by Kylie Keene
“Thanks. And yes, I’m still drinking root beer.”
His signature cologne wafts my way as he walks past me to get his own soda from the counter. He has just a basic t-shirt on but it’s a thin fabric and hugs his body, stretching over his broad shoulders. It makes me wonder what he’s got going on under that t-shirt.
Maybe that’s all this is. Pure physical attraction and nothing else. That would explain why I can’t stop thinking about him. The guy’s totally hot. Even hotter than Grant. Any girl would have a hard time getting him out of her head.
“Paige said you had a good talk at lunch,” I say.
“Yeah. She’s nice. She said you guys are good friends.”
“We do stuff outside of work sometimes. Go out for dinner or drinks during the week. She’s married so she’s usually busy on the weekends.” I reach into the cupboard to get some plates.
“She was trying to set me up with one of her friends.”
I turn around with the plates in my hand and find Brad right in front of me, mere inches away.
He’s so much taller than me that my eyes are on his massive chest. I look up at him. “And what did you tell her?”
He locks his eyes on mine. “I told her I wasn’t interested.”
I think he’s trying to tell me something with his tone and the way he’s looking at me and his close proximity. I think he’s telling me he wants this. Us.
This is my chance to tell him I want the same thing. But do I? I don’t know. I still don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know if he’s really changed or if Boston was just an act. As I’m thinking that, an image of the hot blond pops in my head.
“You’re not interested in Paige’s friend because you have a girlfriend.” I go around him and walk to the table.
He meets me over there. “A girlfriend? I told you last night I didn’t have a girlfriend.”
“Then who was that girl at your mom’s house?” I instantly regret saying it. Now he knows I was stalking him.
“What girl?”
“I don’t know. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
He puts his hand under my chin and inches it up, forcing me to look at him. “I don’t have a girlfriend, Morgan. I swear to you, I don’t. Okay?”
“Paige said she saw a girl’s photo on your phone.” Again, I regret saying it after I blurt it out.
He lets go of my face. “For someone who has a boyfriend, you’re certainly interested in the women in my life.” He smiles and waits for me to respond but I keep quiet. He explains. “The woman on my phone—the one you saw at my mom’s house—is my cousin, Jill. Her husband is in the army and stationed overseas. I’m helping her with some things that need fixing around her house. She has two little kids and she doesn’t have a lot of money so I’m helping her out to save on repair bills.” He gets out his phone. “I can call her right now if you don’t believe me.”
“No. Don’t do that. I’m sorry for even mentioning it. It’s none of my business.”
Well, that ended any hope for a future romance. I acted like a jealous, possessive girlfriend and we’re not even dating.
“Let’s eat.” I take a seat at the table. “The pizza’s getting cold.”
During dinner, Brad tells me about his new job and asks me some stuff about the company. Then when we’re finished eating, the topic of Grant comes up, which I was hoping to avoid.
“Grant seems like a nice guy.” Brad gets up and takes his plate and mine to the sink, then sits down again.
“Yeah, he is.”
Brad laughs. “That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say about him? He said you’ve dated for a month. So tell me about him.”
“He likes running, art museums, foreign films, sushi. What else do you want to know?”
Brad stares at me, his arms crossed over his chest. “You don’t like any of those things.”
“That’s not true,” I say, defensively.
Brad continues to stare at me.
I sigh. “Okay, it’s a little true, but we don’t have to like exactly the same things.”
“Yeah, but the two of you must share a few common interests or you wouldn’t be dating.”
“Well, obviously.” I look away and try to think of a way to get us off this topic.
“So what are they?”
“What?”
“What do you two have in common?”
Nothing pops in my head. I try to come up with at least one thing. “We both like pizza.”
Brad laughs. “Everyone likes pizza, Morgan. What else?”
“We’re both from the Midwest. He’s from Omaha.”
“Um, okay. Anything else?”
“I think he likes milkshakes. I let him taste mine and he seemed to like it.”
“So you don’t have much in common with this guy. But you like him, right? He makes you happy?”
“Why are you asking me that? It’s kind of personal.”
“I just want to make sure you’re happy.” His tone turns serious and a little concerned. “It’s important to me.”
“Brad, you barely know me. I don’t know why—”
“Morgan.” He picks up my hand and holds it as he looks me in the eye. “Are you happy with him?”
I don’t answer because I’ve never really considered if I was happy with Grant. Truthfully, I would probably describe it more as being content, not happy.
I pull my hand back from Brad’s and get up from the table. “We shouldn’t talk about Grant.”
Brad watches me as I go to the sink, but he doesn’t ask me any more about Grant.
“Do you want to see the apartment now?” I ask him. “There’s not much to see but you can go check out the bathroom and bedroom.” I lead him into the hallway and he takes a quick look at the bedroom and then the bathroom.
“It’s nice,” he says as we walk back in the living room. “There’s plenty of room.”
“They have an outdoor pool in the back of the complex and there’s a small fitness center in the main building. It’s not bad for the money.”
He looks around once more. “I like it. I think I’ll call tomorrow and see what units are open. Is it weird for you if I live here?”
