I was no fool, and the look in his eye when he told me he was interested couldn't be mistaken for anything other than what he meant.
Grady Buchanan was attracted to me.
And today when I'd dressed to go back to the office, there was a foreign feeling swirling at the base of my belly when I pulled the bright yellow cardigan from the back of my closet. When I slid it over my white silk tank and stepped into the dark pants that made my behind look like one of God's most glorious creations.
The swirling was anticipation, not because I was ready for anything with anyone, but because a wonderful feeling accompanied when someone's eyes lit with appreciation when you walked into a room. Even if his appreciation was based in gratitude because I was helping him, it was a balm to my soul after what happened with Tucker.
As I approached, I could see lights on in the office but no sign of Grady. The door swung open before I had a chance to grab it, and there he was with a wide, bright smile on his handsome face.
"Great minds," he said by way of greeting.
I set the drink holder down on the desk and started laughing. Next to the coffees from Donner Bakery was a similar drink holder holding two coffees from Daisy's Nut House along with a neatly folded paper bag, which probably held something sugary and sweet and delicious.
"Well, we won't go hungry."
He snatched the bag from Daisy's and opened it. "Let's see who did a better job of picking the treats." With a flourish, he produced a donut wrapped in crinkly paper. "I don't want to brag, but I feel fairly confident in my choice. I present to the judges an eggnog donut brushed with bourbon butter and covered in spiced sugar."
I sighed heavily. "I cannot compete with that." Digging into my purse, I pulled out the bag from Donner Bakery. "So, I'll just keep the wild blueberry muffins to myself then. They're still warm, I believe, and topped with a cinnamon crumb streusel."
The skin outside of his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and I liked that telltale sign that showed he did it often. "I think we can call this one a draw."
I handed him a muffin and took the eggnog donut. As I took my first bite and tried not to emit a desperate, wholly unladylike moan at my first taste of the donut, I had to fight the urge to tell him that he'd probably seen a dozen of my family members that morning when he stood in line for some of Daisy's deliciousness.
I glanced around the office. He'd made excellent progress in the two days I'd been gone. The shelves I ordered from Merryville were already up and lined up neatly in the back.
"Shelves look wonderful," I told him. "Sorry I wasn't here to help."
"No problem." Before he dug into his muffin, he hefted a heavy box into his arms, the rounded curve of his bicep flexing wonderfully underneath his shirt. When he lifted it up onto the top shelf, the hem of his shirt lifted, and I caught a glimpse of a flat, muscular stomach and a line of dark hair disappearing into the dark waistband above the line of his jeans that had my face feeling hot.
"Lord have mercy," I murmured.
Grady turned with a grin. "The donut?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm."
He snatched the baked good I'd brought for him and finished half of it in one wolfish bite. Grady did not hold back his groan. "Amazing.”
Grady wiped his hands on his dark jeans, and I stifled a smile at the streusel crumbs he had stuck to the golden stubble lining his jawline. He glanced down. "What?"
"Nothing."
"It's something. You're trying not to laugh at me." He patted his shirt. "Did I spill something?"
"I don't think you chewed that muffin long enough for anything to hit the ground," I teased, then made a vague gesture at his face. "You've just got a little stuck ... on your jaw."
His cheeks flushed as he wiped it away. "Ahh. Yeah, I've always been a fast eater. Drives my sister crazy. I'll have my meal finished before she's finished with her third bite."
The casual reminder of Grace had me turning away from him. What was it about this whole thing that made it so easy for me to forget how much I still had to tell him? I took a deep breath and thought about what I wanted to say.
Grady, I have something a little crazy to tell you, but I think it'll be fine.
Grady, please don't fire me, but I spent the past seven years of my life and all my formative early adult years with your sister's boyfriend, but I promise it won't get awkward.
The next bite of donut stuck in my throat like cardboard. I couldn't leave today without telling him. I just ... had to make sure the timing was right.
