Across from her, Ash watched her like he doubted her seriousness, but when she stood and gestured for him to do the same, he didn’t fight her on it. He stood and moved around the table. Grace’s heard jackhammered in her chest as they stood face-to-face, but she kept her tone casual.
“Thanks for not being a dumb jock, Ash,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “Speeches like the one you just gave matter.”
He lightly wrapped his arms around her in a friendly hug. “Hey, just doing my job.”
No. He’d done more than that, Grace thought as she held on at least five seconds longer than was technically friendly.
Thursday
“He’s got to be dating someone,” Grace said over tapas with Esme.
Esme gave her an assessing look. “And do we care if he’s dating someone?”
“No!” Grace said quickly, and a little too loudly. “Obviously he can date whoever he wants. I just hate that it’s impacting our work.”
“I see,” Esme said, singling out a scallop. “Are we talking about the fact that Ashton has recently stopped showering you with thinly veiled sexual harassment? Or are we talking about something else?”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Ash never sexually harassed me.”
“Says the woman who posted a picture of him staring at her butt.”
“He stares at everyone’s butts.” Not true. Grace had done some recon. Ash might glance here and there, but he seemed to like her best. That shouldn’t make her proud, and yet the fact that he was no longer looking at her at all had her feeling a bit stripped down.
Ironic, yes. Also something she would never confess to anyone. Ever.
“Oooookay,” Esme said. “So back to my question then. I’ve been listening to the show all week, Grace. All the episodes have been great, and Ashton—wait, are we calling him Ash now? I didn’t get an official memo.”
“Whichever,” Grace said, trying not to feel patronized.
“I’ll go with Ash then. But as I was saying, the episodes have been great. He’s been great.” Grace didn’t like the way Esme’s mouth curved up as she said that last part. A little too dreamy. “He’s really listened to each caller and given them really thoughtful and sometimes even brave answers. Like that Linda call? I don’t think I’ve ever been so uncomfortable and impressed at the same time. I just kept waiting for him to be his usual sexist self, and he wasn’t. He hasn’t been all week.” She popped the scallop in her mouth. “If he’s dating someone, I’d say she’s good for him.”
Grace pushed away from the table in frustration. “You can’t be serious.”
“I totally can be serious,” Esme said. “I mean, the whole puppy love act he had going on with you up until now was cute and all, but I like this Ash better.”
Realization dawned on Grace, causing her to freeze for a moment. “You like him,” she said, trying to ignore the way her skin was growing hot.
Esme finished the scallop before giving Grace a cautious once over. “I never said I didn’t.”
“He’s my coworker!”
“Not mine,” Esme replied. “And you’ve claimed up and down that you have no interest in him. Or is that not as true as it once was?”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Not at all,” Esme said calmly before glancing around the restaurant. “And fyi, you’re yelling, Grace.”
No, she wasn’t. Was she? All she knew was that she was now questioning the entire foundation of her friendship with Esme. Seriously, what kind of woman tried to date her friend’s coworker?
Wait, there had to be a more damning way to phrase that question.
Esme shrugged. “If you like him, just say so, Grace. No one will be surprised, I can promise you that much. The news outlets are still rolling the story of you two, and it’s been a week now. I saw an article this morning that dubbed your 43 seconds on stage as The Kiss That Launched 1,000 Gifs. You two have chemistry that has been translated into fourteen different languages for news stories so far. If you and Ash were to start dating, you’d have more global fans than The Bachelorette. So just go for it already!”
“It’s not that simple.”
Esme arched a brow. “It isn’t?”
Grace’s heart was racing and the room suddenly felt too small. Too full. “No… we work together.”
“For one more day,” Esme pointed out. “That excuse is getting tired, and in twenty-four hours it won’t even be accurate.”
“We just don’t have anything in common,” Grace blurted, hating that she could feel herself sweating.
Esme hid a smirk. “Other than the fact that you can talk to him for hours and never get bored.”
“But that’s just talking,” Grace argued. “What about after work? I’m here eating with you, and he’s off playing volleyball with friends at a park. Do I look like I’m into volleyball in a public park?”
Esme shrugged. “Have you ever tried it?”
“That’s not the point.”
“It’s not?” Esme said, this time her smirk not so hidden. “Is the point that it’s a Thursday night, and you know exactly where your coworker is and what he’s doing?”
Grace rolled her eyes and held up her phone. “He posted a picture on Instagram.”
Esme’s face brightened. “With that hot girl again? Do you think that’s who he’s dating?”
Grace frowned. “They both play volleyball.”
Esme nodded wisely. “Clearly they have so much in common.”
Grace fought the urge to punch her friend. “Are you mocking me?”
“Mocking? No,” Esme said, leaning in. “But trying to decide if you’re mildly insane or totally in love? Maybe.”
“In love?” Grace scoffed and Esme nodded.
“Look at it through my eyes,” she said. “You work with a man who is a great conversationalist and an overall great guy, who has spent the past two years telling you that he’s into you in different ways. And now that it’s time to part ways with him, you’re slowly becoming unhinged and stalkery. If our seats were reversed, what would you think, Grace?”
