Chapter Fifteen
“Ladies, if you want to hook a man, make sure his mom likes you…unless he hates his mom, in which case, avoid her at all costs.” - Miss Know-It-All’s Gossip Column.
Later that night, Eric was standing in his kitchen, listening to his mother and father give Grant a ration of shit. They tried to do Monday-night dinners weekly, but it all depended on how slammed the bar was. Eric had the night off, but Grant was only taking a long break.
He’d popped a lasagna into the oven over an hour ago and was just waiting for the timer to go off when his doorbell rang.
“Hey Eric, were you expecting company?” his mother asked as he passed by the kitchen table.
“Just you guys,” he said.
He pulled the door open and found Gracie standing on the porch, holding a plate of brownies and a bottle of wine.
“Hey, sorry to just show up, but I knew you had the night off and thought we should talk.”
“Who is it, Eric?” his mother called.
Gracie’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know your parents were here.”
Eric grinned, taking in her horror at interrupting a family dinner. “They pulled their car into the garage ’cause my tree apparently leaves sap on their car.”
“Well, I’ll just leave these, and you can call me later. I don’t want to intrude—”
She didn’t get to finish before his mother pushed him aside and poked her head out of the door.
“Why, Gracie, what are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you know?” Grant came up alongside them, grinning. “They’re hooking up.”
Gracie blushed, and Eric smacked his little brother upside his head at the same time his mom hit him on the shoulder.
“Ow,” Grant groaned, rubbing his abused areas. “Everyone is so violent in this family.”
“Because you’re a jackass, and that is not how I raised you!” Connie snapped. Turning her attention back to Gracie, she smiled. “Come in and join us, darling. Have you had dinner yet?”
Gracie looked at him again, and he just nodded.
“No, I haven’t and I’d love to.” She held out the plate in her hands. “I brought dessert and a bottle of wine to go with it.”
“Lovely.” His mother took the plate, and when Gracie stepped inside, he gave her an apologetic smile. Getting roped into a family dinner wasn’t exactly in the fake-girlfriend manual.
“Look who decided to join us. Eric’s new girlfriend .” Connie said the word with emphasis, and Eric watched as his dad grinned.
“You don’t say? Well, we’re happy to have you with us.” Buck got up and gave Gracie a bone-crushing hug.
The oven went off, and Eric left her to go check on the lasagna. When he set the hot pan on the stove, he found Grant leaning against the counter next to him.
“Sorry about the ‘hooking-up’ crack.”
“Not a problem. I stopped expecting maturity out of you years ago,” Eric quipped.
“Har har.” Grant’s face took on an edge of seriousness as he continued, “You know, she’s not exactly known for her ability to commit. I wouldn’t start thinking about getting serious, if that’s the way you’re leaning.”
Eric knew his brother was just being protective, but it irritated him anyway. “I never said we were serious. It’s only been a week.”
“I’m just looking out for you, bro.”
Eric nodded. “Noted. Now why don’t you do something useful like take some plates in and leave me and my love life alone.”
* * *
Gracie’s stress over crashing their family dinner eased away rapidly. Family dinners with her parents had been quiet and polite.
The Henderson’s were not.
They argued loudly, called bullshit on half the things that came out of each other’s mouths, and spoke so bluntly, it almost made her cringe. She loved every minute of it.
Buck cleared his throat after calling Grant a jackass for burping at the table. “We’re probably frightening Gracie with all our bad manners.”
Gracie’s smile was genuine. “Not at all. This is actually one of the more entertaining nights I’ve had in a long time.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I must say, it’s awfully nice to have another woman for dinner,” Connie said, scowling at her boys. “Being around so much testosterone has a tendency to make me cranky.”
“I’m sure they aren’t all bad,” Gracie offered.
Eric shook his head. “Thanks a lot, babe.”
The endearment startled her, and she glanced his way, their gazes locking.
“By the way, do you know how Pip is doing?” Connie asked.
Gracie’s heart squeezed at the mention of Pip. “She’s doing okay. She’s living with her great-grandmother.”
“That’s good to hear. I always think it’s better when children can stay with relatives instead of strangers.”
Gracie knew Connie hadn’t meant anything by it, but it stung just the same.
To her surprise, Eric came to her defense. “I think that Pip was pretty happy with Gracie.”
Connie’s gaze shot toward Gracie and she could tell the older woman was embarrassed. “Of course, she was. I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“I know, it’s fine. I completely agree.”
