“You’re easy.”
“And now you know my secret, that I’m easy.” He gave her a sad look. “You’re now the keeper of my deepest, darkest shame.”
“Hold on. We had spontaneous sex in a house for sale. That was your deepest, darkest shame?”
“Well, no. Being easy is. But I’m sure you’re going to weasel all the rest of my secrets from me. I mean, I’m putty in your hands. I’ll do anything you want. I’m so vulnerable, exposed to the world. If you don’t keep watch over me, and I mean close watch, I might not survive.”
“Oh my God. You’re even more dramatic than Jenna.”
“That’s hurtful.”
She laughed at him, enjoying his wit.
He smiled back, and a deep longing for a relationship like this, where she could laugh, appreciate, and clamor for the affection of a special guy, hit her right in the heart. But as she watched Grant out of the corner of her eye, she had to wonder if it was a relationship she wanted or Grant. Not great to harbor doubts when she’d been plain about the rules, though. Friends with benefits was a far cry from matrimony forever and ever.
They pulled into the driveway of a grand home up the mountain, not too far from the one she’d sold Mitch Flashman, actually. But then, a lot of folks who had money liked the space and views up the mountain.
“This is amazing.” Grant left the vehicle and stared around him.
She liked that he hadn’t made a fuss when she’d told him they’d take her car, and that she was driving. He didn’t try to take over or act as if he should be in charge. Not a man who had a problem with a woman in the driver’s seat.
“I thought you might like it. The homes along this winding drive off the mountain road tend to be large with big views. The closest house is a quarter mile down the road.”
“I like the privacy, but it’s that mountain view that’s spectacular.”
She swallowed a sigh. That had been her exact response the first time she’d seen the place and started secretly calling it her dream home. “Come on in.”
He followed her, and they entered into a mountain retreat she could never in a million years afford. He moved immediately through the foyer, across the expansive living area, to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the distant Cascade mountains, and in particular, Mt. Bachelor. Snowcapped and threaded with white trails, the mountain looked majestic below tendrils of clouds dotting a clear-blue sky and bright sun.
“You can’t see this from my condo,” he said softly. “Look at that. Even when we lived here, we rarely got up into the mountains.”
“Does Cade ski?”
“Yeah. I think they were teaching Alex to snowboard last year.”
“I sure hope they go again this year.”
He turned to her. “Why wouldn’t they?” Then just as fast, his face turned down. “Oh, right. It’s really tough, you know?” He glanced back out at the mountains.
She sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Yeah. But hey, maybe if your brother and his wife work on it, their marriage will be all the stronger.”
“I hope so.” He turned back to her with a smile. “But we’re not here to talk about problems. Today’s a day for future possibilities. How about the grand tour?”
They walked through the spacious home, with an extra outdoor living cabin and semi-detached four-car garage. The outdoor back porch overlooked a lower level covered in browning grass with a firepit on one end and a lovely fall garden on the other, now covered in mums and evergreens. And attached to the western wing, the last owners had built an addition to house—a mini gym, sauna, and steam room that led to an outside hot tub.
Inside, they toured the master bedroom and bath nestled on one side of the house, with guestrooms on the other side, in addition to an upstairs open area and several more bedrooms and bathrooms.
“There’s also a craft room, study, game room, and an unfinished wine room in the basement.” She frowned. “They didn’t include that in the estimate, which puts the house at an extra five hundred square feet.”
Grant swore under his breath. “That’s a lot of house. Too much for me. But not if I had a family to share it with.” He smiled at her, and in that moment, she envisioned him, her, and a passel of children all living together.
“Piper? You okay? You looked a little funny, there.”
“Oh, sorry. I think my blood sugar’s low.”
“Heck, let’s go get you something to eat.” Grant turned uber solicitous.
“I’m fine.”
