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She turns back around to pick up her fork but catches my eye. As expected, she blushes prettily, her eyelashes lowering. “You sure know how to make a girl feel pretty.”
“I think you manage that all on your own.”
Her eyes practically sparkle along with her smile. I can’t get enough of staring into her unique eyes with their different colored irises. And I can’t compliment her enough. She has these bouts of insecurity about her looks that I think are insane. She’s gorgeous. But I get that her self-doubts have something to do with her family.
I can relate. My mother made me feel worthless for most of my life.
“Is this what you usually do when you travel for your functions?” Grace asks, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Go on romantic dinner dates to kill time until the big event?”
I grunt my amusement. “First, I didn’t do romance until you came along.”
She smiles brightly enough to light up the city.
“Second, they’re notmyfunctions. They’re my grandfather’s. He’s just not here to go to them, so I... fill in.”
She chuckles. “You don’t sound pleased.”
“Those parties aren’t really my scene.” Give me jeans, a T-shirt, and beers at a bar over tuxedos and champagne any day. The glitz and glamor of the Lockwood world makes my head spin.
“What’s tomorrow’s event all about?”
“It’s a fundraiser. The typical gala for charity where there’s food, rubbing elbows with the wealthy, and then donating a fat check for the host’s cause. I don’t really mind the objective. It’s the crowd I don’t like.”
“You went to one two weeks ago, didn’t you?”
“That was in honor of Allan. Someone from his camp had to attend, and after I fired Devlin, I was the designated attendee. She usually jumped at the chance to go to these things in my place.” Now I know why. She really wanted to be Lockwood.
Grace’s eyes narrow, and I know she’s about to ask me what happened between Devlin and me. She tried getting me to tell her after the confrontation with my ex-lawyer, but I’ve been tight-lipped ever since.
“Are you still not going to tell me what happened that morning?” she asks. “When you got home after, you were quiet.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “When have you known me to be chatty?”
She rolled her eyes. “Very funny. You were also pensive. What did she say to you?”
I’ve been reluctant to tell her about the threat Devlin made because I don’t want her to worry about it. She doesn’t need to be pulled into the drama of my situation with my former lawyer. She’s suffered enough at Devlin’s manipulative hands. “She said everything an angryex-employee would say.”
Grace gnaws at her lower lip and then lets out a soft, resigned breath. I know she has a problem with my not expressing much, and I’ve been trying to improve. I’m a work in progress.
She changes the subject. “How do you get away with showing up at these events and not revealing who you are?”
My lips kick up at the corners. “I have my ways.”
She huffs. “How is it that we’re dating now, and youstillmanage to be mysterious?”
Smiling, I shrug. “Don’t worry, you’ll see how I keep my cover soon.Tomorrow.”
Her eyebrows scrunch together. “Okay, Mr. Mystery.” Seemingly over her annoyance, she beams. “Thanks for tonight. This is a great first date. None of my past first dates have even been this nice.”
“I’m afraid to even ask what kind of first dates you’ve been on.”
Her little snort says a lot. “Well, my ex’s idea of a romantic first date was burgers and milkshakes in a parking lot. We had a nice view of a dumpster as we ate in the back of his pickup. Then he tried to fondle me after because he thought spending five bucks on a girl earned him sex.”
I take a sip of wine. “Classy.”
“I didn’t think it was all that bad back then.”
I quirk an eyebrow.
