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AT SIX THIRTY P.M. Farren slid the spaghetti strap of her dress to her shoulder and smoothed her hands down her waist. She fluffed the wide skirt and gave it a shake. The black shiny cocktail dress wasn’t new, but it was flattering and no one in the group had seen it before. She draped a multi-colored pashmina over her arm and picked up her clutch. The look was not exactly elegant, but nice. Not sexy, but dressy enough.
Plus, it wasn’t so fancy that she’d outshine the single moms.
If there was anything she’d observed during her time working at the Sands, it was the lack of up-to-date fashion among single parents. It was one of the reasons she’d wanted to start Singles Fest. She’d been in a unique position to see singles past thirty or forty wanting to find a match but competing with the twenty-somethings dressed to kill was impossible.
Singles Fest would level the playing field and give dads and moms time to truly connect. Pride and excitement rolled through her and brought a smile to her lips. One last check in the mirror and she headed for the door.
A lot rode on the success of tonight’s dinner and the million dragonflies in her stomach were proof. They zipped and zoomed and banged into each other in her tummy, but she dared not think too hard about them.
She had twenty-five minutes to return to the Sands. After the parade, she’d spent a couple of hours there preparing for tonight. She had plenty of time to see to last minute details on site.
When she opened her door, she opened her mouth, too. In shock.
Grady stood waiting for her, dressed in a perfect black tuxedo, and holding a corsage box. He stole her breath and she wondered if he’d give it back anytime soon.
Then, he presented the cardboard box on his palm with a flourish and flipped open the lid for her to see inside.
A perfect red rose corsage made up of three half-open blooms and a sprig of delicate Babies Breath filled the container. She gasped at the sight and recognized the elegance that the Beach Rose flower shop was known for.
“I thought about the color you’d choose to wear, and I thought you were the kind of woman to have an elegant cocktail dress. I’m glad to see I was right. You look spectacular. What better to set off your dress than a dark red rose.” His gaze roved from the top of her head down to her feet.
“Grady,” she breathed, barely able to speak. Spectacular? Hardly. Good thing he took charge and picked the corsage out of the box. He stepped up close, slipped his large hand to just above her breast and started to work the pins through the material. Each brush of his knuckles burnt a trail down to her toes.
Any more of this and she’d be alight with fire.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She spoke next to his ear because his head was bent as he focused on pinning the rose into place. If she turned her head just so, she could kiss his cheek. Her lips tingled with the urge. “The last time I had a corsage was my high school prom.”
He turned his head an inch to look at her, his eyes intent, focused and up close like this, tempting. “Let me guess,” he said. “Your prom date was Denny whatsisname.”
“And my date tonight is you,” she responded softly and brushed her lips ever so lightly against his.
“If I kiss you back, we’ll never get to the restaurant,” he murmured. He stared at her mouth and something wild inside her broke free.
“Impossible timing,” she said. But oh, it was tempting to pull him into her unit and spend hours getting to know his body.
“Seems like,” he agreed and straightened, breaking into her sexually charged thoughts. He held out his arm and she linked them together with a smile that barely trembled.
“Do you want to walk, or shall I drive?”
“Let’s drive there and walk back. I can kick off my sandals on the way home. I’d like to see if any clients partner up on the stroll back. There’s a lot of potential for mutual interest tonight.” Couldn’t she keep her mind off business for one second? Apparently not.
He chuckled. “I’ll say there is. You must have a full house for this dinner. I saw a veritable army of teenagers arriving. Babysitters?”
“Eva worked a miracle and found enough kids who wanted the work. I think we’ve created a job market. After tonight, those sitters may find themselves working all summer for Singles Fest.”
“Let’s hope we see some fireworks then, and not the sparkly kind.”
His double entendre made her laugh as he held his car door open for her. “The fireworks should be happening when we walk home. I tried to time things out for romance to the max.” After the dinner on the beach last night, she understood Grumpy Grady understood romance.
She kept her seatbelt from crushing her corsage and bent her head to inhale the delicate rose scent. As her date rounded the hood of the car, her breath caught, and she blinked moisture from her eyes.
This was not real. Grady had his own purpose in pretending they were a thing. She had to remember that. Sure, for now, he was being kind and attentive. He’d spent time getting to know her on the phone, but that was him unwinding after a long day.
If they’d missed a night, he wouldn’t have noticed. She ignored all the times he’d called from airports or taxis from distant time zones, telling herself they didn’t count.
“When are you going back to New York?” she asked as he backed his rental sedan away from his front door.
He shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about it,” he said, which was a clearly a lie. A man with his responsibilities would know his own schedule. He’d know where he had to be next week, whether it was New York, or London, or Berlin.
