Page 25 of Austen, Edited

Chapter 14

Saturday rolled around, the day Parker had set up the dinner cruise. Greyson dressed in his navy-blue suit and tie. Applying some gel to his hair, he swiped it over to the side, allowing the front to stand up more than usual. It had been a long time since he’d been to a fancy party, as he’d managed to avoid the ones his mother had organized for the past year because of school. Hannah had tried to get him out as well, but finishing up assignments for his program usually took over, getting him off the hook.

But for once, he was somewhat excited by the prospect of a night out and getting all dressed up. He grabbed his car keys and headed out the door, grateful he hadn’t seen his mother, who would be full of questions about where he was going all dressed up. As much as she disliked Abby, he didn’t want her giving him the third degree about his best friend.

As he drove to the address Parker had texted, Greyson’s thoughts kept pulling back to Abby. She’d been by his side through every major event since the end of elementary school, everything except his master’s graduation, which he’d realized too late he should have called to invite her instead of just sending an invite. And with the little changes in her, plus the vulnerability, Greyson wondered why he’d never asked her on a date before. She’d always been fun and a little reserved, but he was starting to see those qualities had helped her become the woman he was falling for.

He’d been disappointed that she hadn’t wanted him to pick her up for the event, saying Tiffany would just drive them there since she was invited as well. Greyson did his best not to think it was to block him from being alone with her, but despite all the progress they’d made, they still hadn’t made it back to where they’d been before he left.

He pulled into the parking lot near the dock, scanning the sidewalks and the area for anyone familiar. He saw Brennen and Carson, two of the guys he rowed with, standing next to ladies in formal gowns. Beside them was another young couple Greyson didn’t recognize, similarly dressed. Glad he was wearing a suit, he adjusted his tie after shutting the door and walked over to speak to the guys.

“Hey, Greyson,” Carson said, slapping him on the back. “I’m glad you made it.” He turned to the woman next to him. “This is my wife, Ruby. Ruby, this is Greyson Campbell. He’s been rowing with us the past few weeks.”

The woman gave him a shy smile and a nod of the head. “It’s good to meet you. Just keep him in line for me, will you?”

Carson feigned hurt and then laughed.

Brennen spoke up next. “This is my girlfriend, Lexi Sarmiento.” The petite woman stepped forward, and Greyson shook her outstretched hand, holding on to it a little longer as he pointed at her.

“Wait, you look really familiar. Where would I know you from?” Greyson searched his mind, trying to think back over the places he’d been in the past few weeks.

Brennen grinned. “She’s the owner of Roll With It, the food truck that sells pastries.”

Greyson dropped her hand and snapped. “Yes! My, uh, Abby and I went there the other day. Your stuff is amazing.”

“Thank you.” Lexi smiled, a little red rushing to her cheeks.

The guy he didn’t recognize walked over and stuck out his hand. “Ben, and this is my wife, Lily. We’re good friends with Meg and Parker.”

“Good friends? We basically helped jumpstart Meg’s company,” Lily said, swatting Ben in the shoulder. Greyson watched the way she held her stomach, seeing the roundness forming there.

“What do you mean by that?” Greyson asked, more curious than ever.

Ben shook his head, chuckling a bit. “Meg and I had a psych class together, and for her final project, she created the framework for what would become the matchmaking company. She did everything on paper back then, and it took a ton of time. We see her a lot more now that she’s got a good program.”

Greyson tried to think of something to say as the conversation died down, with the others all looking around the dock.

“Parker should be here with Meg anytime,” Brennen said, stuffing a hand into his suit pants pocket.

“Have you all gone through the matchmaking program?” Greyson asked, pointing his finger and waving it to point to the other couples.

They all chuckled, looking at their dates and laughing even harder.

Brennen turned to him, wiping around his mouth with his hand before he spoke. “Lexi and I sort of got roped into a speed dating event thrown by Love, Austen. We ended up working together on a charity bakeoff for my family’s charity, and she finally came around.” He winced as Lexi punched him in the shoulder, frowning at his words.

“Ruby and I dated in high school and were engaged. She, er, we reconnected onThe Suitorthis past summer.”

The name of the show clicked in Greyson’s brain. “Wait, my sister, Karly, was obsessed with that show. Were you the suitor, Carson?”

Ruby grinned. “He definitely was. Not his favorite thing to do for marketing, but it brought us back together and made it so the Boston Breeze signed him for a four-year deal.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes distant as if remembering the moments.

“Dawson, who rows with us, is dating one of the other contestants for the show as well. Her name is Olivia,” Carson said. “They’re getting ready for a road trip together or else they’d probably be here tonight. Olivia owns the hair salon right next door to the Love, Austen office.”

Greyson tossed the information around in his mind, surprised by their revelations. He’d always thought online dating and matchmaking were for the people who couldn’t find love for themselves. But with them all meeting in such different ways but all connected to the same company, he’d have to revisit those old opinions.

“It looks like Tiffany is pulling in,” Lexi said, pointing behind Greyson to the parking lot.

Greyson’s heart skipped a beat, and his stomach tightened a bit. If Tiffany was pulling in, so was Abby.

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