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Myrtle popped up beside their table. “Are you guys still picking at your food? Or can I take some dishes away? I can bring over a box for take homes.”
Hope nodded at Myrtle. “A take home box would be great. Saves me from having to make lunch tomorrow.”
Grayson looked down at his almost empty plate. “Guess you can just take my plate away, Myrtle. There’s nothing left to box up.”
Myrtle grinned at him. “I’ll be right back with the check unless you folks want to check out the dessert menu. There’s coconut cake, pecan pie, sweet potato pie and banana pudding.”
Hope held up her hand and let out a groan. “Those sound scrumptious, but if I ate another bite I would pop.”
“Me too, although I’m definitely coming back so I can taste that coconut cake,” Grayson said. Hope thought Myrtle might faint at the idea of Grayson’s return. She was definitely looking at him with moon dust in her eyes.
“Thank you for stepping out on a limb of faith and sharing a meal with me,” Grayson said. “Thanks to you I’m a new fan of soul food.”
“Thanks for setting up the mediation meeting,” Hope said with a smile. “I’m happy we could find a way to work through things.”
When the check came Grayson scooped it up, even though Hope wanted to pay her fair share. Grayson insisted, telling her he’d recently received some royalty checks and wanted to celebrate.
By the time she made her way back to Tybee Island, Hope felt more invigorated than she had in a very long time. And there was no denying it was all due to Grayson. She couldn’t deny the pull of physical attraction. He was really easy on the eyes. And if he bottled up his charm, he’d make a small fortune. She liked listening to him. His mannerisms were full of enthusiasm and his voice radiated excitement. For someone who’d lived a very quiet existence for most of her life, Grayson was a shot of adrenaline in her veins.
It hadn’t been a date, for goodness sakes, she reminded herself. But she couldn’t deny the romantic attraction she felt toward Grayson.
If things hadn’t been so complicated, Hope would have felt far less guilty about her budding feelings for Grayson. Even though they had agreed to mediate the matter, Hope still had her guard up. She wasn’t sure it was all about Grayson. She knew she might be holding on to some issues from the past related to Ella’s father and his terrible treatment of her. Once bitten, twice shy.
Grayson, for all intents and purposes, seemed like a decent human being.
But you don’t even know him! She told herself. You can’t possibly know whether he’s good or not. He’s a stranger. But she knew Grayson wasn’t really a stranger anymore. The walls had come down a bit for both of them. Hope could no longer use that excuse to deny the feelings that were being stoked inside her like a slow burning fire. She liked him. Really, really liked him.
Lunch with Grayson had gone by far too quickly as far as Hope was concerned. Although she’d been hesitant to break bread with him, lunch had been fabulous. She’d thoroughly enjoyed herself. Laughter had flowed like a river between them. Rather than feeling nervous, Hope had felt comfortable with Grayson once she’d settled in and stopped having jitters about being alone with him.
She practically floated back into Savannah House. Olivia, who was manning the front desk, greeted her warmly.
“Hey, Hope. We’ve been waiting for your return. Sorry to say, but Morgan, Charlotte and I are holding the fort down. Fancy had a meeting out of town. Callie is resting at home. She just called to say the doctor diagnosed her with dehydration. She was hooked up to an IV for a few hours and told to take it easy for the next few days.”
Hope’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank the Lord,” she said. “I was getting worried when I didn’t hear anything.”
“So, what happened at the meeting?” Olivia asked, an expectant look on her face.
“I can’t be certain, but I do think he’s telling the truth about being related to Miss Hattie. Remember how Marc told us that Grayson’s father was an author and an expert on adoption issues?”
Olivia nodded. “Yes, I do. He’s an expert of some sort.”
“Well, Grayson took his father’s birth certificate as well as information showing he was sent to a home for foundlings.” Hope let out a sigh. “The adoption paperwork has Miss Hattie’s name on it, along with Samuel’s name. The baby’s name was listed as Patrick Alexander. I imagine back in the nineteen-forties a person couldn’t attribute the father’s last name unless they were married. Since that wasn’t the case, perhaps Miss Hattie listed him as last name Alexander.”
“Wow,” Olivia said, her caramel-colored eyes widening. She held out her arm. “I just got chills. I feel like I’ve stepped back in time.”
Hope quirked her mouth. “I feel the same way. It’s painful to imagine Miss Hattie going through all of this. She loved Samuel so much. Giving up their baby must have been an unimaginable choice.”
“She may not have felt she had a choice,” Olivia said, tears misting her eyes.
Hope closed the distance between her and Olivia. She tightly embraced her friend. Just then, a guest walked up to the front desk.
“Sorry to interrupt,” said the lovely woman with the intricately braided hair. “I lost my room key. And I was wondering if you had any extra toothbrushes.”
Hope stepped aside and let Olivia do what she did best.
“Hi, Maya. Room key coming right up. Suite 311, right?”
Maya let out a disbelieving laugh. “Yes, room 311. You’ve got a fantastic memory, Olivia.”