“Of course not. Why would it be?”
We both know why but neither one of us admits it.
“No reason. Just thought I’d ask.” We walk back to the living room and he picks up his coat from the back of my couch. “I need to go. I’m sure you have stuff to do.”
“I don’t have anything to do. You can stay if you want. I have some movies or we could watch whatever’s on TV.”
“What about Grant? If you were my girlfriend I wouldn’t want some guy over here.”
I shrug. “He won’t care. And this way you’ll get a better feel for the apartment.”
“All right.” He sets his coat down. “I didn’t want to go back to my mom’s house this early anyway. She’ll make me watch her murder mystery shows followed by those home shows she likes.”
I laugh as we sit down on the couch. “I like your mom. She’s sweet.”
“Yeah, she’s always trying to do stuff for people. She told me you stopped by a few weeks ago and offered to help her out.” He puts his hand on mine and I feel my heart race. How does he do it? A simple touch of the hand and my heart goes on overdrive. “I really appreciate you doing that, Morgan. Most people wouldn’t. In fact, I don’t anyone who would do that.”
“I know she’s not in good health and I just wanted her to have someone she could call if she needed anything.” I turn on the TV, taking my hand back so my heart can return to normal. “What do you want to watch?”
“Find a movie. Pick a comedy. Old, new, doesn’t matter.”
I flip through and stop on a British sitcom.
“Let me clarify,” he says. “You can pick any comedy as long as it’s not British. I don’t get their humor.”
I smile. Grant and Brad couldn’t be more different.
CHAPTER TWENTY
-ONE
21
I flip through the channels and find a movie, but Brad and I don’t really watch it. We’re too busy talking, and before I know it, two hours have gone by.
“I should go,” he says getting up from the couch. “I didn’t realize it was so late. But thanks again for letting me stop by.”
“Thanks for the pizza.” I walk him to the door. “Tell your mom I say hi.”
“I will. See ya, Morgan.” He smiles, and it’s a friendly smile, not a flirtatious one.
Tonight Brad was testing me, seeing if I really wanted to be with Grant. And when I didn’t give him any indication I was breaking up with Grant, Brad just treated me like a friend. He didn’t try to flirt with me or kiss me or make any kind of move. And I respect that. He’s not the type of guy who tries to steal some other guy’s girlfriend.
I felt sad when Brad left tonight. I’m never sad when Grant leaves. That should tell me something, but instead it makes me more confused. Even though our dates haven’t been all that great, I don’t think I should give up on Grant yet. I still have feelings for him, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe those feelings are based more on the friendship we’ve developed rather than love. But is that really so wrong? To be friends with someone and then fall in love later? Most people would say that’s a good thing.
And as for Brad, I don’t know what it is we have together. We’re becoming good friends and we definitely have chemistry. But even if I wasn’t dating Grant, I’m not sure if I’d take things beyond a friendship level with Brad. As much as I like him, part of me still doesn’t trust him. Part of me still sees him as that guy from high school. I know he’s not that person anymore. I can tell he’s changed. But I’m still afraid to be more than friends with him.
That’s just the way I am. I’m afraid to take risks. Afraid to listen to my heart. I’m a scientist. I think rationally. I do what my head tells me to do. I do what makes sense. And being with someone like Grant makes sense. I don’t belong with the popular football jock. I belong with the guy from the debate team.
The problem is, I don’t feel that strong connection with Grant that I feel with Brad. And after a month of dating, I feel like I should.
I think about all this as I lie in bed. And before I fall asleep I decide I need to stay away from Brad and spend more time with Grant and see if our relationship is worth continuing or if I should just end it.
But the next morning, fate steps in once again and seems to have something else in mind. I get an email from HR to attend a meeting upstairs. I start to panic thinking I did something wrong but I can’t imagine what that would be. I’m always on time. I rarely call in sick. I get my work done.
I go upstairs to HR, and Elaine, one of the women who works there, motions me into her office. “Morgan, have a seat and we’ll begin.”
I walk in and see Brad sitting there. Why is he here? This makes no sense. Now I’m even more nervous, but Brad doesn’t seem nervous at all. He smiles at me as I sit down next to him.
“What’s this about?” I ask, feeling like I’ve just been called into the principal’s office.
“You two are going to plan the company’s summer picnic!” Elaine acts like we won the lottery when in reality it’s a ton of work outside regular office hours.
“Oh. Okay.” I’m relieved I’m not in trouble. But the news means I’ll be spending a lot more time with Brad, the exact opposite of the plan I made last night.
“In here you’ll find all the information you need.” Elaine hands us each a three-ring binder. “But if you have questions, feel free to call me anytime. Morgan, you’ll be the expert here since you’ve attended this event in the past. And Brad, since you’re in marketing, I’m counting on you to come up with ideas to get people sold on attending the event. We want a big turnout this year. I think you two will make an excellent team since you both grew up here and know the area.”
I flip through the binder. “Is there a theme or anything else you want us to consider?”
