Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
GREYSON
“Jesus, Grey. What did you do? Threaten Cian and make him work around the clock to fix your house faster than anyone else’s?”
She always thinks the worst of me.
“No, smartass. It’s called money. If you’re willing to pay enough, you can make anything happen.
And I’m paying him double for finishing ours.
And I called in a company from Maryland to rebuild my garage and apartment for me so I don’t monopolize all of Cian’s time.
And as soon as the new company is done on my rebuild, I’ll pay them to help Cian catch up over in Stillwater.
Any other questions that have your devious little mind hell-bent on painting me the bad guy? ”
“I don’t have a little mind.” She’s cute when she pouts.
The doorbell rings right before the door opens, and Madi walks in with Clover close behind. I forgot to lock it.
“Hey, guys.” Madi’s smile is radiant. I swear, all these women love seeing me uncomfortable.
“Hi.” I don’t elaborate because if I do, she’ll engage me for much longer than necessary. Instead, I head to the kitchen to pull out the takeout containers while the three of them speak in hushed tones not meant to reach my ears.
Is it normal to want to keep Savvy all to myself? Probably not, but the idea of sharing her makes my skin itch.
“Come get plates.” Fuck. I try again without my organic hostility. “Dinner’s ready.”
Madi and Clover are the first around the corner, but Savvy drags along at a much slower pace.
“I figured we could make plates and then sit in the dining room so we can get started. I have my MacBook set up in there to take notes. Does that work?” I don’t make eye contact while piling my plate with California rolls and tempura because that’s what I’ve seen Savvy eat in the past.
“Sounds good,” Madi singsongs, almost like she’s daring me to look at her, so I do. Her perma-grin has got to go.
“You’re taking this all very seriously.” Clover’s voice is always just a touch above a whisper. Has she ever yelled at anyone?
I realize a moment too late that everyone is staring at me expectantly.
Oh, right. Clover said something.
“I take everything seriously. I’ll meet you in the dining room.”
The whispers of gossip bubble up as I exit the room. Then I’m left pacing the length of the table for another ten minutes before anyone joins me.
Savvy enters first, and the talons of impatience embedded in my chest retract their claws.
“Monroe, you can sit here,” I say, pointing to the chair I have a death grip on. “Clover and Madi, you sit across from us.”
“You have assigned seats?” Savvy’s question drips with sarcasm, and I control my breath in response.
“Yes. I need to study everyone’s reactions to the questions, so I’ll know how to respond at go-time.”
“Go-time?” she snorts. “Grey, this isn’t a covert operation. You’re not a Navy SEAL. It’s a small-town fair.”
“It’s our small town’s second biggest event of the year. And it only comes in second to the Cozy Cup Festival because in January, everyone’s all strung out from the holidays and needs an excuse to get drunk and happy without all the pressure.”
I feel Madi and Clover’s gaze on me, but I ignore them. “I saw how intensely everyone took the Cozy Cup Festival, and I worked tirelessly to ensure Madi won for Braxton’s sake. Did you think I wouldn’t put in the same amount of effort when it’s you and me on the line?”
Savvy’s eyes are wide and watering. “You— You’re unhinged, you know that, right?”
I wave her off. “Yes, yes I know.” Adopting an annoying female tone, I say, “How can you go from hating me to loving me in the blink of an eye? How can you fight me every step of the way, yet say you want me forever? How can—”
“Don’t be an asshole,” Savvy snarls.
“My point is.” I ensure my tone is dark and demanding. “I don’t know how it all works, it just does. I want what I want, and if you’d stop fighting me for two seconds, you’d realize it’s everything you want too.”
A chair slides into place across the room. A quick glance tells me Clover is intensely uncomfortable because if she pulls her cardigan any tighter around herself, she’s sure to collapse a lung.
“Now,” I say as gently as I’m capable. “Can we please get on with this so I can learn everything I need to know to win?”
“This isn’t how normal people go about dating, you understand that, right?”
I feel my face pull into a smile. “Yes, I understand, Monroe. I understand it all. And after I learn what makes you tick, I’ll ensure you have the fairy tale you dream of yet don’t dare to reach for.”
“That’s not—”
“Swoon,” Clover says, fanning her face. “Seriously, swoon. Can I use that line in a book? Can you imagine if a stalker said that to his next victim?”
My jaw drops while she reaches into a bag at her side for a small notebook. “Clover, in no way, place, or time, would a stalker be the Prince Charming in that scenario.”
