Page 52 of Blame It on the Bikini
"Goodnight. I'll distract everyone while you go up the stairs."
"Thank you."
As they came out from under the stairs, she walked back to the courtyard while he moved up the steps to his apartment. Josie, Margaret, and Frank were at the closest table with Emmalyn and Hunter nearby at the grill.
She fielded all the curious, questioning looks with a smile. "He's fine," she said. "It's all good."
"How angry is he?" Josie asked.
"He's not that mad right now, but I can't guarantee he won't be tomorrow. He really liked your brownies. I think he ate several."
Josie smiled. "Well, I'm glad he's okay. You've been gone a long time. I put your things in your apartment while you were gone."
"Do you want some food?" Emmalyn asked. "We have extra chicken."
"No, thanks, I already ate. I'm tired. We walked on the beach for a long time, so I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you tomorrow."
She made her way around the pool and into her apartment, entering with a sigh of both relief and a little bit of yearning. Maybe if she'd waited to tell Grayson about the brownies, they would have ended up in his apartment together. But that would have been a bad idea, she told herself forcefully. She couldn't take advantage of the man, and she didn't want to be with him when he wasn't in his right mind.
But she did want to be with him, and she had no idea how she would get through the next two weeks without thinking about how that might possibly happen. However, she knew that once Grayson was fully in control of his senses, his logical, practical business mind would determine that a personal relationship with her would be a conflict of interest, and he would shut that idea down immediately. He might even leave before his month was up. She might never see him again, and that thought was more overwhelming than her usual nightmare of having her home sold out from under her. The worst thing was that she felt absolutely powerless to do anything about either one of them.
And as she flopped down on the couch in despair, she really wished she had kept some of Josie's brownies for herself.
Chapter Thirteen
Lexie had spent Saturday shooting a wedding and wondering if Grayson remembered everything he'd done, everything he'd said, or if the night was a big blank. When her phone had buzzed with a text from him at five o'clock Saturday evening, her heart had nearly stopped.
Can you be ready to leave for Joshua Tree by 10 AM tomorrow? Have a meeting at a property at 12:30. Still interested in going?
She'd stared at the message for a full minute before typing back: Yes! Absolutely.
His response had been immediate: Good. See you tomorrow.
No mention of Friday night. No reference to the brownies or their conversation at Chuck's Chili, just businesslike efficiency that could have meant anything—that he was fine with what happened, or that he was so uncomfortable he wanted to pretend it never occurred.
Now, standing in front of her bathroom mirror Sunday morning, she applied sunscreen and tried to manage her expectations for the trip. Grayson was a man who kept his word. He'd told her he would take her to Joshua Tree, and he might just be fulfilling a commitment he'd made before she'd drugged him.
Whatever the reason, she had a chance to spend time with him, and she was going to take it. She also would have an opportunity to photograph one of the more interesting locations in Southern California, so it was a win-win. At least, she hoped so. She still didn't know how Grayson felt about his unexpected high now that he was sober, but when a knock came at the door, she knew she was about to find out.
She opened the door and gave him a smile, her gut clenching at the sight of him. He wore tan slacks and a cream-colored polo shirt, looking unfairly handsome in the morning light.
"Ready to go?" he asked with a smile that seemed genuine.
"Absolutely." She grabbed her purse and her camera bag, then locked the door behind her. "I'm glad you still wanted to go."
"Of course," he said as they walked out to the parking lot.
She was a little relieved there was no one else around. Not that this trip was a secret, but she'd been generating a lot of gossip since the brownie incident.
Sliding into the passenger seat of his car, she fastened her seat belt and let out a little sigh.
He gave her a questioning look as he started the engine. "What was that sigh about?"
"Just relieved we didn't run into anyone. I've been getting a lot of questions…"
"Got it," he said as he pulled out of the lot. "I've been getting a lot of curious looks, but the only person who was brave enough to ask me about my experience with the brownies was Kaia."
"I told her not to say anything."
