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She sighs against me. “I kind of like the sound of that.”
“Good night, old maid,” I tease.
“Night, Whiskey,” she says softly as she drifts off to sleep. I look down at her and marvel. Whiskey…how did she know?
“Oh no you don’t,” I say, grabbing Grace before she can sneak out of my bed as the morning light filters across her skin, leaving her looking golden.
It seems she’s snapped back into her shy self, just like she did when we left the plane. Because I’m not a dick, I jump up and grab her a robe.
Grace sighs before taking the robe and wrapping it tightly around her body. “Any chance you’re going to let me leave to get a coffee?”
“I’m not holding you hostage, Gracie. You can leave whenever you’d like. But I’d be happy to order you a coffee and then tell you all about the day I have planned.”
She looks at me pensively. I know I’m pushing, but it feels like that is the only way I can get anywhere with her. And I really want to spend the day with her.
“I was planning on sitting by the beach and reading,” she says, but even as she says it, I can see I have her interest piqued. She wants to know what her other option is, and I have to make it too good to turn down.
“Or…and just hear me out…you could not live in your book for the day and actually experience your vacation.”
She frowns. Apparently, that wasn’t the right thing to say. “But what if I like reading?”
“Then we’ll sit next to each other, and I’ll stare at you while you read.”
She laughs and rolls her eyes. “You aren’t very good at the whole hard to get thing, are you?”
“You’re good enough at it for the both of us.”
She bites her lip trying to pull the smile down. “What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking we could snorkel…and then I could take you out to dinner.”
She shakes her head. “You really are something.”
“I’m a man who knows what I want.”
“So it seems. Okay, well if I am going to be spending the day with you, I am going to need to go back to my room to change. What time do you want me to meet you? And where?”
“An hour work?”
“Perfectly.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you by the front desk.” I’m not surprised that she doesn’t lean down to kiss me goodbye. Instead she takes her dress and her robe and disappears into the bathroom before sneaking out of my room like we didn’t spend the entire night wrapped in each other’s arms. She’s like a scared kitten, easily spooked. If I have any hope of repeating the night we shared, I’ll have to go slow.
With my Ray-Bans, a white T-shirt, and board shorts, I leave my room in search of coffee. Once I have two cups, I sit down and dial my sister’s number. She answers on the second ring. “Hey Cash Money, how’s vacation?”
“It’s pretty good, Kit Cat. Everything okay at home?”
“Yes, everything is under control. The doctor says Pa”—our name for our grandfather—“looks better than he did last week, and Grandmother isn’t letting the nurses out of his room. Honestly, I feel bad for the poor guy; he’s not gotten a moment of rest with her staring at him every minute of the day.”
I kind of know the feeling. “She’s just worried about him.”
My sister lets out an obnoxious laugh. “She’s unbearable and she’s going to direct all this attention on you as soon as you’re home.”
Don’t I know it. Which is exactly why for the next forty-eight hours I’m not going to focus on that. “Be good to her. I’ll see you when I get back to Boston.”
“Wait a second. Don’t get off the phone before telling me how it’s really going on your last big hurrah. How come you didn’t have Carter and Chase meet you? I’m sure they could take the plane if you’re bored.”
Across the lobby, I watch Grace walk toward me, her hips swaying and a shy smile on her lips. “Promise I’m not bored. I have to go though. Later, Kit Cat.” I hit end and put the phone down without taking my eyes off her.
