Page 75 of The Grump

Xander glanced over at me as we sped through the city. “Bailey, you okay?”

“She actually said that? That she cares that much about me?”

“Yeah.”

“I appreciate that she’s looking out for me. But why didn’t they say anything to me when I was at the shop?”

“My guess? They didn’t want to put you on the spot. In any case, I’m the one who needs to talk to them.”

I swallowed hard and looked at him. “And you aren’t mad?”

“Why would I be?”

“I don’t know. That your own grandmothers gave you ‘the talk.’”

“Nah, it’s all good,” Xander said.

“What did you tell her when she lectured you?”

When we stopped at a red light, he turned and looked straight at me. “That I don’t plan to hurt you, not in a million years. And that she’s not getting more information from me anytime soon.”

I laughed, pinching his shoulder. “I bet that went over well.”

“She was a bit surprised, hence why she probably tried to get the details out of you.”

I beamed at him, starting to relax. I could finally focus on the party again. “I’m so excited about tonight.”

“So am I.”

We arrived a little while later, and I was awed by the sight before me. I’d seen photos of the LUNA Ball over the years, so some of it was familiar: the extravagant designs of the outfits, the lighting devices, the general vibe. The VIP area was amazing. It was quite far away from the main event, in a separate room that was lavishly decorated with velvet couches and silver candleholders.

The Christmas decor was discreet but festive. They’d hung mistletoe here and there, and there was a small but perfectly decorated tree in the center of the room, with a string of lights in the shape of presents all around it. I planned to steal that idea.

Xander and I had watched the fashion show for a while from outside the VIP room, where there was a wide berth reserved only for VIP guests. But once we smelled food, we both decided to come in here. I was currently eating my third portion of cake. My appetizer and main course were also cake. They had several, and I’d made it my mission to try all of them by the end of the evening. Naturally, that meant I didn’t have room to eat anything else.

“Do I see more cake?” Xander asked, coming up in front of me.

“Guilty. Have you seen how many they have? I need to try all of them. Don’t you want any?”

“I’m not really a sweets man.”

I gasped a bit theatrically. “You can’t say that to someone who makes pralines all day long. It’s a sacrilege.”

“I do like your pralines.”

“That’s right. Butter me up.”

Xander grinned and then brushed his fingers over my cheek. “You’ve got some powdered sugar there.”

“How did it end up on my cheek?” Then again, it wasn’t really a huge surprise with the large bites I’d taken.

“Are you having fun?”

I nodded feverishly. “Yes. This whole place has such dreamy vibes. I especially love the idea of the string of lights in the shape of gift boxes.”

“Huh?” I pointed to the tree. “Oh, right. Yeah, it does look good.”

“You didn’t even notice it until now?”

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