Page 46 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“My turn for what?” I tack a frown on to my face, and Natalie pulls her hand away.
“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” she says.
“Nothing to tell.”
“Come on. It’s only fair.” She cocks her head. “I just told you I’m a black hole where relationships go to die, so please. Don’t be shy. Share something about you.” She quirks a brow. “Extra points if the confession is juicy.”
It’s probably a coincidence, but the moment Nat saysjuicy, she also licks her lips. And now I’m dying to kiss her. Because, apparently, that’s what I do. Natalie Slater starts talking about things I don’t want to discuss, and I put my mouth on hers to make it stop.
This is probably not healthy behavior.
We stare at each other for a moment, and I push aside the urge to take her in my arms and… not talk. But that isn’t the kind of man I am, or the kind I want to be. So I’d better try sharing instead. “Fine,” I say. “Something you don’t already know about me?”
“Yes.” Her eyes flicker. “Preferably.”
“Okay.” I take a couple beats, scrambling for an idea. Nat just opened up to me, so I want to tell her something real, but I don’t want to let her too far in. I glance over at the stack of magazines I moved off the coffee table, and an idea comes to me.
“All right,” I begin. “Almost nobody knows this, but… occasionally… every once in a while… I…”
“You what?” She blinks.
“I… read romance novels.” As soon as the words are out, my insides twist like a gym towel. Of all the things I could’ve told her, why did I decide to pick this?
Natalie’s mouth falls open. “You like romance novels?”
“Oh, man.” I groan. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
“Umm, no. I don’t think I can do that.” She bites back a smile, and I’m assaulted by the need to explain.
“Mrs. Swanson started it,” I say. “She was always leaving her books lying around the office, and this one time—when a couple of back-to-back surgeries canceled—I got bored and picked one up. It happened to be a romance. And I liked seeing how the author kept coming up with stuff to keep the couple apart. Until… well… until shedidn’tkeep them apart anymore.”
Natalie nods. “I like those parts too.”
“After she found me reading that first book, Mrs. Swanson started leaving other ones out for me on purpose. Romcoms. Westerns. Historicals. Even some classics. I got hooked.” I shrug. “The thing is, a lot of people don’t realize how hard it is to write a good story from start to finish, but—” I cut myself off before revealing too much. “Anyway. It’s just…” Man. Why did I go down this road, and how can I get off it?
“You’re a secret romantic,” Natalie says. “I think that’s kind of awesome.”
“I don’t know about romantic,” I say. “I just like a good ending. Especially one with a happily ever after.” I clear my throat. “Anyway. That’s enough of that.”
“No way, Brady Graham. You’re just getting started.”
“I am not.”
“Are too.” She glances around the lobby, as if something’s just occurring to her. “But wait. If you’re all about happily ever afters, how do you work in a place like this?”
I let my gaze follow the trail hers took. “Like what?”
“A place with sick, injured animals. Not to mention all the vulnerable owners. No matter how hard you work, you can’t always control the outcomes. Or the way things… end.”
“You’re right.” I gulp. “But I didn’t know that when I first took this job. I only thought about the healing part. Then, after a while, the reality started to get to me.” I force out a chuckle. “I’ve become well acquainted with…” My voice trails off.
“Thenothealing part?”
“Yeah.” I try to laugh again, but it comes out more like a frustrated grunt. “Thenot healingcan be rough.”
“That must be incredibly hard.” Her eyes are warm as they sweep across my face. “And for the record, I’ve seen the change in you since you started working here. And I’m barely even home. So that’s saying something.”
I press my lips together. “Hmph.”
