“I’m sorry, man.”
“I’ll deal with it. Get on a plane and come out here. Why are you still there?”
“With just me and Ari here, we’re the golden children now. You want me to leave my pampered lifestyle?”
Noah laughed, again when he didn’t think he could. Of the three of them, Wes was the least concerned with amassing a fortune. Oddly enough, he was probably worth more than Noah or Chris. He created apps, designed software, and did a bunch of nerd stuff that ended in tons of dollar signs.
“At least come visit.”
“I’m thinking about it. Trust me. Talk soon, okay?”
“You bet.”
They hung up and Noah worked to ease the tension out of his body as he grabbed his clubs. Before he got to the clubhouse, his phone buzzed again, this time with Grace’s number.
His heart double-bounced like a kid on a trampoline. She was becoming more and more important to him. It was a shift he hadn’t expected. Work always came first, but maybe that was because no other woman was Grace. Chris made it work with Everly, and he was committed to his job. His dad couldn’t make a relationship work even when he was engaged, but Noah wasn’t him. And Grace wasn’t just a fling. As scary as it was to admitthat, it made him more determined to prove to himself that he could balance it all. He could do what he did best and have a life on top of it. But what if what he did best was changing?
Noah
Headed onto the course.
Grace
Break a leg. Or whatever you say before a game. Just wanted to let you know I invited Morty and Tilly for dinner. You’re welcome to join. I’d like it if you did but no pressure.
No pressure. Why not? He could handle pressure. Besides, he liked Morty and his fiancée. And he was crazy about Grace.
Noah
I’d love to join. See you soon.
Grace
Awesome. Good luck.
He hated that he felt like he needed it.
38
Grace wasn’t the best cook, but she could follow a recipe, even adding some extra spice without killing anyone. When she’d first worked for Morty, he’d been on a bland diet that consisted of a lot of rice, bananas, and pasta. She was a pro at those.
As she slipped the lasagna into the oven, she wondered if it was normal to feel this nervous. If she’d grown up, the way so many people did, with one or two parents who took care of her, guided her, and had expectations of her, would she be introducing them to Noah? Would her mom have cared? There was no man before him who had made her wonder.
For a variety of reasons, she hadn’t had many boyfriends growing up. She kept her eyes on the prize—getting away from her mom. Not every memory was bad, but their life, as a whole, was something Grace had always known she wanted more than. Despite her mother’s rotating door of men, they weren’t all bad. But Tammy found reasons to push them away regardless. It wasn’t until she was older that Grace realized the real flaw Tammy saw in every man was they could never live up to Grace’s biological father. That confused Grace, since he’d taken off right afterGrace’s birth. Whatever the reason, her father was Tammy’s bar and no man measured up.
Part of her could understand, since she knew that if things didn’t work out with Noah she’d measure all others against him. She didn’t need Noah in order to behappy.She wanted him as a partner by her side. Yes, she wanted Tilly and Morty to like him, enjoy his company.Approve of him? So damn what. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s normal.Was it? Her former employer turned surrogate grandfather and his soon-to-be wife were coming to dinner with her now boyfriend-neighbor who not so long ago had been her sort of nemesis.Yeah. So many shades of normal, Gracie. Way to go.
The doorbell rang, and she breathed a loud sigh of relief to no longer be alone with her thoughts. Walking from the kitchen through the living room, she smiled at her own additions. She’d been plugging away at her own décor and design while working on Noah’s.
When she opened the door, Morty and Tilly stood on her stoop. He wore a bowler hat, which made Grace think of Noah and his grandfather. Tilly wore a pretty patterned dress with a heavy white cardigan. She carried a large, rectangular dish.
“You didn’t have to bring anything,” Grace said, taking the dish from her.
“People say that but it’s just rude if you don’t. Besides, I haven’t baked my apple-peach crisp for you in far too long.”
“Mm. Well, I’m not saying no to that. Come on in. Hang your purse and hat on the coatrack.”
“Well look at this,” Morty said after shutting the door and seeing the antique rack. “This here is a thing of beauty. I think we may have had one just like this when I was a boy.”
