Now
VIOLET
Grayson’s memory is impeccable.
Sometimes I don’t remember what I did yesterday, but this man remembers the tiniest details about me that I believe are insignificant.
The interesting thing is I also remember certain things he does or small personality traits about him because I care about him so much.
There are people in our lives we know everything about because we consider them as family. For me, my friends are my family. I’m a very lucky person to not only have that, but to say that I do.
The sound of my chewing brings me back to the restaurant and Grayson.
Looking down at my salad, I’m overwhelmed by how massive it is. They most likely threw an entire bag of lettuce in this with a large piece of grilled chicken sliced up. There’s so much color from the guacamole, corn, salsa, black beans, and cotija cheese.
I wish I could bring it home with me, but I don’t think it will travel well.
Stabbing my fork full of all the elements of my salad, I slowly chew on all of the food. I don’t need another coughing fit to happen again.
I barely look at Grayson’s basket, and I see two wings left. He ate all of his fries, but his veggies are still there.
To this day, I’ll never understand how this man’s appetite works. Whenever we ate anything together, he always ate everything before I could take my first bite. If I eat too fast, I get heartburn.
I envy him for that.
“Is there a scientific reason why you always finish most of your food before I start eating mine?”
“Yeah, it’s called me being a dude.”
“Okay, dude. You have barbecue sauce on your face.” Without any hesitation, I raise my thumb and wipe the sauce off with it.
Our eyes meet, and this burning sensation erupts in the pit of my stomach.
Nobody else exists.
We’re living in our own world.
He doesn’t look at me in a way where he sees my beauty. He looks at me like he truly sees me for who I am and not for what I look like on the outside.
Oh, I’m in trouble.
My tongue cleans the sauce off my thumb, but I use a napkin to wipe off any sticky residue.
Why did I think that was a good idea? And why did I do this again?
We spend the rest of lunch eating in complete silence.
When Valerie comes back over to us, the silence gets funneled out by the sound of her voice. “Are we all done here?”
“I think so,” Grayson says.
I push my bowl closer to her, so it’s easier for her to take it away. She places the basket inside the bowl, along with our used silverware.
“Where are you guys going after this?” Valerie asks, looking at both of us.
“Sweet & Salty,” I quickly say.
“Ah, I’m not surprised. Are you working today?”
“No, it’s my day off, but I want to stop by and see how things are going.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back with the check.” She scurries off over to the touch screen on the opposite end of the bar to print out our check.
“Hey, I’m sorry about what I did.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re good.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t overthink this,” he says sternly.
He knows me so well. And yet, saying that to me doesn’t help. This will make me overthink what I did more than I would’ve originally. He’s igniting a bomb that’s about to be set off.
“Okay,” I say.
Valerie comes back with her portable machine for us to use to pay our check. She doesn’t leave either. She waits for us to be done. And by us, I mean Grayson.
He swiped the machine from her before I had the chance to. It takes him a couple of minutes to tap his card, add a tip, sign his name, and email a receipt to himself.
“Here you go.” He hands Valerie back her machine.
“Thank you guys for coming in. It was good to see you!” She raises her voice as she slowly walks over to another table.
We hop off our barstools, and I grab my purse from the ledge underneath the bar.
“Likewise!” Grayson shouts to her.
After we exit the restaurant, we drive over to Sweet & Salty. It’s too hot to be walking outside today. I hope we get to feel some cool air soon because I don’t know how much longer I can take with it being in the high 80s or low to mid 90s every day.
We find a parking spot right in front of the store out of the hundreds that are taken because weekends are usually packed here at The Promenade. The store sign is one that can’t be missed because of its flirty, cursive font and different shades of pink.
When the snowbirds and visitors start coming down for the holiday season, it’s always our busiest time at the store.
Many of them are stopping in to buy a gift for their mothers, daughters, nieces, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, friends, and everybody else in between.
It’s also the best time of year because we get to share so many of our favorite romance books with customers who stop in the store.
I love how Sweet & Salty plays such an integral role in the community, and I’m so proud I get to be a part of the magic.
Grayson cuts off the engine, and we both get out. He locks the truck and runs to open the door to the store for me.
When I walk inside, I’m met with the sound of people chattering, pages opening from books, and music playing from our speakers at a low volume.
