Chapter 30

Lunch with Grayson was fun and easy, so when he asked me to have dinner with him, I figured, what could it hurt?

But when he kissed me on the cheek and said, "Great, I'll pick you up at seven, and we'll go into the city," I wondered if I should have declined.

But I'm going, so we'll see how it goes.

He's very handsome, and he's smart. Of course, I've known him for all of five hours.

I have no idea where he's taking me in the city. It could be something as simple as fast food or something as elegant as the Fortnight.

No, it won't be the Fortnight. Grayson doesn't scream money to me. He's obviously working as a lab assistant, and he mentioned he was on scholarship as well.

Definitely no Fortnight in the cards for me.

Maybe Dave will take me there Saturday night.

I choose a pair of plain black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that's clingy and shows off my breasts.

For shoes, I opt for black suede booties—my best pair. They saw a lot of Europe—well, not a lot. But they saw London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and one day of Paris.

The tour is going very well. Jesse and Rory keep me updated, and I'm so happy for them.

And I so wish I were still there.

I wish Dave were there too… And I wish I weren't going on this date.

But I am. Dave and I have been together for such a short time, there's nothing wrong with me seeing another guy.

Part of me feels like I'm cheating on him, though.

But I'll get over it.

I'm checking my makeup and hair when someone knocks on the door.

I look through the peephole, and there stands Grayson. He looks good. He's slicked his hair back with some glossy product, and he's wearing a red bowtie over a patterned button-down, all under a sleek gray cardigan.

The exact opposite of anything Dave Simpson would ever wear, but the look works for Grayson. Kind of nerdy sexy.

I open the door. "Right on time."

"I'm nothing if not punctual." He looks me over. "You look great. Are you ready?"

I grab my purse. "Ready."

I don't have a car, but he must, or he wouldn't have suggested we go to the city.

We walk toward a Honda Civic, and then I realize someone else is in the driver's seat.

"I hope you don't mind Uber," he says. "I never drink and drive."

He's smart, and he thought ahead. That's good.

He also wants to drink. Which means he may get flirtier later.

Guess I'll play this by ear.

"I don't mind at all." I slide into the back seat, and he slides next to me. "Hi," I say to the driver.

He nods to me.

"I'm not a big drinker," Grayson says, "but to be honest, I don't have any wheels at the moment."

"Neither do I," I say. Seems I have a lot more in common with Grayson than I do with Dave.

The thought makes me kind of sad.

"You like Italian?" Grayson asks.

"Love it."

Although it makes me think of my last meal with Dave—takeout from Lorenzo's.

Not to mention the amazing lovemaking we did after the meal. I subconsciously curl my fingers into a loose fist.

"I know an amazing place. It's called Alfredo's. And it's not far."

I smile and nod. "Oh yeah, I've been there many times."

Many times with the awesome foursome and some of my other sorority sisters. Only if I can find a ride, of course. Angie, Sage, and Gina all have their own cars, but they still haven't returned to campus. Not that I'd want them knowing I'm on a date with a non-Steel anyway. Dave wouldn't be pleased if word about this outing got back to him.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrive and head inside. The place is kind of a dive, but the food is great. Red-checkered tablecloths and wine bottles in a basket with a taper candle adorn each table.

The hostess shows us to our table, and Grayson pulls out a chair for me.

A gentleman.

But Dave Simpson is also a gentleman. All the Steel men are.

"Can I bring you anything to drink?" our server asks.

I jerk my head upward. "Oh, hi Rosalie."

She smiles. "Hey, Maddie. I didn't even realize it was you. We're so busy tonight."

I gesture across the table. "Rosalie, this is Grayson George. Grayson, this is Rosalie Fortnight. She was a sorority sister of mine until she graduated last year."

"Fortnight?" he asks. "As in the Fortnight?"

Rosalie laughs. "You think I'd be working here if that were the case?"

Grayson returns her laugh.

"I'm working here while I go to grad school," Rosalie continues. "Sorry to be so abrupt before. What can I get you to drink?"

"I think I'll start with some water," I say.

"I'll have a glass of the house Chianti," Grayson says. Then he looks at me. "You think you'll want one with dinner?"

"Yeah, that sounds good actually."

"Bring a carafe then," he says.

"Awesome." Rosalie makes some notes on a device. "I'll be by with a breadbasket and some olive oil and balsamic."

Once Rosalie leaves, Grayson leans forward, eyeing me playfully. "So you're a sorority girl."

"I am. I was supposed to live in the house. I lived there last semester. But as you know, I got a late start to the semester."

He nods. "Yeah, why is that anyway?"

I bite my lip. "It's a long boring story."

"Boring?" He looks me up and down, smiling shyly. "I can't imagine anything about you is boring."

"I was in the UK, and in Paris."

His eyes widen. "That's hardly a boring story."

"I was with one of my sorority sisters. Brianna Steel. She graduated early."

His eyebrows fly up. "Another one of the Steels?"

"Yeah. She's engaged to my brother. He's a… Gosh, it feels even weird to say this now. He's kind of a rock star."

"Now I know there's a story there."

"Yeah, my older brother and sister are singers, and they have this rock band called Dragonlock."

He strokes his chin. "Oh my God, I've heard them. They're great. They played a bar here earlier last year."

"Oh yeah, they play at all the local bars."

"I don't remember there being a female singer."

"My sister only joined the band recently. Anyway, they happened to be in this one bar in Utah, and you won't even believe who was there."

"Who?"

"Jett Draconis and Zane Michaels."

He gasps. "Of Emerald Phoenix? No way."

