Hearing Hope admit she hadn’t dated in quite some time made him feel protective of her. Had someone broken her heart? Had she given up on love? Or had she simply immersed herself in motherhood so deeply she’d given up on romance?
“How about I swing by and pick you up on Saturday mid-morning? Eleven o’clock or so. Can you get a sitter? We can make it something real casual. No pressure.” Something told him Hope was like a deer. One false move on his part and she would scamper off into the woods. Intuition told him she’d had some bad experiences in the romance department. Perhaps due to Ella’s father.
“I can get a sitter,” she conceded. “But it’s probably best if we just view this as friends getting together. I’m not ready for a date.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said. He didn’t know if Hope was in denial, but there was no way they could ever be just friends. There was an attraction brewing between them. It was as obvious as the sun shining in the sky. If he felt it this strongly, he knew Hope must feel it to. But, for whatever reason, she wasn’t yet ready to give it a name.
It was all right though. He’d just scored a date with Hope, whether she realized it or not. His feelings toward her were way too strong to be categorized as friendship.
All things considered, today had been a banner day. He now had a chance to show Hope that anything was possible between them. Grayson was going to give it his best shot. Something told him Hope would be worth the effort.
**
Hope felt as if she was sitting on pins and needles. Another quick glance at her watch showed it was five minutes until Grayson would be arriving to pick her up. Her parents had come over earlier and taken Ella to an outing at a local farm. Although things had never been perfect between Hope and her parents, she was beginning to appreciate them more and more every day. They were gentle and loving toward Ella. And despite the circumstances of Ella’s birth, they had been supportive of her. It didn’t change the fact that her childhood had been lonely and a bit isolated. But her parents were trying to support her now and she thanked God they were present in Ella’s life. She’d been forced to put her big girl panties on and make amends with the past.
She looked down at her outfit. Grayson had told her to dress casually. In her jeans and white T-shirt, she was dressed in a very casual, comfy manner. Hope loved this type of relaxed style. It fit her lifestyle. When it came time to dress up she knew how to rise to the occasion, whether it was a fancy ball or a business meeting. But the truth was she preferred to be low-key in her attire. Jeans. Yoga pants. Plaid button down shirts. Pull-over sweaters.
When the knock sounded on her door, Hope felt her pulse quicken. She couldn’t deny the feeling of excitement racing through her veins. It had been a long time since she’d been excited to spend time with a member of the opposite sex. Ross had taken so much away from her—confidence, her innocence and the ability to view the world with optimism.
Lord, please let me have an open heart. I owe it to myself and to Ella. Grayson may not be my rainbow at the end of the storm, but he might just be someone special in my life.
Hope pulled the door open and greeted Grayson with a warm smile. As usual, his magnetic presence caused a reaction. This time her stomach swirled with butterflies. She placed her hand on her belly, hoping to settle it down a bit.
“Hi, Grayson. Come on in,” she said, sounding way more calm and cool than she felt.
“Hey, Hope. Good to see you,” he drawled, walking across the threshold as she held the door open for him. The moment he stepped inside the cottage it seemed as if his presence was larger than life inside her home.
“Where’s small fry?” he asked, looking around the room.
Small fry. His description of Ella made her want to giggle. “My parents took her for an outing.”
“That’s nice.” He nodded his head approvingly. “It’s great to have back-up if you need it. It must be reassuring.”
“It’s nice. You know what they say about grandparents. They go crazy for the grandkids. My folks are no different.”
For the first time Hope noticed Grayson’s attire. He was dressed in a black and navy wetsuit. “You’re dressed for surfing?”
He grinned at her. “Yep. I’m taking you surfing.”
Hope’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. “Um…Grayson, I don’t surf.”
“That’s okay. No worries. I’m a great teacher.”
Hmm. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but surfing wasn’t exactly her idea of a date. All she could picture was falling flat on her face. “I don’t have a wetsuit or a board.”
“Good thing I brought along an extra board and a wetsuit.” He held up a bag in his hand. “I had to guestimate your size, but I think this will fit.”
