Seeing me, she smiled. “Hey. I was going to call you. I enjoyed torturing my brother at the carnival, but I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d love to have lunch.”
I smiled. “I’d like that. When did you have in mind?”
She shrugged. “I’m just coming back from a meeting and haven’t eaten yet. Now, if you’re not heading somewhere else?”
I had a mile-long to-do list, but…I hadn’t eaten anything other than a power bar on the way to the office at four o’clock this morning. Plus, I had so many unanswered questions about Grant, and who better than his sister to shed a little light on the enigma? So, screw it. Why not? The tailor would still be open in an hour or two.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
***
“So…my brother really likes you, I can tell,” Kate announced.
She and I had made small talk through most of lunch. I was relieved when she not-so-subtly brought our conversation around to Grant during coffee.
I smiled and lifted my cup to my lips. “I like him, too. Though sometimes he can be…”
While I was thinking of the right words—maybe difficult, hard to read, abrupt—Kate filled in the blank.
“A total jackass.”
I laughed. “Yeah, that.”
She smiled warmly. “He doesn’t often bring women around, not casually anyway. He’ll bring a date to something formal that requires one, but it’s been years since I saw him with a woman while he was dressed in a pair of jeans. It’s like women became necessary companions for social functions and, well, I’m sure for other purposes we don’t need to discuss unless you want to see my lunch all over this table. But they aren’t really a part of his life anymore.”
From what Grant had told me about his dating, his sister’s assessment was on point. He kept women very separate and distant from the things that mattered in his life. But while Kate’s comment wasn’t a surprise, I hoped she could shed light on why he was that way.
I nodded. “When we’ve talked about his previous relationships, that’s pretty much what he alluded to. Actually, he didn’t allude. He came right out and said he was upfront with the women he’s dated the last few years—he wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship.”
Kate frowned. “You two seemed pretty relationship-y on Sunday. Something’s different than the way I’ve seen him with other women. He’s warm, not cold. I watched you guys walk out to the parking lot; he even took your hand.”
“He’s trying. But we take a step forward, and then he retreats.”
Kate sighed. “My brother has trouble letting people in.”
I wasn’t sure I should be discussing the things Grant had confided in me about his marriage. But I knew that had to be the root of all his cynicism on relationships. He’d been burned badly and was afraid to get too close to the fire again.
“His marriage obviously had a profound impact on who he is today.”
“Has he…opened up to you about his marriage?”
“Somewhat. He’s told me about Lily’s mental health issues.”
Kate was quiet for a moment. She seemed to be debating something or lost in thought. Finally she said, “Did he…go into detail about how it ended?”
“Not really. It was more general, I guess.”
Kate nodded. Again she was quiet as she considered her words. Then she reached across the table and covered my hand with hers. “My brother is like an oyster. He’s shut tight, and he might never open, or you just may be the one who pries him loose. If that happens, I promise you’ll find a pearl waiting for you.”
***
On Thursday morning, Grant called and said he was taking an earlier flight home than expected and asked me to meet him for dinner. He said he would come straight from the airport because he knew my routine included being in bed by eight o’clock on weeknights.
I agreed to meet him at a restaurant not too far from my house, and when I arrived, I found him already seated at the bar. A woman in a tight green dress stood next to him, talking, and her hand rested on his back as she spoke.
“Hey. Sorry if I’m a few minutes late,” I said as I approached.
Grant stood and kissed me on the lips. “Flight landed early. You’re not late.” He kept his hand on my back, and the woman stood there waiting to be introduced.
Grant cleared his throat. “Ireland, this is Shannon. She’s the hostess here. She used to work over at the steakhouse next to our office.”
I smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Though she showed me her pearly whites with a full, plastic smile, the quick drop of her eyes to assess me said a lot. When a woman is standing with a man and another woman approaches, she sizes her up for one of two reasons—to see who her competition is or to see who the man she’s lost has moved on to. I wasn’t sure which this was.
“You, too,” she finally said. She reached out and touched Grant’s arm. “I’ll check to see if your table is ready.”
When she walked away, Grant buried his face in my hair. He took a deep breath in. “Mmm... I missed you.”
“Really? It seemed like you had good company…”
Grant arched a brow. “Do I detect jealousy?”
“Do I have a reason to be jealous?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. But full disclosure, Shannon and I did go out a few times.”
I frowned. “Did she visit your apartment?”
Grant looked down. “I know you didn’t think I was a virgin. Though if I’d known she worked here, I wouldn’t have picked this place.” His eyes rose and locked with mine. “I get it, though. I wouldn’t be happy in the presence of anyone you’ve been with.”
His not belittling how I felt made me feel better. Besides, I was being silly. We both had pasts. I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m a big girl.”
Shannon walked back over to us. “Your table’s ready.”
After we followed a woman he used to sleep with back to the table, it made me realize we’d never spoken about seeing other people. The thought of him with anyone else made me crazy. Though, I suppose technically, we both had the right to do it.
Grant pulled out my chair, and once we were both seated, Shannon said she’d send the waiter over to take our drink order. I shook out my cloth napkin and laid it over my lap.
“We’ve never spoken about seeing other people.”
Grant had picked up a glass of water and froze with it halfway to his mouth. “I assumed we were exclusive at this point.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“The thought of you with another man makes me feel irrational.”
I smiled. “I feel the same way.”
He leaned across the table. “I’m glad we’ve had this talk. I thought it was torture to be near you and not know what it feels like to be inside you. But apparently there are way worse things than not fucking you, such as imagining that someone else is.”
I laughed. “Well, put that thought out of your head. How was your trip?”
Grant shook out his napkin. “Productive. We’re buying a building on the east coast and going to relocate a few of our smaller businesses’ headquarters around the city into one building. It’s a good time to buy.”