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“Someone call my name?” Chase says, walking in with a wide grin. Although Chase is shorter than both my brother and I, he is more muscular and still has a boyish face. He has blue eyes—unlike the rest of us—and dimples which pop like our grandfather has.
We do another round of hugs and then move to our table.
Being with my brothers and Cat always brings a smile to my face. Chase entertains us with his ridiculous stories of the women he’s chasing. Cat teases each of us relentlessly but is also the one who knows exactly how every one of our days have been because she is always checking in on us. And Carter always has a wiseass remark that makes you laugh three seconds after he says it, because you can never be sure if he is serious or not.
Shots of sake are consumed, along with Japanese beer that tastes like a hoppy lemon. I excuse myself to the bathroom while we wait for dessert—fried ice cream per Chase’s demand.
As I round the corner of the restaurant, my attention is drawn to a beautiful woman sitting at the bar with a book in her hand. Around her people are coupled off, chatting and eating and generally enjoying their night, but this woman has her nose in her book, her hair acting like a chestnut curtain, hiding her face and whatever she’s reading.
She reminds me of how I found Grace in the bar in Florida, sitting by herself, reading a book, completely content. I want to keep walking, but I’m drawn to her in an inexplicable way.
She probably wants to be left alone, which is why she’s holding the book, and yet that doesn’t stop me. An empty seat next to her beckons and I sit down, waiting for her eyes to find mine. The bartender walks over and greets me. “What can I get you?”
Just the woman’s attention. “I’ll take a whiskey neat,” I reply instead. The bartender nods and walks off.
When I feel her gaze on me, I turn and find Grace, her mouth open in shock and her eyes almost fearful. “Cash, I mean, Mr. James, what are you doing here?” She drops her book out of her hands and looks away nervously.
“Did you check what page you were on?”
“Huh?”
“Your book. You shut it without folding down the page. Do you know what page you were on?”
Grace looks down at the book as if she’s shocked to find it there. She’s so stiff, which agitates me because only moments earlier she looked so relaxed. I did that. I made her feel this way. And yet I can’t stop. I can’t leave her alone.
I should get up and walk away. I don’t want to spend time that I could be enjoying with my siblings with a woman I’ve come to despise. As it is, I have to deal with her tomorrow.
“Um, I’ll find the spot again. Nothing to worry about.”
I grunt and she narrows her eyes. “What?”
“Nothing, it just seems that you’re pretty lackadaisical about everything in your life.” I know I’m being an ass and yet I can’t stop myself.
Grace flinches. “That’s really none of your concern.” She looks back toward her book.
“But it is, isn’t it? I mean you’re going to be the one charged with finding me a wife. I’m wondering how good you could possibly be at that if this is how you approach your own life. I mean, I don’t want to end up with a woman who dates multiple men while married to me. With you in charge of the dating pool, how am I to know that you even have the sense to find someone who is honest and ethical?”
Grace frowns and pushes her hair behind her ear. “That’s fair.”
It’s not and I know it. I’ve researched both her and her company. There’s no reason to believe she’s not good at her job, but I keep finding myself with this overwhelming need to lash out at her. To hurt her like she hurt me. I give her a look that tells her to explain.
“I take my job very seriously. It’s why I go through such a long vetting process with not only my clients but the women as well. I promise you’ll be very pleased with the women I select. And none of them will be like me. I promise you that too.”
A knot forms in my stomach. None of them will be like her. And yet she’s the one I want. Fucking fantastic. I return to dick mode and focus on her shortfalls again. “Do you fuck them too and then find them a wife? Is that part of the program?”
Her cheeks grow red, but she maintains a calm exterior. It would actually be impressive if I wasn’t so angry. She knows how to handle herself when it comes to business. Then again, balancing multiple men in your life probably makes you that way.
“I fucked you, didn’t I?” Her smooth voice slides over the curse. On most women the word sounds crass. Hard. Inappropriate. But, of course, as with everything she does, it’s graceful, which only angers me more.
“Answer the question,” I grit out. “Have you ever slept with a client?”
Grace’s violet eyes are somber. They are missing the sparkle that I’m sure was there in the Keys. Or maybe I made it all up in my head.
“Would it make it easier if I said yes or no? What do you want me to say? I’ll say whatever will make this easier for you.”
“I just want the goddamn truth. Was what we had any different from the dates you went on with past clients?”
Grace’s eyes soften, and I almost think she’s going to crack—that I have her, and she’s finally going to admit the truth. I can’t possibly believe that everything I felt was fake–that it was one-sided and that she didn’t feel that connection too. That a happily married woman would be able to experience that with someone else. I have to believe that there is more to the story.
