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She ignored the thrill his comment sent through her. “Get serious, Gray. Are you here for dinner?”
“I am serious. I came to see you.”
Excitement threatened to override her common sense. “How did you even know I was working?” Actually, she wasn’t even sure she’d told him what restaurant she worked at.
“When you didn’t answer your phone tonight, I asked your mom where you were.” Gray took her hands. “We never got a chance to talk this week, so I thought I’d stop by and see you.”
“Oh.” He’d talked to her mother. He really wanted to see her. “Are you here long?” She wanted to ask if he planned to collect his rain check soon.
“It depends.” Gray gave her a playful smile. “When’s your next day off?”
“Tomorrow.”
Gray squeezed her hand. “Then I’m here at least until Tuesday. I want to make sure I claim that rain check you owe me before I leave.”
Kiera pulled her hand away, hoping the loss of physical contact would help clear her head.
“What do you say? I can pick you up in the afternoon, and we can head over to the rink, or anywhere else you want.”
“Um, okay. I have a dentist appointment at eleven o’clock. It shouldn’t take long.” She’d already rescheduled the appointment once when she got called into work because a coworker was sick. “If you want I can reschedule the appointment.”
Gray took her hands again. “No need. I’ll pick you around one o’clock. How does that sound?”
She ignored the way he rubbed his thumb against her palm. “Good.”
“Then I’ll see you at one.” He gave her a mega-watt smile that made her hotter than the restaurant’s kitchen in August. “If you change your mind about skating, that’s fine. I’m game for anything.”
Before she responded, he kissed her cheek. “I better go before Pierre demands his office back. See you tomorrow.”
She watched Gray exit through the office’s main door. They had a date for tomorrow.
***
Gray left Mon Soleil and went straight to his hotel. He’d considered staying at Trent’s apartment again, but he didn’t know how long he’d be in town, and Trent was due back from his honeymoon tomorrow. The newlyweds would want some privacy. And he didn’t want his brother questioning his return.
After checking into his suite, he placed a room service order, and then dropped onto the bed. At the moment, his body wanted two things: food and sleep. He doubted it cared which order it got them in. If he’d been smart, he would’ve taken care of both needs the moment he stepped off the plane. However, when yet another of his phone calls went to Kiera’s voice mail, he’d driven out to Barrington to see Annette. Once he had Kiera’s whereabouts, he’d back-tracked to Providence for his surprise visit.
Despite its rocky start, the visit had gone well. Either the hostess hadn’t recognized him or she’d stuck to the rules because when Gray had asked to see Kiera, she’d claimed no one was allowed
inside the restaurant without a reservation. He’d tried to explain that he’d only wanted a moment of Kiera’s time. When the hostess remained adamant, he’d asked to see the manager.
The hostess might not have recognized him, but Pierre had. The man apologized for any misunderstanding and led him into his office.
Gray dismissed both Pierre and the hostess from his mind. Kiera had looked downright shocked to see him, which he supposed made sense. True, he’d left her messages during the week, but he hadn’t told her he’d be back today. He hadn’t even known if he’d make it back this week or not. It had taken him longer than he’d hoped to handle the situation in Mexico. Then he’d flown back and met with Randall before attending a party in DC. A party he would’ve rather skipped, but he’d already committed to attending and hadn’t been able to come up with a good way to get out without offending the host.
Even though they hadn’t spoken, Kiera hadn’t left his thoughts. In fact, throughout the week he’d wondered when he’d get a chance to reschedule their date. He’d known she might not be available until later in the week. Still, he’d hoped she’d have a day off sooner rather than later. While no one would be shocked if he didn’t show up at the Sherbrooke office until Friday or even next Monday, he didn’t want to wait all week to see her.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to. He only had another sixteen hours, and for several of those, he planned to be asleep.
A knock told Gray that room service had arrived. It took some effort, but he peeled himself off the bed and let the employee inside with his dinner.
“Is there anything else I can get for you tonight, Mr. Sherbrooke?” The waiter stood beside the cart and pulled the covers off the plates.
Gray looked over his dinner. “No, I believe everything I need is here. Thank you.” Even if something were missing, he wouldn’t care. Right now, he wanted to eat and he didn’t care what it tasted like.
The waiter walked toward the door. “Have a nice evening, sir.”
If someone considered sleeping a nice evening then he planned to enjoy himself as soon as he finished the baked scrod and clam chowder.
