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Grady wiped his face with a cloth kerchief. “Oh. It’s just, there seemed to be some tension between you and Hunter. At least the first time I met him. I thought maybe he volunteered to close your shop for you as a peace offering or something.”
Janie swallowed. No, Hunter hadn’t been holding out a peace offering. He’d misinterpreted the olive branch that she’d offered him.
“He had come down from Elk Lake to discuss food for his groundbreaking party. I’m catering it.” Janie slipped what remained of her sandwich into the baggie and closed it. With the fire burning in her belly right then, trying to eat was futile. “He didn’t know I was closing early.”
“Or going out with me.” A single dark brow raised on Grady’s face.
Brushing the crumbs from her fingers, Janie shrugged. “Guess not.”
“Does it matter?”
Man, this guy was fishing hard for a first date. She pushed up to her feet and stepped toward the gurgling water. “No.”
Behind her, she heard Grady packing up what remained of their picnic. Then she heard his booted feet crunching on the rocky shoreline. He stopped beside her, his bicep nearly brushing her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Janie. I don’t mean to be nosy.”
She turned to look up at him, finding kind eyes looking down on her, set in a handsome face that any girl would be lucky to look at every day of her life. Janie made her lips tip upward and hoped the small grin didn’t look strained.
Grady turned and brushed her hand with his large fingers. “I just want to know if I’m getting in the way of something.”
“No.” Maybe. Probably. Yes. But she needed someone to get in the way.
Her quick response was rewarded with a smile, and Grady dared to wrap her fingers with his.
Warm, gentle grip.Janie narrated the feel of it to her heart so that it would do the appropriate flip.
No gymnastics.
“So if I work up the courage to ask for a second date, it might not end in failure?”
That was pretty sweet, and her heart woke up enough to melt a little. “I doubt your requests for a date ever end in failure.” She squeezed his hand.
His smile grew.
Her heart warmed.
This might work.
“I’m always going to be here for you . . .”
She didn’t have to break that promise. Maybe it just would look different than those two kids way back then had in mind.
And maybe that would be okay.
Fifteen
Atthetopofthe stairs, Bennett paused long enough to peek into Nathan’s room. There he was, sprawled out on his back in the middle of his empty room, staring at that ridiculous disco ball.
Bennett shook his head. At least this time he wasn’t staring at his phone. “We’re painting Gemma’s room. How about helping?”
No response.
“Nathan.” Bennett stepped into the tie-dyed space.
Nathan jerked his head toward Bennett and tugged an AirPod out of his ear. “What?”
“We’re going to work in Gemma’s room.”
“Good for you.”
