Still the One: A Beloved Duet, page 15
As luck would have it, the waitress he had taken home the last time he was there was on duty. She was pretty enough, but she wasn’t Lara. Even looking at her made him feel like he was cheating, so he walked past her without so much as a hello.
A hand ran across his shoulders as he took a seat at a high-top table. “Oh hey, it’s you,” she greeted him with a purr and a smile.
“Yeah, it’s me.” What was he supposed to say? I don’t remember your name. I don’t even remember the night, but your face is familiar. All those one-night stands would never fill the hole left in his heart by Lara.
“What would you like?”
He scanned the menu.
“Bourbon on the rocks. Top shelf please.”
Grayson watched her walk away. Beautiful long legs, suntanned skin, and a sweet short skirt, but he wasn’t impressed. She wouldn’t have that dimple on her cheek when she smiled. She didn’t smell like fresh-cut flowers after a long day of work. She wasn’t the girl for him.
She skipped back with his drink, not spilling a drop.
“So,” she said with a sensual whisper. “In case you’re interested, I’m off in an hour.”
“Thanks, but I’m expecting friends.”
“I can wait for you.” She moved in and rubbed against him.
“No. I’m good.” He shifted back to gain space.
“Yes, you are,” she tossed back and walked away as his friends arrived.
It was hard to believe that he fell for lines like that only weeks ago.
Grayson and his friends drank and played pool for the next hour celebrating his good news, but it was all too much for him. He hung up his cue and walked back to the table.
“You okay there, pal?” asked his buddy.
“I’m good.” He rose and slapped another hundred on the table. “Drinks on me the rest of the night. I have an early flight, but I wanted to connect with you.”
They all bumped fists.
“Square deal on the television show,” said one friend.
“We’ll be in touch.” He practically ran out of the restaurant.
The waitress emerged from the shadows, trying to be cool about connecting with him.
“We’re heading the same way, care to share the sidewalk?”
“It’s a free country.” He knew she wanted to share more than the sidewalk. If it weren’t the looks she gave him, the note that read, repeat? xxxooo on the bottom of his bill was plain enough.
He had no idea where she was headed, but they arrived at his place within fifteen minutes.
“Great to see you.” He maneuvered around her and trotted up the steps to the front porch of his tiny bungalow. She followed him.
“Hey, I’m tired. You should head home.”
“I can energize you.” She rubbed against him, making sure her breasts grazed his arm. “Remember how good we were together?”
The truth was he didn’t remember much. Hell, if she didn’t have a nametag on that said Paige, he would have never recalled her name.
Something shifted in the shadows and he stopped cold. A figure rose from the dark side of the patio where the awning blocked the security light. He couldn’t make the person out, but it was definitely a woman.
Paige clutched him. That was all he needed. He had a woman cowering behind him while another stood in the shadows before him. Another spurned lover?
The figure stepped into the light and he nearly dropped to the ground. It was Lara. She took a long look at him and the girl gripping his waist from behind.
“What are you doing here?”
“Making a fool of myself,” she replied with nervous laughter.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Everything he said sounded like an accusation even though it wasn’t. It was mere words from a man surprised and elated to see her.
“I’ll make up for it by telling you I’m leaving.” She broke into tears, running past him and disappearing around the corner.
“Where are you going?” he yelled. “Come back.” He chased her, but she’d disappeared into the crowds and into the night.
Paige called to him from the porch. “Hello. Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Her voice was muted as Grayson gained distance trying to catch up with Lara.
“Hey.” She turned the corner. “Wait up. You’re going in the wrong direction—" Grayson called after her.
She stopped. “Boy, I’ll say.”
“Come on, baby,” he pleaded.
She turned on her heel. He lived in a neighborhood of older homes, Eichler homes that were popular in California. They were squat little boxes with lots of windows and thin walls. His neighbors were getting a show for sure.
“Don’t you baby me,” she growled.
He closed in on her and looked down so they were staring at each other eye to eye.
“Okay,” he said with a straight face. “Why did you come here?”
“I had something to tell you.” She stood before him thin-lipped and angry eyed.
He reached for her, but she stepped back. “Then tell me.”
“I’m telling you something else. You broke my heart years ago when you came out here. And for all those years,” she said in measured syllables. “I worked hard to forget you. But it didn’t work. I couldn’t get in a relationship, not for long, because no one made me feel the way the charismatic Grayson Gamble made me feel. Years in total limbo, then you pull up in your hotshot car—”
“Hey,” he responded. “It was a nice car.”
“Oh, I’m sure. Poor Trevor had to knock the dust off of his only Mercedes so you could show off.”
“Okay, can we stick to the script? No personal attacks.” He tried to be patient, but everything felt out of sync and wrong.
“Then, we had that amazing night,” she said and sobbed so hard she couldn’t finish the sentence. She only managed to say ‘stupid’ a couple of times.
“I’m taking you home.” He was in so much emotional pain he could hardly handle it.
“I don’t do threesomes.” She looked over his shoulder.
