Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Bonny

I'm up earlier than I usually am so I can be ready well ahead of Grayson pulling up. Thankfully my mom pulled a double at the hospital where she's a nurse and is still asleep, leaving me plenty of time to sneak out of the house with her - and Tandy - still in bed.

Before he can even turn the car off, I am out the door and down the stairs. I slide into the seat and start pulling at my seatbelt with very little results. Grayson leans over and takes the belt from my hands, easily pulling it across me and buckling it. Instead of starting to reverse he stays where he is, leaning in close to me. When I look up to find out what is going on, he leans in even further and our lips meet. I'm shocked into gasping, and he takes advantage by slipping the tip of his tongue inside.

The kiss is over before I can think about complaining. All I can do is hope that my mom isn't looking out the window. If I'm not lucky and she is, I am going to have a lot of explaining to do… about stuff I'm not even sure about myself.

It doesn't get any better when he drops me off at the shop. As soon as I let myself in, Candy is on me.

"Is that the new optometrist I saw dropping you off?"

"Um… yeah. He… well, last night…"

She interrupts my stammering. "You spent the night with him?"

"What? No! Of course not! I was just tired, and me and Tandy were… we got sleepy… he was just worried about us, so he brought us home and then he was nice enough to come pick me up this morning."

"I don't think it has anything to do with niceness. That man wants you."

My cheeks turn pink as Candy mimics the words Grayson told me last night. What makes it even worse is the fact that I dreamed about him all last night. Hot, steamy dreams that left me achy and… embarrassingly wet.

"I'm going to have to look into him to make sure he's a good man."

"No! I… don't do that, Candy. He… he's a good man. Really. I don't want him to think I'm trying to…"

"Check up on him? Not trust him? Yeah, every woman who magically disappears on Dateline says the same thing, Bonbon. Besides, it's not you looking into him. It's me."

"Candy…"

"If he's who you think he is - a nice man - then he won't get mad that I am looking after my friend. He won't be mad about that at all."

I let it go because there is no way to win when Candy gets something in her head. We secretly call her Hard Candy because she goes at things hard and won't let up. But I love her. She's such a wonderful friend. Loyal, kind, protective. And so much more.

I push the thought of Grayson out of my mind for the rest of the day and instead focus on what has to be done to make sure we open on time. We plan a girls' night for the end of the week so we can talk about what is left to do and celebrate the fact we are so close to opening. It's exciting but also incredibly scary. It makes me a nervous wreck just thinking about it, so I stop and focus on the now. If I just focus on what I have to do today, maybe I won't be so overwhelmed.

I ask Lolly to take me over to Grayson's house after work so I can pick up my car. When we get there, he's not at home. I shouldn't wonder what he might be doing or where he spends his free time. I watch as Lolly pulls out once she sees me jump into my car, but I don't leave right away. Instead, I sit and wonder if I should leave him a note that I was here to grab my car and thank him again for dropping me off so early on his day off.

I grab my bag and start digging in it for a pen and a piece of paper. I'm so intent on finding things to make my note with that I don't realize Grayson is back before he taps on my window causing me to jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." It's the first words out of his mouth when I roll down my window for him.

"I was just trying to find something to write you a note thanking you for… everything."

His eyes flash to my backseat, "Do you have to pick Tandy up?"

"No," I answer him honestly wondering why he asks. I don't have to wonder for too long.

"You want to have dinner with me again?"

Damn. He's good. He got me before I even realized I was gotten. Now, if I say no, he'll think it's because of something he has done when in reality I just… don't know if I can act normal for an entire dinner without someone to focus my attention on other than Grayson. There is no way I can make it through a whole dinner with it just being me and him, but when I look at him, I just can't seem to tell him no.