Seventeen
SEVENTEEN
Kat
“Alright. So, do you want to go first?”
I didn’t need to ask for clarification on what that question was referring to, because I already knew the answer—to both what it was about and what my response was.
There was no confusion, not a trace of it to be found.
We were doing it.
I couldn’t quite believe that I was here, with Graham, and we had decided to see where things could go between us.
To say I was shocked about how it was all going down was an understatement.
First, after two weeks of not spending any time together, I was glad that Graham was unwilling to make us wait days to see each other again. And while at dinner last night, he solidified another date, asking me if I wanted to spend my Sunday with him. I immediately accepted, and I didn’t care if it made me look too eager.
I’d decided to give Graham grace and forgiveness for how he’d handled things with me, and hanging on to any bitterness felt unnecessary. He apologized and was clear about what led to his response and reactions, and it was safe to say he had just as much reason to make mistakes moving forward.
But even more surprising than Graham’s eagerness to spend more time with me was what happened when he took me home after dinner last night.
Because Graham didn’t come in, and it wasn’t because I hadn’t invited him. Maybe that had been foolish of me, but once again, I didn’t care. I’d missed him, and I would have loved to connect with him like that.
Graham had far more willpower.
“Did you want to come in for a bit?” I’d asked when we made it to my front door.
He shook his head. “No. Not tonight.”
“Are you… Is everything okay?”
Graham offered a reassuring smile and reached for my hands. Taking them in his, he squeezed and said, “Everything is perfect. I don’t want you to think I don’t want what you’re offering, Kat. I do. Trust me, I do. But I want to do this right by you this time. And the next time I’m inside you, I think I should at least know what you do for a living.”
My heart skipped a beat. “I could tell you that now.”
He released one hand and held his up between us. “I know, but we already decided that tonight was about clearing the air over our past relationships. We purposely avoided all conversation as it pertains to the two of us together or as individuals, because that’s going to start tomorrow, when it’s not marred by the memories of the people who did us wrong. I want to know, Kat. I want to know all there is to know about you, but I want to wait until tomorrow, when we start over.”
My heart skipped several more beats, my belly dipping at the same time. Fortunately, Graham still had one of my hands in his, and I was able to remain steady on my feet. “Okay. Then we’ll wait until tomorrow.”
A satisfied smile formed on his face. “Despite the heaviness of the conversation, I enjoyed myself with you tonight. I’ve missed you, and it felt good to spend time with you again.”
We hadn’t even started this thing between us, and he was already making me swoon. I could only imagine how it was going to be once we were both putting in the effort to work toward something special. “I had a wonderful time with you, too.”
Graham lifted his free hand to the side of my head, grabbed hold of a lock of hair, and tugged lightly on it before tucking it behind my ear. His palm came to rest lightly beneath my jaw, and he tipped my chin up. I watched as he lowered his head and brushed his lips tenderly against mine. He gave me a sweet kiss. It was really nice, but it wasn’t anything that would get either of us too worked up to be responsible enough to go our separate ways for the evening.
When Graham pulled back, his eyes were shining. “I’ll be here to pick you up around ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be ready.”
And that’s precisely what happened this morning.
Graham arrived promptly at ten, and we took off. Now, we were here at the beach, taking a nice, long walk in the gorgeous spring weather. One of the benefits of moving to Red, Rhode Island, was that I now lived a short ride away from the coast and could take trips to the beach whenever I wanted.
Today wasn’t a day that anyone would be sweating or hopping into the still too-cold Atlantic waters, but it was the perfect day for a walk along the beach. We’d decided on doing this, because it would give us the ability to accomplish what we’d intended to accomplish today.
Talking.
Getting to know one another.
While I didn’t doubt that Graham and I would both likely want to plan something fun to do with one another soon, the reality was that we’d spent far too much time not talking. And that was the one thing we had discussed when we made our plans for what to do today. Both of us wanted to have the time to be able to just communicate with one another, to ask questions and get answers. To learn about each other’s likes and dislikes. To figure out if there was something more than just physical compatibility between us.
And so, we didn’t want to hinder our ability to do that because we’d decided to go on a date that would have us focused on some activity other than simply getting to know one another.
Now that we’d arrived and had walked along for just two or three minutes in silence, taking in the colorful beach towels scattered across the sand and the young children running toward the water with their buckets and shovels in hand, Graham took charge by asking who was going to go first.
With the salty breeze blowing, my hair whipping gently behind me, I glanced up at him and smiled. “Well, are you referring to who is going to be first for asking or answering?”
“Asking.”
“Hmm. I guess it depends.”
There wasn’t an ounce of that gruff demeanor anywhere to be found when Graham looked down at me with a hint of curiosity in his stare. “On what?”
