Page 68 of Blame It on the Bikini
She was surprised. "Why? I thought you had a good first date."
"First date was good. Second date was better. Third date became a disaster when his alleged ex-girlfriend showed up right when we were about to have sex."
"Why do you say alleged?"
"Because seeing the way he reacted to her unhappiness was very illuminating. He's not over her. I don't care what he says. I saw the way he looked at her. And, apparently, she was the one who broke it off and is now having second thoughts. I think he wants her back, and I don't need to be in the middle of that drama."
"That's too bad. I was hoping for good things."
She shrugged. "Me, too. But it's fine." She picked up the bottle of wine on the table and an empty glass. "Ben didn't want any wine since he's working tonight, but maybe you do?"
"I do," she admitted. "Have I missed any other gossip the last few days?"
Kaia poured her some wine, then handed her the glass. "Paige went on a date with a divorced dad, who has a kid a few years older than Henry. She's guardedly optimistic. But you know what's interesting is that Ben didn't look at all happy about it when she was telling me. I think he has a crush on her."
"Really? I've never noticed any flirting between them."
"Well, my brother is a horrible flirt, so that's not surprising. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe I just want someone in my family to find love. My father complained to me about his lack of grandchildren the other day. Not that he would say that to either of my brothers, but for me to be in my thirties now and single seems to be appalling to him. And this was the man who raised me to be a tomboy. I don't know why he would think I would spend all my time looking for a husband."
She smiled at Kaia's rant. "See, this is why it's good my parents don't talk to me anymore; I don't have to hear their criticism or their concern about my judgment or my singleness."
"We should drink to us," Kaia said, raising her glass. "Because we're awesome on our own."
She clinked her glass against Kaia's. "Speaking of being awesome, the photos I took at the caves and at Joshua Tree are really good. I spoke to Sienna at the gallery today, and my show is set for the Fourth of July weekend. I'll still need to add to my collection, but I feel more confident now."
"That's great. I love seeing your new energy and excitement. It's felt like you've been stuck in a rut the last several months."
"A rut of my own making. But I'm getting out of it." She paused as she saw Grayson coming down the stairs wearing running pants and a T-shirt. He hesitated for a second when he saw them, but then he walked over to their table.
"Hello, ladies," he said smoothly. "What are you up to?"
Lexie forced brightness into her voice. "I just got back from photographing an anniversary party and crashed Kaia’s pizza party."
“Which wasn’t a party,” Kaia said. "Just a few friends having dinner. Are you off for a run?"
"Yes. I need to burn off a day chained to my computer."
"How’s the deal going?" she asked.
"Still up in the air." His jaw tightened. “I’m trying to find new angles.”
She saw the shadows under his eyes, the strain pulling at him. She wanted to reach out, to ask more questions, to make him let her in. And for one long moment, his gaze held hers. The air between them buzzed, an echo of everything they hadn’t said.
Then he straightened, voice cool again. "I should go. Still more work to do tonight. I’ll see you both later."
She felt the sting of the plural. See you both. Not her. Them. "Well, that's done," she said heavily.
"No way," Kaia said, shaking her head in disagreement. "The way you and Grayson looked at each other gave me goose bumps. I felt like I was watching a movie between two star-crossed lovers. I don't know what's going to happen between you two, Lexie, but I know one thing for sure: it is not over, not by a long shot."
She really wanted Kaia to be right.
Grayson headed out of his apartment Friday afternoon, desperately needing the month at Ocean Shores to be over, but he still had a week to go. Even with his problems on the Singapore project and his need to be back in his office with the rest of the team, his father was refusing to budge on the agreement they'd made. So, he was stuck here, and he didn't know what to do about it.
Nothing was going the way he wanted it to go. His deal was floundering. His relationship with Lexie was not in a good place. Their one short encounter after their Joshua Tree trip had been agonizingly uncomfortable, which was completely his fault. He was sending her mixed signals, but he didn't know what to do about that.
They'd gotten very close on their trip. But their escape from reality was always going to be temporary. It had just ended sooner than he would have liked.
When the Singapore acquisition had fallen apart, he'd had to focus solely on getting it back. It was what he'd been working on for months. It was how he was going to prove to his father that the company would not only be in good hands but in better hands when he took over. Now, he didn't know if that would happen. But he'd done all he could do for now. He'd sent over new contracts. He'd had a dozen conversations with a dozen different people, and they'd regroup on Monday.