"I thought if you wanted to work on some ads today and getting some new targets like we talked about, that would be great. And maybe work up some package descriptions for guided hikes that include a picnic lunch. I'm going to fill those shelves before I go do a hike. I think it would be good for younger families or inexperienced hikers."
I nodded. "That sounds just fine."
He waited until I looked back at him to speak again. "Wanna come with me?"
My answer came out before I could even question it. "Not even if you quadrupled my pay."
Grady's smile broadened, and I saw a hint of a dimple. "That so? Not much of a hiker, huh?"
With an embarrassed laugh, I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Ah, no. Me and the outdoors"—I waved toward the window—"we don't go together so well."
"Someday," he murmured, "someday I'll get you out on a trail. I think we can find something to your speed."
"Well, it won't be today," I told him and lifted one foot behind me. "Not in these shoes."
Grady pointed at the shelves. "I’ve got boots."
I gave him a long, loaded look, and he was chuckling the whole time he walked back toward the shelves. I took a seat at the desk, which was much neater than it had been the first day, and pulled my laptop out of my purse. While it booted up, I took a sip of the coffee he'd brought me. My lips curled in a smile, because somehow, he'd picked the same one that I would've bought for myself and had from Donner Bakery. Black with a splash of cream and a couple of sugars.
"Oh," he piped up, his head sticking out from behind the first row of shelves. "There's a convention in Nashville in a couple of weeks for outdoor retailers, and I thought it would be good to go meet some vendors. You up for a company road trip?"
Something was entirely too infectious about Grady Buchanan's energy. Joy had told me earlier that I had brought the sunshine with me, but he was the one who seemed to harness its power.
For some reason, that made it even harder to imagine admitting my duplicity. I knew it would dim some of that powerful spirit. My momma would probably be going to that convention or sending someone from the Bait and Tackle, at the very least. Where his daddy worked. For my mother.
"Sounds great," I told him weakly. His head disappeared back behind the shelf again, and he started whistling along to whatever music he had playing over a Bluetooth speaker in the back.
A car slowed in front of the office, the sun glinting off the side mirror, and my heart stopped when I saw who was driving.
Grace Buchanan.
Just like everyone else in town, I knew they'd gone out to California so that Tucker could meet Grace’s momma, and for some reason, I hadn't even thought about the fact she'd stop by and see her brother as soon as she returned. I stood from the desk so fast that the chair clattered backward.
"You okay?" Grady asked.
I rubbed my forehead and set the chair back to rights. "Yeah, just ... need the restroom. Stood too fast is all."
Walking past him, I struggled not to sprint back to the safety of the small room. I refused to look at his concerned face because even that one pause could spell disaster for me.
Just as I was pulling the door shut behind me, I heard Grace walk in through the front.
I clicked the lock shut and sank against the cold metal with a groan. "Oh Magnolia, you have got yourself in a pickle now," I whispered miserably.
Chapter 8
Grady
"Well holy shit, what mir
acle happened in this place?" Grace asked. She'd barely made it in through the front door when she jerked to a stop, set her hands on her hips, and gawked at the organized glory that was now Valley Adventures.
I adjusted a fake tie and waltzed toward her. "Not too shabby, huh?"
She nodded. "I'm impressed. It actually looks legit in here."
After she leaned over for a hug, I ruffled her hair. It earned me a narrowing of her eyes, which made me laugh. "Welcome back. Just get home?"
"Yeah. Tucker had to go into the law office to help his dad with something that came up with a big case, so I decided to come make fun of your mess again"—she turned in a slow circle, arms extended—"but lo and behold, you've stolen my thunder."
I scratched the side of my face. "I wish I could take all the credit, but I finally got some help."
Her eyes landed on the coffee and bakery bags. "How many people did you hire?"
"Just one," I said around a smile. "We both decided to be nice and bring caffeine and sugar this morning."
