“No two year old in tow tonight?” I asked. I really didn’t mean to bring up the issue so soon into our night, but it just fell out of my mouth.
“No, and there won’t be one. Do you want to hear about the whole conversation now, or do you want to save it for dinner?” he asked, genuinely ready to answer for the entire thing if I wanted to know right now.
“We can save it. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I even blurted that out. I’m not trying to get this off to a bad start. I got your lunch today. That was really sweet,” I said, grasping his hand and holding it in mine. His palm felt warm and comforting, and I knew he would have me falling for him all over again by the time this night was over.
“I wasn’t sure how many people worked with you, so I hope there was enough food,” he said politely.
“There was more than enough. It’s only Addie and me for now, but we called my friend Megan over to eat with us. They loved all of it. You really do make amazing food.”
“So I am at least winning over your friends I’ve never met?” he asked with a raised brow.
“Possibly,” I remarked with a flirty smirk.
“So this is your bakery? It’s really nice in here,” he said, looking around at the white floors and the small bistro tables I had set up in the lobby area.
“Yeah, I love it. My grandparents left me this old building when they passed. I think this used to be some kind of shoe repair business back in the day. My friends kind of pushed me into opening up this place. They actually did most of the work. One of my best friends, Steve, he did all of the counters and shelving,” I said, pointing to the bakery cases and behind the counter area. “They did an amazing job.”
“They sure did. It’s great in here. Are you going to give me a tour?” he asked inquisitively.
“Sure. You really want to see the back?” I mused.
“Of course. I want to be inspired for when I get my own kitchen,” he replied, following me into the back of the bakery. I took him on a small tour, showing him my prep room, the baking area, and how I organized all of my supplies. Perhaps he was being overly polite, but he asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely interested in everything I was showing him.
“So these stoves were donated?” he asked as I explained where all of the equipment came from.
“Yeah, my dad knew some people who were shutting down one of their restaurants after they had a death in their family. They gave me a few of their appliances. They’re really old,” I said, pointing to the wiring and plugs everywhere behind the equipment. “It’s a good thing this building is old too, so it kind of accommodated this old stuff. But I can’t wait until I can upgrade all of it eventually.”
“One of my good buddies is an electrician. He could rewire all of that for you,” Greyson stated, looking around at the equipment. “It looks kind of dangerous with all of those wires sticking out.”
“Eh, I’m sure it’s fine. I don’t think there’s any point in messing with it now. I’m really hoping to change out a lot of this stuff by the end of the year, actually. Business has been pretty good, so that’s the next thing I want to invest in.” Greyson and I talked about some of the appliances we both hoped to own some day, although some of the really high-grade stuff was out of both of our grasps at this early stage of our careers.
We finally headed out to dinner and found ourselves at a small little diner about ten minutes away from downtown. We kind of just drove there aimlessly, hoping to find a place neither of us had been to before.
“So how do you know what to order for the first time at a new place? If you’re so used to getting the same thing everywhere you go, doesn’t this freak you out a little bit?” Greyson asked as we were seated in a small booth in the back of the diner.
“Come on, I’m not that rigid. It’s not that I don’t like new foods. I actually do like finding new things to eat. It’s just hard for me to turn down something I know I already love.”
“Is that why you agreed to go out with me tonight?” Greyson asked with a boyish smirk.
“I wouldn’t be so confident if I were you,” I said trying to keep a straight face. With his handsome blue eyes staring back at me, it was hard for me not to smile back at him. “You said I had until the end of dinner to decide whether or not I even like you, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“Well let’s get it all out then. Maybe ask me anything bad now that you want to know. That way you can ask me about more impressive, charming things towards the end of dinner when you’re actually making up your mind,” he said, pushing his menu towards me.
“What are you doing? You haven’t even looked at the menu yet. If you’ve never been here, how do you know what you even want?” I questioned.
“Why don’t you order for me? Maybe you know me better than you think you do,” he said, as if he was challenging me.
“I don’t know what kind of game you think you’re playing, but how do you know this will work in your favor? What if I am torn between two entrees, and I just order you one of the two I want so I can have some of them both? How do you know I won’t make a self-serving decision on this?”
“You couldn’t disappoint me, Mallory. Not even if you genuinely tried. Ask me something. I’m serious, ask me anything. I want you to know that I’m not hiding anything from you so we don’t have to repeat last night.” He shifted in his booth seat and rested comfortably on the backrest, as if he planned to sit that way for a long time.
“That’s the only secret I knew you had. How do I know if you have any more?” I said, not even totally sure what I should be asking.
“Well we can get out some of the basics. I’ve never murdered anyone. I have no criminal background whatsoever, and I’ve never done any drugs. I didn’t even drink my first beer until I was twenty, so I think I led more of a sheltered life than you think,” he said, taking a sip of water from a glass the waitress had set down on the table.
