Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“ Y ou two can wash up in there,” Shiloh directed as they all entered her house. Grass and dust were falling onto her hardwood floor, and she made a mental note to grab the broom. “I’m gonna run upstairs and get changed, then I’ll get the grill going.”
Granger, still highly uncomfortable, nodded and began to usher Zane down the hall where Shiloh was pointing. They were all a hot, sweaty, dirty mess, but it was all cleanable. Shiloh had never been a stickler for keeping every spec of dust out of life.
Life was more fun with a little dirt under her fingernails, anyway.
She ran up the stairs and did a quick rinse off in the shower, not washing her hair, but at least getting all the cobwebs off her person. She almost forced herself to not use her body spray, but after a moment’s hesitation, Shiloh gave in and spritzed herself.
Granger wasn’t interested, anyway. Or at least he was fighting it. Which was fine. Shiloh didn’t need a man, and she liked smelling good. So the body spray was absolutely not for Granger.
Not even a little bit.
Neither was the tiny bit of mascara she put on.
Hurrying back down the stairs, she glanced around until she found Granger and Zane in the backyard. Granger was messing with her grill, apparently, trying to light it.
“Men,” she grumbled. Walking to the sliding glass door, she pulled it open and stepped onto the deck. “Women can do outside cooking too, you know.”
Granger gave her a guilty look and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just trying to help.”
“You were trying to save dinner,” Shiloh accused, putting her hands on her hips. “But I’ll have you know that every man I’ve ever grilled for has gone away satisfied.”
Granger’s face went blank.
It was Shiloh’s turn to blush. “Um…that sounded way weirder than it was meant to be. I just meant that I can cook a mean burger.”
“You bet she can,” Tate agreed, thundering through the house.
Shiloh grinned at her friends, grateful they arrived when they did. She’d totally just botched the chance to flirt with Granger. After hearing it come out of her mouth, she totally sounded like some kind of come-on girl, which was absolutely not true.
Flirt? Sure. Enjoy a good social gathering? Absolutely.
Entertain men ? Not happening.
“We brought chips,” Jett said in a much quieter voice than his brother, holding up a bag.
“You invited the McCoys?” Granger asked softly, after giving the brothers a guy nod.
“Of course,” Shiloh said. “I enjoy feeding friends.”
Some color came back to Granger’s face, and he seemed to relax a little, which only made Shiloh realize once more how much he seemed to be afraid of her.
“Luca said he and Serenity were busy.” Tate pumped his eyebrows up and down several times, and Shiloh smacked his shoulder.
“Leave the newlyweds alone, bozo.”
“Shhh…” Jett whispered.
The group looked at him and frowned.
With a half grin on his face, he pointed to the side of the deck.
Still frowning, Shiloh turned and had to hold back laughter. Apparently, they’d worn Zane out today, since the young boy was curled up on his side in one of her loungers, fast asleep.
Granger sighed and scrubbed his face. “Guess I better get him home.” He gave Shiloh a quick glance. “But thanks for the invite.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” she said, grabbing his arm. Wow, the guy obviously did a lot of manual labor. “Let him sleep. You still have to eat, whether he’s sleeping or not.”
Granger opened his mouth, but hesitated and the twins jumped in.
“Come on, Grange,” Tate whined. “We all love the little dude. We’ll help you with him. Let him go for now and eat with us.”
Shiloh could practically see the wheels turning in Granger’s head. What she didn’t understand was why he was so dead set against her. What exactly had she done to make him hate her? By the time he’d made up his mind about her, he hadn’t even seen her do anything except dance with his son at a wedding several months ago. It simply didn’t make any sense.
It was one thing to not want to be involved romantically, and a complete other to hate her on sight.
“Fire it up,” Jett said to Shiloh as Granger and Tate continued to argue. “We’ll convince him to stay.”
Shiloh raised her eyebrows. “If you say so,” she muttered. “But the only reason he spends time in my company at all is because of Zane, so…”
Jett nudged her shoulder. “Trust me.”
Putting her hands in the air, she turned and went back inside, pulling out all the ingredients she needed for a proper grilling. There was something so good about a fire cooked dinner on a hot summer night spent with friends.
By the time she got back outside, the grill was smoking, and the men were standing in a circle, arms crossed, legs apart and a serious conversation had commenced.
“Hey, now,” Shiloh teased, keeping her voice slightly lowered. “No business on this deck. It’s the rule of the house.”
Tate scoffed. “The day you don’t talk about business is the day we all keel over from shock.”
Shiloh stuck her nose in the air and sniffed. “It’s my house. I can bend the rules how I want.”
