Page 19 of Undoing the Grumpy Guy

“Can I do anything to help?”

“Reed, that’s so thoughtful, but no.” The smile is back in her voice, and I can almost picture her gray eyes shining. Perhaps she truly is a fairy, because I’m thoroughly enchanted by her.

“I should be back on Thursday. If you’re available-”.

Cutting her off, the words trip off my tongue in my eagerness. “Thursday afternoon, I’ll pick you up.”

“Cat café?” she teases.

Smiling, I realize that I’ve been driving on autopilot and turned off on the wrong street and now must backtrack. “No, I have a different surprise in store for you.”

“Oh, I love surprises. Give me a hint!” she demands.

“Thursday, four in the evening.”

“You’re a rotten man, Reed Jackson.”

With a laugh, I agree. “Oh, I’ve been told that and much worse. But I don’t want to be bad with you, Winnie. I plan to be oh-so good.”

Silence greets that.

“Are you blushing, Winnie?”

She groans. “Yes! I’m not used to a man talking to me like this.”

Warm satisfaction fills me. “Good,” I purr. “Until Thursday, Winnie. But remember, if you need any help with your father, please call.”

“I.. I will. Thank you, Reed.”

Despite being unable to see her for several days, I’m in excellent spirits when I pull into the three-car garage of my home.

Before the housing boom, I picked up this four-bedroom house with the expectation that I would fall in love, get married and have a family. Since that hasn’t happened, the other three bedrooms have become informal guest rooms and places where I tend to store things instead of tossing them up in the attic. In the second guest room, I find what I’m searching for.

Years ago, at a fundraiser of some sort, I won this retro picnic basket, and it hasn’t seen the light of day since then. It’s still in the box it came in. Digging it out, I’m delighted to see that it comes equipped with plates, flatware, a corkscrew, and even a matching insulated bag to keep the food cool.

How convenient.

When I thought about where to take Winnie after the cat café fiasco, my mind went to dinner at a lovely little Italian place that I’m fond of in the city and then over to the Jangelo’s night club for dancing. Reservations are hard to get but not impossible and I’m not above name dropping if needed, especially with such short notice. I rarely take advantage of the perks of my position, but the chance to hold Winnie close, our bodies sensually moving to the music, is something that made me want to.

Those plans were derailed when I realized that one, Winnie’s shyness meant she might not enjoy the nightclub and two, I wasn’t quite ready to share her yet.

That’s when I thought of the perfect place to share with her. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and our state boasts all sorts of little hideaway beaches. A picnic dinner and a walk, just the two of us, the ideal way to spend time with her and get to know the lovely young woman who has taken my life by storm in such a short amount of time.

CHAPTER TEN

WINNIE

Spending two days with my dad was hard. He was ready, yet in so many ways, even after six years, he had difficulty letting go.

I didn’t push. It wasn’t my place.

Instead, I helped him haul things out of closets, then carefully pack it all back up and stack the boxes and bins back in those same closets. The pile for donation was smaller than we hoped, requiring a single trip in his SUV, but we had a lovely lunch at one of Mom’s favorite spots and reminisced.

I missed my mom. Dad missed his other half.

The topic of him dating never came up. I doubt my father would ever move past the death of his high school sweetheart and wife of twenty years.

My parents had me young, making my father not much older than Reed. It was something I gave little thought to at first, but when Dad asked me if I was seeing anyone it smacked me in the face that Reed could be one of my father’s friends; they were only four years apart in age.

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