Okay. So she had a point. A good one. But in love? That was a bit of a leap.
Esme pushed the tapas to the side and leaned in. “Let’s play a game. I’m going to ask a question and you answer.”
It felt like a trap, but Grace nodded anyway. “Okay.”
“Who was the first person you thought of this morning?” Esme asked, then held up her hand when Grace started to respond. “Just answer to yourself.”
That sounded dangerous. “Uh, okay.”
“Who was the last person you thought of last night?” She gestured to Grace’s dress. “Who were you thinking of when you chose what to wear today?”
Ash, Ash, and Ash, but that didn’t mean anything.
“Pretend you just had the worst day in memory,” Esme added. “Who is first on your list of people you want to see? Now pretend you had a great day. Who do you want to share it with?”
“Esme, this is—”
“Now pretend you could have a kiss from anyone at the beginning and end of each day. Who would it be?”
It was a ridiculous question. Of course she would choose—
“Phillip?” Esme guessed.
Grace blinked, caught a bit off guard by the fact that Phillip literally hadn’t popped into her mind once. He hadn’t even been a ghost of guilt in the back of her mind.
“And I know that you and Ash get paid to disagree on the air, but does he really have any stances that you can’t live with?”
“Well, he doesn’t eat carbs,” Grace said. “I don’t know if I could live with that.”
Esme blinked twice. “He doesn’t eat carbs? That’s your big gripe?”
Grace laughed nervously, poking at the tapas. “Obviously not. I have a list.”
Esme’s lips pursed with amusement. “You’ve made a list?”
Whoops. “Not like an official list,” Grace said, rolling her eyes.
“Just an unofficial one,” Esme said with a knowing nod.
Grace didn’t know whether to smile or be annoyed. She settled on both. “Who’s side are you on here?”
“Yours,” Esme said, leaning back. “Always yours. But being on your side isn’t always the same as agreeing with you.”
“How do you figure that?”
Esme shrugged. “I dunno. I mean, you clearly like this guy, Grace. You have for a long time, yet you’re afraid to dip your toe into the water. And for the first time ever, I actually like a guy you like. I think you two would be good together, so it makes me wonder why you’re holding back. If it’s a good reason, I’m on your side. If not, all I’m asking is for you to admit why you’re so gun shy.”
“Oh, c’mon, Esme,” Grace said, still poking at the tapas. “No one is as good as Ash seems to be.”
“Again… not a good reason,” Esme countered. “Too good to be true and doesn’t eat carbs aren’t valid reasons to blacklist a guy.”
“Yeah? I’m sure that’s what the hundred other women who are hitting on him every day are saying, too.”
“He’s hot and single,” Esme said. “And it’s not like you’re an eyesore. Men hit on you every day. It’s happened twice since you sat down at this table, and we both know we’re not paying for these drinks. Is that a reason not to date you?”
“That’s different.”
Esme folded her arms across her chest. “How so?”
“I don’t lead people on,” Grace said. “Ash does. Compulsively. He even hit on you minutes before our little stage kiss.”
Esme waved that off. “He was playing with you, and I played along. He wanted to see if you’d get jealous, and so did I. And guess what? You totally did. Even now, knowing I’m only saying I would date him to make you jealous would still make you jealous if I said it again. You have no control over the response, which brings me back to my original question: why aren’t you giving Ash the green light when we both know you’re obsessed with him?”
“Maybe because Ash isn’t really one to date any one woman all that long, and I have no interest in being one of his flings.”
“Ah,” Esme said. “We’re back to that excuse again. But I have to ask myself why you’re obsessing over whether he’s dating that volleyball chick in his recent pictures.”
“It doesn’t have to be logical,” Grace grumbled.
“Indeed. Love rarely is.”
Grace glared at her friend.
Esme took a sip of water then studied Grace. “So, to be clear, it’s fine with you if I go out with Ash?”
Grace’s blood turned to fire in the space of a heart beat. “Absolutely not!”
“See how easy that was?” Esme said, setting her glass down. “And if I suggested taking a trip to a certain park to see what there is to see? What would you say to that?”
Grace’s dignity gave a go at remaining intact for a second. But the next second it caved and Grace gave Esme the answer she was no doubt expecting.
“Stop here,” Grace said, ducking down in her seat as they pulled into the park.
Esme didn’t stop. “We’re too far away. We can’t see anything, and we’re not really dressed to get out of the car.”
“We should have changed,” Grace agreed.
“And found some ball caps and sunglasses.”
As Grace scanned the volleyball nets that were set up, she saw a man launch up in the air and spike a ball. On the other side of the same net, a body Grace knew all too well jumped up for the block.
“I see him,” she hissed. “Stop here.”
“There isn’t a parking space,” Esme chuckled. “And is it just me, or am I getting a glimpse of how you were in middle school?”
Grace slumped down in the passenger seat as best as possible. “Someone’s going to recognize me.”
“So what? We’re at a public park.”
“In four-inch heels and cocktail dresses,” Grace said, opening her purse and putting on her sunglasses, even though there was enough shade in the park not to need them. “It’s not like anyone’s going to believe we planned on coming here.”