“What I want is to know what we’re having for dessert,” Tate said with a grin.
“No wonder you’re getting a gut,” Jett said wryly.
Shiloh laughed softly. “There’s a cake mix in the pantry,” she told Tate. “You’re welcome to toss it in.”
“What? No mallows?” The dark blond put a hand to his chest, a chunk of hair flopping in his face. He was boyishly adorable.
But she’d never be able to handle his boyish personality long term. She needed someone a little more mature than Tate McCoy, which was good because they were already like brothers to her.
Granger, on the other hand…had extreme potential…if he didn’t hate her that is.
Shiloh scrunched her nose. “No. No marshmallows. Those things are nasty.”
“Don’t let Zane hear you say that,” Granger said in a half laugh, the first she’d heard from him this evening. “He’d eat them all day, every day.”
Shiloh shook her head. “If you want a marshmallow, they need to be homemade. Store-bought ones are disgusting. They taste like cardboard.”
All three men stared at her.
“What?” Shiloh asked.
“How did I not know you could make marshmallows at home?” Tate scratched the back of his head. “Like seriously. Do you really make them?”
Shiloh nodded slowly. “Well, my mom used to make them. I’ve only done it once.”
“And when was I going to get an invitation to this party?” Tate demanded.
“The day you grow up.”
Jett’s shoulders shook, but he tried to hide his laughter with a fist. It was a losing battle.
Even Granger grinned. “I think you’re in trouble, Tate.”
Tate glared at Shiloh. “Just for that, I’m not making that cake.”
“Good,” Shiloh shot back. “I didn’t want it, anyway.” Grinning, she started putting the burgers on the grill, her heart dancing happily as the men laughed and the meat sizzled. Even with Granger’s rejection and Arthur’s attack this morning, things were looking pretty good at the moment. She could get used to this.
Granger had never wanted to strangle Tate before, but tonight might be the night. The twin’s loud and boisterous personality usually made for a fun evening and Zane loved the McCoy brothers, but if Tate didn’t stop flirting with Shiloh, Granger was going to punch something.
Preferably Tate’s handsome face.
“You’re going to crush your can,” Jett whispered under his breath, catching Granger’s attention.
His head whipped to the side so hard, he heard a crack in the bones. “Ow.” His free hand went up to rub the kink away. “What did you say?” he grumbled.
Jett chuckled and took a drink. “I said you’re going to crush your can of soda if you don’t stop trying to burn Tate with your laser eyes.”
Those laser eyes were now turned to Jett. “I wasn’t trying to burn Tate.”
Jett raised his eyebrows. “Liar.”
Granger grunted and took a drink, forcing his hand to loosen just slightly on the can. “Whatever.”
“Ah, the finest of defenses. Well done.”
Granger threw back his head. “What exactly is it you want?” he demanded.
“For you to admit that you like Shiloh.”
Granger turned quickly to make sure Shiloh and Tate were still occupied, but the sight of the two of them at the grill together, just raised his ire again. He was such an idiot. Swallowing, it took a great deal of force to bring his eyes away from the couple and down to the deck. Wood planks. Those were safe. Easy and safe.
“You should ask her out,” Jett continued. “She’s like a sister to me, but she’s a good woman.”
Granger glanced up at Jett. “It really doesn’t matter if I find her attractive. I can’t go through that again, Jett. I just can’t.”
Jett’s shoulders fell. “Dude…it’s been years.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Granger took another drink, letting the carbonation burn on the way down. “I’ve got a son. I don’t play for fun. It would have to be for keeps, and I’m just not ready.”
“He WHAT?” Tate bellowed.
A startled cry came from Zane, and Shiloh punched Tate’s arm. “You big jerk. Now look what you did.”
Before Granger could reply to his son being awake, Shiloh trotted across the deck and sat down on the edge of the chair.
“Hey, buddy, you woke up,” she said in a sing-song tone. “And just in time. We’re almost ready to have dinner.” Running her fingers through Zane’s hair, Shiloh calmed the boy in what Granger could only describe as a completely maternal manner. “Are you hungry?”
The lump in Granger’s throat refused to budge. Again and again he tried to swallow, but it wouldn’t move.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to find another woman attractive, and he definitely wasn’t supposed to see her with his son and imagine what would happen if Shiloh were really Zane’s mother.
“She’s good people,” Jett whispered again. “You should think about it.”
Granger didn’t have the ability to respond because his eyes were glued to the unfolding scene. Zane rubbed his eyes and yawned, and Shiloh helped him stand from the chair. Hand in hand, they walked to the grill where Shiloh was very careful to give instructions of safety before allowing Zane to help lift the burgers onto a plate.
