“I left. That’s on me. But you know why I did. And that’s on you.”
I put my fork down, the food sitting heavy in my stomach. “I don’t think I like sushi.”
I didn’t want to talk about the past when we had finally come to a truce in the present. I was terrified of losing the last few weeks I’d have with him because he decided I wasn’t worth the effort after what I’d done.
“Do you want to go somewhere else instead?”
“My stomach is still coming to terms with having to digest sushi. Probably shouldn’t add anything else to the mix.”
I also didn’t think this night was going to improve by changing venues. Grayson had closed down, his carefree expression from only minutes ago evaporated into thin air.
Grayson put his chopsticks down with a resigned sigh. “I’ll get the check.”
He signaled to the waiter, who sprinted over to us. You’d think we were royalty the way they treated us here. I’d have understood if we were in New York City, since his family had a lot of influence there, but LA seemed too far away for their reach.
But what did I know? I was only a small-town girl pretending she was fine playing with the big boys and girls, when all I longed for was the comfort of my hometown. I missed knowing everyone. I missed talking to people. And most of all, I missed how everyone cared about each other. I even missed the rickety old chair I had in my office and had been meaning to replace for years.
I knew if I’d asked anyone for help back home, they’d bend over backward. They’d rally the troops, and everyone would pitch in. And they wouldn’t expect anything in return.
In LA, everything came at a price. And not one I’d be willing to pay.
I reached into the endless recesses of my handbag. “I asked you to dinner. It’s only right if I pay.”
Grayson shook his head. “Do you seriously think I’d ever let you pay?”
My hand stilled, and I looked up, temporarily giving up the quest for my elusive wallet. “And do you think we still live in the Dark Ages? Women don’t need men to take care of them anymore.”
“Not saying that’s not true. But if we’re together, I’m paying.”
I huffed out a breath, not sure if I liked his antiquated views. “But we’re only friends, and this isnota date.”
“Isn’t it?”
I nearly wheezed my next words. Was he insinuating this had been a date? “We were hungry. We both needed to eat, so we went to dinner together. Like we have most nights over the past few weeks.”
He handed the waiter his credit card and smirked at me in triumph. The sneaky bastard had been distracting me.
“Well played, sir. Well played.”
The waiter handed him his card back, and Grayson got up. “I didn’t just say that to distract you.”
I blinked at my plate, clutching my bag to my chest.
A hand appeared in my vision. “You ready?”
Nodding, I grabbed it, realizing my mistake as soon as I touched him. Didn’t matter what body part of his I came too close to; it all had the same effect. I would have purred if I could, the contact as familiar as it was reassuring.
He helped me out of my chair and didn’t let me go until we were standing next to the passenger door of his car, which the valet had pulled around.
Despite the late hour, traffic was still slow, and it took us a while to get back to the hotel. My eyes were drooping, and I must have nodded off because a hand on my shoulder startled me awake.
I looked up and recognized the front entrance of my hotel. “Thanks for dinner.” My voice was sleepy and my eyes only half open. I hoped I hadn’t drooled or snored.
“I’ll take you to a different place next time. One I think you’ll enjoy more than sushi.”
It didn’t matter where he took me. I’d go to sushi every night for as long as I was still here if it meant I’d get to spend time with him.
Before I could make a quick escape, he was out of the car and opening my door for me.
