I stop mid-step. “What?”
She grins. “I’m showing you what’s what here on land, and then you’re joining a farm tour I’m leading. Gray’s orders.”
So Graysoniscarrying through on yesterday’s barter. I wasn’t sure he would.
“Part two of Gray’s orders is that you don’t wave your phone in our guests’ faces,” she tacks on. “They might not want to be on video.”
“Part two of Gray’s orders clearly doesn’t think I have a brain.”
Her wry exhale hints at agreement. “You know what? I can’t tell him that, but you can.”
A high-pitched giggle cuts across the parking lot, and we twist to see a Grayson Gold-shaped figure walking to the back of the building from a dock, a small human skipping beside him.
Oh my go?—
“You could do it right now. Lala will probably back you up.” Amanda turns back to face me, like seeing Grayson with a child is an ordinary occurrence. “She’s a girl’s girl.”
Grayson Gold is a…afather?
Oh my gosh, is he ahusband?
I think back to his fingers last night on the pool table. There was no ring. But he also does physical labor all day, most of it in the water. He might leave a ring at home so he doesn’t lose it.
It’s like the parking lot has dropped from beneath my feet as I watch the young girl, no older than seven or eight, bounce alongside him, giggling like a maniac. He smiles back at her with adoration, then lunges and scoops her into his arms. There’s an eruption of squeals, and then she’s upside-down, dangling by her legs as Grayson swings her back and forth. All the while, Dave the duck waddles behind them like he’s the second child in the family.
Biology is the only reason my ovaries tickle. A natural response to seeing a grown man being heart-wrenchingly adorable with a little kid.
But I don’t have an explanation for why I feel so entirely bewildered that Grayson has a child and wife. His personal life doesn’t concern me. I just…never considered it.
I force my attention away to see Amanda awaiting a response, one brow cocked high.What was she saying?
Talking to Grayson. Phone in guests’ faces. Right.
“Maybe, um, not right now,” I stutter out.
She nods slowly. Awkwardly. Then she informs me, “That’s his sister.”
I blink.
Sister?
The math struggles to compute, because according toGold’s most recent write-up, Grayson is thirty. Besides, his parents passed away. When was that—five years ago? Ten?
This must all be written across my face, because Amanda continues. “She’s like one of those miracle children. His mom had her right before she passed. Anson’s her legal guardian, but Gray helps out a ton.”
The parking lot solidifies beneath me, but I’m still struggling to find words, because Grayson’s put her—Lala—back on her feet, and he’s half-heartedly running away as she tries to launch herself on his back.
“Um, you ready?”
I clear my throat, because wow, maybe I actuallydon’thave a brain. It’s a man and a child. Not a kangaroo in the middle of rural Rhode Island.
“Yeah,” I chirp, a little too brightly. “Let’s go.”
Amanda’s lips twitch as she leads the way to the dock. Gravel crunches underfoot as Lala’s giggles fade and the two disappear into the warehouse. A warm, salty breeze washes through the lot, and I welcome it, hoping it’ll wash the image of Grayson out of my memory.
“He’s single, by the way.”
My head jerks to Amanda. She says it so casually, like she’s discussing the weather. Like Grayson’s relationship status is as trivial as today’s humidity levels.
