by L. L. Akers
“That’s Uncle Grayson to you, Rickey...” Emma called after them as they went out the door, with Dusty following behind.
The door shut behind them and Olivia watched as Emma looked around the room. She turned her back and wiped down the counter, trying to look busy.
“Olivia!” Emma said, “Why didn’t you come out here and meet Grayson?”
Olivia tossed the used paper towels into the trash and rubbed her hands down her dress as she walked out to the family room.
“I was just about to, when Rickey came in and stole him away. I hope Ozzie doesn’t give them any trouble. He doesn’t like men at all.” She approached Graysie and held out her hand. “Hi, Graysie. I’m Emma’s other sister, Olivia.”
Graysie looked from Olivia to Gabby, who was still sitting on Jake’s lap. She looked back again several times. “Twins?” she asked.
Olivia nodded. “Yes.”
“Cool. You two look exactly alike, even with your hair and clothes different.”
Aha... finally, the girl was showing some life. Olivia was glad to be a part of the package that livened her up a little.
9
Olivia cringed.
Emma was insisting they all step outside for a few minutes before lunch. She grabbed Olivia’s hand. “And you need to be introduced to Grayson.”
“Emma, I’ve still got things to do in the kitchen. You all step out and I’ll get everything ready for us to sit down and eat. I can meet him when he comes back in.”
She pulled her hand away and turned to return to the safety of the kitchen when Gabby jumped up and stopped her. “It’s my kitchen. Besides, everything’s been ready. I don’t know what you’ve been doing in there. Come on, we’ll all go.”
She saw a look and a smile pass between Emma and Gabby. Oh no... I need to nip this quick, she thought. But not in front of the girl, Graysie.
Olivia couldn’t see a way out without making a fuss in front of everyone. She knew the more she resisted, the more attention Emma and Gabby would put on it until everyone noticed and put two and two together.
Or one and one. Since she and Grayson were both apparently unattached.
She was embarrassed. Her messy hair and too-casual dress now looked frumpy to her. She wasn’t sure why she suddenly cared, but in comparison to Gabby and Emma, she looked like the old maid sister.
Had she known Grayson was very attractive and alone she may have taken more care with her appearance today, even though she wasn’t interested. She knew he wasn’t married—anymore—but for all she knew, he may have a girlfriend. But even if he didn’t, she still wasn’t interested. And even if she was, she wouldn’t tell her sisters. She had no doubt they’d act all a ’fool and a’ flutter and humiliate both her and Grayson if she gave any indication of pursuit.
Jake, Gabby and Emma filed out the door, and she stepped back, letting Graysie step out in front of her. Dad took the opportunity to kick back in the recliner. Olivia knew she’d probably have to wake him for lunch; he could fall asleep in a matter of minutes.
Noticing his eyes already closed, she discreetly reached up and removed the clip holding her messy bun. Her long, dark hair fell around her shoulders and down her back. It was even longer than Gabby and Emma’s, as she’d neglected time for herself lately, and hadn’t seen the inside of a salon in months.
As she walked down the steps into the yard, she did her best to nonchalantly smooth it down, hoping it at least looked a little better.
She stepped up beside Gabby, and watched as Grayson held Rickey up, allowing him to place the nest in the crook of the old oak tree.
Emma whispered into Dusty’s ear. Dusty stole a glance at Olivia and then waited for Grayson to put Rickey down before he said, “Grayson, we missed one. This is Emma’s other sister, Olivia.” He held his open hand out, pointed toward her as though to announce her.
Grayson turned in surprise, his eyes landing on Olivia, and he held her gaze as he brushed his hands off on his jeans. He tugged at his shirt, straightening it.
Olivia felt her face ablaze and prayed to the gods that a cool wind would whip in to remove her blush before it was seen. She smiled politely as she stood still, waiting for Grayson to reply.
He stood quietly, too. She watched as his eyes finally released hers, and his gaze took in her face, her hair and her frumpy, baggy dress. His eyes sought out her hand and she noticed him pause at her naked ring finger.
