“Family isn’t exactly something I know a lot about,” I admit softly. “My two best friends are as close to a family as I have, or have had since I was a child, but I do know that your parents will come around eventually. They’ll realize that you simply wanted to chase your own dreams, and that the thought of losing you is worse than their hurt feelings.”
Grayson slowly turns over his palm beneath mine and his thumb traces the back of my hand. “Thanks for saying that.” He offers me a small smile. “It’s strange, I don’t normally talk about this kind of thing with anyone. Being a lawyer has always been my dream, but I had no idea how hard it actually is to make it in the field. Your clients and your boss and your peers judge you constantly for the choices you make and even the choices your parents or family make. The scrutiny is never-ending. Sometimes, I feel like I have to work twice as hard as anyone else, especially because I’m new to the firm.”
Every word Grayson says almost makes me want to cry. It’s like he’s reading right from the diary of my own heart.
“My job is similar,” I say. “When it comes to the judgment and pressure involved, anyway. Do you think we’ll ever get to the point when that doesn’t matter, or at least doesn’t bother us?”
I’m hoping Grayson will have some insight that I don’t. Unfortunately, all he can do is shrug his shoulders. Still, knowing he’s in a similar boat is comforting all the same.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your family?” he asks “Did you become estranged somehow too or…?”
His question makes me wince.
“Hey, I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I didn't mean to hit a nerve. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s cool.”
I shake my head. If there’s one thing I can be honest about tonight, it’s this.
“I don’t have family. Not blood family, anyway,” I confide softly. “I lost my mom to a drug overdose when I was little and my dad isn’t in the picture. Actually, I don’t even know who he is. When I met Sutton and Liv in college, it was only then that I realized what family truly means.”
His sensuous mouth curved. “And there’s something beautiful and special in that.”
His voice is warm and sincere as it washes over me.
“Yeah, there is,” I agree. “They’re always there for me no matter what.”
Underneath the twinkling lights of the burger shack, Grayson and I slowly smile at each other. He has a unique presence about him, and though we’re different people, there’s something about his heart and soul that resonates with me in a way that no other guy’s ever has. When he looks at me, I know he’s seeing the true me, not the mask that I’m sometimes forced to wear.
I bite the inside corner of my cheek hard as realization hits me.
I have to come clean with Grayson—sooner rather than later. Sutton was right when she said I was hiding a part of myself by not telling him about Glossed & Glammed. To really understand me, he has to know what I’ve been through and what mountains I’ve climbed. Sutton and Liv are an integral part of that, as is my thriving social media fame.
“Listen, Grayson...”
Suddenly, George lets out a sharp bark.
I stop to see what has him so excited. Across the beach, an adorable poodle with a pink bow on her head is making eyes at my pup. I barely grab for his leash before he scurries toward the poodle, eager to play with his cute new friend. The leash jerks out of my hand, sending me sprawling unceremoniously across the sand. Swift as a superhero, Grayson leaps out of his seat. He manages to snag the end of George’s leash at the same time he scoops an arm around me and pulls me into his chest.
We sit there, covered in sand, arms haphazardly wrapped around one another as George tugs at his leash, focused on the poodle. Grayson and I look at each other and laugh.
It’s the first time in a while that I’ve really, truly laughed from the bottom of my heart and it feels so good that I don’t want to stop. I laugh until tears prickle in the corners of my eyes and my sides ache.
This isn’t a painted, plastered smile. It’s real.
“Tonight has been amazing, Kali,” Grayson murmurs once he’s managed to catch his breath from laughing so much. He brushes some sand from my cheek and leaves my skin tingling, still grinning widely as we sit there on the beach together.
“It really has,” I answer truthfully.
I’d been so worried about it all going wrong, but every minute has been perfect. We lean in a little more toward each other, our lips mere inches apart. He’s so close I can already taste the kiss.
As if on cue, from across the bar, I hear a slew of hushed, excited whispers. At first, I can’t make out what’s being said or who’s saying it, but then I hear my name. An ice-cold chill immediately grips me. I pull back, my heart racing for an entirely different reason now.
We’ve got to go, or my Cinderella act will be over.
“How about we get out of here?” I suggest quickly even as the group of gawking girls is growing by the second and getting closer. More and more people at the shack are starting to realize that someone famous has slipped into their ranks.
This isn’t good.
Noticing my unease, Grayson glances over his shoulder. When he sees the crowd filming, confusion crosses his handsome face.