She didn’t press him. She had her own responsibilities tonight and she took out her phone to run down her list of reminders. “I have to check that all the tables have place cards, and each table has a sheet of instructions on how the meal will run.” This was overkill because she’d put the cards by the place settings herself.
“I’ll walk the room with you and check,” he said with a brisk nod. “I hope I didn’t hold you up too much?”
“No, of course not.” She looked down at her chest again. “I love the roses. Did you notice I’m wearing dark ruby shoes?”
“I notice everything about you,” he said under his breath.
“Oh, I notice you, too. I’ve noticed you’re not a grump anymore,” she offered in a teasing tone. “Not often, anyway.”
He gave a small snort of laughter. “I’m trying.”
* * *
AT THE CAPTAIN’S TABLE, the Sands fine dining restaurant, Grady sat with Farren and Eva at a table for four. Delphine was at the far end of the room, watching things from there. She looked happy chatting with the other people at her table. He leaned into Farren’s ear.
“My sister’s having a good time. I’m glad she came.”
Farren’s eyebrow arched. “You didn’t expect her to?”
“Hard to believe, but she can be shy around men. I don’t often see her openly flirting.” Right now she was smiling and engaged in a lively discussion from the looks of things.
“Then my purpose is fulfilled,” Farren quipped. “I’ll tease her about it tomorrow.”
Grady shook his head. “I’d prefer that you not mention it. Despite her bluster and nosiness she keeps her heart guarded.”
“So, it’s okay for her to make matches for you, but she’s careful about romance herself?”
“Exactly.”
“Fair enough. I’ll see if she brings up a man’s name and encourage her if she does.”
“Perfect. But then, you always are.”
She blushed deeply.
The plan for the meal was standard for singles meet and greet, except most of these people had seen the others at the Landseer. The men moved from table to table between courses, chatting with the seated women. He’d heard a lot of happy conversations and quiet laughter as the group had moved through the ritual.
Which was great except the man who’d been at the table during the entrée had been a huge bore. Now, they were waiting for dessert and coffee, entrée man having risen and moved on already. For the moment it was just the three of them.
Entrée man had not left an impression on Eva. And vice versa. The main part of the meal had brought stilted small talk and bored responses.
It was Grady’s fervent hope that no one else had been involved in similar exchanges. Any more of that and the night would fall flat. And he wanted Farren’s success. He coaxed a smile from her with a whisper in her ear. “He’ll be better with someone else.”
Eva leaned in. “I’m dying to know if people have made connections,” she said softly. She tilted her head to entrée man as he took his seat at another table.
“I’d say there have been some,” Grady replied. “A couple of these men have wanted to know more about you, Eva.” But she’d said little to any of them. He wasn’t sure why she’d come and agreed to the seat switching game if she weren’t interested.
“I saw the same thing,” Farren chimed in. “You’ve been blowing them off.”
Eva flushed. “Maybe.”
Since Grady hadn’t moved to another table it was clear he was here with Farren. She was stunning tonight. Elegant, poised, but warm and caring, too. She was a hit with her clients, who had waved and smiled at them throughout the meal. For once, she wasn’t checking lists or her messages. She looked relaxed and happy.
But to the single dads, Eva was fair game. Unfortunately, she’d made it plain she wanted nothing to do with a man with children. It was like a phobia or something. For a woman who provided daycare, and taught swimming and lifeguarded, all aimed at children, he found her curious.
Maybe she didn’t want to take on someone else’s kids. He shrugged. Fair enough. Not everyone was cut out to be a stepparent.
A server approached and leaned in to talk to Farren. She nodded and looked toward the kitchen. Catching sight of the chef, she smiled. She patted Grady’s hand, brushed her lips across his jaw and said, “Duty calls. I want to talk to him about a menu if anyone wants to do a dinner on the beach tomorrow night.” She left the table and Grady and Eva were alone.
Grady complimented Eva on her dress, a stark white one that wrapped around her sleek body in some clingy material. “Your next man should be here any second,” he said. “But so far no one has passed muster. Am I right?”
“I’m picky, I guess.” Eva shifted and tapped her wineglass with the tip of her index finger. “Bored, too, I think.”
“Grady,” Jesse Carmichael greeted him as he took the seat kitty corner to Eva. “And Eva. It’s nice to see you both again.” His eyes lit up at the sight of her and Eva shifted under his scrutiny. “You look lovely,” he said, drinking in her face. The guy had it bad while Eva looked anywhere but at Jesse.