Is he looking for a white mark to indicate I’m just not wearing it at the moment? Doesn’t he realize we can all see where he’s looking?
She clasped her hands together in front of her, as the silent appraisal of her seemed to go on and on.
Somebody say something, she silently prayed. Or please God, send a whirlwind... a tornado... a flock of locusts. Anything will do.
She gave her sisters a pleading look, hoping for some intervention, but they both just stood quietly, smiling with amusement.
Grayson’s eyes turned to Gabby and quickly looked her over, and then back to Olivia.
Yeah, I’m the one rocking the mom-style, thought Olivia. Please just say something.
Grayson finally replied. She expected him to reach out and offer her a just-brushed-off hand, but instead his hands found his pockets. He gave her a brisk nod. “Hi. Y’all must be twins?”
“We are.”
He nodded again, as though that was the end of the conversation, and turned his attention back to Rickey. “So, let’s get that dog out from under the porch. Go get the ball.”
Was I just dismissed? How rude, Olivia thought.
Rickey ran for the tennis ball as Grayson crossed the yard to the wooden deck. He squatted down, peeking underneath.
She needed to warn him. “Hey, umm... Grayson? Ozzie doesn’t like men. He may try to bite you,” she warned.
Without turning around, Grayson threw up a hand as though to wave her off—or tell her to shut up?
“I got this,” he said over his shoulder as Rickey returned with the ball and he held it out to Ozzie.
Olivia huffed. He wasn’t anything like his younger brother, Dusty. What a jerk! She almost hoped Ozzie would take a little nip at him. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stomped past him and up the steps into the house.
10
Grayson sat next to Dusty at the table. Olivia noticed his wide, hungry eyes when he first viewed the meal they’d laid out. Once they began, his eyes stayed on his plate. He ate heartily.
Emma and Gabby had rushed to grab seats, ultimately leaving only the chair beside Grayson open. Olivia was elbow to elbow with him.
She stole another sideways peek at him and then looked around the table.
“Dad, do you have everything you need?” she asked, before she began to eat. Her father had settled into his chair, but Olivia knew from experience he’d soon be asking for something... salt, another napkin, a plain piece of loaf bread... They all knew he was more than able to get anything he needed himself, but he seemed to enjoy asking one of his three girls to fetch things for him.
“I’m good right now,” he mumbled. “Thanks.”
Dad had given his blessing to Dusty long ago, and they’d become fast friends. He was thrilled that Emma had found such a good man, and welcomed him into the family. Olivia was glad he’d offered the same welcome to Grayson and his daughter, he looked like a man who could use a warm welcome.
Grayson reached across her for the butter, brushing her arm with his own; Olivia jumped at his touch, dropping her own fork. It clattered against her plate, and bounced off onto the floor.
She turned her head in shock to Grayson and they both froze, staring into each other eyes.
What was that? More than static electricity...
She broke the stare to bend down for her fork, at the same time as he, resulting in their heads bumping. Olivia stiffly straightened up.
“Oh! Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Allow me,” Grayson said.
She felt her heart quicken as
he scooted his chair away to give him enough room to bend over. She thought she could feel his warm breath against her leg, through the thin fabric of her dress, as he looked for the fork. The heat spread as she watched the top of his head so close to her lap.
Her eyes landed on Gabby, who raised her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Olivia’s face burned with embarrassment, as Grayson’s head popped up, and he delivered her fork back to her.
“Thanks,” she said. She wondered if she should use it. If there hadn’t been guests, she wouldn’t have thought twice about it. It wasn’t dirty. But in front of Grayson and Graysie, she wondered if she’d be committing a serious breach of manners. Then again, he had gone through the trouble of retrieving it.
Her mind stuttered with apprehension as she wiped the fork off with her napkin. Oh well, ten second rule and all that.
The table was once again quiet, other than the clinking of ice in the glasses and the clacking of forks against plates.
Olivia wondered why men seemed oblivious to awkward silences. Maybe their brains just went on hold until their bellies were full. She looked up to find Grayson’s daughter watching her before the young girls eyes quickly shuttered. She looked as though she felt guilty for getting caught staring.