"Yeah, and they totally loved the band. Their opener for the European tour had dropped out, and they invited Dragonlock to go on tour with them."

His jaw drops open. "You were following Emerald Phoenix on tour?"

"I was, until Brianna got called home for some family emergency."

He cocks his head. "Oh my God, is everything okay?"

I'm not sure how much I'm at liberty to say, so, "I honestly don't know that much about it myself. But Jesse and Rory were busy with the band, and I would've been all by myself."

"Yeah, but you would have been in Europe."

But I wouldn't have been with Dave. Not that I can say this, so I simply shrug. "I can always go back. I figured I'd just as soon come home and finish my semester so I wouldn't have to make it up later. This way I'll get to walk at graduation."

"I'd forgo walking at graduation for a trip to Europe anytime."

"That's what I had planned." I sigh. "But you know, circumstances sometimes change."

"I suppose they do." His eyes light up. "Now you get to study biology with me."

I chuckle. "So not my strong suit."

He places his hand on the table a half inch away from mine. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Maddie?"

His words hit me like a knife right between my eyes.

I frown. "I guess… I honestly don't know. I feel like an idiot even saying it, but it's so true. Part of me was hoping I'd find some kind of inspiration during this European tour, but now I'm back here."

"That's okay, I didn't know for the longest time, and then it hit me."

"What you were going to do?" I ask.

"With my biology major, I decided to go into nursing."

I smile. "That is a wonderful endeavor. What made you choose nursing?"

"A doctor was my first choice, but I can't afford medical school, and I didn't decide on this path until it was too late to get ready to take the MCAT on time anyway. So I figured I'd try nursing. If I like it, and if I still feel the drive to go to medical school, I can always do it later."

"That's an amazing outlook," I say. "But I still don't know what the hell I'm going to do with my life. Seems like I've spent it in my older siblings' shadows, and the shadows of some of my sorority sisters."

I don't mention the Steel cousins, but he may already know who I'm talking about.

"Maddie, you aren't in anyone's shadow. And you need to realize that."

I look down. "That's what my dad says too. I suppose I need to stop letting yesterday take up too much of today."

He widens his eyes. "Wow, that's really profound."

"Don't be too impressed. I didn't coin that phrase. Will Rogers did."

"That's okay. You pulled it out when you meant it."

Then something comes to me.

"I've always been so interested in finding people who inspire me," I say. "Maybe I need to start inspiring myself."

Grayson grins. "You've inspired me already."

I shake my head. "No, I'm being serious. I've read so many self-help books, and I end up feeling great after I read them. Then I go back into my old ways, but I always feel better when I'm helping someone else."

"You could be a therapist."

I shake my head. "No, definitely not a therapist. Clearly science isn't my thing. More like a… A life coach." I cross my arms. "I don't think I would be good at helping someone heal from past trauma, but I think what I could do is help them look forward and achieve specific goals. And my first client is going to be myself."

He smiles and takes a sip of his wine. "Did I just help you decide what to do with your life?"

I nod as a smile slowly spreads across my face. "I think maybe you did. It feels right. And nothing about where I'm going in my so-called career has felt right…like ever. It's funny. When we were in Europe, Brianna told me that my gift was empathy, helping other people with their feelings. I think she may be right. I could use those skills as a life coach."

"Sure you don't want to go into therapy?"

"No, I don't think so. I like to focus on the future rather than the past. It's like Will Rogers said. Don't let yesterday take up too much of today."

Rosalie returns to take our orders.

"I'm so sorry, Rosalie," I say. "I haven't even looked at the menu."

"I'm having the lasagna," Grayson says, "with a Caesar salad."

"You know what?" I put down my menu. "I just had lasagna yesterday, but it still sounds good. I'll have the same, Rosalie."

Rosalie smiles and collects our menus. "Great, I'll get these right in."

I smile at Grayson, and he gives me a wide grin back.

I'm happy.

Happy to be here, and happy to be sharing a meal with a nice man.

Even though I'd much rather be looking across the table at Dave Simpson.

By the time we get into the Uber to go back, I'm just giddy. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders, knowing now what I think I can do.

It's like I've been training for this my entire life, looking for inspirational quotes, helping myself feel better about my situation.

And the funny thing is? I feel better about my situation right now in this moment than I have for a long time.

We get to the dorm, and Grayson walks me to my door.

"I had a great time, Maddie."

"I did too, Grayson. Thank you."

He leans down to kiss me, and I let him brush his lips against mine, but when he probes between them for entrance with his tongue, I pull away.

He blinks. "What's wrong?"

I take a deep breath and sigh. "I don't want to give you the wrong idea, Grayson. I'm involved with someone else. It's new, but it's exciting, and the two of us have been through a few things. I don't want to screw that up."

He frowns. "You could've told me that before I took you to dinner."

I drop my jaw. "Seriously? You want to go there?"

Maybe he's not such a nice guy.

But then he rakes his fingers through his hair. "God, no, I'm not that guy. I don't know why I even said that. It's just that you're so pretty, and I haven't found anyone I've clicked with in a long time."

I cock my head. "How's that possible? You're smart, good-looking."

"I don't know." He looks at his feet. "But it's not your problem."

"Maybe it is. You want to talk? It might be good practice for me."

He looks at my door. "I suppose it would be too much to ask to talk in your room."

I laugh lightly. "Probably not a good idea. We can go down to the lounge. It's still early on a Saturday night. I doubt too many people will be down there."

A small smile creeps over his face. "You know what, Maddie? I think I'd like that."