It was quiet for a few moments, and then Connie shifted the topic a bit. “I always wanted a girl. Someone to dress up in pretty clothes and read fairy tales to. But it wasn’t meant to be. I guess I’ll just have to settle for being the best mother-in-law I can be, and hopefully she’ll give me a granddaughter to play with.”
Connie was looking at Gracie like she might fit the bill. Gracie gulped.
Eric stood abruptly, drawing attention away from Gracie. “Anybody want dessert?”
Buck shook his head. “Not me, I’m full. Besides I’m so tired, I’m ready to hit the hay. What do you say, Mama?”
Connie nodded, yawning to emphasize her sleepiness. “I’m ready.”
Grant stood with them. “Guess that’s my cue to get my ass back to the bar.”
Gracie knew that they were checking out because they thought that Gracie and Eric wanted to be alone. She did want to talk to him on their own, but nothing else.
Buck gave Gracie a rib-cracking hug, and Connie patted her cheek as she went by. “You’re a good girl, Gracie Lou.”
Grant gave her a smacking kiss before she could move away. “It was good to see you, Gracie. Maybe you’ll come to the next family dinner.”
She watched them hug and slap Eric on the back, so warm with each other. She said good-bye to them and turned to start picking up the plates. She heard the door close softly and the sound of Eric’s heavy boots coming back into the room.
“I’m guessing you didn’t stop by to eat lasagna and have my mother hint about you popping out grandbabies for her.”
Gracie laughed as she scrubbed the plates, glancing at him over her shoulder. “No, although, I will admit that your mother’s approval made me feel good. I’m not always a favorite with parents.”
“What’s not to like? You’re pretty, sweet, funny…you own your own business. You can be a bit of a ball buster, but I think that’s just a side effect of being short.”
She sprayed him in the side with the dish hose and got herself wet in the process, but it was worth it. He jumped back with a yelp. “Whoa, it was a compliment.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Seriously, though, what brought you by?” he asked.
She slipped a plate into his dishwasher before answering. “I just thought we should get our story straight before my parents get here on Thursday.”
Eric snagged one of the brownies and took a large bite, bits of chocolate lingering on his lips. When his tongue slid across the surface to catch them, Gracie clenched her thighs together on reflex.
Why the hell does Eric Henderson licking his lips get me hot?
Because she knew what that tongue could do. After Ryan’s bachelorette party, Eric had driven her home when she’d had too much to drink at Buck’s. When she’d come on strong, he’d given her one amazing orgasm, and that was it. He’d gotten up without getting off himself and left.
The whole thing still sat in her craw, but she’d never told anyone about it.
“What’s the story?” he asked.
“Huh?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You okay?”
Damn it, why the hell couldn’t she concentrate tonight? “Yeah, yeah. Our story. I think it should be as close to the truth as possible. I was sad, you texted to check on me, and showed up with brownies to cheer me up.”
“And the alcohol to get you drunk,” he teased.
She ignored the addition, and pressed on. “One thing led to another, and we hooked up. We realized we had feelings for each other and decided to date and see where it went.”
“Sounds good. I also booked your ticket to New York.”
“I could have paid for myself.”
“I figured I invited you, and since you’re doing me a solid, I’d buy your ticket.”
Again, with him doing something that was almost sweet. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
Eric grabbed the last plate from her and put it in the dishwasher. “Any other business we need to discuss?”
His close proximity was a little heady, and she tried to catch her breath. “Just dinner with my parents this weekend, if you can sneak away from the bar.”
“Sure.” An evil grin spread across his face as he said, “Now, prepare to get wet.”
Gracie realized a second too late what he meant just as he lunged for the hose. She screamed and tried to run, but he grabbed her close, held it over her head and sprayed. He was probably getting just as wet as she was, and the tepid water was chilly as it soaked her cotton shirt.
She was laughing and screaming at the same time. “Stop, stop! I give! I give!”
He released the hose, and she wiped at her eyes, catching his smirk. “Just remember that you might start shit, but I’m the one who likes to finish it.”
“I’ll get you when you least expect it, Henderson. Just you wait.”
He threw back his head, laughing at her threat, and she saw a tiny droplet of water slide down his neck. It was all she could do not to stretch up and run her tongue along his skin.
That’s it. She needed to do something about this pent up, sexual frustration, or she was going to lose control…with Eric Henderson.
That does it. Tonight, I have a date with my vibrator.