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He didn’t get to expand on that statement because a woman probably around Mia’s age was standing next to their table, holding a glass of red wine. The woman was quite lovely with long wavy chestnut brown hair and golden skin. Dressed in black slacks and a white silk blouse she looked like the epitome of cool glamour. If Mia lived to be a hundred, she’d never be that skillful in doing her hair, makeup, and wardrobe. She did fine, but this woman was clearly an expert.
“Grant, I had no idea you’d be here tonight.” The woman threw a smile over her shoulder where three other women hovered a few steps away. “I thought you’d be on duty. You’re so dedicated to the job, after all.”
“It’s nice to see you, Ashley. How have you been?”
“Busy as usual. You, too, I’m sure.” Ashley’s gaze moved from Grant to Mia. “I’m Ashley Miller. And you are?”
“Mia Cook.”
Mia didn’t feel the need to say much more. The other woman’s eyes were narrowed as she assessed Mia from head to toe. This wasn’t a friendly moment between Ashley and Grant. Clearly, there were some hurt feelings - at least on one side. She could feel the emotion radiating off of the woman, the ice in her blue eyes.
“We’re having a girl’s night out,” Ashley said, her attention back on Grant. “Just a few drinks and good food. It’s nice to have some time with just my friends.”
Mia could see Grant struggling with the encounter. He was a polite person, and he, of course, wanted to be nice but this was awkward. Far more awkward than the tension between Mia and Grant earlier in the evening. This was…tension cranked up a few notches.
“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” he replied with a tight smile. “The food here is excellent.”
“And the wine, too,” Ashley said, waving her glass around, the liquid sloshing over the rim and onto Mia’s arm. A few drops had splashed on her new dress as well. “Oopsy! Sorry about that.”
Ashley had a hand over her mouth and was clearly trying to hide her giggling. The women behind her weren’t smiling, however, all of them looking uncomfortable.
“Hey, Ash. They have our table ready,” one woman said, tugging on Ashley’s arm. “Let’s go. Nice to see you, Sheriff. Have a nice evening.”
“Thank you, we will.”
It was clear that Ashley didn’t want to go, but her friends managed to drag her way despite a few protests and more spillage of her wine on the floor. When they were gone, Mia wasn’t sure what to say. She had a feeling Grant didn’t know, either.
Mia wasn’t jealous per se. He had said that she was an ex-girlfriend. If he’d wanted to be with Ashley tonight, then it appeared that he certainly could have been. But he’d wanted to be with Mia.
It did, however, beg the question as to just how many pissed off exes he might have out there? She couldn’t really judge him about that. After all, she had a messy ex situation, too, and he wasn’t complaining about it.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Grant said, using his napkin to soak up the wine that had been spilled on Mia. “I’ll pay to have your dress cleaned or for you to get a new one. I’ve never seen Ashley act that way. She’s normally pretty chill. Well, except for the night we ended things. She wasn’t too happy with me then. In fact, she told me to go fuck myself. Needless to say, I didn’t think she would ever speak to me again. Not willingly, anyway.”
“It’s fine,” Mia assured him. “I definitely got a vibe from her that she wasn’t happy to see us together. How long did you two date?”
“Not long. A couple of months, tops. She asked me to go on vacation with her, and that spurred the dreaded big discussion of where the relationship was going. I reminded her that she said she wasn’t looking to get married, and she said that’s what all women say but it’s not what they mean. It got kind of ugly after that, to be honest. I was never trying to lead her on, I swear.”
“I believe you,” Mia assured him. “But I’m guessing Ashley doesn’t. Or maybe she thought she could change your mind.”
“Maybe. I didn’t expect to see her here tonight.”
“I don’t think she expected to see you here, either. Especially with me. I have a feeling seeing you with another woman has not made her happy.”
“I do think I’ve ruined her fun night out,” Grant sighed. “I certainly didn’t mean to. This is a small town and people are going to run into one another. It’s hard not to. We haven’t had any issues until tonight.”
“Until me and you. I have a keen memory of seeing one of my college boyfriends with another girl at a party. Damn, did it hurt. I really liked him, but he was only kinda into me. Looking back, the relationship wasn’t great, but I had built it up to be something I wished for. The reality wasn’t even close, but I was a dreamer. I think she’s just really hurting.”
Mia knew what it was like to have feelings for Grant. If he’d blown her off when she’d come to see him? She’d be hurting, too.
“You’re a nice woman, Mia.”
“I know how she feels. I like you, too.”
There was a warmth in his eyes, and he reached across the table for her hand. It was lovely, but she wanted to be closer. Much closer.
She was glad she’d taken that chance and put her feelings out there. She and Grant just might have a chance at something special.
They might have a future.
