by Nina Crespo
“Grey.” Instead of pulling him in for a slap on the back like her uncles had, her father let go and gave him a stiff smile. He looked to Cori. “I should find your mom.” Then he walked away.
Grey stared after him. “Is everything all right with your dad?”
Aside from her father looking tired, not smiling, or mingling with people? That wasn’t like him. “I think so. Things are just a little stressful with Dana right now. She’s having a meltdown about the menu, and I think my parents may have gotten pulled into it.” She handed the cocktail to a server passing by with a beverage tray.
Grey leaned down to speak to her. “For the record, you touched me first.”
When had she slipped her arm through his?
He grinned at her, fully enjoying her being the one to have broken the rule she’d made.
“Yes, I did. And you don’t have to look so pleased about it.” Cori bumped her hip lightly against him and walked off.
He followed, and they went back to the bar and mingled with the crowd.
Grey fielded questions from her family about why he was in town. To her surprise, no awkward questions popped up about them or her love life. Everyone was just happy to see her.
Finally, she ran into her mother. With her hair in a curly up-do, her mom managed to look like the height of fashion in a suit that would have made anyone else look like a leprechaun.
She kissed Cori on the cheek. “Have you seen your father?”
“He was here a few minutes ago, but he left to find you.”
Her mother shook her head in exasperation. “There’s no telling where he’s gone, then.” As she went to walk away, she did a double-take. “Grey Latham! I hardly recognized you.”
“Hey, Mrs. Ross.” He hugged her.
“You look so good.” Her mom beamed and squeezed him back as if he were the long-lost Prodigal Son. When Cori was with him years ago, her mother had always said how much she’d liked him because he was so respectful. She just hadn’t approved of him not having a “reliable” job.
Grey looked over her shoulder and winked at Cori. “I don’t look as good as you. I need to start following your program.”
As her mother stepped back from the embrace, she giggled like a fourteen-year-old with a schoolgirl crush instead of a grown woman in her fifties. “Well, I have been doing a bit more walking with some of the ladies in my neighborhood.”
Cori couldn’t suppress a smile or an eye roll. He was flirting with her mom, and it was actually working.
The DJ announced that everyone should go back to their tables.
Her mom left in search of Cori’s father. Somewhere along the way, they’d missed each other. Grey and Cori found their seats. Half of the people at the table were from Ben’s family, and the rest were Ross cousins from the west coast that she hadn’t seen in a couple of years.
The meal started out quiet, but soon general conversation flowed as they enjoyed the upscale spring picnic menu of roast chicken, baby greens mixed salad, and gourmet mac and cheese. Once dinner ended, a dessert buffet was set up along the wall with miniature cupcakes and cookies monogrammed with the couple’s initials.
Dana and her fiancé Ben gave their thank-yous and invited everyone to stay and continue to help them celebrate. Dana really did look like a princess with her artfully messy bun, twinkling gold earrings, and a light green cocktail dress. Her bright brown eyes, glowing light tan cheeks, and huge smile were all for Ben. Tall and lean, he made the wedding colors work with a green suit and yellowish gold tie. Even better, he stared at Dana as if she was his entire world.
A pang of sadness hit Cori. She and Kevin had never come close to that—true love.
Grey nudged Cori’s hand and held out a heart-shaped cookie.
He was so damn perceptive. And at moments like this, when she tried to make sense of what happened with Kevin, she felt as transparent and fragile as tinted glass, as if anyone looking closely would see every raw emotion inside of her. But with Grey, she didn’t care that he did. And that was…scary. She’d let Kevin all the way in—into her life, her head, and her emotions. She’d given him the tools to hurt her. And he’d done it. Spectacularly.
Cori accepted the cookie Grey offered and set it aside. If she let Grey in, he’d have that power, too.
Suddenly, the DJ ramped up the music with a driving house beat like the music Damien had played at Escapade.
Other than Dana and Ben, only four more couples, consisting of the future bridesmaids and groomsmen, were on the dance floor. By the next two songs with a club dance beat, the numbers had thinned.
Cori’s mom drifted from table to table, whispering to the twenty- and thirty-something family members. A few got up and went to the dance floor.
She reached Cori and Grey and leaned between the two of them. “Do you mind dancing? Dana’s starting to look anxious again.”
Cori followed her mom’s gaze to her cousin.
Dana, dancing with Ben, looked around at the mostly empty dance floor and then out at everyone still sitting with an anxious expression that was quickly shifting to unhappiness.
Grey glanced at the DJ in the corner. He stood but didn’t reach for Cori. “Sure. In fact, Mrs. Ross, dance with me.” He tucked her mother’s hand under his arm.
Her mother shot him a questioning look. “To this? But no one my age is out there.”
“That’s because they’re waiting for us.”
Understanding that Grey was trying to help break the ice in the room, Cori gave her mother a nudge. “Go ahead, Mom. Show everyone how it’s done.”
Her mother laughed. “Well, okay.”
Grey danced with her mom, making her laugh as he took her hand and spun her around. Then he coaxed Aunt Isabel to the dance floor along with her sisters. Everyone cheered them.
