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“I swam in high school. Middle distance. What was your race?” I asked.
“Mostly the 100 free and 100 back, but I did IM sometimes. When they were desperate.” We both laughed and Willow shifted in her seat. She picked her phone up, swiping down.
“Lana, sorry, but I have to go. My mom needs me to grab something from the store before they close.” Willow stood, giving me a quick hug. “Nice to meet you, Grant.”
“Oh…okay. Bye.” I waved, then Willow was gone.
Awkward.
“I hope I didn’t scare your friend off,” Grant said, one eyebrow raised, an impish yet charming smile on his face.
I blew out a quick breath, shaking my head, the flutters in my stomach really taking off. “It’s fine. Her mother is very needy; don’t worry about it.”
He chuckled. “Good to know. Nice night. It’s a lot cooler here than in the city.”
“Is that where you’re from? Boston? I’m assuming that’s the city you’re talking about.” I ran my finger over the drops of condensation on my beer bottle, my eyes fixed on his.
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“What brings you to Starlight Bay?”
“My firm wanted an office near the Cape, so they sent me to open it. It’s a few doors down.” He nodded to the right, the same direction he’d come from.
“Nice. So are you, like, here permanently?” I threw that out there, then held my breath. Why, I had no idea. The guy was a single dad. Not exactly prime dating material.
Grant shrugged. “Depends on how the office does, I guess. But I have a full client list right now; business is booming.”
“That’s good.”
“Is it?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Isn’t it?”
“Well, I’m a divorce lawyer, so…”
“Ah. So no, it’s not good. Except for you, I suppose.” I bit my lip, uncertain where to take the conversation from here. This guy waswayout of my league.
He laughed, low and rumbly, and my insides got all hot and gushy.What the hell was I doing? I should abort the mission.
“Can you handle a confession?” Grant leaned his body in close to mine and I caught a whiff of his expensive-smelling cologne. God, he even smelled good.
“Mmm-hmmm.”
“I’ve been here an entire month and haven’t walked the beach once. Want to go?”
I nodded. “Sure. Let’s do it.”
Grant
What was I thinking, inviting my kid’s very young, very attractive swim teacher on a moonlit beach walk?Nothing good could come of this, but still the words tumbled out. Now here I was, breaking my own code: no dating. Ever.
Well, technically this wasn’t a date. As long as I kept expectations low—and there was no physical contact—everything would be fine. Just two grown adults walking on the beach. Side-by-side, but not together.
Definitely not together.
“Have you been in Starlight Bay long?” Lana looked over at me through long, dark lashes, her green eyes glowing in the moonlight, and my blood rushed south.
Get it fucking together, Grant.