Maybe the men were okay with no dinner talk, but she felt sure Graysie was feeling uncomfortable. After they’d arrived, it was only few minutes of talk, and then everyone gathering around the comfortable routine of eating. She stabbed a piece of tomato and squash, and bit in, closing her eyes at the crisp, cool and zesty bite of the Mediterranean salad. She ate slowly, afraid the sound of her chewing would be heard by Grayson.
The room was too quiet. It seemed almost rude to Olivia. She looked at Emma and Gabby, trying to gauge if they were feeling it, too. Both of them seemed absorbed in their food as well.
She cleared her throat. Someone needed to break this silence. Since she’d caught Graysie looking at her, she’d see if she could draw her out with some small talk.
“So, Graysie, I guess you were named after your dad? Grayson... Graysie?”
Graysie continued to chew her food. She swallowed, taking her time. She didn’t bother to look up when she answered Olivia.
“Duh. You think?” she answered, and took another bite.
Olivia’s eyes darted around, embarrassed by the teenager’s response. She looked to Emma for help. She was the closest in age to the girl, other than Rickey, but he was only a little boy. Emma gave her a little shrug, as if to say no way would she be sticking her foot in.
Grayson spoke up. He pointed his fork at Graysie, unintentionally aiming a potato chunk her way. “Graysie, that was rude. Watch your words, please.”
Graysie’s face darkened.
“Sorry.” She looked up long enough to meet Olivia’s eyes for a flash, and then looked down as she continued, “Yes, I was named after him. To make it worse, they had to spell it wrong. It’s G-r-a-Y-s-i-e. So I’m doomed to a lifetime of forever correcting the spelling of my name to everyone.”
Olivia was at a loss as to how to answer that. She looked again to Emma, who raised her eyebrows once and continued eating. Olivia saw a hint of a smirk.
Gabby wouldn’t look up from her plate, but Olivia could also see a smirk hiding beneath her hungry façade too, and she wanted to strangle the both of them for not helping her out with their guests.
Before she could think of a neutral response, or change the subject, Grayson spoke again.
“Well, maybe we’ll shorten ‘Graysie’ and call you ‘Ray,’ since you’re such a ray of sunshine.” He smiled at his daughter.
Olivia appreciated him jumping in, but his attempt to humor his daughter brought an immediate frown to the girl’s face. Her angsty teenage eyes darted around the table before answering. “Ha-ha, you’re so funny, Dad. You kill me,” she said sarcastically.
Grayson and Dusty both stopped chewing, their forks hanging in mid-air. Dusty looked at Grayson—clearly seeing his face cloud over and his jaw set—then to his niece, who seemed to gloat at getting the last word.
He swallowed his food and jumped in, seeming to try to avert disaster. “Graysie, are you excited to start school in the fall?”
“Sure. Nothing like being the new kid in your senior year. It should be a blast.”
Olivia watched as Dusty’s eyes opened wide. Apparently, her only uncle wasn’t exempt from her sniping either.
She almost laughed as she watched everyone wiggle uncomfortably, staring at their plates. This was their first teenager in the family, and they were all clueless as to how to deal with her, except for Dad. He’d had three teenagers of his own, and never had he allowed her, Gabby or Emma to disrespect their elders this way—at least when he was around to correct them.
Olivia looked at her father, silently pleading for him to step in as the patriarch of the family and nip this attitude in the bud—he certainly would if his grandson, Rickey, had smarted off. She quietly waited for him to strike.
But he kept chewing, behind a huge smile plastered on his face, the grin pushing his cheeks up, exaggerating the wrinkles around his eyes. He seemed to be enjoying himself.
Thanks a lot, Dad, she thought.
Dusty looked as though he was going to take another stab as he once again looked toward the ill-tempered girl.
Olivia silently cheered him on.
“So, whattaya think about me getting married? Soon you’ll have an Auntie.”
Emma looked up from her plate, having been brought into the conversation, and timidly smiled at Graysie.
