“No way!”
“He’s a big baseball fan,” I explain. “He doesn’t watch The Suitor.”
“I’m going to start now,” Wyatt assures him.
“Always nice to have another fan.” Grayson offers his hand to me. “Grayson Grant.”
It’s a good celebrity name, even as much as it’s been spoken in the last two minutes. I take his hand. “Abigail Locke.”
“Do you have a minute? I have a proposal for you.”
This has to be about Spencer and a tug of annoyance pulls my face into a frown. “I don’t need closure with Spencer. It’s over, and I’m fine with that.”
“I’m really glad to hear that,” Grayson says. “Because we’d like you to step in as the Suitorette.”
The coffee shop is noisy with regular customers at the tables and the hiss of the steamer as Wyatt prepares Lyra’s order, but it’s not that loud. I shouldn’t have problems to hear what Grayson just said.
“What?” I turn to Lyra, who shrugs. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s Spencer for me; it always has been.” Lyra has a strange, soft, shy smile on her face. There is nothing soft or shy about Princess Lyra, so I don’t understand why she’s smiling like that—
Spencer. Spencer put that smile on her face. I wait for it to hurt.
And it doesn’t.
It doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t anything. I’m still confused at why Lyra ishereinstead of enjoying some romantic rendezvous with my ex-boyfriend… “Yes, but—”
“The men they have for this season are incredible,” she continues. “And I really like them, but it’s not fair for me to continue this, because I’m in love with Spencer.”
“You always have been.” Again, a surprise that I can say that without sounding like a bitter shrew. Just stating a fact.
Lyra nods, still with that soft smile. “I have been, and I need to tell him as soon as we get back. But that leaves things awkward for Grayson and the show, because I’ll be stepping down as the Suitorette.” She glances at Grayson. “I told Grayson that he should recruit you to finish the season.”
“Me?”
Lyra’s blue eyes are steady as she studies my face. “Yes, you. And before you say no because it’s me who is asking—” I shrug, because she’s right. I am about to say no without even listening to what she has to say.
“I’ve always been jealous of you,” she surprises me by saying.
“Me.”
“Yes. You. You’ve always been close to Spencer, the only woman he’s allowed through the barriers.”
“I’m not sure if that’s the case,” I say slowly.
“I think it is. I know it’s true. I’ve always resented you.”
“Lyra, this isn’t really helping,” Grayson mutters.
“She has to know she wouldn’t be taking over from me, like I’m offering her my leftovers.”
“Lyra,” Grayson hisses.
“That’s what you were thinking, isn’t it?” she demands.
“Now that you mention it,” I admit. “The optics…”
“The men aren’t mine. Never have been. They’re great guys, and I made a secret trip to the hotel this morning before we left to talk to some of them. They like the idea of you.”