"Mom said to send you this." She slugged me in the shoulder.
"Ouch," I muttered. "What was that for?"
Grace peered around the space. "Because you suck at calling the woman who birthed us."
"I've been a little busy."
"Mom was good, thank you for asking. She loved Tucker, who has now replaced you in her heart."
I rolled my eyes.
Her fingers touched the edge of the pink leather purse sitting on the corner of the desk. "Whoever you hired has excellent taste."
I wanted to sigh like a moron when I thought of telling Grace about everything that had happened in the short week since she left. The words crowded into my mouth, but I swallowed them down because with Lia just a dozen or so feet away in the bathroom, it wasn't the time or place to tell Grace.
"It's been working out well so far. She's still wrapping up at her old job, but I think she's exactly what this place needed."
Grace's eyes sharpened as she watched me talk.
"What?"
Then they narrowed. "What's up with you?"
My shoulders rolled, trying to release some of the tension at her scrutiny. Twins were the worst. "Nothing, why?"
"You're being weird."
"How am I being weird? You've been in here for less than two minutes, and I've hardly said anything!"
"Exactly."
That was the problem, wasn't it? I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell my twin sister, my best friend, that I met her. Met the one.
And she was smart. Driven. Gorgeous beyond belief. She had good taste in muffins and treated her laptop like it was her prized possession. She was refined, but underneath it, I got the sense she craved to shed that Southern belle image like a snake shed its skin.
But my sister would never be able to hide her feelings about it, even if I managed to get my story out before Lia returned from the bathroom. Grace would study her like a specimen, inspect her from head to toe, pepper her with questions, and try to decide if she was good enough for her brother.
"Soooo, where is the owner of the beautiful purse?" Grace asked. "Since you're not going to tell me why you're acting like this."
I threw out my arms. "I'm not acting like anything! I just didn't know you'd be stopping by, and we were trying to get some work done." I sighed because I did, in fact, sound like a crazy person. "She's using the bathroom."
Grace hummed. "Fine, I'll leave you alone. But I'm not happy about it."
"And that brings me great joy." This time, I blocked her punch before it landed. I pinched behind her arm, which she hated about as much as I hated her punching me. "You're so violent. How does Tucker put up with your bullshit?"
She smiled sweetly. "I keep him exceptionally happy in bed."
"Out." I pointed at the door. "Get. Out. Now."
Grace flipped me her middle finger on her way out the door, and I sank into the chair. Generations of Buchanans before me had navigated this insanity just fine, but that didn't really make me feel better. All week, I'd thought about her. Replaying our conversations, I tried to glean something new and important about her from what I remembered.
But the truth was that it wasn't about getting to know her. That was the easy part, especially once we were seeing each other every day. The hard part was that she worked for me. It wasn't as simple as asking her out on a date because I wanted to, even if she seemed interested too.
I stared at her purse while I thought about that. What if she wasn't interested?
My cousin Levi waited five years before his friendship with Joss turned romantic even though he loved her the entire time.
Grace didn't have to wait nearly that long to be with Tucker, but when she moved to town, he was still in a long-term relationship. Nothing happened between them until Tucker broke that off and sent the whole damn town into upheaval. None of it had been easy on Grace while she waited patiently for all that to resolve.
I hadn't understood it when she kept defending Tucker. Kept defending their decision to keep it quiet. But I understood it now. It's easy to stand on the outside of someone else's relationship and say you'd do something different. That you'd conduct yourself correctly, that you'd never let anyone keep you from your happiness.
No wonder Grace punched me all the time. What an unsympathetic dick I'd been to her. Here I sat, less than a week as Lia's boss, and I had no idea how to function with these feelings. Leave it to me not to just ... tell her I'd call her back and let her know about the job. If I'd taken even one day to think it over, I would have known that hiring her would only box me into this immovable space where asking her out was not an option for serious consideration.
