“You seem close with your grandmother.”
“She and my grandfather raised me.”
He wondered where her parents had been in this scenario.
They continued to walk along the streets of Old Town, which grew brighter and busier as they reached the town center. Xander couldn’t help but take it all in. He’d grown up not far from here, in a very large house with acres of lush lawns and gardens. Unfortunately, those lawns and gardens were showpieces and not for playing. That’s one of the reasons he’d loved visiting Old Town. The entire area always seemed alive to him. As a kid, he couldn’t get enough of the excitement. He could run around the marina and look at the ships docked there. A man would sit on the corner and play his saxophone as people went in and out of the different shops. Street artists would display their work. And at Christmas, there were lights strung across King Street that seemed to go on forever, lighting up the sky.
“I love Old Town at this time of year,” Grace said, as if reading his mind.
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
She laughed, and he realized he liked the sound of it. It had an almost bell-like quality.
“It feels like there’s always something new here,” she said.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It definitely keeps you on your toes. But at the same time, I love the old feel of this area.”
“Exactly,” she exclaimed. “Take this block. Who knows? Maybe George Washington walked down this same street. I know he used to stop here on his way to Mount Vernon.”
“It’s cool to think about. I love that old-time feel. It’s stable.”
Stability was not something that Xander had had in his youth. His family was anything but stable. Chaos ran that household more than any one person. Maybe that’s why he very rarely made the short trek to the very prestigious mansion where his parents still resided.
“Have you been to that bakery on Princess Street? You know, the one with the amazing biscotti.”
“One of my favorite places on earth.” His mouth watered just thinking about it.
“The cannoli?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows and making him smile.
“Ah-mazing.”
It had been a couple blocks without any arguments breaking out between the two of them. It was kind of nice, Xander thought. When she wasn’t driving him out of his mind, Grace Harris was actually kind of cool to be around.
“Sorry about your date tonight.” Xander wasn’t sure why he said the words. But he felt like someone should apologize to her. Especially since he knew Derek wouldn’t.
She shrugged. “In a way it’s my own fault.”
“How is it your fault that the jerk grabbed your arm and tried to get rough with you?” His fingers curled into fists as he remembered it.
“No, not that part. Derek is a jerk. But I shouldn’t have gone out with him tonight.”
“Why did you then?”
“I guess I just wanted to give it one more chance, see if there were any sparks. That’s my bad habit. I would have much rather been at home catching up on Netflix.”
“I know the feeling. I also like a good night at home. Bum out on the couch. Order some pizza. Or go to a baseball game. What about you?”
“To be honest, I’ve been working so hard lately I don’t even know how to relax anymore.”
“What made you start your own business rather than joining an established firm?” He realized he was actually interested.
“I’ve been working since I was a teenager. For all different kinds of people. The last couple of years, I’ve been gaining contacts and puffing up my résumé. I decided to make the leap from employee to boss.”
“Any regrets?”
“Occasionally.” She laughed.
There was that sound again. Something about it had him sucking in a breath.
“My favorite part of being a business owner, though, is that it’s all mine.” She did a dramatic dancer-turn thing, her hair flying behind her head.
He glanced down at her feet. She was wearing tall strappy high heels. He had no idea how women stood on those in general. But the fact that they were walking over uneven and very old bricks, and she’d just done one hell of a turn, was even more impressive.
“Are your feet okay?”
“Are you kidding? These shoes are fabulous. Any pain associated with them is totally and completely worth it.”
As if the universe was ready to disagree with her, she suddenly stumbled as they were turning the corner. She wobbled on her feet for one second, two seconds, and then she was falling. He reached out his arms and grabbed her just before her knees hit the hard sidewalk below.
As soon as his arms went around her, her scent engulfed him. She smelled of orange blossoms. And how in the hell he knew what orange blossoms smelled like was beyond him. Only he knew that it was an amazing scent and he would never eat another orange without thinking about her.
Her arms circled around his neck and he automatically pulled her to him, bringing their bodies even closer together than they’d been earlier.
She had the most intense eyes. They were a beautiful emerald color, and he knew that if he stared long enough he would become completely lost.
“Xander,” she uttered, her voice breathy.
“Grace,” he replied.
He didn’t know what else to say. His eyes flicked down to take in her lips. Her full, very pouty, very enticing lips. Her tongue slipped out at that moment to wet them. He had to clamp down on a shudder. Was it his imagination or had she moved her head closer to his?
The breeze picked up and her hair floated around her head. Somewhere in the distance a dog was barking. And he could hear the usual sounds of nightlife, people talking and laughing as they headed out to a local bar.
Neither of them moved. They stood there on the corner staring into each other’s eyes under the full moon.
He realized he wanted to kiss her. He wanted that more than he wanted air to breathe. He began to tilt his head toward her. Her eyelids fluttered, then closed.
All of a sudden, the intrusive sound of a loud horn honking startled both of them. Grace jumped back.
“What the...?”
“Grace,” he began, but had no idea how to finish the sentence.
