Page 3 of Undoing the Grumpy Guy

Bypassing the white and black do not step on the grass sign, I tread over the brilliant green and well-tended grass to the large bushes hiding my so-called soul mate. Rolling my tight shoulders, I let out a resigned sigh. I promised Elliot I would meet this woman and I’m going to honor that promise by seeing this date through. Then I can truthfully say that despite this less than auspicious start, I gave it a shot, and we were just incompatible.

It might still break the old girl’s heart since she seems so set on this pairing. I’m not her only grandchild, so I don’t understand what the big deal is about my unattached status. My cousin and his wife are expecting twins any day now, which will give her the title of great-grandmother, so she can tick that off her bucket list. So what matter is it that I’m unmarried and childless?

Who knows what truly goes through that still-sharp mind of hers? Elliot is the reason I pursued law and stayed here instead of going to Boston, New York, or any manner of large cities with better opportunities. She was my biggest cheerleader during a particularly rough second year of law school and it may sound crazy, but my grandma is also one of my closest friends.

What does that say about me?

I try not to dwell on that.

“Winifred?” I call out.

The bush rustles and I take that as an affirmative, that this is indeed my date.

Pulling at the sharp creases in my pants to preserve them, I crouch down until I’m almost at the same level as the woman hunched behind the bush. “Can you please come out, Winifred?” I ask and barely control my shudder.

Who would give such a horrid name to an innocent little baby girl? I would never saddle any child of mine with a hideous moniker like that.

A pair of large gray eyes peek out at me. “It’s Winnie, actually.”

Marginally better, I suppose, though it does bring to mind a certain childhood bear whose adventures my parents read to me at bedtime before I outgrew such nonsense.

Holding out my hand, I rise to my feet. “Winnie, will you come out, please?”

Small, narrow fingers clutch mine with a surprising amount of strength as she detaches herself from the bush. Stepping forward, a tiny fairy emerges out of the green leaves, and I feel like I’ve been yanked back in time to when I believed in fairies, talking bears and gloomy donkeys, and had the blind faith of youth that the good guy always won.

Those soft gray eyes blink up at me and a mess of honey blonde curls tumble about her shoulders, going almost down to her slender waist. She barely comes up to my chest, and the pink and purple fabric that gave away her location is a mishmash of textures and patterns. My breath catches and my hand curls around hers.

With a slight tug, her fingers slip through mine, and I’m tempted to snatch them back, already missing the feel of them in my much larger hand.

“Whatever were you doing in there?” I demand in a hoarse voice, not at all like the smooth cadence I’m known for.

Uneven but white teeth nibble down on a pink and plump lower lip as a blush of red stains her cheeks. “I got a bit shy,” she admits, plucking some bits of twig and stray leaves off her clothes.

Her movements draw my attention to her strange dress once again and I take notice of the body it covers.

Small high breasts push out the ruffled bodice and from my higher vantage point, I see the faint shadow of her cleavage lovingly displayed by the dipping material in front. Moving my eyes lower, I take in her waist and gently curving hips. An unexpected bit of desire snakes through me.

“Do you like it?”

Blinking, I drag my gaze from her slender figure artfully wrapped up in the mismatched layers of the dress to her adorable face once again. “What?” I ask, feeling not altogether like myself. Perhaps I have been stuck in the office too much lately and now the fresh air is affecting me.

“My dress. I see you staring at it.” She smooths her hands down it, seeming not to notice or care about the uneven seams or how the patterns don’t line up. “I made it.”

Like a bucket of cold water, that brings me back to my senses. Hmmm… odd and untalented. What the hell does this woman’s grandmother have on mine?!

My eyes narrow as I look Winnie over for signs of guilt.

It must be blackmail of some sort. But why drag me into it?

Because surely there’s no way Elliot really believes for a second that me and this woman could be compatible.

Ignoring the subject of her dress, I extend my hand. “Yes, well, Winnie, I’m Reed.”

A bright smile stretches across her face.

The entire world could stop, and I wouldn’t notice a thing as everything within me grinds to a halt.

I’d likened her to a fairy, although a somewhat plain one, when I first saw her. That smile coupled with the warmth in her smokey gray eyes has me reevaluating. Suddenly, I want nothing more than to keep her smiling. If she wants to go back to hiding in the bushes, then I’ll happily join her.

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