"Sure." Before leaving the room, she turned back and looked at Damon. "Would you like to help me?"
She didn’t need help, but he looked uncomfortable standing in the middle of the living room while Faith engaged her mom in conversation.
When they reached the kitchen, she motioned to the cupboard above the fridge. "Would you mind getting me a vase from that cupboard?" She could do it herself, but it would mean standing on a chair. She may as well put him to work, rather than give him a view of her backside.
She took the vase and walked to the sink. "Thank you."
Arms folded, he leaned against a nearby counter and watched as she filled the sink with cold water and unwrapped the flowers.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked when she put the flowers in the sink.
"They're too tall for the vase, so I'm trimming them under the water where they'll suck water into the cut stems rather than air. It will help them last longer."
"Hmm...I didn't know that." Damon continued to watch her, making her not only self-conscious but very aware of his presence.
She should make conversation, but Grace found herself at a loss for words. Attraction flared even though she was still annoyed with him for scaring her last night. She was also confused as to why he wanted to spend the day with her instead of with his family that he didn't see very often.
Ten minutes later, the flowers sat on the end table, and she and Damon stood awkwardly in the family room. Grace would have invited him to sit, but she doubted his plans included hanging out with his aunt and her mother. Besides, the two women were so busy comparing their salsa recipes to noticed they were there.
Faith looked up as though surprised to see them. "Oh, don't let us keep you two. I'm sure Damon has something fun planned." She waved them away. "Don't worry about your mom, Grace, I'll visit with her until she's ready to rest, and I'll make sure she has some lunch before I let myself out."
"Oh." Grace looked at her mom. "Are you okay with that? Do you need anything before I leave?"
"I'm fine. Stop fretting over me." Mom made a shooing motion. "I'll ask Faith if I need help with something. She's a retired nurse, you know."
"I didn't know that." Grace smiled at Faith just as the older woman winked at Damon. "That's great."
Before Grace had time to process what Faith's wink could mean, she found herself sitting beside Damon in his rental car, heading north of town. Silence stretched between them as wide as the barren landscape.
"Are you ever going to forgive me for freaking you out last night?" Damon's deep voice startled her.
"It depends."
"On what?" He cast her a brief glance before returning his gaze to the road.
"Whydidyou follow me?” She went on before he could speak. “I’m not helpless." There was an edge to her voice that she didn't recognize. “I know how to change a tire."
After another quick glance in her direction, he shifted again, leaned forward then back in his seat, and tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
When he didn't speak, she went on. "You figured out who I was when I mentioned Gabe and Paige's name in the parking lot, didn't you? You knew you'd see me again, so why follow me?"
Damon let out a sigh and pulled the car to the side of the road. After putting it into park, he shifted to look at her. "Why wereyouin such a hurry to leave without giving me your number?"
She turned her gaze out the window. She couldn't tell him the truth. That she liked him and could see herself falling for him. But what was the point when he’d be leaving soon?
"I followed you because I felt something in the elevator." The low baritone of his voice sent a pleasant shiver rippling down her spine, and she turned to look at him. "And I'm not just talking about when we kissed." His gaze dipped to her lips for a moment before returning to her eyes. "You were so intent on getting out of there, that I was afraid I'd never see you again. Even after I figured out who you were, I couldn't help thinking, 'What if I'm wrong?' and you didn't drive to Providence?"
A flutter raced through her chest as her heart rate sped up. It was nice to know she wasn't the only one whose world shifted—figuratively as well as literally—when they kissed. But Grace had been let down by the men in her life too many times to get her hopes up.
"Well, you know you'll see me a lot. And you've cornered me into going out with you. Now what?"
"What do you mean? I didn't corner you." Hurt filled his eyes, sending a twinge of guilt through her midsection. "If you don't want to go out with me, just say so, and I'll take you home."
Damon definitely considers this a date.
"I didn't say I didn't want to go out with you. I just felt..." She let out a huff as she looked out her window again. She couldn't think straight while staring into his pretty hazel eyes. Eyes whose centers were rays of gold that turned green and were surrounded by a ring of brown. "I felt like everyone ganged up on me. But what's the point of us spending time together?" Then she rushed on before he could speak. "I'm not interested in being your fling while you're home on leave."
"Fling?" His head jerked back. "That's not my thing. I'm notthatguy."