“Lara, it’s not what you think. I didn’t invite her over. She means nothing.”
“That’s your problem. No one means anything to you but you. You left your mom. You left me. Now that poor girl who was thinking she’d get to spend a glorious night with you was left on your porch watching you chase after another woman.”
They turned the corner as Paige climbed into a cab. He was never so grateful to have half of his current problems disappear. The only problem was he was certain Lara was one phone call away from leaving him too.
She switched from tears to crazy laughter. “I’m going home. And Grayson, I’m never, ever, ever, going to be stupid again.”
“I’ll call you a cab,” he said, already using the app.
“No, I can take care of me and anyone else that comes my way.”
He stood like a cinderblock wall. He didn’t have to say a word, he used his body to project his power. It was a trick he learned from his father. It made people back down. “I’m calling a cab.”
She was quiet. He waited to the side until the car he called picked her up, then he walked slowly back to his house, head hung low and his heart hemorrhaging. He was absolutely destroyed. If he had made Lara feel this way as a young girl, he could understand why she’d banished him from her life. He hated himself, but he loved her, and now he’d truly lost her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lara
She had a tidy life with her cute house and quaint shop. Things had been predictable. All at once, her old and only flame reintroduced himself, she’d made amends and friends with a woman who was dying, and now she was pregnant. Two trips in a twenty-four-hour period and several weeks of chaos had exhausted her.
While the image of the other woman Grayson was with flashed in her mind like a blinker she couldn’t shut off, she was still committed to spending time with Helen.
She was genuinely fond of her despite her interference in their lives. In her romantic teenage dream, she and Grayson would have run off and lived happily ever after, but the reality would have been starkly different. He wouldn’t have chased his dreams and made his mark in the world. She wouldn’t have become the woman she was. Would he have blamed her if he’d chosen her? Would she have regretted choosing him?
Pushing Grayson away the first time, although out of spite, was probably the best for both of them.
She took a second pregnancy test when she returned home to be certain. The answer was still clear, blue, and easy.
Poor Tabitha needed a break at the shop because she’d been covering everything by herself. As exhausted as Lara was, she went into work and let her assistant have time off.
Toward the end of the day, she called Aidy when she thought she might be wrapping up at work to tell her about her impending blessed event. She would have told her the night they spent with Helen but Aidy was obsessed with other things like her love life.
Aidy let out a long gasp that Lara referred to as the ‘gasp heard around the world.’ She was excited, appalled, and didn’t stop with the rapid-fire questions.
“How are you feeling? Have you been to the doctor? Have you told Grayson? It is Grayson’s, right?”
“Of course,” Lara scoffed, “it’s Grayson’s. If you weren’t my friend, Aidy, I’d kick your ass.”
“Well you did go from Chuck to Grayson super fast,” Aidy remarked.
“Just so we’re clear. There was nothing physical between Chuck and me. Not a kiss. Not a touch. Nothing. He’s yours with my blessing. Any other loaded questions?”
“Have you told Grayson?”
“No.” Her voice fell flat. “It’s a long story, and I would invite you over to tell you about it, but I’m dead on my feet. As it turns out, pregnancy makes a woman tired.”
“Why aren’t you home and letting Tabitha take care of things?”
“Because she has been an incredible employee, and I’ve taken advantage of her loyalty.” She leaned against the counter. “I need to be in my store.”
“I went over to Helen’s and thoroughly loved it,” Aidy reported. “I want to continue to visit even though you’re back. I love her.”
“I do too.” The words almost stuck in her throat when Lara started to cry.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m all over the map.” She grabbed a tissue from the box she kept for emotional brides and wiped away her tears. “I cry at the drop of a hat. I’m irritable and—”
“You’re pregnant. So back to one of my many questions, have you seen a doctor?”
“I made an appointment. They said it wasn’t urgent to be seen since I’m so early. I’m only a few weeks along.”
“Those tests are sensitive.”
“Yeah, they say you can test six days before a missed period. The doctor will confirm the test, and I’ll go from there.”
“Do I get to be an auntie?”
“As long as you stop being a grump.”
She squealed so loudly Lara had to pull the phone from her ear. She turned toward the clock and realized it was almost a respectable time for her to close up shop.
“Have you eaten?”
She thought about it and probably didn’t have anything in the fridge.
“I haven’t and I should,” she said. “I’ll stop by the grocer on my way home.”
“How about I meet you at the diner, we have a quick meal, and I’ll go shopping for you tomorrow?”
“I’m pregnant, I’m not an invalid.”
“And I’m a friend helping you out.” Aidy’s keys jingled in the background. “I have some time in the morning before I have to go to my first appointment.”
They met at a corner booth in the diner where Aidy gave her a healthy dose of the latest gossip. Things felt normal for the moment until Lara’s phone dinged. She checked it with a look of confusion.
“Ugh.”
“What?”
“Why am I getting notifications of Grayson’s flights?”
“Don’t you want to know?”
“It’s such a long story,” she said sadly. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“Stop thinking about it after you talk to me,” said Aidy. “Now spill.”