“We’ll make it work,” Esme said, clearly enjoying herself.
“We should go.”
“We should park,” Esme countered, then did just that.
Great. Just great. Now the front of the car was facing the park. Anyone could look their way and see them lurking in Esme’s SUV.
“I’m serious, Esme.”
“Me, too,” Esme said, checking her lipstick. “We can say it was my idea to come here—that I wanted to see him play. That I’m the one who likes him.”
“No,” Grace said quickly.
Esme grinned. “Why not?”
“Because then he’ll hit on you and I’ll hate you both.”
Esme grin grew into a smile. “There’s that Latin fire that was missing when Phillip broke up with you.”
“Shut up.”
“Just sayin’.”
They sat in silence for several seconds before Esme sighed. “So what are we doing here, Grace?”
“You’re the one who drove here.”
“You’re the one who’s obsessed with the woman Ash may or may not be kissing here,” Esme countered.
Ah, yes. The brunette. Where was she? Grace’s eyes scanned the areas surrounding the three volleyball courts and tried to find brown, curly locks. She wasn’t seeing any right away.
“Uh, Grace?” Esme said, a split second before someone knocked on Grace’s passenger-side window. Grace literally jumped in her seat before turning to see what appeared to be a teenage girl motioning for her to roll down her window.
“What do you want me to do?” Esme asked, looking a little too amused for Grace’s liking. “Run her over and make a getaway, or roll down the window?”
“I told you people would notice us,” Grace said before sighing and rolling down the window herself. “Can we help you?” she asked the girl.
“Funny,” the girl said with a smile. “I was about to ask you the same question. You’re here stalking my uncle, aren’t you?”
Next to her, Esme let out a treacherous laugh that left no room for denial. They’d been caught. They hadn’t even been in the park sixty seconds or gotten out of the car, and they’d been caught.
Knowing her face was flushing red, Grace cleared her throat. “Megan?”
The girl nodded.
Esme unlocked all the doors. “Get in, Megan. But only if you’re willing to drop dirt.”
“Dirt’s all I’ve got,” the girl said before moving to the back door and hopping in.
Esme smiled at Grace and mouthed the words, I like her as Megan moved to the center of the back seat and leaned in between them.
“I was hoping you might show up,” the teenager said.
Well, wasn’t this quickly topping Grace’s list of most mortifying experiences.
“Why is that?” Esme asked.
The girl shrugged. “Sometimes Instagram pics just aren’t enough, am I right?”
Esme actually threw her head back and laughed while Grace resisted the urge to cover her face. She wanted to go. Now.
Esme turned in her seat to face Megan. “And Ashton Miller is your uncle?”
Megan shrugged. “Yeah. Although he basically raised me. It’s a whole story, but the short version is, yes, Ash is my uncle.”
“Does he make you come to his volleyball practices?” Esme asked.
“Not really,” she said. “I usually find other things to do, but today was his first day back to Thursday night practices and I thought that something might happen, so I came.”
Grace kept slinking lower in her seat while Esme kept talking.
“What does Ash usually do on Thursday night?” she asked.
“Latin dancing classes,” Megan said, as if that was totally normal.
Grace sat up straight in her seat and turned to look at Megan. “Latin dancing?”
She nodded. “For two years now.”
“Wow,” Esme drawled, looking at Grace. “Just… wooooow.”
Megan grinned. “He’s going to be so pissed that I told you that.”
“Yeah,” Esme said through a chuckle. “I imagine he’d prefer you hadn’t, but it’s awesome that you did.”
“Latin dancing classes?” Grace repeated. “For two years?” That meant that smooth dip he’d pulled off during their kiss hadn’t been an accident. It had been honest skill he could repeat.
“Don’t mind her,” Esme said. “She’s a bit slow at the moment.”
Megan smiled. “I hear you’re a good dancer, Grace.”
“It’s how I paid for college,” Grace said, staring across the park at a shirtless Ash standing in a box of sand. She’d always known he was pretty, but that body could dance?
How had she gone all this time without knowing that?
“What about this woman?” Esme asked, showing her phone screen to Megan. On it was the picture that had been haunting Grace for days: Ash with the brunette.
“Jess?” Megan said.
“Yes, Jess,” Esme said. “What do you know about her? Is she competition for my girl here?”
Megan looked from the picture to Grace, her smile seeming to go from ear to ear. “So you like my uncle? For real?”
Even though the question was asked lightly, Grace felt like Megan deserved an honest response. “Is it okay with you if I do?”
Megan didn’t hesitate. “Definitely. He’s liked you for a long, long time.”
Esme’s eyes narrowed protectively. “How can you tell?”
“He can’t date anyone seriously,” Megan said, pointing at Esme’s phone while looking Grace in the eye. “Jess is one of the few who has straight up confronted Ash about his crush on you. I think that’s why they’re still friends. They went on a few dates like a year ago, and Jess liked him enough to listen to your show. After listening, she was curious enough to sit him down and talk straight with him.”
“And you know this how?” Esme asked.
The girl shrugged. “I spend half my nights at my uncle’s place, and I eavesdrop.”
The Kiss That Launched 1,000 Gifs Page 17