When she asked for our order, I realized I hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. “I’ll tell you what, we’ll keep this simple. You don’t care what you eat, then I don’t care what I eat.” I flipped open the menu and blindly pointed at two different spots on the menu. “He’ll have whatever this is,” I said to the waitress, motioning with my right finger, “and I’ll have this,” I said, tapping on another part of the menu with my left finger. I never took my eyes off Greyson as I spoke. I snapped the menu closed and handed it to the waitress, and Greyson smiled.
“Are you sure? That’s what you guys want?” the waitress said, a little amused by our procedure.
“Yes, it will be wonderful. Thank you,” I said, still staring directly at Greyson. The waitress walked away and I grimaced, a little afraid I would end up with something gross.
“What if you don’t like what you get?” he asked, eyeing me suspiciously.
“I’m an amiable girl, I can make do with whatever is in front of me,” I answered confidently.
Greyson snickered, no doubt picking up on the double meaning of what I just said.
“How many times have you been in love?” I asked him bluntly. “Might as well get right to the good stuff,” I said shrugging.
“How many times have I really been in love? Or how many girls have I said it to?” he asked for clarification.
“Oh, so you’re one of those guys,” I responded. “Let me guess, they are two drastically different numbers?”
“Either two or five,” he said, not really specifying which number was which.
“Care to elaborate on that? This is the part where you tell me about it,” I said, staring straight at him.
“It was probably only serious twice. My first girlfriend when I was eighteen. Yes, the first girl I kissed, I know that sounds dumb. But she was the first girl to really make me see my potential. I don’t know, she just really built up my confidence,” he replied.
“Great, so I have her to thank for that,” I said sarcastically.
“I wasn’t this cocky right off that
relationship, but it was a start for me. I was able to really connect with her, and with people from thereafter for that matter. It was only a summer thing, then she went away to school. I thought we were going to do the long-distance thing, but apparently her boyfriend away at school didn’t appreciate that,” he said grimly. “I had no idea. I felt like an idiot. I was so into her, and I really thought I loved her. So that was a bit of a let down. The second girl was named Jacqueline. I was twenty-two. We were together for about a year. I really thought she was the girl. My family loved her, she was really fun, and we did everything together. I thought about asking her to marry me, actually. I just wanted to wait a few more months until we both graduated.”
I listened intently as Greyson spoke. He was really putting it all out there, and I really appreciated it from him. I felt like he was genuinely trying to open himself up to me in any way possible. “So what happened?”
“Well, I don’t know. That’s the weird part. I thought everything was great, but she just sat me down one night and told me it wasn’t what she wanted. I never really got an answer out of her. She just said that she wasn’t living the life she wanted and that was it. I was so crushed. I really took it hard. I felt like I had no explanation for it, so I had a tough time moving on after that. I think that’s when I gave up on finding the right girl for me, and ended up going for all the wrong ones,” he said thoughtfully.
“The ‘damaged’ ones as you told me when we met?” I asked, reminded of his previous comments about that.
“Exactly. I felt like I genuinely felt something for these girls, and then I wasn’t good enough for them. Then I started dating all these train wrecks, and it was different. I wasn’t afraid anymore that another girl would just up and leave me, because I felt like they needed me more than I needed them, if that makes sense. They would move in too soon because they didn’t have another place to go. Things would move too fast. I knew that giving them only half my effort was better than all of the other losers they dated who completely mistreated them. So I kind of just went through the motions. I told a few of them I loved them, but more because I felt like that’s what they needed, rather than what I needed if that makes sense,” he said, taking another sip of water. “That’s when I met Brianna. Just another girl who needed someone ‘good enough,’ and I figured that was enough to make a girl stick around. I know that makes no sense. But I felt like I was genuinely helping them, saving them from their own lives, so I justified it was the right thing to do. I was miserable though.”
“So when did all that change?” I asked, wondering how he went from all that to be sitting here with me now. I didn’t seem to fit the mold of all of these other crazies.
“Honestly, when she up and left right before the baby was born, that was my breaking point. That really crushed me. I thought she would stay because I was the better choice. Then I realized a lot of women aren’t in a relationship because it’s the better choice. It’s just convenient for the time being.”
“So why are you drawn to me? To go from all that to me? I’m scared to ask,” I said honestly.
“That’s just it. I took a hiatus from dating. Literally, I made an oath to Ben that I wouldn’t date anyone for a whole entire year. I was so tired of all the bullshit. And then after that year, I don’t know. I felt like I had a little more clarity on the whole thing. Like I figured out what I did wrong in all of those relationships. I realized what I wanted to do professionally, and I realized I just wanted something different for myself. I realized I didn’t want to be with anyone who didn’t fit in with who I am and what I want to do. I didn’t even date much after that year hiatus. I mean I tried here and there, but I was busy starting up my business. All these women were too needy for me, and I just didn’t have the time. I just never met anyone I was sure about.”
At that moment, the waitress came to our table. She set down a giant plate of steak and eggs in front of Greyson, and a small glass of orange juice in front of me. She smiled and walked away. Greyson laughed and picked up his silverware.
“Orange juice? I literally pointed to a glass of orange juice and not an actual food item?” I said as my stomach growled.