“The theme is nature. Since we’re a natural foods company, we want to get our employees back to nature and remind them why they come here every day. We try to be as close to nature as possible with our foods and how we make them, but it’s easy to forget that when you get bogged down in work all day.” She smiles. “Anyway, it’s a very open theme but I was thinking of maybe a nature scavenger hunt, some nature-themed crafts, and of course you’ll need to find an outdoor venue. Any questions?”
I shut my binder. “No, I don’t have any.”
“Brad?”
He smiles at her. “I think I’ve got it.”
“Do you two even know each other?” Elaine asks. “I’m sorry. I should have introduced you.”
“We’ve met already,” I tell her.
“Good. Well, if you have questions, feel free to ask.”
Brad and I leave her office and go into an open conference room down the hall to talk about our assignment.
“So the summer picnic committee,” Brad says, sitting down at the long table. “How did we end up on that? Do they draw names out of a hat or something?”
“I have no idea.” I take a seat across from him. “When do you want to start planning this thing? It’s in June. It’s not that far away.”
“We should get the location reserved in the next week or so. I was thinking maybe a state park that has kitchen facilities and bathrooms. Do you want to look at some places this weekend?”
“Yeah, we could do that. In the meantime, I’ll go through this binder and see what we need to work on next.”
He leans across the table, lowering his voice. “When Elaine sent me an email saying I was picked to help plan an event, I have to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled about it. But then you walked in and I was so relieved. I thought I’d be stuck with some old lady from accounting.”
“Well, I may not be the best partner. I’ve never planned anything like this before.”
“What are you guys doing in here?” Grant smiles as he walks into the conference room.
“We got assigned to plan the summer picnic,” I say.
“That should be fun, right?” He comes over and picks up the binder, looking through it. “Maybe not. This looks like a lot of work. Guess you two will be spending some time together.”
I take the binder from him and set it on the table. “Brad and I have to look at locations this weekend. You could come with us if you want.”
“I can’t. I signed up for volunteer training at the art museum on Saturday.” He stands behind me, rubbing my shoulders. “You inspired me, Morgan.”
Brad looks confused so I explain. “When Grant and I first met, I told him I volunteered there because I knew he liked art. It was a total lie. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid.”
“I need to go, but call me later.” Grant leans down and kisses my cheek. “Let’s figure out what we want to do Friday night.”
He leaves and heads down the hall.
“Do you guys only see each other on the weekends?” Brad asks.
“I haven’t really thought about it, but yeah, I guess we do. He works late during the week.”
“Hey, I almost forgot. I’m going to your apartment building tonight to sign the lease agreement. I’m moving in on Sunday. We’ll be neighbors. Well, I’ll be one floor down.”
“Really? I didn’t think you were seriously considering living there. I thought you’d want to look around some more.”
“Like you said, it’s a good location, quiet, inexpensive.”
“You should stop by when you’re done with the paperwork.” I don’t why I said that. Actually, I do know why. I like hanging out with him. As a friend. That’s it. The problem is that I’m attracted to my extremely hot friend.
“Sure, I can stop by.” He gets up to leave. “I have a meeting in a few minutes but I’ll see you tonight.”
In the afternoon, Grant and I go out for coffee. I mention Brad moving into my building and he has no problem with it. He
doesn’t see Brad as a threat at all. I must be really good at hiding my attraction to him. Either that or Grant thinks I have no chance with a guy like Brad.
That night after dinner, Brad shows up, as promised. When I answer the door, he dangles his new keys in the air. “I am now officially renting here for the next year.”
“Congratulations. I don’t have any champagne or anything, but I have iced tea, soda, or wine.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need anything. I just stopped by to say hi.”
“You’re not staying?”
“I probably shouldn’t be over here, Morgan. You have a boyfriend.”
“We can still hang out. Grant doesn’t care. I told him you were stopping over tonight. He’s not the jealous type. And I like having you here. My dad’s in Texas now and Grant’s always at work, so it can get kind of lonely.”
He smiles. “Well, I don’t want you to be lonely. You want to go somewhere?”
“Maybe. Do you have a place in mind?”
He thinks for a moment. “Let’s go get dessert. You like milkshakes? Because I know this place that has the best milkshakes.”
“You don’t mean Maxine’s Diner, do you?”
“You’ve already been there?” He looks disappointed. “I was trying to take you someplace new.”
“That’s okay. I love that place. Let’s go.” I grab my coat and we head to his car.
We spend an hour at the diner, talking about growing up in Bloomington and listing out our favorite hangouts. Then we go back to my apartment and watch TV. After Brad leaves, I call Grant but he’s too tired from work to talk, so I just go to bed.
***
I let Grant plan Friday night’s date because it’s not fair that we always do what I want to do. He picks a foreign film. It ends up being two hours of subtitles and by the end of it my eyes hurt from having to read the screen all night.
After the movie we go to a new restaurant downtown. It’s another one of those trendy places that’s packed with people and very loud, reminiscent of the sushi bar experience.
“We can leave,” Grant says as we’re waiting for a table.
“We just got here. Why would we leave?”