While the women danced together, Grey conferred with the younger DJ. The two exchanged a fist bump and began an animated conversation. A short time later, the DJ handed him a microphone.
A song from way back, “The Electric Boogie,” started booming through the speakers.
“All right, everybody,” Grey called out, using his DJ voice that was deeper and even more persuasive. “It’s time to get on the dance floor and do the electric slide with Dana and Ben, the happy couple. Don’t be shy. You know this is your jam.”
One by one, people got up and joined the forming lines.
Loosened up by good food, alcohol, and a little coaxing, even some of Dana’s future in-laws hit the floor.
I should get out there, too. But Cori hesitated, drawn to the view of Grey, who still had the mic. He hyped up the crowd. As the DJ mixed in another old-school song, Grey had them chanting and raising the roof.
Her mother, who was still dancing with Isabel and the rest of Cori’s aunts, waved her over. She joined them and soon found herself leading “the wobble” line dance. As Cori swayed her hips and made a turn to the left, Grey, who stood next to the DJ, caught her eye and winked.
A laugh bubbled out of Cori.
Yeah, Grey was just as cute as he’d been when he’d first winked at her years ago, but this time, he wasn’t going to cause her to miss a beat.
Chapter Twelve
Late in the afternoon, Grey handed the mic back to the DJ, who was matching the end of the party mood with slow songs.
He looked for Cori and spotted her sitting at their table, drinking a glass of white wine with her feet propped in a chair, laughing with her cousins.
Leaving her alone and working the party wasn’t what he’d planned to do. His goal had been to make sure Cori had a good time. but he couldn’t just sit by and watch the DJ’s performance land like a brick. Especially if he could stop it from happening. Luckily, he managed to do both—save the party and make her smile. His only regret was that he hadn’t been near her while he did it. Well, as near as she�
�d let him get to her without breaking the no PDA rule. What about a slow dance? Would she allow that?
Just when he was about to walk over and ask her, she got up with a smile, met him halfway, and pulled him to the dance floor. As she wrapped an arm around his neck, he didn’t hesitate for an instant to wrap his arm around her and grasp the hand she laid on his chest. But he did resist the urge to kiss her.
He returned her smile. “Once again, I’d like it noted that you are the one who touched me first.”
She laughed up at him. “You’re not going to let me forget that dumb rule, are you?”
“Nope. Not a chance.” He was going to tease her about it forever. Or at least, for the next week or so before he left.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Giving the DJ a hand. Dana was on her way to another meltdown.”
“He just needed to settle in and think about what he was doing. The guy he usually tag-teams with had an emergency and couldn’t be here. He’s just starting out as a DJ, so it threw him off his game.”
“But it didn’t faze you. You just took the mic and did it. Thank you.”
On the outside, it had looked that way, but inside, he’d hesitated. The younger DJ losing his stride had reminded him of Liam when he’d struggled during one of his first sets at Breakers. But the situation had been a lot more brutal back then—the crowd had jeered and looked like they were moving up to throwing things. Back then, he’d done the same thing he’d done for the DJ tonight—taken the mic, hyped up the crowd, and Liam had worked through it, finding the music that had gotten everyone back on his side.
A pang of sadness hit in Grey’s chest.
Cori laid her cheek right where the emotion balled inside of him. He breathed as it melted away.
She chuckled ruefully and lifted her head. “Dana mentioned that in the past, I would have been the fun, spontaneous one, right there with you, encouraging people to get up and dance. She said I’ve mellowed.” Cori wrinkled her nose with a look of distaste. “She made it sound like I’m not fun anymore.”
“You’re perfect.” He brought their joined hands to his lips and kissed hers. “I love you the way you are.”
Cori stared at him with a puzzled look, as if trying to interpret what he meant.
That had sounded way too serious, but he wasn’t lying to her. To him, she was perfect, just the way she was. The “I love you” part had just slipped out. He’d meant that she didn’t have to change for anyone. It was simply an observation from a good friend. That was it.
He conjured up a lopsided grin. “Good friends are allowed to give each other compliments.”
“I like being good friends.” She stroked his nape raising goose bumps on his skin. “And I can’t wait to be really good friends later.”
His heart rate kicked up. That small caress and her promises were going to get him in really big trouble. Sure, they’d scrapped the no PDA rule, but he sure as hell couldn’t walk around her family sporting wood.
He gently squeezed her waist then released her. “We should go.”
From Cori’s coy smile, she knew exactly what she’d done to him.
They quickly made the rounds, starting with Dana and Ben. Along the way, they got separated. He found her mom first, who gave him a huge hug and thanked him for coming. Cori found her dad first on the other side of the room sitting with her uncle, Reggie, who looked a lot like her dad but was heavier. Earlier, he’d looked stressed. Then again, he was the father of the bride—he knew what kind of stress to expect. But now, he seemed a little more relaxed, as if relieved that the party was almost over.
Grey caught Cori’s eye, and he silently pointed her in the direction of her mother while he headed toward where her dad was sitting.
