Page 59 of Romancing the Grump
“Yeah. Good,” he says. “Just getting an update from Mom about Blake.”
“Anything new?”
“Just that they have a meeting with a new attorney on Monday. That has to be Franklin, right?”
“I’m sure it is.” A wave of gratitude for Franklin’s timeliness washes over me. It hasn’t even been forty-eight hours, and he’salreadymeeting with Blake. “That’s really great news, Nathan.”
He pushes his phone into his pocket, holding my gaze. “Yeah. It is.” He doesn’t say anything else, but Ifeelthe gratitude in his expression.
I give him the tiniest nod, and his lips lift the slightest bit. I amneverat a loss for words, so it’s weird to feel like I just had a conversation without talking, but that’s exactly what happened.
Still, I can’t just stand here and stare at him.
I have a job to do.
“Okay, well, I’ll get us checked in, if you guys want to sit,” I say.
Nathan and Alec move over to the low-profile couches filling the lobby while I make my way to the counter. A receptionist is sitting on an elevated stool, already watching us.
She smiles wide as I approach. “Oh my gosh!” she practically squeals, eyes bright. “It’s actually you! I’ll be honest. I feel a little like I’m meeting a celebrity.”
I pause, my brain immediately thinking of Flint. If she’s a super fan, it’s possible she’s dug into his family enough to know who I am. But Flint is notoriously private when it comes to his personal life, at least since he married Audrey, so she would have had to dig pretty deep.
But then she breathes out a little sigh and says, “I’ve watched that moment when you and Nathan look at each other through the glass at least twenty times. Seriously. To have someone look at me like he looks at you. And that kiss! Girl. You’ve got yourself a keeper.”
My cheeks immediately flush with heat.
Thisis going to take some getting used to.
Of course it was going to happen—the Appies have an enormous following—but I hadn’t really thought about this part, about people recognizingme.
“Oh, wow. Yeah,” I manage to say. “He’s…pretty special.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m being so weird, aren’t I?” She hops offthe stool and retrieves three water bottles from a mini fridge behind the counter. She sets them in front of me. “Let me try again?”
I nod and smile, immediately liking her unabashed charm.
“Hi! Welcome to Flex,” she says. “I’m Riley, one of Flex’s chief designers, filling in for our receptionist, who is out sick today, and I’m so excited you all are here. You’re Summer Callahan, right?” She leans forward the tiniest bit. “I swear I know that because I read over the meeting agenda first thing this morning and notjustbecause I’ve been watching your video on a loop. Anyway! It should just be a few minutes until the team is ready for you. In the meantime, if you need anything at all, just let me know.”
“Thank you. But I just need to clarify, when you say you can help withanything,does that include getting me a pair of the leggings you’re wearing? Because they’re fantastic.”
They reallyarefantastic. And Riley is rocking the athleisure look. Sleek high ponytail, flawless makeup, a boxy tee, and the aforementioned leggings that have a high waist and subtle seams that are doing amazing things for her butt.
“Um, absolutely. They’re great, right?” She comes around the counter and looks me up and down. “How do you want the fit? Like,I’m working out so keep me tucked and tight?Or moreI’m lounging at home please wrap me in softness?Actually, forget I asked. I’m getting you both.” Her eyes catch on Alec and Nathan sitting across the lobby. Nathan is studying his phone, but Alec is watching us, his expression curious.
“Are you a big hockey fan?” I ask, and a blush climbs up Riley’s cheeks.
“Oh, um, sort of? I’m actually from Asheville, so I went to Appies games when I was little. But the Appies now—they’re an entirely different thing, you know? When our marketing advisor suggested we reach out, I started doing someresearch, found them on TikTok, and one thing led to another. I think I’d say I’m more of an Appies fan than an actual hockey fan? Does that make me sound so lame?”
“Not at all. I get it. I’d never been toanyhockey games before the Appies.”
“They look bigger in person, don’t they?” Riley says. “Is that just me?”
“No, they definitely do. Want me to introduce you? Nathan will probably just scowl, but Alec is Prince Charming if ever there was one.” Riley suddenly looks nervous, so I motion to the bottles of water still sitting on the reception counter. “Here. You could deliver these.”
“Oh! Good idea,” she says, scooping them up.
I can’t really blame her. If I didn’t know Nathan, I’d find him terrifying. But then, Riley isn’t looking at Nathan. Her gaze has zeroed in on Alec.
