Chapter 18
During the month of December, Alex was incredibly busy at work. Grant didn’t have the chance to see her very much at all. She went to dinner with him and his sister the day after Thanksgiving, and then he didn’t see her for the next two weeks. She had so many things to do at school, and Grant didn’t want to interfere with her schedule. There were a few nights he might have been able to see her for dinner, but he urged her to spend time with her cousin and aunt. She’d arranged to have an early Christmas with them so she could travel with him on the holiday. So she and her family went shopping and had a few nights out, and once they stayed at her place to help her decorate. She and Grant spoke often enough on the phone that he felt as though he knew what was going on with her all the time. He could easily have missed out, otherwise.
Grant was working more hours to save up for Christmas. He wanted to get her something special, and he wanted to have enough money to stay in a decent hotel when they got to Maryland. He had managed to get two extra days off on top of the two he was already getting, so he was going to make it a special four days with Alex. She deserved it.
Finally, on her last day of school before the break, Grant asked her to go to dinner with him. He got off at four, went home and changed, and met her at her apartment. She answered the door in a red dress that flattered her curves and had him needing to adjust his pants.
“Grant, you dressed up.”
He was wearing black slacks and a gray button-up shirt under a coat, and that was the dressiest she’d ever seen him.
“Yeah, I wanted to impress you.” He gave her a smirk that set her heart fluttering.
“That’s sweet of you, but it’s never necessary.” She grabbed her coat and took his offered hand to go with him to the parking lot. They were going to take her car since she was dressed up and didn’t want to take his bike.
It was a short ride to the restaurant, and they were soon seated. Grant told Alex to order whatever she wanted. She was touched that he was trying to give her a nice date and had the feeling it wasn’t something he did very often. She got a glass of wine and held his hand across the table as they waited to place their dinner order.
“This is really nice,” she said, and Grant smiled at her. He knocked her out with his sexy smile.
“I wanted to treat you for Christmas.” He kissed the back of her hand. “I have a gift for you.”
“You didn’t have to buy me anything.” He gave her a level stare, and she flushed. “Okay, it makes sense that you did. It just feels like that’s what I should say.”
“So, do you want it now, or after dinner?”
“Is it something you can give me here, or is it something . . . private?”
He chuckled. “It’s fine for here.”
“Okay. After we place our orders, then.”
He squeezed her hand.
The waiter came back with their drinks and they placed their orders. When he walked off, Grant reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat box. Alex gasped quietly as he slid it over the table in her direction. It was clearly jewelry of some sort, and that wasn’t what she’d expected.
“Grant,” she whispered. Tears had formed in her eyes, and she blinked them back as she reached for the box.
He watched her as she opened it and took out the necklace. It was a delicate gold chain with a trio of hearts: gold, silver, and pink gold. Her smile began slowly but grew as she looked up at him.
“I didn’t want anything too showy because I’ve noticed you don’t wear a lot of jewelry. I thought this suited you.”
“It’s so pretty. It’s probably the nicest thing I’ve ever owned, Grant.” She unclasped it and put in on. “How does it look?” She touched it as she asked.
“Just as I hoped it would. It looks perfect.”
“This is so nice of you. I don’t have your gift yet. I was going to bring it to your sister’s after I got it.” The truth was that she hadn’t been able to find the exact gift she wanted to give him, yet.
“Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.”
She knew he meant it, too. He wouldn’t be mad if she got him nothing, which was exactly why she needed to find something that was just right. “Thank you so much, love.”
He smiled. “I like it when you call me that.”
“It’s not too corny?” Alex gave him a quirky smile.
“No, it’s nice to have an endearment that’s just for me.” They fell silent as the waiter came with their food. After taking a few bites, Grant began to talk again. “What have you been doing since we spoke last?”
“I had a lot going on in school this week. There were exams for the students to take and me to grade, and then I had to turn in all of the grades by Thursday afternoon. On Friday, we had a party in each class, and a few of the kids got me gifts. They’re so cute, even at their age. They want me to like it so much, and I really do. I get the same stuff every year and it never gets old.”