“It was so dumb.” Lara sipped at the juice she ordered and waited for her burger and fries to arrive. “We got in a tiff at dinner when I was at his mother’s. Then I flew out to see him and tell him about the baby. I realized when I got there, I didn’t even know where he lived. I knew where his shop was, so I stopped by, got his address, then waited for him.”
“And?” Aidy asked.
“And he showed up with a woman.”
“The bastard,” gasped Aidy. “Wait. Back up. He left his mother to be with this woman?”
“No,” explained Lara. “He owns a pretty happening shop. He has some big names for clients and apparently, they want to make a reality television show about his business. He had a meeting with television execs. Not sure who the woman was. He said she was no one.”
“So, you flew out to make up with him for the fight you had at Helen’s and tell him he’s a daddy,” Aidy made like she was writing it all down on her napkin with her finger. “Got it.”
“Not sure if I will ever tell him.”
“Hold the door.” Aidy gave her a hard stare. “He has a right to know. He has a financial responsibility. Helen should know.”
“I’m not sure,” she disagreed. “Knowing she has a grandchild she will never see might not go over well.”
“That’s not your call.”
“I’ve thought about it,” she countered. “I can keep it quiet, she will pass, and he’ll go home to Los Angeles. I’ll never see him again.”
“Lara,” scolded Aidy.
“It’s a thought.” Rick dropped off her burger and fries and Aidy’s club sandwich and salad. Seeing that they were in a deep discussion, he didn’t stay around to chat, and she was grateful.
Minutes later her phone dinged with another notice about Grayson’s flight. He was taking off.
“I don’t know how to turn these off,” she said sharply.
Aidy took her phone. “I’ll do it. He probably added you since you’re an emergency contact and he wanted you to be informed.” She pressed the screen. “Oops.”
“What?” Lara’s eyes grew big and suspicious.
“I accidentally dialed him. It’s okay. I hung up, and he’s in the air. He won’t know.”
Her phone lit up immediately.
“He’s calling.” She pointed to the screen. “I don’t want to talk to him.”
“Text him. Say you pocket dialed, and you don’t want to talk to him. Leave it at that.” Aidy reached over and stole a fry.
She followed her friend's directions. “Done,” she said. “I’m going to still visit Helen. I’ll work around him.”
“He’s coming home to be with her,” said Aidy. “How are you going to manage that without a conversation?”
“I’ll figure it out.” She took her first bite. “This is bad, but so good.” She pointed to the burger. “My last hurrah meal until the baby is born. I’m going to eat healthy from here on out.”
Aidy extended her hand to shake. “This is a deal, kid,” she said. “I’ll eat well too so you won’t be tempted.”
“You know, since I got his notifications, I know when he’s going to be here. I’m calling Helen to see if I can stop by on the way home.”
“Please tell her about the baby.” Aidy put her hands together in a praying mantis pose. “She’s cool. She knows the score with Grayson. She can take the secret to the grave. Tell her.”
Lara made the call at the table, but the nurse said that Helen was asleep for the evening. Her news would have to wait until the morning. Her phone dinged again, and all thoughts went back to Grayson.
She wondered who the baby would look like, whether he or she would be tall like him, have his charm. Her conscience started talking to her, telling her that he had a right to know.
“You know,” said Aidy. “Not to play devil’s advocate, but whatever, if you won’t tell Grayson he’s a dad that means you are depriving a child of his or her father. Can you do that?”
Lara threw her fry down on her plate. “Why do you always have to ask the right questions?”
“Sorry, but there’s more than one person in this situation. I get that you’re the one who is carrying the child, but there is more than one life here to be considered.”
“I understand,” she said in a low, even voice. “Just give me a second to process. I’m sure I’ll do the right thing, but I need time.”
“I know, but time isn’t your friend right now.”
Lara’s eyes widened. She had confided in her best friend, who happened to be the town gossip. “I’m begging you. Let me be the one to spread this news.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Grayson
The flight back to Colorado was long because Grayson had grabbed the first one he could get, and it had a layover in Phoenix. The hours between flights gave him time to think.
He felt like he would suffocate if he didn’t get away from Beloved for at least a day, but he was lying to himself. His mother could have died while he left for a meeting that could have waited or been done over the phone. He had to focus on the important things and when he laid it all out, there was little that was important but his mother and Lara.
His head spun with a ton of ideas about how he could keep the best of both worlds. He wanted the television deal, but there was no reason why he couldn’t shoot the series in Colorado. The short stint away from Scratchers proved the business did well without him. He could promote his manager and open a new spot in Beloved or Osten.
Grayson jotted down ideas for changes in the show. It was different from how he and Jack had discussed it. The more notes he made, the more desperate he was to make it work. He wanted to turn the hands of time back if even for a couple of days.
He checked in with his mother’s nurse and was pleased to hear that both Lara and Aidy had been spending time with Helen. The nurse said it was the best medicine of all. That his mother had rallied in their presence.
