Page 39 of The Innovator

“You’re going through shit too?”

“Not like yours.” He tapped my shoulder. “Mine is manageable. Yours is . . . psychological.”

“You’re calling me crazy?”

“No.” He smirked. “Just on edge. Anyway, what’s going on with your projects?”

“There are water and sewer issues at the warehouse, so a city inspector needs to review and approve the new pipe installation before the final renovation can take place. There’s not much about the park. I’m waiting for the blueprint approval from the city.” I finished my Martini and considered getting another one. “You didn’t ask me to come here to inquire about building renovations, did you? Did Audri put you up to this?”

My sister could overbear like a second mom. She wouldn’t have asked Remi to check up on me because it would’ve been too obvious.

Every time Audri or Mom asked how I was doing, I’d tell them all was well, but they didn’t believe me. I wasn’t lying. Everything wasfinebecausenothing was happening. I wasn’t moving forward or backward. I was stuck at point zero.

They didn’t need to know that, though. No one did.

“I just want to catch up with my boy,” Forrest said, not denying or admitting that Audri had gotten to him. “I’m worried about you. You stopped hanging out with us. We all miss the old Grayson.”

Christ.I didn’t know my friends acted like a bunch of sappy busybodies.

“It’s called growing up, man,” I said. “I just need time to figure things out. Haven’t you experienced a dilemma where you don’t know what to do about it?”

“Yup.” He looked at me and didn’t elaborate.

I didn’t inquire about his dilemma because I didn’t want to share mine. A mutual understanding passed between us.

“If Audri or my mom ask you about me again, tell them my brain’s working just fine. I haven’t changed. The only thing I need is time. Suggest that they leave me alone. The more people crowd me, the more I’m going to shut them out. Know what I mean?”

He blew out a breath and nodded. “Family is wonderful, but they can be overbearing sometimes.”

“It’s because they care.”

Sometimes, I wished they didn’t care so much. I had to be extra careful not to hurt them again. My mom and sister had gone through hell from the death of my father and my uncle’s betrayal. So any new information I got from Derek might churn up painful memories again.

Derek had answers I needed, but deciding when to visit him had been a struggle. Seeing his text messages stopped me from going. Why should I let my dad’s murderer tell me what to do? He had no effect on me. I didn’t answer to him.

The rebel in me—even if it didn’t make any sense—refused to go. If and when I visited Derek, it would be on my terms.

My indecision swayed like a pendulum, just waiting for me to make it stop. What was I waiting for? I had no clue. The universe was probably toying with me.

Let’s see how much we can fuck with Grayson’s mind.

Forrest nodded. “If you need to chat, you know where to find me.”

A hot brunette and a redhead entered the restaurant. They sat down on the bar stools at the opposite end of the restaurant and smiled at us.

Forrest leaned into me. “Maybe a woman is the remedy you need.”

Any woman wouldn’t do. It had to be a very specific woman—one who had given me the most extraordinary dream, aroused me to no end with her kiss, and gotten me all horny just with a text message. A woman who had a bet going with me.

Tapping my fingers on the marble counter, I studied the brunette, who offered me an inviting look. In the past, I’d have gone over, started a conversation, and if she suited me, I’d have taken her home for the night. Back then, it never occurred to me I didn’t have any standards in women. A nice body, a pretty face—that was all. What else did I need for a good time? I was certain my dates possessed more than those external traits, but I never cared to confirm. Why should I go through the trouble of having standards when it was just temporary?

The only thing I used to work hard at was expanding my architectural firm. Relationships were just accessories to me—like the tree or lamppost accent used for my architectural models. I didn’t need those decorative pieces to survive. If one accessory didn’t work, I’d pick another.

This brunette had a pretty face, a fabulous body, and a rack that would entertain a man all night. So why wasn’t I interested?

Because I want Natalie.But I couldn’t kiss her first. Defeat wasn’t an option for me.

What used to turn me on no longer could. Was I going backward or transforming into something better?

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