“Is this going to be a rapid-fire question-and-answer session, where one person can just keep asking questions, or are we going to take turns?”
“There’s a lot for both of us to learn, so I think it’s only fair that we take turns.”
I had dozens and dozens of questions I wanted to ask him; it was only by some miracle I was casually strolling instead of bouncing along down the beach a few steps ahead of him. But since I believed I knew just a touch more about him than he knew about me, I decided to let him get this started. “You can ask me a question first.”
“I’m sure you probably already knew this one was coming, so I apologize for being predictable, but believe it or not, I’ve been wondering since the night at the pub what you do for a living?”
He was right.
I had suspected he was going to start here.
And I was excited to see his response.
“Do you want me to just blurt it out, or do you want to take a guess? I’m curious if you have any ideas about it.”
When I looked up at Graham again, his eyes were dancing. My heart rate picked up a bit, knowing how much he was enjoying himself.
“Alright. Well, you’re very friendly and talkative, so I would guess you probably do something where you get to interact with people. And there’s no question you’re a very confident woman who can be patient and understanding with others.” He paused a moment and considered how all of that would fit into a career. “Okay, I’m going to give you my top three choices.”
“I can’t wait to hear them.”
“I think you’re either a teacher, a real estate agent, or a wedding planner.”
Graham’s hopeful gaze met mine. My lips twitched.
“I’m not even close, am I?”
The sense of satisfaction I felt was something I didn’t want to end. I really liked having this carefree and playful moment with him. “I have to admit, I’m impressed. Because I am a very talkative person who does work with people every single day in my job. But I’m not any of the things you guessed.”
“So, what do you do?”
“Are you sure you’re ready for this? I don’t want to scare you, but this could be a pivotal moment for us.”
Graham squinted at me; his eyes lit with a hint of mischief. “You’re building this up. I’m wondering if we should stop our walk and grab a seat in the sand.”
Laughter spilled out of me. “It’s not that bad. I think you’ll be okay to continue walking.”
“Well, give it to me. I’m dying to know.”
“I’m a dermatologist.”
Graham’s legs and feet stopped their forward movement. I’d gotten one or two paces ahead of him before I came to a halt and spun around to face him, nervously biting my lip. “You’re joking.”
I continued to gnaw on the corner of my lower lip and shook my head.
He studied me for a long time. “Does it bother you?”
“Being a dermatologist?”
“No. Does it bother you being a dermatologist who’s dating a tattoo artist?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Technically, we weren’t dating.”
Graham didn’t miss a beat. “We are now.”
My belly dipped as he wagged his eyebrows. Both of us couldn’t fight the lip twitches, and my heart swelled. I was so glad we’d decided to take this chance on one another.
“Does it bother you being a tattoo artist who’s dating a dermatologist?”
Until I challenged him, I hadn’t considered that perhaps he might have an issue with us basically working in opposing careers. But Graham was quick with his response, and I had the opportunity to panic for a matter of seconds. “Not at all.”
The corners of my mouth slowly tipped up into a huge grin. “It doesn’t bother me at all, either. In fact, ever since you told me you were a tattoo artist, I think I’ve grown even more intrigued by you. And I’m dying to see some of the work you’ve done.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Yes. But I do want to apologize in advance if I’ve removed any of your tattoos.”
Curiosity washed over him. “Pardon?”
“I have patients who come in sometimes and want to have tattoos removed. I’ve done that for them.”
Graham’s features softened, his eyes roaming over every inch of my face. Then, he reached his arm out, wrapped it around my back, so his hand could settle on my opposite shoulder, and tucked me close to him. “I thought I already told you that people are allowed to change their minds. I don’t need you to apologize for doing whatever you need to do to make your patients feel their best.”
I slid my arm around his lower back, loving the close contact with him. “I’m so relieved.”
“Did you really think this would bother me?”
With my face pressed against his torso, I tipped my chin up and confessed, “I didn’t want you to think I was a snob.”
Graham chuckled. “Never in a million years would I have ever thought that about you, Kit Kat. You’re far too sweet.”
My cheeks heated. “That’s the third time you’ve called me that.”
“I know.”
Every muscle in my body went taut. “You know? How is that possible? You made it seem like I was from some other planet when I brought you that candy bar and mentioned it. I was certain you’d just been caught up in the moment and hadn’t realized you’d ever said it.”
There was a hint of delight in his features. Graham was utterly amused, and something about that look made my knees weak. “Oh, I remembered it very well. I remember thinking it before I said it, and I haven’t forgotten a second of what happened that led up to me saying it to you. Both times.”
I stared up at him, feeling nothing but surprise and a touch of desire. Because at his mention of it, I remembered precisely what I’d been doing when he called me that. “Where did this nickname come from?”
