“Okay!” Calla says next to us. “I’m not sure what’s happening here, but a little breathing room at an eleven-year-old’s party would be appropriate.”
My sister puts her arms between us and wiggles between us until I finally step back.
“Before I forget,” my mother says, joining us, “Greer, you must come to dinner next weekend in Melody. Simon, you’ll bring her?”
“Yes,” I say before Greer can come up with an excuse.
She glares and shakes her head at me, but there’s a faint smile on her lips.
“That would be lovely, Mrs. Stone. Thank you.”
“Of course. I can’t wait!” Mom claps and then shouts. “Let’s open presents.”
All the kids hustle into the house while I keep Greer right by my side.
I keep my attention on Greer PG-rated for the remainder of the party, but the next time I get her alone, all bets are off.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
GREER
If anyone were to ask me if I avoided Simon and his house on Sunday, I’d tell them yes.
Not that I didn’t take a peek from time to time from my bedroom window like a weirdo. After all, it wasn’t like I just stood there waiting for him. No. If I was in my room, I’d look.
I never saw him.
It’s for the best.
I also never texted him, and he never texted me. Truth be told, I thought he might reach out. I’m fully aware that we told everyone we’re fake dating, but it didn’t feel fake. Not one bit of it did.
What the hell does this mean?
I lean back in my chair at the studio and press my palms into my eyes.
I thought this Monday morning would be a welcome distraction.
I was wrong.
I have one more client until I go hang out with Grey for the afternoon, and as excited as I am to see Simon, I’m equally as nervous.
I close my planner, then stand to stretch and lay out equipment for Harvey, my next client. Harvey is always trying to set me up with his son, and I always decline. I can’t date clients or their family members. It would more than likely end up being bad for business. At least today I have an excuse, but honestly, how long can Simon and I keep this up? It’s been a whole two days of pretending and my stress level has me rearranging my schedule for an extra yoga session this week.
Just as I’m finished laying out a couple of yoga mats, my watch buzzes. It’s a notification from Harvey. He needs to cancel.
Perfect.
I sigh and then put away everything I just laid out. Then I grab the vacuum and clean the floors, making sure to take the handle piece off and get all the edges. Next, I wipe down the kettle bells, the mats, the hand weights, the chair in front of my desk, and then I do the windows. After that, I clean up my desk and make a smoothie, then check my calendar for tomorrow. Grey is coming with me tomorrow afternoon, and I have some fun things planned for us. He doesn’t know it yet, but I carved out a half hour just for him. So we can do the exercise he wants specifically. It’s not something I do for most clients, but I do understand the need to want your workout to be fun. If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick to it, and I want Grey to keep this up. I think he wants to keep it up, so I’m here to help.
But right now, my nose is itching from the smell of disinfectant. I let out a long breath and grab my things, pushing my bike out the door and locking up.
The summer sun warms my body instantly, and I soak it up. This season never lasts long.
I check my watch once more.
I’ll be close to two hours early if I go home now. I know that Simon is on a deadline, so perhaps he’d appreciate that I’m early. On the other hand, that leaves me with more time around him, and as much as I want that, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.
There’s a line drawn between us, and to be frank, we both just flat out ignore it. We see it, but it’s blurry. As much as I want to care that we don’t cross it again, I don’t. Simon makes me feel different. He makes me feel like someone actually sees me.
