He couldn’t misunderstand or mess up something if he didn’t give himself the opportunity.
“You didn’t,” she said. “Sorry. I just … I don’t really have patients anymore. I’ll be a teacher, not a counselor.”
It was easy to see that made her sad, so he changed the topic, trying not to show his disappointment when she slipped her hand out from under his.
“Didn’t Bernie tell you about the summer I took over?
This is my third summer of owning it.” He grabbed a biscuit, split it in two, and offered her half.
She took it. “We haven’t had much time yet to share stories.”
Gray rotated on the bench so he could lean back against the edge of the table and look out at the water. “He’s a great guy. And trust me, he never runs out of stories. I feel like him and Ollie are kindred spirits.”
Charlie laughed. “Ollie is adorable and sweet. You’re lucky to be so close to your family.”
“You have siblings?”
She didn’t answer so he turned to look at her. She shook her head. He was definitely out of practice with reading a woman. Or at least, he had no idea how to read Charlie. She was easygoing and open in one breath and closed off in the next.
Intent on keeping it light despite the flurry of feelings crowding his chest, he shrugged. “You get more of the holiday meals that way. No sharing.”
Charlie turned her body to mirror Gray’s, both of them facing out toward the water. The sun was dipping down, the air chilling in tiny increments.
“That’s one way to look at it. I always thought having a big family holiday with dozens of aunts and uncles and cousins would be fun.”
Getting up off the picnic bench seat, he looked down at Charlie, extended his hand. His heart did a little fist pump when she slid her palm against his. “A few more meals while we have a full house here, you might change your mind.”
Her hand was warm and small inside of his own.
There were so many things he’d enjoyed as part of coupledom that he’d taken for granted.
Holding hands, falling asleep and waking up beside each other, planning meals.
He couldn’t see himself having that again.
But tonight was the first time he realized he missed it.
“Come on. There’s a ledge a little farther down that is perfect for when the stars come out.”
She fell into step beside him. “Should I think of something to wish for?”
He didn’t mean to stop so abruptly, but he did, turning to face her. He didn’t mean to bring the fronts of their bodies flush together or to be so acutely aware of how nice she felt against him.
“You should always have something to wish for,” he said quietly, holding her gaze.
Charlie swallowed, stared up at him, her fingers squeezing his hand. “Maybe. But I usually find it works better to just be grateful for what’s right in front of you.”
He could do that. He would do that. Right now, he had Charlie, a view of the lake, and the promise of a night sky filled with stars. It was safer all around, for both of them, if he didn’t want, or wish for, anything more than that.