Page 8 of Endeavor

Will clambers on about his current project as he drives us to the PacMutual Campus in downtown LA. I know from looking it up that the complex of historic buildings has been completely remodeled to keep their charm while making them one of the most environmental set of buildings in Southern California. The fact that Blythe chose this location tells me that she leaves no detail to chance.

There’s, of course, the quintessential red-carpet entryway into the building. That part is not my thing, but Will talks me into walking it, claiming that we can’t miss the opportunity. I try to stay calm as flashes go off in every direction. But fortunately, right as we get to the cameras, a movie star that I recognize gets out of her limo and all eyes descend upon her. One of the event photographers takes a few photos of us as we walk inside.

When we enter the event area, I’m floored at the setup. It’s amazing. There’s a wall in the back that is filled with tables for various environmental charities. There are open bars on either side of the room and the stage has large photo displays of the Green Tortuga Foundation’s latest projects, which I only recognize because I stalked the website.

A woman at the table next to the entrance asks our names and shows us to our table. I’m surprised it’s up front, as I expected some low-key table in the back of the room.

“I’ll go get us drinks,” Will declares as he looks at the line for each bar. There are also waiters strolling around with champagne and appetizers.

“I’m going to check out some of the charity tables,” I reply as I set my purse on my chair because, in this crowd, I’m not worried about it. I probably have the most empty bank account of anyone in the room aside from the waitstaff. It’s honestly a little unnerving. I’ll never get used to being around the other half.

I walk to the tables and pick up a few business cards. Most are ones that I’m already acquainted with, but at the end of the line, there’s a table that says Racing for the Rainforest. That’s a new one for me.

I pick up one of their pamphlets and examine it. A charity started by none other than Grady Daniels. It’s funded by several race car drivers. From their biographies, they all appear to have been friends with his father. I find it odd that it has to do with racing and not music since he’s currently in a band. I glance over to see that Will is still in line. I make my way back to our table. As I turn to sit, I run into someone. Their hand grabs my arm to steady me.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I mutter as I begin to look at the person who collided with me.

“I’m not,” a deep baritone voice says.

My eyes follow the voice and slowly make their way to his eyes. My breath hitches and I swear my heart goes into overdrive. His eyes are so perfectly dark blue that they appear as endless ocean pools. His beautiful face looks like it was sculpted rather than created by biology. His hair a little shaggy swings over his left eye as he leans his head to the side, surveying me in a way that has me blushing.

And then it hits me like a ton of bricks. This perfect male specimen is none other than Grady Daniels. Blythe’s son and lead singer of the band Monumental Mistake. I’ve seen him on stage, but never this close.

“Oh, I…” I trail off because I don’t know what to say. I should be offended by his words, his eye-fucking of me, even his hand that hasn’t left my arm, yet my body traitorously yearns for more of his touch.

“I see you two have met,” Blythe’s sing-song voice breaks the spell and Grady pulls his hand away, leaving my arm branded with a need for his touch again.

“I’m sorry, w-what?” I stammer as I look over at her.

“Grady, this is the young woman I mentioned, Emma Baldwin, and, Emma, this is my son, Grady.”

Grady holds out his hand, and I accept it. His grip is firm, and as we pull apart, his thumb grazes my wrist, causing goose bumps to form on my skin.

I take a breath and pull myself together. “A pleasure to meet you,” I manage.

“Likewise. Mom has spoken very highly of you. You must be quite an amazing person to win her over so quickly.” I sense a little sarcasm in his voice, and I immediately snap out of my enamored fog. Clearly, Grady is an entitled asshole. What a disappointment!

“Now, Grady, don’t be so…well, behave.”

Will picks this very moment to roll up with two glasses of chardonnay. “Will, this is Blythe and Grady Daniels.”

Will’s eyes bug out of his head. “Wow, it’s so nice to meet you both. I’m a huge fan, Grady, huge.”

Grady nods at him. “Cool, man. Nice to meet you.”

A moment later, a very slender woman whose bra size does not even remotely match her stature, slinks up next to Grady, and wraps her arm around his waist. “Grady, baby, can you get me a drink? The line is sooo long,” she groans while batting her eyelashes at him.

“Yeah, sure.” He turns to us. “If you’ll excuse us, it was nice to meet you both.” His smile doesn’t reach his eyes. It instead looks like the well-practiced smile of a famous person forced to mingle with fans. And with that, he walks off.

Blythe sighs. “I swear he’s actually a nice human. He just has his moments…well, he’s been having moments for a while now. It’s a phase, you know what I mean?” She gives me a pleading look.

I pat her arm. “I get it. I’m sure it’s hard having famous parents and being famous yourself.”

She nods. “Grady’s had a tough run of it. Did you check out his charity though, Racing for the Rainforest? He set that up when he used to race.”

My eyes widen. I didn’t exactly do a ton of research on Grady. I mean, I knew who he was and all, and I know his band, but I’m more interested in Blythe and her charity work. “He raced?”

She nods again. “He quit after Ken was killed, but he’s still close with some of the drivers. That’s why he founded the charity. Ken and I were working on forming this charity at the time. I guess he wanted to feel close to his dad, even though he’d never admit it.” Blythe pauses. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t be sharing all this with you.” She shakes her head and gives me a small smile. “I have you both at my table.” She glances over at her son. “Grady will be here, too. And a few of my close friends.”

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