“Were you going to...? I mean were you about to...?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I—I don’t know. I think we were going to...”
She put even more space between them. Somehow, he felt a chill. That didn’t make sense. It wasn’t even cold out.
“We were going to do nothing,” she said adamantly. “That can’t happen between us.”
“Nothing happened, Grace. Don’t overreact.”
“I’m not overreacting. You almost kissed me.”
It was true. He had. “I didn’t almost kiss you.” He had to save face. “You were right there with me. It was a joint effort.”
She held her small purse out in front of her like a shield. Although the only thing the tiny clutch could protect her from was a gnat.
“You know what, Xander? We had a nice walk home. Let’s leave it at that. My house is right down the street. I’m fine from here.”
He watched her retreating form as she headed down the street. Xander stood there for a long time. Long after Grace ran up the steps to her town house, let herself in and closed the door.
What had just happened between them? He didn’t even like Grace Harris. And as far as he knew, she sure as heck didn’t like him, either.
Yet something had happened on the streets of Old Town. Just like Grace had pointed out earlier, something was always changing in Old Town.
Too bad change wasn’t always a good thing.
Chapter Four
Change was a good thing. Well, mostly. Usually. In most situations.
Grace sc
runched up her nose as she thought about all the things that had been changing in her life lately. Her business was taking off and she was acquiring more clients than ever. That was a good thing. Emerson had met the love of her life and was getting married. A definite plus.
Although...they wouldn’t be roommates for much longer. Unless Jack was okay with his wife living with another woman. Not likely.
And maybe their social life had been altered a bit, too. They used to spend their free nights roaming Old Town, popping into fun, eclectic shops, or stopping at one of their favorite bars for a glass of wine.
Now, things were different. She saw less of Emerson, who was splitting her free time between Grace and her fiancé. That’s why she knew tonight was important.
They were on their way to Jack’s house for dinner. Grace loved Jack. He was funny and smart. Most important, he loved her best friend more than life itself. So Grace couldn’t complain about being the third wheel. She was happy to be there for Em.
“It’s nice of Jack to spend his night off cooking us dinner.”
Emerson made a left turn onto Jack’s street. “Don’t be too impressed. I’m fairly certain he ordered food in. But I think he’s going to try and pass it off as homemade. Or he’ll default to the grill.”
“I’ll take it either way. I’m starved.”
It had been another long day. She’d spent hours negotiating a hotel contract with an employee who was not in a giving mood. Grace hoped she never had to coordinate a wedding in that particular location again.
Emerson pulled her car into Jack’s driveway. They walked to the front door and Em whipped out her key to let them into the house. Grace smiled as she watched her friend so at ease in her new phase of life.
At least she had a best friend who included her often, even though she had a fiancé. Grace knew plenty of women who turned their backs on their friends when they found “the one.” Heaven knew she’d seen her share of Bridezillas who alienated most of their friends before they could pick a color for their wedding party.
“What?” Emerson asked.
Grace gave her a swift hug. “Nothing. Just happy you invited me tonight. I’m glad that the three of us can...” She let her words trail off as something caught her eye on the street. A sleek black Lexus was parked outside Jack’s house.
No. Freaking. Way.
“Emerson...” Grace had to fight hard not to grind her teeth.
Emerson held her hands up in front of her. “Before you say anything—”
“Like, why is Xander Ryan’s car parked here?” She crossed her arms over her chest and began tapping one foot.
“Well, see, the thing is, he’s kind of joining us for dinner.”
“Kind of? Or is he definitely joining us for dinner?” Grace practically growled the words.
“Definitely joining us?” Emerson said hesitantly, her face an example of contriteness if Grace had ever seen one.
“Emm-m-m-m,” Grace moaned. A thought occurred and Grace grimaced. “Please tell me that you and Jack are not trying to set us up.”
Emerson snorted. “Absolutely not. We’ve seen the two of you together. Although, physically, I think you’d make a hot couple. But my ears would have to stop ringing from the constant fighting.”
“It’s not constant...and what do you mean we’d make a hot couple?”
Emerson laughed and shook her head. “Listen, Gracie, you’re my best friend. And Xander is Jack’s best friend. You guys have to start getting along. You’re going to be in each other’s lives from now on.”
Suddenly, Grace’s appetite disappeared. Emerson was right. She was marrying Jack and if Grace wanted to keep having nights like these with her best friend, she was going to have to learn to put up with Xander, too.
She attempted to run a hand through her hair until she remembered she’d thrown it up into a messy bun. And she hadn’t touched up her makeup since this morning. Plus, she was wearing loose-fitting boyfriend jeans and an old royal blue top that she’d owned forever and a day. She’d definitely looked better.
Dammit. Why in the world was she even caring about her appearance? She glanced back at the Lexus. She didn’t want to answer that.
“Come on, Gracie. Do it for me. Ple-e-e-ease.”
“Fine, I’ll have dinner with the evil one.” She quickly ran her index fingers under her eyes, hopefully ridding herself of any errant eyeliner and mascara. She wished she had her makeup bag.
