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Grant didn’t seem to be in any hurry for Mia to leave the next morning, and neither was she, to be honest. There weren’t words to describe how wonderful it felt to wake up warm and safe in his arms. This time she didn’t feel any guilt, no unseen force to make her run away. They’d spent a delicious extra hour in bed this morning before finally rising and going downstairs to eat breakfast.
It was a beautiful morning, and they’d chosen to sit in the covered outside patio area enjoying the sunshine and mild weather. It would be far hotter by noon, but at the moment it was still pleasant to sit and sip at their Fuller roast coffee.
Everything seemed brighter and happier. If this were a musical, she would have spontaneously burst into song at some point. Was she in love? Was this how it felt when it was true and real? She’d been in love a few times or at least she’d thought she was. Once in college, then with Kevin, but now she knew that he’d lured her in using her fears and weaknesses against her. It hadn’t been love at all.
“I have to go into the office after breakfast, but I’m free later. We can go out to dinner tonight if you want to stay in town.”
Mia had been thinking about that since they’d woken this morning. Other than some dusting and laundry, she really didn’t have anything important planned. She might have done some grocery shopping as well, but frankly, she hated doing it and could just as easily have it delivered, saving her a trip. She wanted to spend more time with Grant. She didn’t want to leave.
“I could do that. I have my laptop with me, and I could get some work done. Or I could sit by the pool and have an umbrella drink.”
“I can highly recommend our bartender,” Grant laughed. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. Just relax and enjoy the day. While I’m working hard.”
“Maybe I’ll rub your shoulders for you when you’re off-duty,” she teased.
“I’m going to take you up on that. Seriously, just have some fun. We’re close enough to downtown if you want to do some shopping. This town is so small you can walk almost anywhere. I can drop you off in the area on my way to work if you like.”
Mia liked the idea, and they quickly wrapped up breakfast before heading to Grant’s home for a brief ten minutes so he could change into his uniform. From there, he drove her to the quaint downtown with adorable shops and restaurants. She was thinking she might buy a swimsuit, and then go loll by the pool for the rest of the day like she was on a tropical vacation. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done anything so self-indulgent.
“I’ll see you later,” Grant said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.
There was a heated promise in his eyes as his fingertips caressed her jaw.
“Be careful,” she replied. “I can’t wait for tonight.”
“If I don’t go now, I won’t go at all,” Grant sighed. “Have fun today. Do something that you’d never normally do.”
That’s how Mia found herself in a boutique thumbing through bathing suits that were on the expensive side. Normally, she’d pick one up at her local discount store, but she’d fallen in love with a sapphire blue bikini with little silver rings at the hips. She wouldn’t normally wear a bikini either, but she kind of liked the idea of doing something out of the ordinary. That’s what she’d done when she came to see Grant and that had worked out amazingly well. Perhaps taking a few chances now and then would be a good thing.
It was only a bathing suit, after all. She wasn’t betting on the ponies or playing poker in Vegas.
The salesperson bagged it up, and Mia stepped back out into the sunshine. She’d seen a coffee shop and bakery just down the block and her stomach was rumbling. The omelet she’d had for breakfast hadn’t stuck to her ribs for long. A coffee and a danish sounded like the perfect mid-morning snack.
Mia walked down the sidewalk, lingering to look at the window displays of the shops. She was halfway down the block when she looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was standing behind her. There were a few people milling around the area, but no one was watching or following her.
She hadn’t felt this in a long time.
This…feeling of insecurity. As she’d gazed at a display of antiques, she’d felt the weight of a stare that she couldn’t shake simply by walking a bit further. She’d felt watched.
Watched.
And yet when she’d turned around there was no one there. Just strangers absorbed in their own daily routine. No one had been hiding behind a tree or a trashcan from what she could see. It was just any other day. She was the paranoid one.
It sort of made sense in a twisted way. Being with Grant obviously reminded her of the night they’d met. She’d been on the run from Kevin, and her paranoia had been ratcheted up to a million on a scale of one to ten. Now that she and Grant were together it might be bringing up all sorts of emotions and feelings that she hadn’t dealt with yet.
She’d seen a therapist for the first year after she’d run to try and understand how she’d let herself get into that predicament, but had eventually stopped, thinking that she’d made progress. Maybe she hadn’t made as much as she’d thought. It might be a good idea to give that therapist another call and schedule a few sessions. She didn’t want to go back to being that scared person again. Not ever.
Shaking off whatever it was, she entered the little bakery, the bell over the door ringing to announce her arrival. She was immediately hit with the most delicious smells, and the display case was filled with every imaginable baked good, making her mouth water. She walked up to the counter to place her order and the woman in front of her turned around, holding a paper cup of coffee and a paper bag.
Shit, Ashley. Mia had run right into Grant’s ex.
She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say or how to act. Probably the best thing she could do was to smile and be polite. Pretend like last night’s behavior hadn’t happened. Friendly.
Mia needn’t have worried, however. She’d just begun to open her mouth to greet the other woman, but Ashley simply swept by and out of the bakery. It all happened so fast; Mia was left standing there feeling like an idiot.
Okay, I guess she really doesn’t like me. Noted.
It looked like Mia wasn’t the only one that had deep feelings for Grant. Hopefully, this wasn’t going to be an issue going forward. She’d been hoping that this time she and Grant would have a much smoother path.