I came from LA. Abusing the dynamic of power in the workplace was nothing to joke about, and I was the last guy who'd ever force a woman.
Bracing my elbows on the desk, I speared my fingers through my hair and took a few deep breaths. When I opened my eyes, I saw her keys sitting next to her pink bag. There was a matching leather tag attached to the key ring, embossed with a giant M.
My finger traced the edges.
Then I laughed. I didn't even know her last name.
"What a joke I am," I whispered.
I'd hired her for a few valid reasons, yes, but holy shit, Tucker had every right to ream my ass over this. I'd lucked out that she was actually as good at this stuff as she'd said.
Sitting back in the chair, I dangled the keys off one finger and stared at the M. The bathroom door opened, and I heard her steps approaching from behind. I turned with a smile, and she stopped dead in her tracks, eyes frozen on the keys in my hand.
"Oh, sorry," I said, setting them back on the desk. "Not trying to pry."
Liar.
She tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "It's ... fine."
With a vague gesture toward the keychain, I gave her a self-deprecating smile. "Just marveling that I hired someone, and I don't even know your last name. Pretty impressive actually."
Her eyes were so big in her face as she watched me that she actually looked a little lost.
My head tilted. "Are you okay?"
"I have to tell you something," she whispered unsteadily.
I was out of the chair before I knew what I was doing, my hands gently gripping her upper arms. "Seriously, are you feeling okay? Here, take a seat."
When she was in the chair, hands rubbing the tops of her thighs, I crouched in front of her. "Do you feel lightheaded?"
She shook her head. "No, no, it's not that. I feel fine." Her hand swept over her face. "Well, I don't ... I feel awful but not physically."
When she dropped her hand, she looked at me in a way that I didn't really understand. It was a pleading look, when there was no way she could have known that I would've given her whatever she wanted.
What I wanted was to soothe her, lay my hands on top of hers so that she knew it would be okay, whatever was bothering her, but I made sure to hold myself back when I spoke. "You can tel
l me, whatever it is."
"Grady, I—" Her voice caught on whatever was going to come next. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and when she opened them, it was like she flipped a switch. "I have something to tell you, and it might sound a little crazy. But I think, if we do this the right way, it'll be just fine."
My eyebrows bent in confusion. "Okay?"
Honest to goodness, as long as she wasn't about to tell me she was married or moving across the ocean, I could handle whatever was going to come next.
"My name isn't actually Lia," she said slowly. "Or it's not my full name, at least."
"Okay," I repeated. "It's no crime to go by a nickname."
She pinched her eyes shut, and yet again, my hands ached to reach out to touch her. Smooth my thumb along her face so that those worried lines would disappear from her forehead and rub along the knuckles on her hands until she stopped clenching her fingers together so tightly.
"It'll be okay, I promise."
Her eyes opened. "I didn't want to lie to you, I swear. I just knew you wouldn't hire me if I told you the truth. And I really, really want this job, Grady. I'd be devastated if you fired me, but ... you'd be well within your rights if that's what you decided to do."
Everything inside me went a little too still, a little too quiet, because I knew whatever she was about to admit wasn't good. The truth of what she was saying was stamped all over her face, I didn't doubt that. The lines on her forehead smoothed out as she took another breath.
Don't say it, I wanted to scream, without even knowing what it was. The sense of foreboding I felt crawling through my gut was awful—cold and muddy and sticky.
Her chin lifted, and as the light from the window hit that glorious face, she looked so regal, so composed, and I knew that I couldn't ask her to hold in whatever truth was bothering her so much.
"My name is Magnolia MacIntyre."
There it was. The bottom fell out, like an anvil into a cardboard box.
"Oh, fuck me," I whispered.
Magnolia MacIntyre, as in Tucker's ex-girlfriend. His first love. The daughter of the man who almost ruined his law firm, which was why he was even partnering with me at all.
Steal My Magnolia (Love at First Sight Book 3) Page 7