But, said a tiny voice in her head,what if he let me in?Em had to hold on to that possibility. She took a deep breath and lifted her head from the steering wheel. After she composed herself, she pulled down the rearview mirror. There were giant black streaks running down both of her cheeks.
Yep. Grant might shut the door in my face.
But she had to try. Thankfully, she already knew where the team house was. She just needed to grab some food before she showed up on his doorstep. Luckily, she knew just where to go.
Twenty minutes later,Em was standing outside a large, two-story bungalow in one of the nicer parts of town. A porch swing rocked gently in the breeze, and Em could see the edge of a lanai jutting out from the side of the house. The team’s owners made sure the guys from out of town got the best Florida had to offer to entice them to stay. Em assumed the proximity to the best food trucks in town was a part of the strategy as well. She carried a bag in one hand while the other hovered just inches from the door.
Showing up unannounced had seemed like a good idea until she actually got there. Now, faced with the very real possibility of rejection, Em’s stomach twisted in knots.
I shouldn’t have come. If I leave right now, no one has to know I was even here…
She started to turn when the door opened with Grant on the other side. Her heart raced at the sight of him. He didn’t have his crutches but was favoring his foot as he leaned against the doorjamb. Wearing a plain tee and athletic shorts, he looked very different from the last time she saw him.
A corner of his mouth lifted, but it wasn’t quite a smile. “I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t wait for you to knock. It’s not exactly easy getting up and down these days.”
Em wanted to crawl under a rock. She’d been standing in front of the door for longer than she’d realized while she dithered—and he’d known she was there the entire time.
She opened her mouth to explain but noticed a shadow of a bruise under one of his eyes. She lifted her hand to his cheek. “What happened?”
He turned his face causing her fingers to fall. “Nothing.”
It didn’t look like nothing.What kind of trouble are you getting into, Grant?Instead of pushing, she asked, “What are you up to?”
Grant stared at her, his expression still unreadable. “Just hanging out. Why?”
Em lifted the bag in her hand. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Grant looked at her for a long time. His eyes went to the bag in her hands. “What is it?”
His question gave her hope.
She smiled. “Tacos from my favorite food truck.”
Em’s entire body sagged in relief when he stepped to the side and waved one of his hands for her to come in.
Once inside, she went straight to the kitchen. It had been a while since she’d been to the team house, and she’d forgotten how sterile the place was. It was nicely decorated, like a hotel, but it had no personality.
He leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Em as she pulled out two Styrofoam trays covered in aluminum foil. Each one contained five authentic Mexican tacos with chicken, diced onions, and cilantro—her favorite thing from the taco truck. She hoped Grant would like it too.
“What are you doing here, Em?”
Her hands stilled on the small containers of salsa and loose lime slices in the bottom of the bag. “I brought you dinner. Tacos from the place I mentioned duringTheDating Game.”
“Yeah, I assumed. I’m askingwhyyou’re here.” He shook his head. “You left me high and dry on our date, I haven’t heard from you all week, and then you show up on my doorstep with food.”
“Not just any food.Tacos.”
He lifted his brows.
He was expecting an answer. She bit her bottom lip as she struggled to come up with one.Why am I here?
Em hadn’t wanted to admit it earlier, but now she was at Grant’s house—and he was looking at her with his intense blue eyes—she had to face the reality.
She was here because, at some point between flirting with Grant at City Bar and showing up on his doorstep, he’d become someone she wanted to spend time with. The no-dating-players rule existed to protect her heart, but it was too late. As much as she’d tried to fight against it, she cared for Grant.
But she was scared. Scared of being rejected—of being hurt again. And that fear had caused her to treat Grant unfairly.
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I...I’m pretty sure I like you. I know I haven’t been very good at showing you that. I ditched you on Saturday, which was pretty awful. If you want me to leave, I’d understand.”