“Thanks, I haven’t seen you at the motel. I didn’t think you’d made it, after all.” She spoke distractedly and took a sip of wine. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room.
“I’m staying here at the Sands. My in-laws have the children again, so I didn’t need the playground.” He hesitated. “But maybe I should’ve brought them. The other parents are saying the place is great and their kids are making friends.” He nodded at Grady.
“From the squeals and laughter I hear all day, I’d say that’s right.” Grady chimed in.
“Farren should be back shortly,” Eva said, tapping her wineglass again. “Dessert is on the way.”
Jesse looked at Grady, resigned acceptance in his eyes. Eva couldn’t have been less interested.
“I think I’ll skip dessert.” Jesse made to rise, but Eva made a sound that stopped him.
“You should stay,” she said. “I guess you’re enjoying your time alone. Without the hubbub of three children, I mean. Two boys and a girl? Or do I have that backward?”
“Backward. My girls are seven and eight and my wife believed our next would be a boy. She was so determined to have a son.” He shrugged. “Turns out, she was right. Tyler is four. And I’m glad the girls are older. Sometimes, they’re the only ones he’ll listen to, unless they’re the ones he’s torturing.” He chuckled. “But the girls handle anything he dishes out.”
Her eyes seemed to glaze over, and Jesse swallowed his next words. Silence reigned as Grady searched for small talk and came up empty. He’d step away, but Eva looked desperate, and he didn’t feel right leaving her if she was having a hard time.
“It’s nice that your in-laws keep them sometimes,” Eva commented vaguely when it was clear the conversation had stalled.
“Recently, they’ve been having them sleep over regularly. They’re retiring soon and want to spend more time with them. I’ll have more time to myself.” He locked his gaze with Eva’s and Grady glanced away.
The look between his tablemates had taken an intimate turn that surprised him. Eva hadn’t struck him as a woman only interested in a good time, but he’d been wrong about women before. Maybe she wanted no strings. He mentally shrugged and tuned out the conversation.
He checked on Farren’s whereabouts. She’d moved on from talking with James, the chef, to chatting at Denny’s table as she made her rounds. Denny was giving her a huge smile and making her laugh, which felt like a cheese grater against Grady’s spine.
He wanted to march over and lay claim to his date, but good manners stopped him and a scene like that might ruin the biggest event on Farren’s roster.
The woman sitting with Denny touched his hand, reminding him of her presence. To his credit, Denny shifted gears immediately and brought all his charm to his dessert date. He leaned in toward the woman and brought a deep smile and soft blush to her cheeks.
Dessert arrived, a huge slice of apple pie and ice cream, perfect for the Fourth of July weekend. With a happy hello to Jesse, Farren settled in beside Grady. She vibrated with excitement.
“Tell me.” He demanded in her ear. “What’s happening? People look happy.” She looked ecstatic.
“Compliments from everyone,” she said quietly. “People are making plans for adult time tomorrow. See all those people on their phones? They’re hitting the scheduler and booking the beach dinner. James and I talked about it and he’s excited. They’ll offer three courses with three entrees to choose from. The babysitters are booking up fast.”
“Tomorrow morning it’s minigolf, right?”
“Right. Barnacle Bill’s. Tee off starts at ten. I think the place will be swarmed.” She looked so pleased Grady couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m so grateful to you for helping me out there. I could’ve taken the group to Summerville, but I want our events to be contained to the island.”
“No problem. It was a phone call to an old friend.” He grinned at a memory. “We went there as teens. I think I got my first kiss behind the windmill,” he said with a smirk. “I was thirteen and she was a year older and half a foot taller than I was.”
“That’s sweet,” she said and gave him an affectionate shoulder bump. “If you get a hole in one, maybe it’ll happen for you again.” The teasing light in her eyes gave him hope.
“I’ll head over there and start practicing right after I walk you home.” He loved the old-fashioned concept of walking his girl home. Seeing that she was safe.
Farren pouted prettily and for a moment he stilled at the sight. She seemed to be everything he wanted in a woman.
But then, so had Veronica.
A man’s laughter rang out and he checked it out over his shoulder. Denny was making quite an impression on the woman he was with. When Grady turned back to Farren, she watched Denny with a keen eye. Her intent expression made him think Farren didn’t like what she was seeing.
He’d never seen himself as a jealous man. But then again, his short-term women hadn’t meant much, and Veronica had never been flirty with anyone but him. She’d been circumspect and respectful of their business relationship and never would’ve brought that side of her into a business dinner or event.
No, he’d been convinced that he was the only man who saw her feminine side.
He snorted and Farren startled at the sound.
“Are you okay?”
“Peachy, just peachy.”