He held out the bag for her to take. “You really thought this whole thing through, didn’t you?” Except for the part where your date doesn’t want to surf, Hope thought.
“I thought I could give you a surfing lesson and then we could get some lunch here in town. Sound like a plan?”
Grayson seemed incredibly pleased with his agenda. He was grinning from ear-to-ear. Suddenly, Hope didn’t have the heart to put a monkey wrench in his plans. It had been thoughtful of him to actually plan something for the two of them.
Miss Hattie’s voice buzzed in her ears. Just grin and bear it.
Her mentor had taught her many life lessons. Most importantly, she’d taught Hope about being graceful and sparing the feelings of others. Hope smiled knowing Miss Hattie might be looking down on her at this very moment.
She took the bag from Grayson and nodded. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll go and change. You can make yourself comfortable.”
Ten minutes later Hope headed back out to the living room. Grayson was sitting on the couch looking through a magazine. He took one look at her and let out an appreciative whistle. Hope’s cheeks flushed at the look on Grayson’s face. It had been a very long time since she’d felt attractive. As a new mother, she still had a lot of insecurities about her new body.
“You look great in a wetsuit,” Grayson said, leaving no doubt as to his feelings.
“Thanks,” Hope said, folding her arms self-consciously across her chest. “Shall we go?”
Grayson led Hope to his Jeep, where the two surfboards were sticking out of the back. She felt a little burst of adrenaline at the thought of hitting the waves with Grayson. It was something she’d never really envisioned doing. Grayson held the passenger side door open for her and she hopped in. He got behind the wheel and drove down the road a bit to another section of beach.
“The waves are pretty mild today but you’ll still get a good taste of how it feels to be out there riding the waves,” Grayson explained.
“Or falling on my face,” Hope teased. “I have to warn you, I’m not the most adventurous person, although I do have pretty good balance.”
“That’s good!” Grayson said. “Balance goes a long way in surfing. I promise you, if you hate it just say the word and we can stop. I just want to give you a glimpse into my world.”
Once they arrived at the specific location, Grayson reached for the surfboards, handing her the one she’d be using. Although it felt awkward at first, Hope figured out how to hold it somewhat securely under her arm as she walked across the beach. For the next few hours, Grayson gave Hope surfing lessons. She found herself surprised at how quickly she took to it. In the beginning she had taken quite a few falls from the board, but after a while she used her balance and coordination to stay on her feet.
After a while her fingers began to look like prunes and she began to shiver from all the exposure to the ocean. Although it was a warm seventy-three degrees, the water was still cold. The wetsuit helped, but Hope was ready to change into something more comfortable.
“You’re a natural,” Grayson cried out. “You were born to do this.”
“I don’t know about that, but I really enjoyed it. I think a challenge is good every now and then. I have to admit, I haven’t r
eally been challenging myself lately. Thanks for suggesting it.”
“I’ve given lessons dozens of times, Hope. Honestly, you took to it quicker than anyone I’ve ever known.” Grayson’s expression reminded her of a proud Papa.
“I think the fact that I teach Zumba and other exercise classes helps,” Hope said.
“You keep surprising me, Hope Matthews,” Grayson said, shaking his head in wonder. “You’re a woman of many talents.”
Hope let out a hearty laugh. “Well, I have to in order to keep up with you. You’ve been full of surprises since day one.”
They drove back to the cottage, where Hope showed Grayson to the guest bedroom so he could change into dry clothes. At the same time, she headed to her bathroom and took a quick shower before changing into a skirt and a long-sleeved top.
When she made her way to the kitchen, Grayson was already sitting at the counter, looking at his cell phone. “What do you feel like grabbing for lunch?”
“I’m open to whatever,” Hope answered.
“Lady’s choice,” Grayson said.
“Okay. I could go for some really good pizza. There’s a place about five minutes down the road. Pizza Roma. They make signature pizzas that are out of this world. And they also have amazing salads and appetizers.”