“Oh, Grey,” Clover gasps as though I’m out of line. “You’re out of the loop. Stalker thrillers and stalker romance are hot commodities right now.”
I blink three times before I can shift her train of thought from my consciousness.
I also add find Clover a therapist to my list of shit to do.
“Okay. Well, no stalking, but I would like to know what I’m up against with this game. I…” My palms sweat, and my stomach hollows out.
What the hell is that?
Holy shit.
I think I’m insecure. Wiping my hands on my pant legs, I inhale deeply through my nose because screw that. I don’t allow insecurities.
“I don’t know how to woo,” I say. “I can fake a pleasant date. I can pretend to listen and care. I can fuck—”
“Jesus, Grey.” Savvy slaps a hand over my mouth. “Just…stop. What you’re trying to say, I believe, is ‘please help me. I don’t know how to woo someone, and I refuse to lose any of the competitions so please, help me.’”
Tugging her hand down to my chin, I nod. “Not anyone though, Savvy. You. I want to know how to woo you.”
“You’re…impossible.” She drops her hand and her face, but not before I see a lovely flash of red creeping across her features.
I love it when she blushes.
“Let’s just get this over with,” she grumbles.
“Okay,” Madi says while bouncing in her chair. “Clover and I thought the best way to do this was with a version of twenty questions.”
While I listen, I pick up a California roll, dip it in soy sauce, then place it on Savvy’s plate since she’s left hers mostly empty.
“How will that help?” I ask, staring at Savvy. Finally, she picks up her damn chopsticks.
“Well, we’ll ask Savvy a bunch of questions. Your job is to listen. Then, after we’ve asked her the questions, we’ll turn to you and ask you how you would respond to certain things based on her answers.”
That sounds… It’s not terrible.
“Okay.” In my periphery, I see Savvy’s jaw working. A quick glance at her plate tells me the California roll I prepared for her is now gone.
Pride fills my chest until I’m nearly combusting.
“Let’s do it.” I’m feeling more confident now and transfer a piece of tempura from my plate to hers.
This time, she swats my hand away, but not before I drop it, and when she stabs at it with her chopstick, I smile.
Madi catches my attention. She’s wearing a frown as she stares from my plate to Savvy’s as though pieces of a puzzle are finally clicking into place.
Yeah, you guys are good friends, but I’m better. Savvy will never harm herself under my watch. I’ll ensure she has everything she needs to get herself healthy again.
“Madi?” I lift a brow at her dazed confusion.
She shakes her head and then nods. “Yeah. Okay. Ready, Sav?”
Savvy wipes her mouth, then sets her napkin down as though dinner’s over.
I roll my eyes but focus my attention on what they’re saying while I lift another California roll to Savvy’s lips.
She accepts it from me while shooting daggers at my chest with her glare.
“Enough,” she hisses. “I can feed myself.”
I slide my plate so it rests between us. “Then do it.”
“I’m sorry. Can we pause this for just a second? I’m going to get myself some more food.” Savvy’s gone before anyone can respond.
I follow closely behind.
The moment she hits the kitchen, she spins as though she knew I’d follow. “You can’t do this, Grey. This, you, embarrassing me and feeding me in front of my friends? It’s not going to help me. Don’t you get that? I’m not starving myself.”
I scoff.
“I’m not,” she insists. “I had a minor setback with all the stress. But I wasn’t actively trying to harm myself.”
“It’s the inactive harm I’m worried about, Sav. You didn’t even realize you’d slipped into old patterns, did you?”
She swallows and breaks eye contact. “Not at first, no,” she admits as though it pains her. “But now I’m aware, and I’m working on it. Don’t pull that shit out there with me again. I mean it.”
Anger settles into the frown she shoots my way. Her hand covers her mouth, and she shakes her head as though I’ve betrayed her. “Oh my God. That’s…that’s what all these games have been about. You’ve been trying to trick me into eating.”
I busy myself with takeout containers.
“Screw you, Grey.” My head snaps up. “No.” She waves her hands in front of her.
“Seriously, just screw you. You don’t get to do this.
You don’t get to be the mastermind pulling strings in my life.
If you see something you don’t like, then you talk to me like a normal human being.
You don’t use my body and my attraction for you against me.
Jesus, Grey. Fuck,” she yells. “How could I have been so stupid? How did I not see what you were doing this whole time?”
Helplessness settles into my shoulders. I don’t know how to talk my way out of this one. I didn’t want to upset her—I just need her healthy.
She steps into my space, a fiery ball of indignation. “I’ll only say this once, Greyson. Once. Are you listening?”
I nod.