Normally, I’d ask the girls for fashion advice before going out with a guy for the first time, but something tells me that Sutton wouldn’t be interested in helping. And asking Liv makes me feel like I’d be leaving Sutton out. As a result, I spend less time finding something to wear without all the girl-talk mixed in and I’m slipping my feet into a pair of cute platform sandals just as the doorbell rings.
The sound makes my pulse skip a beat.
Grayson is here.
Ready or not, I’m going on this date with him. I only hope I’ve made the right decision.
This could be the best night of my life.
Or it could be a huge mistake.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As we drive to the little burger place tucked away on the beach in my date’s cherry red BMW M4 sports car, the butterflies in my stomach churn wilder and wilder. At least George—who despite his growing size believes he’s no bigger than a teacup poodle—is a welcome distraction from my first-date jitters. My lab mix pup clambers across my lap to thrust his head out the half-open window. Snuffling and snorting, George greedily inhales the scent of palm trees passing by and frying burgers in the distance. His ears flap in the wind and he has to close his eyes so much that he probably can’t see a thing, but his tongue lolls joyfully out of his mouth anyway. His tail wags so fast that it whizzes through the air and I can hardly hear the tall, dark, and handsome man in the driver’s seat next to me laughing.
The date has hardly even started and I’m already having the time of my life. I think Georgie is too, judging by his goofy canine smile.
When Grayson arrived at my beach bungalow twenty minutes ago, George and I were the only ones around to welcome him. George was ecstatic for a new friend and could hardly contain himself, but Sutton and Liv and their respective fur babies were nowhere to be seen.
It was a rare—and almost certainly deliberate—choice for Sutton, who thrives off every ounce of attention she can get. I wish she could have come downstairs long enough to at least meet Grayson so she could give me her opinion later on how mind-blowingly cute he is, but I suppose she was too busy pouting over our argument. In retrospect, maybe that’s a good thing. Because some people don’t quite understand Sutton’s sassy snark before they get to really know her.
Liv, on the other hand, probably just wanted to make sure that my secret stayed safe. There’s no way to know if Grayson has ever seen any notable pics with Sutton or Liv in them. Our faces are plastered all over the internet, after all. It’s sheer luck that has kept my career a secret from Grayson so far. No doubt, he will curiously Google me at some point—if he hasn’t already—and the charade will be over. I’ll have to figure out a way to fill him in on the finer details of my professional life before then.
I cringe to think of him learning that he’s dating a famous beauty influencer from a meme online or something. It needs to be handled with more delicacy than that, especially since I’ve already made it seem like I’m simply a regular makeup artist.
George barks, sticking his head out a little bit more and I tighten my hold on him. When we first climbed into Grayson’s car, I tried to wrangle my spirited puppy into the backseat before we headed out to Franco’s, but George wasn’t having it. He quickly made it known that he’s a front seat pup only. Fortunately, Grayson had no problem with that.
Even now, Grayson reaches over occasionally to pat Georgie’s head—when it isn’t stuck out the window, that is—while he keeps his other hand on the wheel and his gaze on the road ahead. I find myself mesmerized by the way the passing streetlights illuminate his milk chocolate brown eyes.
This unbridled happiness I feel with wind whirling through the car, George in my lap, Grayson at my side, and a whole empty highway ahead of us is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
I feel whole in a way I’m not sure I have before.
It’s like I’m only realizing now that I’ve been missing a piece of myself. I have my besties and my G&G fame and my money, but Grayson has opened my eyes to there being more to life than simply a booming career. Which is wild, especially since we only just met, but there it is.
As if sensing me staring at him, Grayson’s gaze shifts briefly away from the road. Our eyes lock for just a moment and lazy tendrils of heat spiral through my veins. Every time Grayson grins at me, I swear a hot air balloon inflates in my chest. I could happily float off into the atmosphere right now.
Grayson reluctantly turns his attention back to the road, but I can’t convince myself to look away from him just yet. Hands down, he’s the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen.
“Wow,” Grayson whistles as we turn the final corner between us and the burger shack. “Who knew Franco’s was such a hot spot?”
At his words, my heart sinks and I finally force myself to look away from Grayson. Ahead of us, Franco’s Burgers is absolutely alive with movement. The parking lot of the tiny restaurant is so full that we even have to pull onto the side of the beach to park instead.
There must be some sort of event happening tonight, which I hadn’t anticipated, because it’s buzzing like a beehive. People wander in and out onto the beach directly beyond the restaurant, carrying drinks and food. Music pulses in the air, punctuated only by the crash of waves on the shore and the occasional barks and howls of rambunctious dogs. Usually when I make the trip out here, it’s calm and quiet and George can play off-leash in the dunes, but it’s packed tonight.
“It looks like we picked a good night to come here,” Grayson remarks, leaning over to pat George’s head as he flashes one of his drop-dead gorgeous smiles at me.
I swallow hard and muster a grin of my own, even though I’m not nearly as pleased about the busy atmosphere as my date is. Still, I want him to think I’m excited about being with him tonight. There’s no way I’m going to put a damper on this date, and I can’t exactly suggest going somewhere quieter when he’s clearly enthused about this place.
“Totally!” I answer as cheerfully as possible.
I wish I’d thought to bring my floppy Panama hat along to hide my identity, but I did my hair and makeup during the G&G video shoot right before Grayson picked me up and I didn’t want to have to redo it. I’m thinking now that I should have dressed much more low-key at least. Lace-trimmed Daisy Dukes paired with a sunny yellow blouse and navy-blue duster cardigan aren’t exactly subtle, even if I know I do look damn good.
Grayson climbs out of the car and makes his way around the passenger side, where George and I are sharing a seat. I take a deep breath, telling myself to chill out and have fun. It’s nighttime and everyone is going to be focused on themselves. No one is going to notice me.
Tugging open my door, Grayson pretends to dramatically bow like a chauffeur. The happiness glinting in his eyes is enough to make me momentarily forget my worries and woes. For our first date, he’s opted to exchange his sexy suit and chosen instead to go with a pair of jeans that fit his toned legs so well he looks like he stepped out of the pages ofGQ. He’s rolled the sleeves of his black button-down to show off his toned forearms, and the top button against his collarbone is tantalizingly undone. I have to remind myself not to stare too long. It’s only the first date, after all. There will be plenty of time to ogle him later.
Hopefully, anyway.
