Page 65 of Fire in You

Snatching my black purse off my bed, I walked past the small low-back chair by the door, dragging my hand over Brock’s jacket like . . . geez, like a total freak. I hadn’t given it back. I’d totally forgotten about it when he was over last Friday, and he hadn’t asked for it back, so I’d kept it.

Not my proudest moment.

Grabbing the military-style jacket out of the hall closet, I swooped down and scratched Rhage on the top of the head. “I’ll be back soon.” I pulled away before he made mincemeat out of my hand. “Or maybe I won’t be back at all tonight.”

Rhage’s ears flattened.

After making sure there was a bowl of kitty food in the kitchen, I left my apartment. Grady was waiting for me just inside the very same steakhouse Brock and I had been at with the potential investors. There weren’t many options for sort of upscale restaurants in the county.

A wide smile broke out across his face as he opened his arms. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” I gave him a quick hug and then stepped back. “So do you.”

He glanced down at the loose khakis with a shrug; they were the kind of pants I couldn’t imagine Brock wearing.

Whoa. Why in the hell was I thinking about that?

Grady took my hand as the hostess appeared, guiding us down the narrow aisle toward our booth near a roaring, crackling fireplace. The table was long enough to seat four people, but still somehow dainty with its white linen tablecloth, flickering tea candles, and delicate wine glasses. When I’d been here with Brock, we’d been seated in the dining area beyond the fireplace, where there were tables and no booths and less foot traffic.

I sat across from Grady, and when he ordered a bottle of wine, I thought that might be a good idea. During the drive here, I’d become oddly tense.

“I’m glad we finally made it,” he said. “I was so disappointed to have to push this back. I really wanted to see you.”

“I am so sorry about when I had to reschedule,” I said automatically. “The work dinner was a last-minute thing.”

“Tell me about it,” he requested with genuine interest.

So I did as the wine arrived and we placed our orders. When our food arrived, a chicken breast for him and a filet, of course, for me, I’d managed to shake the weird tension and found I was enjoying myself without having to down half a bottle of wine.

Grady was beyond nice. And he wassmart. And kind.

I totally should kiss him tonight, I decided as I took a sip of my wine.

Candlelight flickered off Grady’s face as he picked up his glass of wine. “What are your plans for Thanksgiving?”

“I’m heading home to visit my family on Wednesday. Our offices close Tuesday evening and don’t reopen until the following Monday,” I explained, kind of shocked that Thanksgiving was next week.Holy crap, where had the time gone?

“That’s nice. You staying up there the whole time?”

I nodded as I chewed on a piece of tender steak. “I don’t visit my family as often as I should, so I’m going to spend the time off with them.” Which meant capturing Rhage and shoving him in the kitty carrier, which was as pleasant as plucking hair off my lady parts with rusty pliers.

“You doing any Black Friday shopping?”

I laughed. “No. My mom is the kind of woman who doesn’t even go to sleep Thursday night. She gets herself hocked up on caffeine and then goes and buys, well, mostly stuff for herself. I mean, she gets everyone gifts too, but I know half of those bags she’ll be bringing home are for herself.” I started to smile at the memory of Mom yelling at Dad to get the bags out of the car while I stood on the porch, trying to see if there were any Barnes and Noble bags.

Turning my cheek to hide the smile, I immediately thought of what Brock had said that night in his car. He hadn’t wanted me to hide my smile, but he really didn’t understand. Maybe Grady would, but six years of habit were hard to break. I bit back a sigh. My gaze flickered back to Grady, but stopped on the hostess desk.

There was a man standing there, his back to where we sat. He was tall and broad shouldered, and there was something about the way he stood that caused my stomach to dip like I was on a rollercoaster, about to drop down a steep hill.

My eyes narrowed as Grady talked about raising sheep or milking cows or something. The man at the desk . . . There was something so familiar—

No. No way in hell.

I felt my heart stop as the hostess approached the waiting area, her eyes all big and doe-eyed, and the man turned sideways. I saw the profile, and about fell out of my chair.

It was Brock.

Itwasreally Brock.

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