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There weren’t very many people who had Grace’s cell phone number and one of them was sitting across from her. As she opened her purse to retrieve the phone, her first thought was that it was her mother ringing to say she’d changed her mind and to ask if they’d bring her something back. But when she looked at the screen she knew it wasn’t her mother.
Grace hesitated for a second, debating whether or not to answer. She recognized the number from when she’d called it yesterday. It was Alexander, but she had no idea why he was calling.
“Aren’t you going to answer it?” her sister asked. If she didn’t answer it, her sister would have more evidence that her dinner with Alexander last night had been more than simply two people sharing a meal.
“Hello.” Her voice sounded shaky to her own ears as she answered the call.
“Grace, it’s Alexander Greco.”
That brought a small smile to her lips. “I know. I recognized your number.”
There was a slight pause before he said, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I wanted to make sure you weren’t having any more issues with your car.”
“I drove it to my mom’s this morning and it started right up.” Grace could feel her sister’s stare from across the table, but she was trying her best to ignore it.
“Good.” She heard a door opening in the background. “Remember that battery has a warranty on it, so if it gives you any trouble we’ll take it back.”
“All’s good so far.”
There was a prolonged silence. “Sorry. I was trying to do two things at once.” He laughed. “Probably not the best move. I’m not as agile as I used to be.”
“Is your leg bothering you today?” Grace had a feeling he’d been downplaying how much it was hurting last night.
“No. It’s much better today. Thank you for asking.” She heard another noise in the background, but this time she couldn’t tell what it was. “The other reason I called was that I wanted to see if you’d like to join me for dinner again sometime this week. I was thinking maybe Tuesday or Wednesday? I’m flexible.” He paused. “In some ways at least.”
A giggle escaped before she could stop it. She knew her sister was sitting there listening to every word and that once she ended the call the gloves would come off. Still, she owed Alexander an answer. “Sure. I don’t have any plans.”
“Tuesday, then?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up. Say, around six?” he asked.
Once the time was agreed upon, she told Alexander she needed to go. He didn’t keep her, but reminded her to call if she needed anything before Tuesday.
She avoided looking in her sister’s direction until her phone was safely tucked back into her purse. When she did finally chance a glance, Gabby had a knowing smirk on her face. “Want to try telling me again it wasn’t a date?”
Grace swallowed. There would be no deterring her sister now. If Grace had thought Gabby’s questions had been bad before, they were nothing compared to what was coming. All Grace could do was brace for impact.
***
Alexander arrived at Grace’s house with five minutes to spare. He’d made sure to take it easy that day so there wasn’t a repeat of the discomfort he’d been in on Saturday evening, even using his cane when he’d swung by what was to be his new office to sign some paperwork. Sitting behind a desk wasn’t how he wanted to spend his days, but it would have to suffice for the time being.
He was halfway up the walkway when Grace stepped out onto her front porch. She must have been watching for him.
The dress she wore teased her legs as the wind whipped around the hem and she held tight to the shawl draped over her shoulders as she came toward him.
“Hungry?”
A blank look crossed her face momentarily before it changed to a look of shy embarrassment. “I wanted to save you from having to walk up the steps.”
While he was touched by her gesture, it was unnecessary. He had limitations, but nothing that would keep him from picking a lady up at her door. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She must have heard something in his tone because her expression shifted again. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Alexander didn’t want her to feel bad about what she’d meant as a courteous gesture. “You didn’t.” He turned. “Shall we?”
Grace hesitated for a second before nodding.
