Page 49 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
He shot me a mischievous grin. “Unless you’d prefer an Ouzo lemonade, Scarlett?”
I mouthed the wordsha haat him and narrowed my eyes. “Sparkling water sounds perfect.”
We followed a young hostess to our chairs and sat facing the water. Sailboats passed by so close I was able to make out the faces of those aboard, and the breeze carried the scents of the ocean and the plentiful beach roses that bordered the inn’s property.
As the sun set, I looked over at my grandmother. The waning light bathed her face in soft, peachy color, making her look much younger, almost like she had when I’d last seen her as a child.
I had a sudden memory of the two of us walking on the beach in Florida, laughing and chasing tiny sea crabs along the wet sand.
Then I looked over at Gray, and I wishedIcould take a photo of him. The sunset absolutelylovedhis face.
The color-changing light from the day’s last rays sent me back to all those evenings we spent together on the Mykonos beaches, milking every drop of beauty the island’s days had to offer.
Those had been some of the happiest days of my life, in spite of the odd timing.
Today had been a good one, too. I had, as Julianna had urged me to do, seen things I’d never seen before.
I couldn’t help but be a little jealous that Vivi got to spend every Saturday afternoon with someone who went out of his way to surprise her, who spent time and effort trying to delight and please her.
There was no one in my life who would do that for me.
I also thought how unbelievably sexy it was that Gray had chosen an unusual art exhibit and a walk in a majestic field of blooms as the day’s activities instead of something mundane like a movie or bowling.
No one in my life would do that either.
That was when I trulyunderstoodwhat Julianna kept saying to me about Kevin and Henry. No offense to them personally—they were nice guys.
But they didn’t thrill me like this. They didn’t even excite me a little bit.
Gray suddenly looked away from the gorgeous painted sky, catching me in my perusal of his even more gorgeous face.
He smiled. “Beautiful, huh? Eat your heart out, Van Gogh.”
My pulse thumped in my ears, giving the surreal moment a soundtrack. All I could do was nod.
One of the hostesses walked over to where we were seated to tell us our table was ready. With Gray on one side of Vivi and me on the other, we made our way slowly up the hill toward the dining patio.
When we reached it, Vivi dug through her purse and withdrew her phone. “Oh good. Stephanie is here to pick me up.”
“What?” Gray and I said simultaneously.
She smiled a not-so-innocent smile. “I’m feeling a little tired after such an active day and not all that hungry anymore. I texted Stephanie and asked her to come pick me up. She and I will have a chicken pie together in the kitchen.”
“You should have told me you were tired. I would have driven you home,” Gray protested.
Now Vivi’s smile turned absolutely naughty.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. Your table is waiting. You and Scarlett stay and enjoy a nice dinner fortwo.”
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
DINNER FOR TWO
Gray
Victoria turned to her granddaughter. “Gray will walk me to the car. Don’t rush home because I’ll be going to bed early. I’ll see you in the morning, dear.”
That crafty little sneak.