“I’m sold on it.” Grayson rubbed his hands together. “What are we waiting for? My stomach is growling like crazy.”
Grayson drove them to Pizza Roma, with Hope acting as a human GPS to get them there. The establishment was a small, Tuscan-style building with big, wide windows and an authentic Italian vibe inside. Once they were seated and had a chance to look over the menu they decided to pick a few different pizzas to share. One barbecue chicken pizza. One white pizza with spinach and bacon. And a large mozzarella salad. They both ordered ice tea.
While they waited for the food to arrive, Hope took the opportunity to tell Grayson about purchasing one of his books.
“So, I picked up one of your books at the book store,” she said in a conversational tone. “It was really great. I read it to Ella before bedtime.”
His eyebrows raised. “You did? Which one was it?”
“Circus and snowflakes. The pictures were incredible. Ella really responded to it.” Hope couldn’t help but smile at the memory of reading the book to her daughter. She had been surprised by the bright colors and the upbeat, whimsical theme. She now knew why Grayson Holloway had reached the pinnacle of his profession. His work was stellar.
“Now that’s one of my favorites. I won a Caldecott for that one.” He shook his head. “Sorry, that sounded like bragging. I’m just proud of the award because I never thought I’d ever get one.”
“It was really good. You’re a great artist and storyteller. Did you always want to be an author and illustrator? I know you said before drawing was the only thing you were good at, which I find hard to believe by the way.”
“Nah. For the most part I had no idea what I wanted or who I wanted to be. I was a bit of a rabble rouser growing up.”
Hope wrinkled her nose. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Part of the reason why my dad and I aren’t close stems from that time period when I was young and a bit out of sorts. My dad lost his parents in a tragic accident. Everything crumbled a bit after that. He became very distant from us and chose to focus on his career. My parents’ marriage was falling apart. I started acting out.”
“It sounds like a situation that snowballed out of control.”
“It was seriously out of control.” A sorrowful expression crept over his face. “I was sent away to school because my parents couldn’t deal with me.”
Hope could hear the pain in Grayson’s voice. “I’m sorry. That must have been painful.”
Grayson ducked his head down. For a few moments he didn’t say a word. Hope could see he was struggling with something.
“Were you ever close with your dad?” she asked, hoping to bring him out of his silence.
He swung his gaze up to meet hers. “Maybe when I was a small fry.” Grayson winced. The lines around his mouth showed strain. “We were inseparable.”
“What happened?”
Grayson let out a ragged sigh. “The accident that killed my grandparents changed everything. A drunk driver going the wrong way on the highway hit them head-on. They were on their way to visit us. My father blamed himself.”
“Oh, that’s awful. I’m so sorry,” Hope said, her heart hurting for Grayson and his family. Such an immense tragedy altered lives forever.
“I was just a kid, but I remember the double funeral and my father’s all-consuming grief. He became obsessed from that point on with adoption and he basically gave up on his faith. Up to that point it hadn’t been an issue in his life, but once he lost his adoptive parents he threw himself into the whole issue of being adopted. As a result of his research he published a bunch of books on adoption and identity, but he lost his focus on our family.”
“And you were sent away?” She didn’t mean to pry, but the words had just slipped out of her mouth. Suddenly, she wanted to know all about Grayson’s experiences. Although she wasn’t sure it was wise, she had turned a corner. She cared about Grayson.
“Yes. That changed me forever. It was a cruel place. It broke me down.” He waved his hand at her. “It’s a story for another time. I don’t want to bring the mood down by talking about it.”
Instinctively, Hope reached across the table and gripped Grayson’s hand. She could tell by his demeanor that the memories were incredibly painful. Even though Grayson’s personality was laid-back, this particular topic seemed a bit taboo. Perhaps he couldn’t deal with the agony it dredged up. It hurt her heart to think he’d been mistreated.
“Thanks for sharing that information with me. I hope it didn’t seem like I was prying.”
