Chapter 6 #2
He wore a yellow Bob Marley T-shirt with board shorts and flip-flops.
His hair was mussed and his face sunburned, as if he’d spent the day at the beach.
Of course, he had to be the most breathtakingly gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on.
Apparently, it was her lot in life to have a thing for unattainable men.
“I, um, well, I owe you some money, and I wanted to pay you back.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” She glanced at the other couple, who stared at her with unveiled interest.
“Oh, sorry,” Evan said. “Grace, this is my brother Grant and his girlfriend, Stephanie.”
“Oh,” Stephanie said with a knowing look on her face. “I’ve heard about you.”
Evan’s mouth fell open. “What did you hear?”
Stephanie flashed him a saucy grin. “I’ll never tell.” She came around the counter and took Grace by the arm. “Come, sit. Have some of our famous chowder.” Stephanie ushered Grace into a chair at one of the tables. “How about some clam cakes, too?”
Amused by the way Stephanie had taken over, Grace looked up at her. “I’d love some chowder, please.”
Stephanie winked at Evan and gave Grant a hip check as she went behind the takeout counter to serve up the chowder.
Watching her in action, Grace decided Stephanie was also the kind of fearless woman she’d love to have as a friend.
Old Grace had gravitated to safe friends who didn’t take risks.
New Grace was interested in meeting people who didn’t always bow to convention.
With her spiky hair, pierced tongue and impertinent way of managing the McCarthy brothers, Stephanie intrigued her.
Grant’s cell phone rang, and he excused himself to take the call.
While she waited for Stephanie to return, Grace cast a nervous glance at Evan. “I’m sorry if I took you by surprise.”
“It’s no problem.” Though he said what he thought she wanted to hear, everything about his body language told her this visit was a big problem for him. He sat and stretched out his long, tanned legs. “I really don’t expect you to pay me back. I was happy to help you out.”
She forced her gaze off his muscular legs and onto his face. Her entire body was hot with embarrassment fueled by the awkward vibe he was putting out. “It’s important to me that I reimburse you.”
He tilted his head and scowled playfully, which made her heart race and her palms sweat. “I’d say this puts us at a significant impasse.”
Grace raised an eyebrow and set her chin mulishly to let him know she had no plans to back down.
Laughing, he shook his head at her impudence.
Grace was dumbstruck by those damned dimples.
“Here we go.” Stephanie returned with chowder, silverware and crackers. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Water would be great.” Grace stared at the huge bowl of chowder, knowing she’d be able to eat only a fraction of it and wondering how she’d leave the rest without appearing rude or ungrateful.
Stephanie put a glass of ice water with lemon on the table and sat down to join them.
Grant ended his phone call and took the fourth seat.
Grace felt like a monkey during feeding time at the zoo with all eyes on her. She took a taste of the chowder and nearly moaned when the flavor exploded on her tongue. “Amazing.”
Stephanie flushed with pleasure. “It’s Linda’s recipe. I just doctored it a bit.”
“You’d better not let your pal Linda hear you say that, babe,” Grant said as he reached for Stephanie’s hand. “That’s an ancient family recipe you’re messing with.”
Stephanie stuck her tongue out at Grant, which made his eyes heat with lust.
Grace wondered if Evan’s eyes looked like that when he was aroused.
Stop it! You’re being ridiculous. What business is it of yours what his eyes look like when he’s turned on?
As she forced another taste of the savory soup past the growing lump in her throat, she noticed that Evan continued to stare at her while feigning interest in what Grant and Stephanie were saying.
“How long are you here?” Stephanie asked.
Grace watched Evan perk up with interest as he awaited her reply. “Only until Monday.” Did he look relieved, or was that her imagination?
“We’ll have to go out or something,” Grant said. “Show you around the island.”
Evan sent his brother a stricken look.
As she blotted her mouth with a napkin, it became clear that Evan didn’t want her around, and she could certainly take a hint.
“That’s really nice of you, Grant, and the chowder was delicious.
” Withdrawing the hundred-dollar bill she owed Evan from her purse, she placed it on the table and put the pepper shaker on top of it.
