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I swipe the screen to life.
Grayson: You around?
With zero chill, I tell the guys I just need a second to reply to this. Setting my mug down on the grass, I type out a quick response.
Sierra: Just having my morning cup of tea outside. You?
Grayson: Picked up your car. On my way to you. See you in 5.
Sierra: I’ll be here.
Another text from him quickly pops up.
Grayson: We should probably take it out for drive. Make sure the tire is working right. Maybe grab lunch. Safety first. ;)
I laugh, then shove my phone in my back pocket, apologizing to the guys for the interruption. I ask them about themselves, wanting to get to know my new neighbours—and Jake’s closest friends—a bit better. Tucker tells me about his job as a high school teacher and Holden fills me in on his work in web design. The conversation has just moved to my job at The Seaside when I see my white SUV turn down the street, coming to a stop outside Gran’s house. Grayson steps out of the driver’s side, unfolding his tall frame. His hair is covered by a backwards baseball hat, and a pair of sunglasses shield his eyes. His smile falters when it lands on Holden and Tucker, then he removes his sunglasses, raking his eyes over me. I can feel the appreciation in his stare, making me warm all over. When Grayson’s eyes are on you, you feel it in your bones.
“Hey, Sierra.” His silky voice lights my skin on fire as he walks towards the three of us.
“Hey.” Oh, lord. Time to put on my game face. “I was just introducing myself to your friends.”
“You two have already met?” Tucker asks, sounding surprised.
My eyes flicker to Grayson, not sure how I should respond. Shamelessly flirting with the hot neighbor you hooked up with a couple of years ago is all fun and games until other people start asking you questions. This is the problem with keeping secrets.
Something washes over Grayson’s face before he thankfully jumps in and answers the question for me. “Yup. Found her with a flat, so I had my dad fix it for her.”
Tucker nods, but I can see he still has questions. Grayson hasn’t told them about me. Grayson quickly hands me my car keys, changing the subject. “Good as new.”
“Thank you.” I reach for my keys, taking them from Grayson’s hand. He gives me a lopsided grin that sends a wave of heat down my spine. The feeling surprises me and before I can stop myself, I’m thinking back to that night in Miami. He caught me off guard back then as well, and I knew I had to put distance between us. I wasn’t going to risk falling for a guy only to have my heart broken, so instead of talking to Grayson, I ran for the door, shutting him out. I knew it wasn’t the best move, but at the time my survival instinct kicked in and I just needed to get out of there.
“You coming to Jake’s this Friday night?” Holden asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I had forgotten all about the invite. My brother called me a couple of days ago to see if I needed anything—the calls and texts were so frequent they were all becoming a blur— and invited me to a barbecue he was having. I told him I’d be there. A night out would be a nice change, I thought.
Now I can feel Grayson watching me out of the corner of my eye, waiting for my response.
“Definitely.”
“Good,” Tucker says, flicking his T-shirt at Holden’s arm. “I’m gonna run, I need a shower. If you wanna ride with us to Jake’s, we have room. It was good meeting you, Sierra.”
“I’d better get going too. Glad we finally met,” Holden says, before turning his gaze to Grayson. “Gray, I’ll call you later.” He tilts his head at Grayson with an amused look, then jogs off in the direction of his house, leaving me alone with the man who makes my skin heat.
“Thanks again for taking care of my tire,” I tell him.
His smile widens and I find I’m having a difficult time looking directly at him. His blonde hair, his striking brown eyes, golden skin, his chiseled jaw, and that backwards baseball cap. It’s a lot to take in all at once.
“Let me pay you.” I dig out my phone from my pocket. “I can transfer you the money right now.”
He raises an eyebrow before adjusting his ball cap on his head. “Not gonna happen, babe. It’s taken care of.”
“Wait, no.” I put one hand on my hip and narrow my eyes at him. “I want to pay your dad.”
“You don’t need to. I took care of it. Besides, you agreed to have lunch with me, so that’ll make us even.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to that,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. The gesture makes his eyes dip down for a split second before they travel back up to meet mine.
“I’m pretty sure you did.” He grins in that smooth, confident way of his that sets my skin ablaze.
