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“Then I’ll start laughing, and whoever is there taking pictures will think we are either crazy or in love.”
“I guess either option is okay.”
They drove out of the underground parking garage and Reese could feel her nerves tick up. She was always good under pressure, but something about this was different. She didn’t like playing this game, but at the same time, she did like spending time with Grady. She pushed those thoughts aside. She had to think of this evening as a performance, and she’d always been good at performing.
“Did you tell your parents about this?” she asked.
“I sort of fibbed and told them we were actually dating.”
Reese’s jaw dropped. “But why?” She immediately thought of Julia and how excited the news would make her.
“My parents aren’t good at keeping secrets. The minute they know something, they feel a need to tell other people. I figured I’d tell them we were dating. How about you?”
“I haven’t told my mom yet. I was going to wait and see how this played out. But Cam knows.”
“He’s like a brother to you, isn’t he?”
“The best brother a girl could have.”
“I can see that. You trust him a lot. It’s good to have someone like that.”
“I’m sure you have a million friends like that.”
“I have friends, but none like that. You’re lucky.”
She looked at him then, but he didn’t return her gaze. He simply kept on driving right into a parking spot on the street near Maurice’s. Reese didn’t think that Grady was jealous of Cam. No, it was deeper than that. It was as if he longed to have a friend like Cam, and this surprised her the most. She’d always assumed that people gravitated to him, that he had close friends. Millions of them.
“You ready?” Grady asked. “No going back now.”
“Let’s do this.”
With one deep breath, she got out of the car. Should she reach out for his hand as they walked to the restaurant? She wasn’t sure, so she did nothing at all. Instead, she walked close to him, keeping a small smile on her face as they talked about the weather. It was a warm evening, but not too hot. And as they neared the restaurant entrance, she was sure she saw someone snap a picture.
“Ladies first,” Grady said.
“Why thank you.”
They stepped inside and the hostess raised an eyebrow when she saw them. She pasted on a fake smile and asked if they had a reservation.
“It’s under Grady Radcliffe,” he said.
Reese couldn’t tell if he was playing along with the hostess who clearly knew who they were, or if he was genuinely being polite.
“Right,” she said, checking her computer screen. “Come with me.”
She proceeded to seat them in the middle of the restaurant. Was that intentional on the restaurant’s part, or had Daria asked for that? Reese decided to stop thinking about that and took her seat across from Grady. The hostess handed them their menus, went over the wine and food specials, and was gone.
“That was easy,” Grady said with a nervous smile. “Now what?”
He was nervous too?
“We act natural?”
“Why do I feel like a zoo animal?”
“Because this is probably the most wide-open table in the joint?”
He laughed at that. “Okay, let’s make the most of it.”
