Page 20 of Now and Forever
Grayson’s brows furrowed as he searched her face. "Is everything good between you and your aunt?"
"No, no, she’s fine. She's very kind to me," she rushed to explain. Golden could never thank her aunt enough.
"Kind, huh?" Grayson looked away, clearly mulling over her words. "And Gaige, he's good to you, right?"
She could see the flash of an unholy gleam in his eyes just waiting to unleash on his son if she said otherwise and Golden couldn't help but smile.
She shook her head. "Gaige is perfect. I wouldn't survive all the posh kids at Stardust Heights High without him. It's nothing, I was just being-"
He cupped her cheek again. "Don't do that," he whispered. "Don't dismiss your feelings."
As their gazes locked, the tension between them intensified with each heartbeat.
"Let me go get you some-" Grayson attempted to stand but she held his hand keeping him beside her.
"Could we...could we stay like this a little longer...together?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
For a moment, she feared he would deny her request but she felt his body relax next to her. "Of course."
Side by side they sat and read the proof of the upcoming quarter's journal. Together they compared thoughts on passages and opinions on future authors while the fire danced ahead of them. It wasn't until the faint gong of the grandfather clock striking the tenth hour did they finally stand up.
"I'll take you home," he announced.
The drive to her aunt's house was ridiculously short. Although the quiet evening with Grayson hadn't been what she expected it was everything she could have wanted and she wasn't ready for it to end.
Pulling the SUV to the curb in front of the small bungalow they both looked at the dark windows.
"The lights aren't on," he observed, his eyes scanning the lit-up houses next door. "Is your aunt not home?"
Pulling her bag from the floor to her lap, Golden shook her head. "No, I think she’s out with the Stardust Cove's Women's Society."
"I see." A line of tension tightened Grayson's jaw.
With her hand paused over the door handle she looked at her house and back to Grayson. "I would invite you in but…the house is…full—very full."
She thought of all the furniture stuffing the house and the pathway that led from one room to another that got smaller each year. A small shameful part of her didn't want Grayson to see it.
Grayson smiled understandingly. "Gaige told me about the inside," he confessed. "He said your aunt could easily open an antique store and have enough inventory for years."
That was a polite way of putting it. She laughed under her breath as she thought of Gaige's wide eyes and obvious fascination inside her house. He enjoyed looking at all the stuff. To him, it was like one of those puzzle games where you had to find how many cats were hiding amongst an abundance of items in a picture.
Pulling her bag onto her shoulder, Golden turned her legs toward the door when Grayson's voice quietly cut through the silence. "I don't like the idea of you being alone."
Golden glanced back at the dark house. She didn't like it much either. "I'm used to it."
"You and I both know that's a lie. You never get used to loneliness," he said carefully. There was a spark in his eyes daring her to argue. She couldn't, he was right.
Looking down at her tennis shoes, Golden thought of the loneliness that seemed to follow her like a curse. First, it took away her mom, then it made her father turn his back on her for a new family, and now it simply lingered in the far corners of her life. It was like shadows waiting to pounce on her when she least expected it.
"You're right," she admitted. "But meeting Gaige helped. Having access to Omar's cooking helped…you helped," she added quietly. "Loneliness isn't near as bad as it used to be."
Grayson turned and looked out his window for a long moment. She could see his hands tighten on the steering wheel before relaxing once more. He turned and looked at her, pinning herwith his bright eyes. "I don't want you to ever feel alone, because you're not. Do you understand?" He didn't wait for her to respond before he continued. "You have Gaige and you have me. You can always call me, and I will always be there for you."
Chapter eleven
Why would he do this to himself?
For what seemed like the hundredth time, Grayson glanced at his watch. There were two minutes left on her break and she still wasn't back yet. With more shame than he cared to admit, he clicked the camera icon on his computer and brought up the building's security feed. Out of all the years he ran this place, he never had any reason to check the security cameras until now—until her.
