“Talk to you soon,” I confirm and manage to muster up a smile for her. Then my eyes skitter over to Grady. “Talk to you tomorrow.”
He doesn’t answer. He just disappears inside Olivia’s apartment complex with her. I feel nauseated as I get on the bike. He could say anything to her. He could ruin things with Olivia before they even really start and I can’t help but wonder how the hell I got here. Caring about someone screwing up a relationship I never even wanted.
Chapter22
Crew
The one thing that made it possible to sleep last night was that I knew Grady wouldn’t tell Olivia about our night together, because it would mean outing himself and Grady swears he never wants anyone to know his sexual preferences. I texted him twice last night but he never got back to me. In the last text, I told him I would swing by his hotel before practice so here I am, walking through the lobby of the Beverly Wilshire.
I don’t have his room number and I don’t feel like dealing with the front desk so I text him again and tell him I’m downstairs and then park my ass in one of the fancy chairs facing the bank of elevators and wait. It doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes until the elevator on the left opens and Grady Garrison saunters out.
I stand up and cross the travertine marble floor. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Hey. I’m grabbing some breakfast before I head to practice. You wanna join?”
I nod. “Sure. I ate but I can grab a coffee.”
Grady nods and I follow him back across the lobby to the entrance to their restaurant called Boulevard. The hostess smiles brightly and seats us at a table next to the windows facing Rodeo Drive. The waiter takes our order, a black coffee for me and an egg white cheddar and ham omelet for Grady with a chai latte.
“What is with your family and chai?” I ask. “Olivia had me try it and it tastes like the inside of a bag full of grass clippings.”
Grady laughs soundlessly at that. “Anything is better than black coffee dude.”
I shake my head. “Agree to disagree.”
“On hot beverages, sure. Are you here to ask me to do that on the subject of you dating my family members?” Grady asks, his red eyebrows pinched.
“I know it seems weird,” I admit and my fingers play with the edge of the fancy woven napkin, but my eyes stay on him. I want him to know I’m sincere about this. “And this will probably make me sound like an asshole, but I didn’t even realize you two were related at first.”
“Me and Liv? Or me and my one and only sister Shelby?” His eyes are narrowing by the second. I am doing a shit job at this. For the first time in my life, I wish I was Nash. He is so much better at communicating.
"I am not interested in your sister. Never was. She's lovely though. Seems great," I say cautiously. "But I was already involved with Olivia when I met Shelby and honestly, I haven't thought of anyone since I met Olivia," I confess and flash him a quick smile. "She caught me by surprise. And of course, when I realized she was your cousin I panicked, but I knew I couldn't tell her."
“No. You can’t. Please.” Panic is darkening his eyes now. “I have no intentions of ever telling anyone, in my family or otherwise, and I don’t want you to out me.”
“I would never, Grady. I promise.” God, I can’t imagine doing something so cruel.
He looks out the window. “Is it going to make things harder for you and Liv?”
“No. I mean I don’t think it’s mandatory that you list the name and social security number of every person you’ve ever been with to your new girlfriend, is it?” I ask, trying to be light and slightly jovial because the situation could use a little levity. “I’m not exactly an expert on this because I’ve had exactly one serious girlfriend, who I married and almost ruined my life over.”
Grady shoots me a sympathetic glance. "So in a way, you are almost as new at relationships as Liv is at sex."
“Umm… yeah, that’s one way to look at it and the only thing weirder than you knowing I’m with your cousin is you talking about her sex life,” I confess, and he smiles.
“I’m just saying I know my cousin,” Grady says and pauses as the waiter drops off our order. Grady thanks him and reaches for the pepper on the table as he continues. “I adore her and to be honest, I’m happy she’s found someone who makes her beam. She was literally beaming all night after she left you. She’s happy. You look happy too.”
I nod and stir a packet of stevia into my coffee. “I like her, Grady. Truly.”
He nods.
"Is that weird? Did you think… you and I…" I let the sentence trail for two reasons—we're in public and also it's an egotistical assumption, that he still wants me, and I hate sounding egotistical.
He shakes his head. “It was good. I would have done it again. But like… no offense, it doesn’t hurt me that it won’t happen again, or even that you’re romantically interested in my cousin. I wasn’t looking for that from you.”
“Okay good.” I smile at him. He smiles back.
“So I guess this is the part where I threaten to end you if you hurt her in any way,” Grady says, taking a bite of his omelet and chewing it. When he swallows, he points his fork at me for a second. “There. Done. Consider yourself threatened.”
“I’ve been warned. I will take it seriously,” I promise.