“Here we go,” Shiloh announced, carrying the tray and nodding toward the table. “Zane gave them his blessing, and now we’re ready to eat!”
The gathering at the table was anything but quiet. As the minutes went by, Zane grew in alertness and volume, and soon Tate and Zane were entertaining the entire group.
Burgers had never been a food that Granger would consider sexy, but if he wasn’t making the conscious decision to look away from Shiloh, his eyes were automatically there.
She was stunning. From her hair, to her eyes and lips to her petite but feminine shape. She laughed without care, ate with gusto, and wasn’t afraid to join the conversation, often with witty comebacks that kept Tate on his toes.
Meanwhile, Shiloh seemed to have a sixth sense about Zane, her hand often landing on his back or his hair, encouraging and teasing the boy, which Zane gobbled up as if he were a starving man in the desert.
By the time the conversation had died down, Zane had fallen back asleep, this time with his head in Shiloh’s lap, and Granger felt as if he were adrift at sea.
What was he supposed to do now?
“Okay.” Tate leaned forward, elbows on the table and pinned Shiloh with a glare. “Now that the kid’s out again, I have some questions.”
Shiloh looked less than impressed.
“ What exactly happened with Arthur, and why are we just now hearing about it?”
Jett frowned and sat up as well. “What do you mean? What happened?”
Shiloh’s eyes darted to Granger, then back to the twins. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Liar.” The word slipped out before Granger could stop it. He wasn’t sure why he wanted the McCoys to know about the situation, but something in his gut said they’d be handy to have on board.
Shiloh’s jaw clenched. “Arthur has been hitting on me for years. It isn’t a big deal.”
Slowly, Granger sat up from his slumped position, eyes locked on Shiloh, and leaned toward her. “When a man takes it upon himself to grab a woman and physically hurt her…it’s a big deal.”
Several curse words were muttered under the twins’ breath.
“Explain,” Jett demanded, eyeing Zane carefully. “Everything.”
Sighing and pinching her lips together, Shiloh told the men the story. Granger listened carefully since he hadn’t been there when the whole thing started. It was good to hear what the guy was after, but it only made Granger see red.
He should’ve knocked Arthur’s nose flat rather than demanding he leave.
“You can’t work at that house alone, anymore,” Jett said succinctly. “It’s too dangerous.”
Shiloh’s jaw dropped. “What? You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“It’s a good idea,” Granger added, getting another glare from Shiloh. “If I hadn’t come along, you wouldn’t have been strong enough to fight him off. Who knows what he might have decided to try.”
“We need to talk to Montoya,” Tate said bluntly. “You need to make a report.”
Shiloh shook her head and looked away from the table for several long seconds before coming back. “I know this won’t come as a shock to any of you…but none of you are women,” she said in a low tone.
Granger frowned and Tate snorted.
“You don’t know what it’s like to watch other women live their lives in fear or to know that at any time and anywhere, some random guy could decide to try to abuse or take advantage of you simply because he’s stronger. You don’t walk through dark parking lots with your keys between your fingers. Or avoid running before daylight because you don’t know who’ll be on the streets. You don’t have to make sure you never set your drink down at a party or have to get outside help when some guy decides he won’t take no for an answer.”
The table had grown extremely quiet, and Granger couldn’t seem to calm the churning feeling in his stomach. He might be a bit on the grumpy side, but she was right. He had no idea what it was like to live like that.
“I’ve watched my mother do all those things,” Shiloh continued, her fingers combing through Zane’s hair in a smooth melodic motion. “I also watched her encourage it.”
Granger was almost positive it was as much for her as it was for the boy.
“And I won’t live that way. Arthur is a jerk. I’ll keep mace on me and my phone in my pocket, but he doesn’t get to rule my life. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and to become successful at what I do, and no pig-nosed bozo gets to have a say in whether or not that continues. I refuse to give him that right.”
Several long seconds went by, and Granger found a grudging respect growing for the strongly independent woman. He couldn’t blame her for not wanting to give someone else power over her life. He didn’t like others having power over him either, but Granger also knew that her precautions might not be enough.
What happened when the mace was stuck in her pocket? Or Arthur held her arms, and she couldn’t use her phone? There were too many ways this scenario could still go wrong, and it would be Shiloh who paid for it.
Granger’s mind was in a frenzy, and idea after idea flashed through his thoughts. One in particular was probably the easiest but would definitely cross a line he didn’t want to cross. Still…
“What if Arthur thought you had a boyfriend?”