“Thank you again for your kindness, Evan. It was great to meet you all.”
Grace got up and walked out of the restaurant, reminding herself that she was beginning what she hoped would be a grand adventure.
She didn’t need Evan McCarthy’s friendship to make her happy or complete.
Pep talk aside, it was disappointing that he wasn’t who she’d thought, which shouldn’t surprise her in light of her recent experience with men.
She’d nearly talked herself out of liking him in the first place when she heard him calling her name.
“Grace! Wait! Hang on a second.”
She turned to find him running up behind her.
“What do you need, Evan?”
He reached for her hand, put the bill in it and curled her fingers around it. “I don’t want that.”
She grabbed his hand and pressed the bill into it. “Neither do I.”
“Look, I was happy to help you out. I’m sure you would’ve done the same for me.” He took her hand again, more gently this time, and pressed the bill against her palm, holding it there with his own hand.
The heat of his skin against hers made her throat close against a swell of emotion. Rather than risk letting him know how much his touch had affected her, she decided to concede defeat on the money. “Fine. Anything else?”
His face twisted into a stricken expression again. “I, uh . . .”
“Look, I know I took you by surprise today, but the only reason I came was to reimburse you. I’m not looking for anything else.
I enjoyed meeting your brother and Stephanie.
They’re very cute together.” She paused before she added, “It was nice to see you again.” Turning away from him, she headed for her car.
“Wait.” He took hold of her arm. “Don’t go.”
She released a deep sigh. “It’s obvious I’ve made you extremely uncomfortable. Let me go, and we can all be more comfortable. Okay?”
“No. It’s not okay. I don’t want you to go.”
“Why?”
He stared at her for an extremely long—and very uncomfortable—moment. “I thought about you this week.” Each word seemed to cost him something critical.
Was it possible for words alone to render a person completely paralyzed? Apparently. She stood frozen in place, waiting to hear what else he would say.
He rested a hand on her shoulder. “When you came into the restaurant . . . In the very second you walked through the door, do you know what I was thinking?”
Since she’d also been rendered mute, she shook her head.
“I was thinking, gee, I wonder who Grace is mocking with her inappropriate laughter right now. And then I looked up, and there you were. That’s kind of nuts, isn’t it?”
She stared at him, still not sure she was hearing him correctly. He had to be making that up. He wasn’t really thinking about her! When would he let her down easy and tell her she was a really nice girl, but he wasn’t interested?
“Grace?” He waved a hand in front of her face. “Are you still with me?”
Forcing the fog from her brain, she nodded. “I’m sorry I surprised you.”
“It was a good surprise. A very good surprise.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” he said with that grin, that deliciously sexy, dimpled grin that made her heart race and her mouth go dry. “Really.”
“You didn’t look happy to see me.”
“I was very happy to see you.” His brows knitted with what might’ve been confusion. “I was surprised by just how much.”
Attraction zinged between them like a live wire. She wanted to smooth his hair and touch the stubble on his cheek to see if it was coarse or soft.
He continued to look intently at her, as if he was memorizing every detail. “So you’re here for the weekend?”
Forcing herself not to wilt under his scrutiny or the hot sun, she said, “Until Monday.”
“Good.”
“Why is that good?”
“Because that gives us plenty of time to hang out and have some fun.”
“Oh. It does?”
“Sure does.” He bent at the knees to look her in the eye. “If you want to, that is.”
Summoning her best haughty tone, she said, “I’m not opposed to fun.”
“Well, thank goodness for that. I’d hate to think you were a bore or something.”
Grace gave him a playful shove.
He started to stumble backward, and she tittered with laughter as she grabbed him to stop the fall. Somehow she ended up pressed against his chest with his strong arms wrapped around her.
“You laughed when you thought I was going to fall,” he whispered in her ear, sending goose bumps careening down her spine.
The aroma of sunscreen and hot man filled her senses, making her feel warm all over. “I most certainly did not.”
“Did so.”
Smiling, she relaxed into his embrace and decided this was going to be an awesome weekend.