“I know you said you would be completely satisfied by whatever she brought you,” he said picking up his utensils, “but I would be more than happy to share this with you if you’re too stubborn to just order something else.”
“I’m not stubborn. Maybe this is all I wanted anyway,” I said, picking up the orange juice and taking a sip. My face soured as the tart juice hit my lips. Greyson smirked, and I knew he was enjoying this moment.
“Back to the question. As I eat my juice, I want to know. Why me?” I asked him directly. “If you took all this time off from dating, why on earth did you pursue me the moment I looked completely uninterested in you?”
“Oh man, here is truth time,” he responded, taking a bite of his steak. He looked deep in thought as he ate, and he took a sip of his water before explaining. “You know Michelle from Art Aeria, right? The gallery?” he asked. I nodded my head. “Well, I met with her a couple times before the event to go over the catering plans. She brought you up in conversation and I was intrigued.”
“What did she say? That she knew a crazy girl who would be totally into your immediate aggressive advances?” I remarked sarcastically. I was interested in hearing the rest of this.
“Well she told me you were really pretty, for starters. But even then I still imagined you as maybe a seven out of ten. Women are always off on their judgment of other women. It seems like they always over estimate. Anyway, she told me about your bakery, and I had actually heard about it the week before from another customer of mine. Michelle wasn’t sure if you were even dating anyone at the time so it’s not like she was trying to set us up or anything. But the way she spoke about you, I don’t know. I was curious. And then when you pulled up that day,” he said, shaking his head. He hesitated.
“What? I was feistier than you imagined?” I asked.
“Yes, but I really liked that about you. You were all business, and I thought that was pretty sexy. Most women aren’t like that. And you looked radiant. Something about you when you stepped out of your van, I don’t know. Your personality was very direct, but all I could think was that your skin looked soft, and the freckles under your eyes looked so innocent to me. I just wanted to know you,” he said softly. “And you tried to look angry, I mean maybe you were angry, but you also had a hint of a smile too. I just felt compelled to get to know you. I wanted to do something to make you happy with me, instead of pissed off.”
“Did you honestly think I would show up at the restaurant that night?” I asked curiously.
“Oh man, do I have to answer that?” he replied, staring back at me.
I nodded with a smirk, eager to hear his response.
“Yes. I really thought there was something there. I thought there was some kind of spark. I thought it would be a good ‘how we met’ story. And then you didn’t show up that night, and I felt like an idiot.”
Greyson ate about half of his plate, then pushed it out in front of him. “I’m so full, I couldn’t possibly eat another bite. I’m hoping the waitress will just come and take this away, but it doesn’t look like this place has great service, so it might sit here awhile.” He looked at me and smirked, his eyes suggesting that I should just eat the food. I gave in and slid the plate closer to me, grabbing a fork.
“I’m only eating this because I don’t like wasting food. But don’t change the subject, keep going. I like this story, particularly this part where you felt bad,” I mused, taking a bite of the steak. It tasted better than it should have for diner steak, probably just because I was starving at that point.
“Well, that’s it. I was pissed at myself for botching the whole thing, but I didn’t know what else to do at that point. I actually drove by your bakery the next day. But I couldn’t go in. I was too embarrassed. Honestly, after that, I just wrote you off. I figured I ruined my chanc
e and that was that. And then when you walked into the bar that following weekend,” he said, his voice trailing off. His eyes lit up as he spoke and this became my favorite conversation I had with him since we met. He was more open and genuine than he had ever been, and I appreciated him for it.
“The second I realized it was you sitting down at the bar, I felt a surge through my whole body. It was crazy. I had a few drinks, so maybe that was part of it. But I literally knew in that moment that I had to do something. I felt like I was given a second chance with you,” he explained, watching me as I ate. “And you still didn’t want to give me the time of day. I picked up on that.”
“Wow, you actually caught that vibe? Because at the time I didn’t think you noticed,” I said laughing.
“Oh, I noticed. But I wasn’t about to let you walk out of that bar without changing your feelings about me,” he said shyly.
“And here we are now, contractually obligated to being nice to each other for a three week period of time before your ‘charm’ as you call it gets under my skin all over again,” I replied, taking down the last bite of food from his plate.
“I know you still think this is crazy. And now after last night you think I’m a little crazy. But I promise you Mal, I have nothing but good intentions here. I think you’re amazing,” he said, complimenting me. He looked comforting to me, and I had to admit no matter how angry I was at him last night, he certainly had a way of grounding me.
“Assuming you still find me irresistible after this really fulfilling meal,” he said as I slugged down the rest of my orange juice, “can I interest you in a walk down by the boat docks? Some friends of mine are having a little shindig down there at one of the bars. Interested in meeting any of them?” He stared at me, pleading with his eyes for me to say yes.
“Just no more surprises, right?” I said honestly.
“No more surprises. I promise,” he replied, throwing a twenty dollar bill down and leading me out of the restaurant. His hand still felt warm, and I knew in that moment I wouldn’t want to be holding anyone else’s.
Six Rules: Book Two in the SIX Series Page 11
