Page 63 of Fish out of Water
Then suddenly he was backing away.
A-freaking-gain.
“I have to go to work.” Grant turned almost immediately, making it impossible to read any expression that might be on his face.
He snagged his keys from the counter. “Are you sure your friend can pick you up?”
I nodded since my tongue decided it was only interested in doing one thing.
And it wasn’t talking.
“If she doesn’t show up, call me and I’ll come back and get you.” Grant grabbed a shiny new black computer bag as he opened the door leading to the garage.
And then he was gone, leaving me standing alone in his kitchen.
The air didn’t leave my lungs until the mechanical sound of the garage door closing after him stopped. Then it all rushed out as I slumped back.
Maybe it was better Grant didn’t seem ready to revisit the possibility of a physical interaction.
I’d probably die from lack of oxygen if he did.
I took my coffee and went back to the guest room, resisting the urge to peek in any of the other doors as I passed. I wouldn’t appreciate it if he did it to me, so I wasn’t going to do it to him.
I showered and dressed in the Army green shorts and printed t-shirt that served as my work uniform, before putting on a pair of sneakers and pulling my hair into a ponytail. By the time I was finished and rinsing my cup in the sink Collette was calling me. She managed the gift shop at the gardens and was one of the few people my own age that I’d gotten to know since moving. For some reason I gravitated toward the older crowd.
Maybe because I’d had my fill of the younger one.
I swiped across the screen of my phone, answering her call as I grabbed my work bag and purse. “Are you here?”
“Uh, yeah. Whose freaking house is this?”
I went out the same door Grant had a half hour earlier and into the now-empty garage. “My friend’s.”
It was the best way I could think to describe the man who I’d seen naked and sort of made out with. We definitely weren’t more than friends.
But we might also be less.
“Does this friend have a penis?”
I pressed the button to open the overhead door. “Yes. But it’s not like that.”
“Have you seen his penis?”
I ducked under the door and went to the keypad mounted on the wood just outside and punched in the code Grant gave me so I could lock up as I left. “Yes, but it’s not like that either.” I ended the call and dropped my phone into my purse as I walked to Collette’s car. She leaned across the console as I opened the door.
“You have the code to get into his house.”
“It’s not like that.” I had to keep saying it because all signs pointed to it being the truth.
And I needed to remember it.
“So you’ve seen his junk.” Collette shifted into reverse. “You’ve stayed at his house overnight.” She backed down the short drive. “And he gave you an all-access pass to come back.”
“It’s not like that.” I buckled my belt.
“You keep saying that.” Collette pulled onto the road, her blonde brows lifted high on her forehead. “But it sounds like it’s exactly like that.”
The air left my lungs. “It’s not, though.”
