Page 24 of Not A Whisper

“I thought it was a great plan before I knew all of this.” I lick my lips. “But now I think trying to best your father is an excellent idea.”

One side of his mouth curls upward. It’s not quite a smile nor is it a sneer. There seems to be a lack of energy from him tonight that I haven’t seen before.

“I’m glad you think so, since you’re going to help bring it all together.”

“You need to run all my planning by arealproject manager and by a few contractors, have them check for permits and… god, there’s like a million things that need to be taken care of.” The sheer amount of work that has to go into a project like this makes my head spin. Designing the ranch was the easy part. I turn my attention to dinner. “There are definitely things I’ve missed and?—”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.” I look up to find Grant still watching me. There’s a bit more energy when his smile turns smug.

I groan loudly. “What now? Why are you looking at me like this?”

“Dollface, you are under the misconception that this dream of building a ranch is exclusive to us. You will most certainly see it come to fruition.” His shoulders dance as he chuckles. “As if we’d let our doll go.”

Not quite sure what’s funny, I only hum noncommittally.

Grant’s snicker is a glimpse at the young man I know well. “You’ll see, dollface.”

I roll my eyes, my head shaking in exasperation. It’s not strong though. Seeing Grant relaxing and falling back into his old self is nice. Risking rejection again, I reach out and take his hand. This time, Grant doesn’t recoil. He hesitates a moment before flipping his hand over and weaving his fingers through mine.

The heat that creeps into my face has my breath catching in my throat. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling but it’s a failed attempt.

“What?” Grant demands.

“Nothing.” How do I explain that butterflies are currently taking flight in my stomach just because he’s holding my hand? God, I got it bad for this kid. “Let me know if you need help with anything else, ok? You don’t need to keep it all in. Or if not me, at least talk to Jason and Trip—they’re worried about you.”

Grant squeezes my hand and the first wave of butterflies is joined by a second pair. “I’m meeting them after this to talk.”

Disappointment snuffs out my joy. “Oh, you have to leave?”

“Yeah, tonight I got to go, but like I said earlier—things are going to change.” His cocky smile returns, full blast. “Soon, you won’t be able to get rid of me.”

I stare down at our joined hands. Emotions war in my chest as I consider his words, the desolation I’ve been feeling in his absence and how perfect my hand feels in his now. It’s a lot to feel in one moment. A knot forms in my throat that I attempt to work down before the tears that will inevitably follow have a chance to make an appearance.

“Ok, whatnow?” Grant demands.

I almost wave off his question, dismissing it and my feelings. But I pause. Why am I brushing this off?Doesn’t he deserve to know what his effort means to me? He’s here because he wants to be, not because he’s the bully he once was. He should know how I feel, right?

God, I hate feeling vulnerable though.

I look up from our hands slowly to meet his gaze. He’s still smiling but there's a slight furrow to his brows. Compromising with myself, I reply in the smallest voice possible, where my confession and heart aren’t terribly exposed, and I admit, “Get rid of you? I don’t think I’ll ever want that, Grant.”

His answering grin is utterly breathtaking.

Six

When Jason said “bright and early” he meant it.

As he throws open my bedroom door, I groan. Two early mornings in a row? I swear this is karma for something. I groan loudly.

“You’re awake! Good.”

I lift the covers off my face to glare at Jason with one eye as he strolls into my bedroom. “No I’m not. Go away.”

“Aw, come on. It’s time to get up! We have places to go and people to meet.”

“Youhave places to go and people to meet.Ihave a warm bed and a day off.” I pull the covers back up over my head.

There’s a deep, warm chuckle. “You know I need you with me, dollie. Without you, I’ll get nowhere.”

---