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The doorbell rang as they were shifting the completed recipes to the dining room table. Leaving Piper and Daniel to finish without her, Harley went to answer the door. Grant had finished his business and arrived ahead of schedule to pick Daniel up.
“Hi,” she said, overwhelmed by a rush of longing as his gaze swept over her, noting her bare feet, stained apron and flushed cheeks. “You’re early.”
“I hope that’s okay,” he said, looking beyond her as if hoping f
or an invitation. “Wow. Something smells amazing,”
“Daddy!” Hearing his father’s voice, Daniel raced toward them, displaying none of the sluggishness he’d exhibited earlier in the day. He threw himself at his father and Grant swept him up. “Mommy made stinky beans. Do you want some?”
Grant raised an eyebrow and glanced at Harley. Unsure if he was questioning the name of the dish or asking if he was welcome, Harley gave a shrug and gestured for him to come in. What else could she do when her son so obviously wanted his father to join them?
“Are you sure this is okay?” Grant asked after setting Daniel back on his feet so he could lead the way to the dining room.
“Of course,” she lied. “The more the merrier.”
For her son’s sake, she would duct tape her broken heart and soldier on.
Before heading into the dining room, Harley detoured into the kitchen and brought out another place setting.
“Oh, good, you’re staying for dinner,” Piper murmured. “Harley made enough for six.”
“It smells delicious,” Grant said as he settled into his place.
“Dig in,” Harley instructed, pouring him a glass of wine.
Throughout dinner, her determination to remain civil when they were around Daniel was tested every time Grant attempted to snag her gaze. She refused to give him access to her pain. Grant was not a concerned friend. He was her former lover and as such, he’d lost the right to inquire after her emotional state. He’d torn her heart out and didn’t get to ask her if she was okay about it.
“We should probably get going,” Grant said to his son, as Daniel scraped every last bit of mango sorbet out of his bowl.
“Can’t we spend the night here?”
Harley felt the curious press of Piper’s gaze on her as she raised eyebrows and waited for Grant to extricate himself from the sticky situation. She had no problem relinquishing her parental duties for the moment.
“That’s not possible,” he said, his attention studiously avoiding Harley.
“Mommy and I always stay at your house,” Daniel pointed out, something he’d been mentioning on and off to Harley in the week since she and Grant had called it quits. “Why can’t you stay here?”
“Yes, Grant,” Piper purred, contributing to the chaos. “Why can’t you stay here? I’m sure Harley would be happy to put you up on the couch.”
Harley was torn between laughing at Grant’s discomfort and kicking her aunt under the table. She knew it was wrong to use her son’s innocent request to torment Grant, but he deserved a taste of what she’d been dealing with since their estrangement.
“Neither one of you can stay,” she told her son. “Tonight is supposed to be a girls’ night only for Aunt Piper and Mommy. Now go get your backpack so Grant can take you to his house.”
Daniel surveyed all three adults before nodding. “Okay, Mommy.”
“Why don’t I give him a hand,” Piper said, springing from the table to follow after her great nephew, leaving Grant and Harley alone.
She immediately got to her feet and began to clear the table. From the look on Grant’s face, he had something on his mind and she refused to sit around and let him voice it. Nor did she want to unload any of the turbulent thoughts spinning through her head. They’d both said everything pertinent and she might not be fine with it, but she knew a dead end when she saw it.
“It was really nice of you to let me have dinner with you,” Grant said, pursuing her into the kitchen with a stack of dishes.
“Daniel invited you,” she pointed out.
“You could’ve said no.”
She leveled an exasperated look at him.
“The food was incredible,” he said. “I had no idea you could cook like that. And, of course, the company was great, too. I’ve missed—”