Graysie shrugged and rolled her eyes. She jerked her head in what seemed a practiced move, causing her long hair to fall in a veil over her face before she answered, “Yeah. I always wanted an Auntie Em. Maybe I can click my heels together three times and you can send me back home.”
A hush fell over the table. Forks suspended, glasses held in mid-flight, chewing was subdued.
Olivia felt her own face redden for Grayson. How humiliating it must be to have such a cheeky kid. But she was as frozen as everyone else. They were all out of their territory here and at a loss.
Grayson dropped his napkin onto his plate and sat straighter in his chair, his back stiff. He glared at his daughter. “Graysie, I’m sorry you didn’t want this move, but it’s what we needed. A new place; a new start. I’m the parent. I get to decide these things, at least for one more year. We’re here, now. You’ll either get used to it, or you’ll get over it.”
The girl dropped her eyes to her plate, finally showing some remorse.
Dusty piped in, “Graysie, once you get unpacked and settled in, you’ll meet some kids your own age. I doubt you’ll be starting the school year not knowing anyone.”
She didn’t look up as she mumbled, “By the time I get the whole house unpacked by myself, the summer will be gone.”
Olivia gasped. “You don’t have any help?” she asked.
“I’m helping,” Grayson insisted. “What am I? Chopped liver?” He winked at his daughter.
Graysie sighed as she looked at her father. She looked back to Olivia, as though desperately seeking someone who understood. And Olivia did. Men weren’t typically very good at setting up house. Moving the boxes and furniture was a huge help, but unpacking and organizing an entire home was a big job. She felt terrible that they’d not had any offer of help. Especially since it was just Grayson and Graysie, without a woman in the house. But Dusty had mentioned he was financially well-off, so she’d assumed he’d pay someone to do it.
Guess not.
“Graysie, we can help. We’ll come over tomorrow, won’t we girls?” she said cheerfully, looking at both Gabby and Emma for confirmation.
Emma shot daggers back to her. Of course, she was stressed about what needed to be done before the wedding, but in reality, everything was nearly ready.
“Emma, we can nail down the final preparations for the wedding tonight, and go help Grayson and Graysie unpack tomorrow. We’ll still have two more days
to help you,” she said firmly.
Gabby backed her up. “That’s right. We’ll all be there tomorrow. We’ll get that house put together in no time.” She nodded her head at Graysie and smiled.
Graysie smiled back, and seemed to catch herself and relaxed her face again. She nodded back at Gabby, quickly stood up, and excused herself.
She walked out the back door and they all watched as she sank down to the deck, and nuzzled Ozzie, who was delirious with the attention, nearly melting into the girl.
A long whistle sounded throughout the room. All eyes turned to Dad at the head of the table. He raised his glass and looked Grayson directly in the eyes. “You got yourself a real pistol there, boy. And with that red hair and green eyes... gonna have to keep the safety checked on that one.”
Everyone laughed as the tension in the room quickly dissipated.
11
Olivia felt like a peeping Tom.
She stood motionless at the window watching Grayson. The sweat glistened on his back. He was getting quite a workout. His muscles knotted in his arms as he stood up and flexed them, lifting the weight of a plastic tote onto one shoulder. It looked heavy—but he was handling it just fine.
He had a tattoo. She squinted, trying to make it out, but he was too far away. She wondered what it was.
She watched him walk away to store the box in the garage. The faded jeans clung to him, leaving very little to the imagination. She felt heat flood her in places that she’d nearly forgotten she had. But that was to be expected, wasn’t it? She was still under thirty, and not oblivious to a hot, sexy guy. It’d probably happen no matter who it was. But the way she was sneaking around, peering out the windows—sly and forbidden—was probably playing with her nerves.
One more peek and she’d get back to work. She didn’t want to get caught looking by her sisters—or by Grayson.
Couldn’t she just be a normal red-blooded, single woman, who enjoyed watching a normal red-blooded single man do some heavy lifting? That didn’t have to mean she was interested in said normal red-blooded man. She’d had plenty of practice looking at the menu without ever ordering the entrée before.