Page 36 of New Girl in Town
My eyes snapped to her in a cutting glance that shut her up. “I mean, I haven’t even been here a month. I think it’s beautiful, but too early to really have a firm opinion just yet.”
“Think you might make the move permanent?” Grant looked at me over his beer.
I perked up at his question. What had prompted it? “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
“Anything that could be done to make you decide to stay?” Grant asked, toying with his beer bottle. I tilted my head to the side, trying to read his eyes, but they were fixed on the label of the bottle.
“Maybe,” I answered, and Grant’s eyes shot to mine. “I had thought there was something of interest, but I’m not so sure it’s an opportunity worth waiting on.” My gaze moved from him to Sophia. He blew out a sigh of annoyance.
He frowned, and I answered with a purse of my lips.
“Maybe that opportunity was waiting to see if you were ready for it, but when it seemed like you were still just too uncertain it decided to test the waters elsewhere.”
I scoffed. “Oh, please, I’m pretty sure the waters have long been tested and even dredged for quite some time before my arrival.”
“You seemed fine testing new waters,” he shot back.
“Are you two talking about the reservoir? Because that project has been done for a while now,” Ben said with a confused look on his face. I leaned forward, eyes locked on Grant’s while I answered Ben’s question.
“Yes, that’s it. The museum had thought to do something, a partnership with a local investor, but that really doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen now.”
“It still could, if the museum would stop being so stubborn,” Grant all but growled. Sophia raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’ve never seen you this worked up...and all about a silly reservoir. I mean, the two of you are talking about water now, right?” Sophia put a hand on his wrist.
“It’s a very special body of water,” Grant stated, his eyes hot on me.
I opened my mouth to retort when Ben asked, “Which lake is your favorite, Grant?”
I gritted my teeth and ordered my next gin and tonic, but not before I rolled my eyes at no one in particular. It was bratty, yes. But I had had quite enough of my forced double date, and no one could begrudge me a few eye rolls, could they? It was obvious that Ben was far more interested in Grant’s preferences than my own.
I was never going speed dating ever again.Ever.What kind of man dumped his date for someone who wasn’t even supposed to be there?
And then there was Sophia, who didn’t seem interested in anything beyond producing the casual catty comment. I’d met a lot of people in my life but the laser-like focus Sophia used in taking verbal swipes at me and making sure to keep a hand roaming over Grant was almost admirable.
The woman had fire, I’d give her that. But that didn’t detract from the fact that the date was terrible. There was no way around it. I’d been replaced by Grant, my fledgling attraction to Ben had been extinguished, and Sophia’s sass was at full tilt.
I was exhausted and irritable, so when Sophia and Ben excused themselves for a bathroom break before another round of drinks I slumped forward with a sigh of relief. My eyes darted to the side and I glanced at the door, wondering if I could get out of here in their absence.
There was no way I would be able to stomach much more tonight. Plus, if I rolled my eyes any more they were going to fall out of my head.
I glanced across the table at Grant and, just to test my working theory about my eyes and their continued presence in my head, rolled them once more at him. His lips pressed into a thin line.
He glared at me. “Do that one more time. I dare you.” He had leaned over the table to deliver those words. If anyone didn’t know, it would look like we were just leaning closer to hear one other over the laughter and music of the bar, but I knew better.
“One more time?” I asked.
“Aurora...” Grant’s voice rumbled when he saw thechallenge acceptedlook in my eyes. I placed both palms on the table and leaned an inch closer to him, our knees brushing, and he took in a sharp breath at the touch. I might have been affected if I wasn’t so damn annoyed with the man.
I licked my lips, smirking when Grant’s eyes dropped to my mouth. I cleared my throat and waited for him to look up, because there was something I didn’t want him to miss: my next eye-roll, the grandest of them all, which I executed when I had his full attention back where I wanted it.
Grant swore.
“No one told you to come,” I informed him.
He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Same goes for you.”
“Excuse me, but this is MY date, thank you very much,” I hissed at him and crossed my arms over my chest. “My date, which was going to be a lovely night, until you and that chit hijacked it.”