Emerson chuckled. “He’s not evil, Gracie. Just give him a chance. He’s a really nice guy. Trust me.”
She did trust Emerson. But as far as Xander was concerned, she’d have to get some examples of him being a good guy first. Walking her home one time hardly constituted Man of the Year. Especially when he’d tried to kiss her.
It was days later and she still wasn’t sure what irked her more—the fact that Jack had tried to kiss her, or her disappointment that he hadn’t.
They pushed open the door, crossed the threshold, and were immediately engulfed in a flurry of fluffy exuberance. Jack’s dog, Cosmo, was so excited to see them that he couldn’t seem to wag his tail fast enough. His entire little twenty-five-pound body was shaking back and forth. How could anyone stay in a bad mood when they were greeted with this?
“Hello, handsome boy,” Emerson said in a high-pitched voice which seemed to set Cosmo over the moon. She scratched and rubbed him as he attempted to lick her anywhere he could reach.
Then it was Grace’s turn to shower Cosmo with affection. “What a good boy. Who’s a fluffy puppy,” Grace said in her own version of a doggy-voice.
Cosmo sat and held his paw up.
“Oh my goodness, you can shake. What a good dog. What a smart doggy.”
Emerson snorted. “Oh yeah, he’s smart all right. He knows he gets a treat if he does that.”
Emerson dropped her purse onto the console table by the door and grabbed a treat out of a jar next to it. Then she led Grace through the house, as Cosmo happily marched alongside them. Grace had been to Jack’s a handful of times. It used to belong to his father, before he passed away, and it was definitely a bachelor pad done up in dark colors. Although, now that she glanced around, she could see Emerson’s hand. Colorful throw blankets and pillows were in the family room and she noticed some of Em’s favorite artwork hanging on the walls. There was a lamp in the corner that used to sit next to the chaise in Emerson’s office. And in the living room, she spotted a pair of Em’s flip-flops peeking out from under the couch and her sweater tossed over a chair.
She could hear the men’s voices coming from the kitchen. Sighing internally, she vowed to give Xander a fair shot and actively work to change her impression of him.
“I couldn’t be happier to see a marriage end. Their breakup was a long time coming,” Xander said as he leaned back against the counter, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers.
Grace gritted her teeth. Then again, maybe first impressions were right for a reason.
They entered the kitchen and Jack’s face lit up as he took in his fiancée. Cosmo danced around, clearly thrilled that something new was happening. Then he made a beeline for his water dish.
“There’s my bride-to-be,” Jack said, oblivious to Grace’s boiling temper. He scooped up Emerson into his arms.
“I like the sound of that,” Emerson said and kissed him.
“Where’s my kiss?” Xander asked.
Jack’s arms tightened around Emerson. “Get your own.”
Emerson laughed and squirmed out of Jack’s arms to hug Xander. Then she gave Grace a pointed look that clearly suggested she should play nice.
Did she not just hear Xander dissing marriage?
She smiled. “Hi, Jack.” She sighed. “Xander.”
“Grace, great to see you again. And so soon.” He was all confidence and ease. He must have come straight from the
office because he was still wearing a suit. Although, he’d removed his jacket and she noticed a baby blue tie hanging over one of the chairs in the kitchen. The sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up, revealing strong, muscular arms. Arms that looked like they could wrap around her tightly and securely, protecting her from the evils of the world.
Stop it! She needed a drink. “Twice in one week. Am I lucky or what?”
“Yeah, or what,” Xander replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“Drink?” Jack asked, quickly holding up a bottle of wine.
“Yes,” Grace and Xander said at the same time.
Jack laughed and uncorked the wine, then poured a glass before handing it to Grace, who took a long swallow to steel her nerves. Xander, too, seemed to accept another beer from his friend rather eagerly.
“What’s on the menu, babe?” Emerson asked.
“I thought I would grill.”
Grace exchanged a glance with Emerson and they both started giggling.
“I think we missed something,” Xander said.
“Better to simply nod and smile,” Jack said in a stage whisper.
While Emerson and Jack talked about the food situation, Grace couldn’t keep her eyes off Xander. And wasn’t that just annoying? Why did the man have to be so attractive? Couldn’t he have scales or rampant acne or something? No, he just had to possess one of the most handsome faces she’d ever seen. He could pass for a movie star. Instead, he was an arrogant jerk.
“I’m going to fire up the grill,” Jack announced. “Em, I know you were out there last weekend. Did you move the grill tools?”
“Yep, I was rearranging.”
“Uh-oh, there she goes, Jack. Your independence is dwindling away.” Xander poked Emerson in the side and she poked him right back.
“Shut up. I had to rearrange some stuff so we have room for the lounge chairs.”
Jack turned from the refrigerator, burger patties in hand. “See...wait, what? I don’t have lounge chairs.”
“You will on Thursday.” Emerson gave him another kiss. “That patio space is awesome, but you weren’t utilizing it.”
The Wedding Truce Page 4