She did, and that isn’t something I’m taking lightly.
Grandpa lets out a deep sigh, then after a few seconds to give the situation some thought, he points toward my phone again. “Invite her.”
I give him another second to think that through, but when he doesn’t change his mind, I type out a message.
West: Any chance you’d like to meet me for dinner tonight?
“Let me see it,” Grandpa insists, and I move closer, turning my phone toward him. “Not tonight! Women don’t like last-minute invitations. Change it to this weekend.”
I quickly erase and correct the mistake. “Better?”
He reads it over, then nods in approval. “That’s more like it.”
I hit send, then set the phone aside, trying not to get my hopes up. Yeah, she stayed last night, but morning has a strange way of bringing clarity about the night before.
The phone dings, and Grandpa lights up. “What’d she say?”
I’m not even entirely sure it’s her, but he’s right. She texted back.
Blue: Sounds nice. Name the time and place.
I show Grandpa the screen again, and he’s smiling big now.
“See? The old man still knows what he’s doing. Now, if you can just get through the meal without messing up, you’ll be all right.”
A laugh leaves me, because he isn’t wrong. Getting Blue to agree to dinner is one thing. Me not fucking it up from there is another.
But she said yes.
And for now, I’m just choosing to take the win.
Chapter Thirty
Blue
“Come in.”
My dad’s voice carries through the door when I knock, and so does the aroma of freshly-cooked bacon.
I let myself in and check the time as the storm door slams shut. Scar’s got about ten minutes before we’re officially behind schedule. I’d prefer to get to the guys before they start working.
“Ah, good morning,” Mike says, popping his head out of the kitchen to greet me.
“Morning.” I drop down onto the couch, watching the news on mute like he left it.
“Can I interest you in some breakfast?”
I instinctively check the time again. “Um… thanks but no. Scar and I have to get going soon.”
“Gotcha. Where are you girls headed this morning?”
The sound of his spatula doing some serious work in there fills the silence.
“We’re headed to the center to take care of a few things. Hannah’s not here?”
“Nope. She’s working this morning, but we have plans later on.”
I nod even though he can’t see me, and I glance around the place. It never ceases to amaze me how much the house has changed. It’s fresh, it’s clean. Nothing like it was growing up.
