I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and watched as the men made their way back toward us. I knew Seth liked me, but I hadn’t really noticed the way he looked at me. Now that Yancy pointed it out, I saw it. He genuinely liked me, and he wasn’t afraid to show it.
This was exactly what I’d been looking for when I dated—what I’d hoped I’d found when Elijah said he wanted to keep seeing me. But I was closing myself off to it because I was still hurting over what Elijah had said to me last week. Why was I like this? Why couldn’t I just be open to a man like Seth? Why couldn’t he be the man who made my body shimmer with awareness? Why was I so hung up on a man who’d hurt me?
My eyes didn’t leave his as he stopped in front of me and handed me a glass of red wine.
“You look stressed,” he murmured, moving closer so no one else could hear him.
I tried to force a small smile but knew that it didn’t look sincere.
“Hey, I just want to spend some time with you tonight. There’s no pressure, and I have no expectations, okay? Let’s just enjoy hanging out together.”
Something inside me relaxed at his words. I tended to overthink, which was exactly what I’d been doing.
“Good plan,” I sighed, lifting the glass to my lips.
Seth smiled and brushed a lock of my hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ear. “I hesitate to tell you to relax because my sister tells me that’s almost as bad as telling a woman to calm down, but I don’t want you to be stressed out.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Your sister is right, so you should definitely listen to her. But you’re also right, I need to relax.”
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“Know any good jokes?”
His eyes actually twinkled as he smiled down at me. “When’s the worst time to have a heart attack?” he asked.
I shrugged and took another sip of wine.
“During a game of charades.”
I giggled into my wineglass, which made him chuckle. The next thing I knew, we were both laughing like lunatics, which was why I liked talking to Seth. He could say something ridiculous or cheesy and make it seem hysterical.
I leaned into him, putting a hand on his chest. “Thanks, Seth.”
“Don’t thank me for a terrible joke. Wait until you hear my best ones first.”
I was still giggling when a flash went off. I turned and saw Marcus standing a few feet away, his camera in front of his face. My lips were still tipped up in a half smile when the flash went off again.
I was trying to refocus my eyes when Marcus lowered his camera. “Hey, Grier.”
“Hi, Marcus.”
The dots dancing in front of me began to fade, and I realized that Elijah stood just behind Marcus.
“Any reason you’re taking my picture?” I asked him.
“Yeah. Lucy talked me into taking pics tonight and tomorrow as her wedding present to Yancy.”
My brows rose. Marcus was in huge demand as a photographer and charged thousands upon thousands of dollars for his work. The fact that he was basically a wedding photographer this weekend was astounding.
When he saw my expression, he shrugged. “She had this picture I really wanted at her last showing, and this was her price.”
I couldn’t control the smirk that crossed my face at his words. That sounded exactly like something Lucy would do. She knew that Marcus would take the best pictures of her friend and she found a way to make it happen.
Seth shifted beside me, which reminded me that I hadn’t introduced him. “Marcus, this is Seth.”
Marcus stepped forward and held out a hand. When Seth reached out to take it, he said, “Holy shit, man. I just realized who you are. I love your work.”
Marcus smiled and gave Seth’s hand a shake. “Thanks.” He gestured to Elijah, who was now beside him rather than behind him. “This is Elijah. I bribed him with beer and nachos to be my assistant.”
