Page 33 of Rival Hearts

A burst of laughter escaped before I could hold it in. Grady’s gaze slid to my lips and then back up to my eyes. My heart stuttered.

“Why is that funny?” he asked.

“Who told you it was a magic show?”

“I can’t reveal my sources.”

“Good night, Grady.” I slid the door closed.

“Your dad. Okay? It was your dad.”

Another laugh tumbled out before I could stop it. “He told you it was a magic show? Oh my god. That’s hilarious.”

Grady’s frown deepened. “It’s not a magic show?”

On impulse, I swung the door wide and waved Grady in. My whole body was lit with amusement. I was going to replay this conversation later and then make Lila call my dad to explain the only magic would be inside the men’s underpants. Or the tighty-whiteys Lila thought all the volunteers should wear. I wasn’t sure about that idea.

“If your dogs so much as look at my cat sideways, you’re all getting kicked out the door.”

He chuckled. “I was joking.”

“You make jokes?”

“Apparently ones I don’t even know I’m making. What’s the deal with the magic show or not magic show or whatever the hell is going on?”

I grabbed a bowl from one of the cupboards and filled it with water. I set it down in front of the two dogs, and they drank eagerly. When Grady caught my gaze, there was a new softness in his face which sent shivers across my body. Goose bumps rose along my arms.

“You cold?” The back of his hand skimmed my upper arm.

“No,” I admitted. “I’m not cold.” Our gazes met, and the air crackled. This feeling between us was something I loved and hated. How was it possible to feel unhinged and penned-in by one person?

The leashes hit the tile floor with a soft thud. I waited for his arm to circle my waist, for him to tug me flush against him, for his lips to descend, and the taste of wintergreen to invade my mouth. He’d loved those mints.

Instead, he pulled out a chair at my kitchen table and sank into it. A thread of disappointment laced around my heart, and I tried to brush it aside. I rounded the island to turn down the TV and attempted to get a handle on my erratic feelings.

Calm down. Calm down.You don’t want him to kiss you. You don’t even like him. It would ruin everything—again.

“Are you going to tell me?” Grady called.

“Trent doesn’t want you involved.” I came back and pressed my side into the island, hoping I looked confident and in control.

“I want to help.”

“You don’t know anything about it. How can you say that?”

“All right. I came back home to reconnect with my family. That means Trent too.”

I pursed my lips. “Exactly how much effort have you put into that so far? I haven’t heard of any trips to Utica to see him. It’s a thirty-minute drive.”

With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. He leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees. “I’ve made mistakes.” He glanced up, and his eyes were haunted. “We made mistakes.”

I swallowed, and another memory of Grady lying on his bed, my lips trailing across his stomach surfaced. The desire to close my eyes and live in that moment stirred. What happened had been a mistake, but it hadn’t been as dire as Grady believed. I wished I could tell him the truth, even if some of it was deeply embarrassing. The folly of youth.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” I said.

“Course not. We pretend like it didn’t happen.”

I needed a distraction. Opening a cupboard, I took down a glass and filled it with water from the tap. “The magic show is a Magic Mike show—male strippers. We’re calling it Small Town Saviors. Lila is recruiting. Should I tell her you’re volunteering?” I promised Trent I wouldn’t rehash the past. None of it mattered anymore. Grady had to figure out how to move forward without dragging all of us back. I should take that advice.

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