Page 54 of Blame It on the Bikini
"You don't want to hear about my current read," he said with a laugh.
"I really do. I like to talk about books. I'm even in a book club with some of the women in the building. Although we tend to drink more wine than chat about the book at our meetings, but I still read. So, what's on your nightstand?"
"A twelve-hundred-page book titled The Power Broker about Robert Moses, who was in power in New York for over forty years and shaped the development of the city. It's his biography, but there's so much incredible information about the time period, the backroom deals, and how politics played out in the local and state government. It's fascinating."
"Wow. You're an overachiever even in your choice of books. Twelve hundred pages?"
"Something like that," he said. "It's a doorstop, but it's fascinating."
"How long will it take you to read it?"
"Probably a month or more. I don't have a lot of time to read. But it's very well-written. The author puts you right into the story. I feel like I know Robert Moses. I know the people he's dealing with."
"Does it inspire you for your own work since you are selling and buying buildings and are a part of the development community?"
"It's inspiring, but it also makes me wary. There were a lot of shady deals going on back then, and I'm sure there are just as many now. It reminds me to be on my guard. Now, your turn. What's on your nightstand?"
"A mystery thriller about a woman who marries a man and then he disappears on their wedding night. She has no idea who he really is or was."
"Sounds interesting."
"It’s a page-turner. I was reading it last night and stayed up way too late to finish a chapter. I'm almost done, and I think I know who the villain is, but I'm not quite sure, and that's my favorite kind of story when I don't really know what's happening, even though I think I do. It's fun. What's the first book you ever read?"
As Grayson told her about the first book he remembered making an impact on his life, she settled into her seat, eager to know more about him, even if it was just what he liked to read. He seemed to feel the same way, and for the next hour, they chatted about everything under the sun.
He liked basketball because it was fast-paced and fortunes could change in an instant. She told him there was nothing better than a day at the ballpark with a foot-long hot dog smothered in mustard and relish and the sun beating down on the field, the players battling to get a hit when most of the time they didn't.
They also talked about music and movies, their worst first dates, and their best memories from their childhood. They actually had a lot in common when it came to family. They were both only children. They both had fathers who were brilliantly successful and driven and mothers who had created separate passions for themselves, but at the end of the day were still happiest in their roles as corporate wives.
She wondered if Grayson would end up with someone like that, someone who knew his world and would be good at hosting client dinners and managing a big house. And she found herself asking that very question, a little surprised when the words came out, but she was curious.
"I haven't really thought about marriage," he said. "I'm thirty-three. I have plenty of time."
"But you must date, right? Do you have a girlfriend?"
"If I did, I wouldn't have kissed you," he said pointedly. "What about you? You're not seeing anyone, are you?"
"No. Same answer you just gave me." She paused. "Have you had any serious relationships?"
"I'm not sure how you define serious. I've dated off and on. Some were relationships that lasted several months, but nothing beyond that. Frankly, I find relationships to be a lot of pressure, and I have preferred to focus on business, especially with my dad wanting to hand off pieces of it to me. I have to be at the top of my game. And I don't want to worry about disappointing someone because I'm taking a late meeting."
"That makes sense. But at some point, you'll want more than business."
"Probably," he conceded. "When was your last relationship?"
"It ended right before I came here two years ago. My boyfriend was also a lawyer, and he could not understand how I could walk away from my dad's firm when I was going to be on the fast track up the ladder. He didn't support me at all. In fact, I started to realize that maybe he was more interested in attaching himself to my fast track than he was in having a loving relationship with me."
"Sounds like you avoided a land mine."
"I think so. Since then, I've dated but I haven't met anyone I really connected with." She took a breath, making sure she didn't add the final two words that were hovering on her lips: until now. Because they weren't dating, and while they had an undeniable chemistry and what she considered to be a pretty strong connection, they were definitely on different paths.
As a somewhat awkward silence fell between them, she knew she needed to change the subject. "Tell me about this building we're going to see."
"It's a vintage motel in Palm Desert, built in the nineteen twenties when the Hollywood stars would head to the desert in the winter. In fact, I think a bunch of stars stayed there back in the day. It's, of course, completely run-down now, but the bones are good, and I think I could give it a new life."
"By renovating it? Or would you tear it down and build a luxury apartment building?"
"Actually, I was thinking about turning it into a development with a mix of affordable housing and retail space."