Before he got there, Reggie stood and walked away, leaving Cori’s father sitting alone at the table. Hesitation slowed Grey’s steps. He hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk to Cori’s dad earlier, but the man definitely seemed less welcoming toward him. Six years ago, when he and Cori used to stop by her parents’ house together, her mom would always feed him, and her dad would invite him into the living room to watch whatever game he was watching on television. The atmosphere at his parents’ place in New Jersey was the opposite. The two-story house barely looked lived in, probably because his father was always on a business trip and his mom was usually with him or busy with some social event.
Was Cori’s father upset at him because he hadn’t said good-bye before he’d left to go to Austin? If he was, Grey couldn’t blame him. He should have stopped by.
When Grey reached Cori’s father, he extended his hand. “It was good seeing you again, sir.”
Mr. Ross shook his hand. “Thanks for helping out. So, I heard you’re going to be around for a bit. I’m assuming that while you’re here, you’ll be seeing Cori?”
The reason he and Cori were in a hurry to leave crept into Grey’s thoughts. They hadn’t talked about seeing each other beyond today or outside of the bedroom. He cleared his throat. “Yes. We were planning to spend some time catching up.”
“While you’re catching up, do something for me.” Mr. Ross tightened his grip. “Don’t break her heart again.”
Again? “Mr. Ross, I d—”
Cori’s father raised his other hand, stalling him. “You don’t have to explain. You had to take your shot in Austin, and having a girlfriend back home was a little too much baggage. But it took a long time for her to bounce back from you leaving her behind.”
Leaving her behind? Shock and respect for Cori’s father kept Grey silent as the man continued.
“After you, she met that jackass, Kevin.” A look of distaste briefly crossed Mr. Ross’s face, and he looked Grey in the eye. “She’s vulnerable right now. If you care about my little girl at all, don’t let things get to a point where feelings are involved.” He released Grey’s hand and waved him away. “That’s all I have to say. Go on, she’s waiting for you.”
…
On the drive to her place, Grey could barely concentrate on the road, mulling over what Cori’s father had said to him. Had Mr. Ross misunderstood the situation or was that what she’d actually told him?
When they arrived at her place, he parked in her driveway and turned off the engine. If Cori had told her father that, why? Why lie?
Cori opened the door to get out and paused. “Aren’t you coming in?”
“Something isn’t sitting well from the engagement party.” He’d taken off his jacket and loosened the tie, but he still felt constricted by disbelief and growing frustration.
“Oh no.” She turned in the seat, facing him. “Was it something you ate?”
Their breakup happened a long time ago, and they weren’t together as a couple now. What Cori’s dad believed or didn’t believe shouldn’t matter to him…but it did. Grey looked into her eyes. He had to know the truth. “Why does your father think I left you six years ago?”
Chapter Thirteen
The accusation in Grey’s eyes threw Cori off. What was he upset about? “He knows you left because you had a job offer in Austin.”
“No. Why does your father believe I’m the one who broke up with you and left you behind, because Austin was more important to me than you were?”
She couldn’t find the words to explain.
“Forget it.” Grey looked forward and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
He went to turn the key in the ignition, and she grasped his arm. “I had to tell him that.”
“Had to? He’s holding a grudge against me because he thinks I just pulled up and left you. He thinks I hurt you.”
The disappointment on Grey’s face drove in guilt. Telling her father that had been the easiest way to deal with her fears for his health back then. She’d never envisioned that it would get back to Grey. She’d never expected to s
ee him again.
“Please. Come inside.” Feeling his arm grow taut under her palm, she held on tighter. “Let me explain.”
He took his hands from the wheel, and they got out of the car.
Her heartbeat echoed with her steps as Grey followed her.
Inside, he asked, “Mind if I grab some water?”
“Help yourself.” After slipping off her shoes, she joined him in the kitchen.
He glanced at her as she walked in. “Want some?”
“No. Thank you.”
Just hours ago, they’d been dancing and laughing together. Now their conversation was down to stilted politeness.
Grey’s movements where unhurried and deliberate as he took a glass from the shelf and filled it from the pitcher in the fridge. After taking a long drink, he set his half empty glass beside him. Then he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m listening.”
Cori went over to him, wishing he’d take her in his arms. His unwavering gaze sent Cori’s to her bare feet. Seeing his polished dress shoes just inches from her toes, instead of his familiar high tops, brought home the reality that this wasn’t the Grey she knew six years ago. He was no longer the boyfriend, willing to listen and forgive almost anything, simply because he loved her.
She wrapped her arms around herself. “After you asked me to go with you, my mom told me that Dad needed a heart valve replacement. The doctors were concerned about the surgery because he had other health issues, but the cardiologist felt they couldn’t wait. Mom was afraid that if I moved to Austin, he’d worry about me, and it would put too much stress on his heart. That’s why I couldn’t go with you.”
Remnants of how she’d felt back then, during one of the most difficult times in her life, reemerged, sucking air from her chest. She’d been torn between the fear of possibly losing her father, the desire to have Grey at her side to help her hold it together so she could be there for both of her parents, and the knowledge that she needed to let Grey go.
Grey released a long slow exhale. “Why didn’t you tell me your father was sick? Did you honestly think I wouldn’t understand that you needed to be here for him? Or that I wouldn’t have wanted to be here to support you?”