“Not at all,” Grayson said with a shaky grin. “Now you have to tell me something about yourself.”
Just then the pizza arrived, piping hot and smelling delicious.
“Saved by the pizza,” Hope teased.
Grayson winked at her from across the table. “It’s just a reprieve. I want to know all about you, Hope. The good, bad and the ugly.”
Hope tensed up. The ugly. She didn’t want Grayson to know about her disastrous relationship with Ross. She still felt such shame about it. How could she ever explain to him that she’d been played for a fool? She’d fallen in love with a married man and hadn’t even realized his marital status until it was too late. He’d charmed and seduced her. In one reckless moment Hope had compromised her morals and been intimate with Ross. There was no way Grayson would ever understand her foolish choices. It made her feel like a failure.
The pizza tasted like sawdust in her mouth. She didn’t know what the future held for her and Grayson. They weren’t exactly an item, but she knew he was interested in her. Hope couldn’t deny her own feelings toward him. They were growing by leaps and bounds every day. This afternoon she’d seen a vulnerable side of him when he talked about his father. He was so much more than the arrogant man she’d believed him to be when they’d first met. Something told her if she scratched his surface even more she would find a sparkling brilliant diamond.
“When you meet the one your whole life turns on a dime. Everything changes. And if he’s the one it will change for the better.” Olivia Renault Rawlings
Chapter Seven
Grayson sat in his work room and tried his best to focus on the work in progress in front of him. He let out a groan as the realization hit him that no sketch could ever live up to the raw beauty and appeal of Hope Matthews. As an artist it was frustrating to not be able to capture your subject the way you envisioned. This wasn’t a problem Grayson ran into very often.
His feelings for Hope were clouding his artistic vision.
It was time to get up and take a break. It was important to get a new perspective when you hit walls like this. Grayson stood up and stretched. He walked toward his front door and wrenc
hed it open to allow the warm spring sunshine to float inside.
A beautiful peacock blue envelope sat at his doorstep. It looked like an invitation, but he couldn’t imagine anyone local who might invite him to a function. For the most part, no one knew where he lived. For professional reasons he hadn’t given out his address on Tybee Island or listed it on his website. In the past he’d had a few fans who had tracked him down and given him a little bit of a scare. He’d learned well from those occasions.
He ripped the envelope open and slid out the card inside. He was right. It was an invitation to a spring soiree at Savannah House. Grayson smiled as he looked at the fancy gold lettering. Hope had sent him this invite. Just the thought of her thinking about him made his chest puff out. This invitation meant she believed he was kin to Miss Hattie. Did it also mean she was interested in getting to know him better? As more than just friends?
In the last week he’d been a visitor at Savannah House on several occasions. He had met all of the co-owners of the resort. All of the ladies were beautiful and well spoken. They clearly loved the resort and were working hard to make it a successful venture. They spoke of Miss Hattie in glowing terms. Clearly, they had adored her.
Every moment Grayson spent at Savannah House provided him with opportunities to learn more about the Alexander legacy, in particular, Miss Hattie. Now that he’d met all the other owners of Savannah House, he found himself thoroughly impressed. Each and every one of them had treated him with kindness. No one seemed to be harboring any resentment against him.
Callie seemed to know the most about Hattie and Samuel’s love story. Grayson ate up every detail. He felt as if he was transported back in time every time he heard stories about the couple celebrating at a holiday party at Savannah House or their first meeting at Miss Hattie’s college dance.
Grayson looked again at the fancy invite. He might need to get a tux for the event. He wasn’t exactly a tux kind of guy, but if it impressed Hope, Grayson would do it in a heartbeat. His feelings for Hope were growing by leaps and bounds. He was going to attend the spring soiree for two reasons. He wanted to be at an event so he could see Savannah House in all her restored glory. More importantly, he wanted to be around Hope—to look at her, to hear the sound of her voice, to talk to her. If he had to put on a monkey suit to make it happen, then so be it.
Heart 0f Mine (Secrets 0f Savannah Book 6) Page 9