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“Okay, I will join you for lunch.” Aubree placed her hand in Grant’s and followed behind them.
The hostess greeted them and took them to a table toward the large picture window which was her favorite spot. The waitress arrived just as they were seated with water and a basket of bread. She recited the specials of the day then left them to browse the menu to make their selection. Aubree couldn’t believe she said yes to the lunch invitation and that Grant would even invite her to lunch. She really thought he hated the ground that she walked on, but after last night… Last night, when he was late getting Chanel, she thought she saw a softer side of him like there was so much more that he wanted to say but didn’t get a chance. The woman that was with him made sure of that. Like any other woman she was scoping out the competition to see who she was up against. She was very beautiful in a plastic surgery, Botox injection, lip filler, extra heavy make-up to look light sort of way. Maybe that was the type of women Grant liked, the trophy woman. The woman was groomed to look good on a man’s arm for business events, formal dinner parties, cruising the lake, trips to foreign countries; all the things Aubree was not.
“Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked.
“The little lady will have the flatbread margherita pizza with a lemonade and I will have the house bistro salad, French dip sandwich with the house potato chips, and a citrus sweet tea.” Grant passed the menu to the waitress. “Also, add the smoked salmon canapes as an appetizer.”
“I will have the French onion soup, pear salad with balsamic dressing, the signature croque monsieur, and hot green tea.” Aubree passed her menu to the waitress once she was done. When she turned back to the table, Grant was staring at her.
“What, did I say something wrong?”
“No, I just thought dancers eat very little to watch their weight and figures. Not saying that there is anything wrong with your figure because you look great.” Grant was nervous talking about her size.
“I do watch what I eat when I am performing, which I don’t really do anymore. Plus, I coach dance and cheer teams, so I get all the exercise I need between teaching dance and coaching. Since I missed breakfast this morning, I am making up for the lost meal. Not to mention this is a “FREE” meal,” grinned Aubree.
“Okay, like I said I think you look beautiful, but I didn’t want to be blamed if you couldn’t fit in your tutu for the next recital.”
“Dad! Breezy doesn’t wear tutus—just me!” Chanel laughed as Aubree and Grant joined in with her.
Grant wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he just wanted to be in Aubree’s presence. If Allie could see him now, she would definitely say he was crazy. He wanted the connection he had with her last night before Celeste barged in on their space. Today will give him that opportunity to ask all the questions he wanted to get to know her better. No matter how horrible he treated Aubree during their initial meetings, she was there to pick up his slacking in parenting. Chanel loved Aubree, and it had been a long time since Chanel talked about any woman outside of Allie and his mother. Celeste never tried to get to know Chanel or even get close to her. When Chanel was around Celeste kept the conversation very formal, mentioning nothing too personal. Her only focus was Grant, but Aubree was different; she actually talked with Chanel. Like now, they were having a whole discussion about Disney Channel shows, laughing and smiling. This is how it should have been with Mariah, but she decided that having a family was not what she wanted. A modeling career where she could travel the world was her goal— not to be trapped with a kid playing house. Those were her words. Mariah wanted money and prestige any way she could get it, even if it meant having a baby to secure the bag. But his mother made sure that Mariah couldn’t access a single penny of the Hollings’ fortune with prenup and marriage, baby or no baby. Could Aubree be different from the Mariahs’ and Celestes’ of the world?
Interrupting Grant from his thoughts, Aubree asked, “So, are you typically a blocker for all women you know or just certain ones?”
“I knew he wasn’t the one for you. I was just saving him the embarrassment of rejection. You know these young dudes can’t handle rejection, so I was saving both of you.”
“Well, you are right with that one, so thank you very much.” Aubree really did mean that because that stranger had no chance in hell with her. The thug nor street man had ever been her type. She had been around enough of them dealing with Gerald.
Grant had to know if she was seeing someone. “Since you weren’t planning on giving that dude a chance, does that mean you have a man? Especially one that would be upset you are having lunch with me?”
Aubree smiled. “Aren’t we nosey. If I had someone special in my life, he would understand that I had lunch with my dance student and her father. He would trust that I wouldn’t do anything to embarrass him or disrespect our relationship.”
“In other words, you don’t have a man,” Grant laughed.
“I don’t have a special man in my life at the moment; not to say that I won’t eventually. There are some things I want to accomplish before getting back on the dating scene.” Aubree wasn’t giving up on her dream for another man anymore. Her past has cost her too much already.
“What about you? The woman that was with you last night, is she your girlfriend? The way she was throwing eye daggers at me and sizing me up like competition, which I am not. I just knew she was going to call her mean girl posse to roll up on me.”
Grant gave a little laugh. “Celeste is not my girlfriend; we are friends. We grew up in the same circle, with the same friends. We’re family friends, nothing more.”
“You mean friends with benefits, and I am only saying that because little ears are at the table.” Aubree gave him a ‘you ain’t slick’ look. She definitely wanted Grant to deny that he and this Celeste woman were fuck buddies when she knew differently. Last night, Celeste gave Aubree an understanding of her relationship with Grant. Grant never answered her question. He only gave her an infectious smile that displayed beautiful white teeth and dimples. She wouldn’t press him because no matter what they were doing, it was none of her concern. Men were not a priority in Aubree’s life now, which included Grant.
Aubree and Grant talked throughout lunch about everything and nothing. They both grew up on different sides of Dawson Falls, so their stories were very different. She shared with Grant how job security had been an issue for her, so she was glad for the job at the studio. He shared that working for the family company wasn’t a walk in the park and how his mother was desperately trying to marry him off.
After lunch, Grant and Chanel walked Aubree back to Nova Moon, and the conversation continued to flow. She was enjoying her time with them.
“I never took the time to say thank you for all the times you stayed with Chanel at the dance studio when I was late. I know you could have invoked the late pick-up policy, but you didn’t. If Chanel didn’t have dance anymore, I would never hear the end of it.”
“You are welcome, and I totally understand. My dad picking me up from dance class was the highlight of my day. He called me Twinkle Toe Princess.” Aubree’s smile turned sad and didn’t go unnoticed by Grant.
They left the bistro and headed back toward Nova’s boutique. Grant halted their walk a block down from their designation. Grant turned and faced Aubree. During lunch, he noticed how Aubree and Chanel enjoyed interacting with each other. He knew Chanel loved Aubree because she talked about Aubree all the time. He knew the woman standing in front of him was the answer to his childcare dilemma, but he hoped she would feel the same.
“Thank you for joining us for lunch. We enjoyed your company especially Chanel. You are really good with children. So good that I have a proposition for you.” Grant said. Aubree’s brows reached her hairline just hearing the word proposition.
“Not in that way unless you want to take it there. I am open to a lot when it comes to you.”
Aubree gasped, “Really!? Is that the reason you invited me to lunch!”
“No, I was kidding. But really, I need to hire a nanny for Chanel. The nannies in the past, all picked out by my mother, have no interest in caring for Chanel, but becoming the next Mrs. Hollings. Since you and Chanel seem to get along and she talks about you all the time, maybe you would be a good fit for her.” Grant hoped she would say yes, because he could finally get his mother off his back about hiring a nanny. Did he believe this was the best situation given how he feels about her? No. Would he have second thoughts about asking Aubree with her being around all the time? Probably. But Aubree made Chanel happy and Chanel’s happiness ranked higher than his at the moment.