His hand stroked up and down my arm as he continued to hold me close. “I thought you were sweet and tempting, just like candy.”
I cocked a brow.
Graham laughed. “If you don’t like it, I don’t have to use it.”
My free hand came up and landed on the middle of his chest. “I love it. I hated that you had only ever used it on two rare occasions, and I’d been hoping I’d hear it again.”
He gave me a squeeze. “I promise I’ll keep that in mind.”
For a few seconds, we simply held each other’s stare. Then Graham released his hold on me and took me by the hand as he led me down the stretch of beach again.
“So, she’s a dermatologist who’s a phenomenal tennis player,” he declared. “What else did I foolishly avoid learning about you?”
“Um, I do believe if I answered that, you would be getting to ask me a second question, and that’s not taking turns, big guy.”
“My apologies, little lady. Please, ask your question.”
If I listened closely enough, I swore I could hear my heart singing. There was something I loved so much about how easy it was to talk to Graham. Admittedly, given the way things had been between us throughout the entirety of our time hooking up with one another, I had genuinely believed it was going to be like pulling teeth just to get him to have any conversation. This felt so easy and carefree. I didn’t feel any pressure, and I hoped Graham felt the same.
“What was your first impression of me?”
I’d glanced up at Graham as I asked, and it wasn’t difficult to miss the way his eyes flared with a hint of fear. My stomach dropped. Had all the thoughts I’d had about how he viewed me been the truth? Maybe I was going to ruin this before we even really had a chance, because Graham had promised he’d always be honest with me.
Worried that I might have put us both in an awkward position, I said, “You know what, you probably don’t even remember that. Just… I can come up with another question.”
“I remember it,” he said. “I remember every little detail of that night.”
I snapped my lips together and stared off into the distance as I braced for his response, unsure I was ready for it.
“The first thing I noticed about you was the way you smelled,” he began. “Your perfume grabbed hold of me before I even looked at you. And the next thing that happened was you ordered your drink. I heard you say those three words, and I was caught up in the sound of your voice. It was just as seductive as the fragrance you were wearing. After that, I knew I had to take just one look at you.”
I was no longer looking off into the distance. Feeling deeply moved, I’d brought my focus to Graham’s profile and placed my hand over my heart.
While I had suspected there’d been a physical attraction between us that night at the pub, I never imagined this. I thought Graham would tell me he remembered the outfit I wore or the way I kissed. I wouldn’t have guessed he’d have taken notice of my perfume or the sound of my voice. I loved that he remembered those details.
Sensing my eyes on him, he glanced in my direction. “And what happened when you looked at me?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “I realized I was in a world of trouble, because you were unbelievably beautiful. I was attracted to everything about you. Your eyes, your mouth, your hair.”
“This is surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be.”
Graham’s expression turned serious. “Yeah, but then I thought you talked a lot. Far more than was necessary.”
I hadn’t needed Graham to tell me that. I already knew that much was true. But even still, my eyes widened in shock. I hadn’t anticipated he would have said anything like that after saying all those wonderful things about me.
Graham’s lips twitched. “I thought it would irritate me, but I found you endearing. And charming. And you told the bartender you’d had a bad year, and I was curious if it had been anything like my year. I guess I realized that we both had suffered through something, and we dealt with it in different ways. You talked, and I sulked.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask if there’s anything else.”
His hand squeezed mine. “The only other thing I can say is that you had suggested us doing something that really wasn’t my style, but I was far too captivated by you not to accept. And it turns out it was one of my better decisions.”
I returned my attention to the beach before me and gave myself the opportunity to allow everything Graham had just shared to sink in. “That was a really great answer.”
“Yeah?”
Nodding, I rasped, “Yeah.”
“My turn?”
“Your turn.”
“Have you lived in Rhode Island all your life?”
I grinned. “I’ve lived in Rhode Island all my life, but I didn’t grow up in Red. I’m actually from Pawtucket.”
“Will you tell me about that?”
I absolutely would, because I had every intention of learning the same about him. So, I launched in and told him.
And the conversation flowed back and forth from there. Graham and I were so caught up in the conversation, in learning about one another, that it wasn’t until much later that we realized how far down the shoreline we’d traveled. We’d decided to leave the beach there and grab a bite to eat at a local pizza shop before returning to the beach and walking back to where we’d started.
And by the time Graham had brought me back home, I felt like I’d learned a year’s worth of information about him in just a few hours. Most of all, I loved that he was so open and honest with me, willing to answer any question I asked.
There might have been a hint of uncertainty around us taking this step, but if I was honest, I wasn’t as bothered by it as I thought I’d be. The truth was, I couldn’t wait to see where things would go from here, because if today was any indication of what I could expect, I was in for a real treat.