“Do you like what you see?” Grayson asks playfully when he notices my wandering gaze, though there’s a husky tone in his voice that makes a delicious shiver roll down my spine.
I wet my lips and eye him with feigned haughtiness. “I’m just surprised you ditched your suit for the night. Feels like a bold choice for a stuffy lawyer.”
He laughs, throwing his head back, before smirking at me. “Maybe there’s more to me than meets the eye.”
“I don’t doubt that,” I quip, blushing a little.
Grayson reaches into the car to help me and George out just as an oversized pickup truck abruptly barrels past us onto the beach. I don’t even have time to shriek, but Grayson manages to flatten himself against the side of the car to avoid being hit. I’m glad now that George is a handful to extract from the car.
“C’mon, dude!” Grayson shouts over his shoulder at the truck. “I’ve got precious cargo in here!”
He winks at me, making me blush even brighter, then checks the street again before finally helping me out onto the sand.
We walk side by side toward Franco’s while George trots eagerly a few steps in front of us on his leash. The sand is still warm from the balmy afternoon and every breath I take is flavored with French fries, saltwater, and Grayson’s alluring cologne. It’s an unusual combination, but an intoxicating one. I haven’t had a sip of alcohol tonight, but it feels like my head is already spinning.
Franco’s is as packed inside as it looked. I’m a little worried we won’t get a table, but the hostess manages to find us an outdoor one on the beach.
“Your house is really nice by the way,” Grayson says after we’ve put in an order for a shared plate of chili cheese fries, cheeseburgers, and chocolate shakes for us as well as a special doggy burger for George and a bowl of water.
Fairy lights are strung up all along the seating area, bathing the night in soft, twinkling colors, and music plays from the outside speakers. Nearby, people are laughing and dancing and eating dinner. It’s been forever since I was out at a crowded place like this without having some sort of VIP booth to sneak back to. Just like I’d hoped, however, everyone is too absorbed in their own fun to notice me. I need to relax and try to savor this special moment with this special man.
Smiling at him, I ruffle George’s furry head. My pup leans against my chair, his sweet chin resting on my knee so that he can gaze adoringly up at me and beg for both a taste of my food and more pats. The food hasn’t arrived yet, so all I can give him are the pats right now.
“Thanks,” I say, running my hand over George’s soft fur. “It’s basically my dream home, if I’m being honest about it.”
Grayson waited until the server placed our shakes on the table then left before answering. “And you live there with just two of your friends?”
His question gives me pause, even though I know he’s simply trying to make conversation and figure me out more. That’s what dating is supposed to be all about, right? But I’ve dug myself into a surreptitious hole I’m not sure when—or how—to climb out of.
“Yeah, we do pretty well for ourselves,” I answer cryptically, sipping my shake through the big, colorful straw. It’s thick and sweet and perfectly chocolatey.
He seems to suspect I’m trying to avoid a sensitive subject because his brows crinkle a little over his straight nose. Maybe that’s simply the lawyer in him. Maybe his gut tells him I’m being secretive. My heart picks up its pace, drumming against my ribs, but I keep smiling and take another sip of my drink.
Iwilltell him about G&G and my online fame. I definitely will. Just...not right now.
Not yet.
“Where do you live, Grayson?” I ask, again turning the conversation back to him.
He’s quiet for a moment, simply gazing at me, but before he can say whatever seems to be on his mind, the server appears at our table with our cheeseburgers and loaded fries, as well as George’s dinner. While his isn’t nearly as fancy as ours, my fur baby eagerly wags his tail and accepts a pat on the head from the woman before chowing down.
On the other side of the table, Grayson munches on a fry before answering. “I live by myself in an apartment in LA. It’s not too far from the library actually. I had roommates up until I made junior partner at my firm, then I decided to get a place of my own. It’s been fun.” He pauses, musing over his choice of words for a moment before chuckling softly as he poured ketchup on his burger. “Well, sometimes it’s stressful, but mostly, it’s fun. I’ve always been independent like that. In fact, I moved out of my family home the day I turned eighteen.”
I smile and take a bite of burger. Mmm, Franco’s truly does make the best. Big and juicy, they make my taste buds happy. “Sometimes I’mtooindependent for my own good. But my friends help keep me grounded. Come to think of it, stressful but fun might as well be my life’s motto.” I reach for a fry and nibble on it thoughtfully. “You don’t make it sound like your family was very supportive of you. Did they have something against you becoming a lawyer?”
Asking that question felt odd even as I said it. What parents wouldn’t support a son or daughter aspiring to become a lawyer?
“It’s not that my parents didn’t want me to be a lawyer.” Grayson frowns and pops another fry between his perfect lips. He chews it slowly as though he’s trying to stall answering, but eventually he has to swallow that morsel. Then he picks up his shake and takes a long sip. “It’s that they wanted to control my career. My father is a lawyer, and my grandfather was before him, and so on. They wanted me to join the family firm, but I don’t see eye to eye with them professionally. Different things matter to me than to them. I thought I was blazing my own path when I set out on my own, but they thought I was turning my back on them. That’s why I work so hard. I have to prove to them that I’m capable and talented enough to make it on my own. I wouldn’t even let them help me pay for college or law school. I handled tuition and rent and everything by myself.”
I pause, a dill pickle spear halfway to my mouth. “Wow. That must’ve been really hard for you.”
He shrugs. “It was.”
His gaze shifts downward, as do the corners of his lips, and my heart aches a little in my chest. It’s startling how much it hurts me to see Grayson’s pain. Without thinking twice about it, I reach out and gently grasp his hand.
Electricity seems to crackle in the air the moment our fingers touch. I inhale sharply, the butterflies that always seem to be ever present in my stomach when I’m near him fluttering around like they’re on a sugar high. I can hardly breathe.
Somehow, I manage to suck enough air into my lungs to find my voice.