Willow spots me and heads over to us. “What are you doing here? Isn’t it your day off?”
“Yeah, but I couldn’t resist.” I grin. “Hey, how was the party last night?”
“Good thing you guys left when you did because it got a lot louder. I left not too long after you guys took off.” She looks at Grayson. “Most of your teammates got drunk off their asses. I’m surprised they didn’t get the cops called on them because of the noise.”
“Of course they did. Why am I not surprised?” He shakes his head, letting out a breath.
“Is Laura here?” I ask Willow.
“She is. Let me go find her.” She slithers her way in between all the people surveying our stock.
Grayson looks around, his eyes landing on mine.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in here.
About a year after everything happened, I walked by the store and saw you taking care of a customer.
I was so close to going in, but I couldn’t bring myself to because I was still hurting.
I know you were, too. I didn’t want to make things worse. ”
“There were a few times I stopped by the gym you guys were practicing in back during our senior year of high school, but I felt the same way you did. I didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire.”
“How come you had the courage to pop the bubble six years later?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I felt like enough time had passed that it was okay to break the no contact.”
“If you didn’t break the no contact, I know I would’ve at some point. I don’t think there’s a universe where we could stay away from each other forever.”
Laura interrupts our deep chat. “Hey, what are you doing here on your day off?”
“I guess I can’t stay away.”
Laura sees Grayson standing next to me. “Hey there, stranger. Last time I saw you was during spring break.”
“Yeah, I know. We just got back from visiting my mom.”
“Ah, I see. Did she tell you she’s moving out on Wednesday?”
“Yeah, she did.”
“I’m guessing she told you she’s moving in with me for a bit, huh?”
“Mm-hm. How did you two come up with that idea?”
“Dana told me she wasn’t finding that many apartments available for rent these past few months.
She’s enjoyed living by herself, but she wants to see what it could be like having a roommate.
She told me she’s been feeling lonely, and your mom could really use some friends like Celia and I. We want to be there for her.”
“Well, I’m glad she has you two. Also, she didn’t tell me anything about her feeling lonely.”
“She doesn’t want you to worry about her.”
“I worry about her all the time, regardless of her experiencing something good or bad.”
“I’m sure she worries about you all the time, too.”
“Why?”
“As mothers, part of our job description includes worrying about our kids 24/7. I worry about Noah and Lizzie every second of every day. We want to make sure you’re okay.
We care about your health and safety. Grayson, you’ve been taking care of your mother for most of your life. Let your mom be your mom.”
Since I’ve known Grayson, he’s always taken care of Dana because she’s his mom, but he puts other people's needs before his own. He’s been like this since we were kids. His heart has space for everybody.
“You’re right. My mom told me how she wishes I had a better childhood and all about how I had to grow up fast. I’ve got to let her do her own thing and be her son.”
I chime into the conversation. “You are her son. I think what Laura’s trying to say is exactly what your mom said to you. Focus your energy on school, basketball, and your friends. Channel that anxiety into something you love, and don’t let it fester.”
“When did you become so wise?” he asks, smoldering at me.
“I’ve always been wise. You just forgot.”
He looks like he’s about to say something, but he doesn’t. He flattens his lips, nodding his head.
“Since Thanksgiving is coming up, I want to ask you if you’d be able to help me cook?” Laura asks Grayson.
The second Laura says cook, Grayson’s dark brown eyes sparkle with pure excitement.
“Oh, definitely, but I’ve been helping you every year for a while now. Why are you asking me now?”
“You have, but I figured I’d ask because I don’t know if you’re going to be busy with other obligations.”
“Screw whatever obligations I could have then. It’s Thanksgiving break, and you taught me most of what I know about cooking. I’ll be there.”
“How about you, Violet? What are your Thanksgiving plans?”
“I usually buy a pre-cooked dinner from one of the restaurants in the area close to school and chill at the apartment. Sage goes home to spend time with her family.”
“Not anymore. You’re coming to our house this year,” Laura insists.
“Oh, I don’t want to impose or anything.”
“You wouldn’t be imposing on us one bit. And I’m sorry it took me so long to ask you to join us. I should’ve asked you when you started working at the store and every year after that.”