Whirlwind (SAI Book 2) (28 page)

“I’m very excited, because I haven’t been on a date in probably two years. I hope I remember how to act.”

They stood at the hostess desk and waited to be seated. “We went out to dinner in San Diego. I’ve taken you on a date.”

“That seemed more like a business trip. This feels like a date because you asked me out and I agreed. Then I got dressed and did my hair and makeup, and you planned something for us to do. This is our official first date.”

Grady watched her look around the room and enjoyed how excited she was. He also felt like an ass that it had taken him this long to treat her like she deserved. Somehow they had fallen into a pattern, and he never made the effort to take her out. No wonder she wasn’t that excited about him.

“Is my hair sticking up?” She smoothed it down and then straightened her dress. “I did the best that I could with it.”

Bending down, he smiled into her sea-green eyes and grinned. “You are the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen, and I’m one lucky guy to be standing here with you. I know the men in here are trying to figure out how I managed to get you to go out with me.”

He noticed her cheeks got rosy, and she squeezed his hand.

“It’s true, Sara. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to let you know how beautiful you are and how fortunate I consider myself.”

“You don’t have to say all of that.”

“Yes, I do. I’ve screwed up, and I plan on letting you know how I feel from here on out.”

“Okay.”

The hostess returned and Grady spoke with her, and they were soon led to a table that faced the ocean. The sun was starting to soften, and they were probably in for a hell of a sunset. Grady held Sara’s chair and kissed her cheek before he sat down. “We’re going to have to come back here at least once a month. This place is great.”

“I love the view. Maybe we can take a walk on the beach after diner.”

“That’s a great idea.” The waitress approached, they ordered drinks, and Grady asked for a couple of appetizers.

Once the drinks were delivered, he started to relax. Sara was happy and enjoying the evening, and the distance that had been growing between them seemed to be dissipating. “Have you been working on the second graphic novel? You haven’t seemed that excited about it since we left San Diego.”

“You noticed that, did you?” She took a sip of her margarita and stared out at the ocean. “Both companies called yesterday and offered me a great advance. I think if I continue with this then I’m going to stick with my earlier decision to self-publish. I’m not real excited about doing business with them, and I’m not sure why. Both companies have good reputations within the industry, but I didn’t care for the people we met with. Collaborating on a book is a lot like dating. You have to like one another for it to work. Respect is also important.”

He took her hand and nodded. “I didn’t get that vibe from the people we met with. Both men seemed antagonistic toward you without any provocation. I don’t know anything about publishing, but that doesn’t seem to be the right way to start off a business relationship.”

“I felt like they dismissed me because I’m not cool enough and I don’t know their lingo. I’m not a hipster and I never will be. I’m just a geeky artist who likes to draw kittens, elephants, and mice. I hated how I felt when we left those meetings.”

“I think they were intimidated by you. You have an impressive fine arts education, and you are the real deal. They acted like asses. I’m not sure if it was because you’re beautiful and smart or because I was standing guard.”

Laughing, she covered his hand. “I like your version of events a lot more than mine.”

“I know what I’m talking about, and I can tell when men are interested. The fact that I had to show them that whatever they had in mind was never going to happen just pissed them off, and they took it out on you.”

“You didn’t say ten words to them. How could you tell them anything?”

“Men have a way of silently communicating.”

“I think you’re full of it, but I may just go with it. I don’t have any new ideas for the second installment, anyway.”

“Maybe the graphic novel part of your career is on hold.”

“I have this idea for a story, and Mark and Birdie’s daughter inspired it. I keep seeing Maddy’s big eyes and bright smile, and I think she would make a wonderful character in a book.”

“So the elephants, mice, and rabbits are starting to return?”

“Maybe.” Before she could say more, the waitress brought their appetizers, and they dug in. “Who knows what will happen after I have the meeting with the Outfit?”

“Ever since we discussed the possibility with Sam, you’ve been excited. I don’t know too many people who would be looking forward to a sit-down with Solly D.”

“My life stopped the moment that I walked out of the restaurant with Sal. I would like to get it back and start planning and not hiding. I’m twenty-eight years old, and this is my first date in forever. I hang out with Agnes and Gladys and the rest of the retired people on the block. I’ve been hiding for so long that I don’t even know who I am.”

“Who were you before all of this happened?”

“I was a successful illustrator with a promising career and a ton of friends. I dated often and traveled and spent time with my family. Then my parents were killed and everything slipped away.”

“So now it’s time to start all over again and build the life you want.”

Sara grinned and took a sip of her drink. “You’re right. Since this is our first date, I’m going to ask you some date questions. Things that I’ve never gotten the chance to ask.”

“I’m ready.” He sat back and crossed his legs. “Ask away.”

“What did you like best about being a SEAL?”

“The best part of being on the Teams was serving and protecting the country I love. I always knew that I was going into the service, and I’m lucky that I found the right place. I would go back if they would have me.”

“Are you medically retired?”

“No. But I can’t be cleared for active duty again. My shoulder can’t be repaired, and I have some vision loss as well.”

“Which explains why you think I’m so pretty.” Laughing, she touched his hand. “Works out for me.”

“Honey, you’re the most perfect woman I’ve ever seen. Whatever you have is what I want.”

“Said the man who can’t really see.”

“I can see fine. It’s just not good enough to be on the Teams.” She gave him a look that told him she didn’t really believe him. “My turn for a question. What would you like to have most in the next five years?”

“The first thing, of course, is not to have someone want me dead. The next thing is to have a career I love, and I’ve started to think about having some children.”

“I can give you some babies and I’ll make sure that you’re safe. The career part is going to be up to you, since I don’t know anything about children’s books. But if you want to stay home, then I can more than take care of you.”

Patting his hand, she took a sip of her drink. “That’s very sweet of you.”

Leaning forward, he took her hand and waited until she looked at him. “I’m not a sweet guy. But I am telling you the truth, and I want you to keep it in mind.”

“This is only a first date. We haven’t kissed yet, so we don’t know if there’s going to be a second date.”

“Honey, you do remember that we’ve been sleeping together for several weeks now. I’m the guy who’s been buried inside you twice a day since the Fourth of July.”

“Shhhh. Don’t say that. Someone will hear you.”

He glanced around, and no one was paying any attention to them. “Nobody is listening.”

Sara straightened her dress and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I want to start over.”

“Okay…can you give me a clue why?”

The waitress came up and asked about their dinner selections, and they ordered. Grady couldn’t wait until she retreated, because his girlfriend had just taken a left turn that he didn’t see coming. “I want to make you happy. I just need some information about why we are starting over.”

“I don’t want to bring it up on our special night out. Let’s just talk about it later.”

“Oh, no. I want to hear about it now.”

“Fine.” She played with the sleeve of her dress and then smoothed down her hair. “I know too much about your last relationship, and it makes me sick. I want to wash all of that away…Angelina talked endlessly about how she felt about you and what you two did together and other stuff. Hours upon hours of listening to her made me want to run away from you. Which I know is ridiculous, because you’re a good man. I know that in my bones, but my mind has been filled with a lot of garbage, and I want to fill it with only the things that I personally know about you. So I want to start over. And you can get to know me and see if you like me. You may change your mind once the threat is resolved. Maybe I’ll just end up being your geeky neighbor, and we’ll discover that we have nothing in common.”

That was a
hard
left. He hadn’t seen that coming. “Okay. We can start over. But please know that my feelings for you are not going to change. When you opened the door and invited me in, I knew I was home. You feel right to me in a way that I didn’t know was possible.”

Her hand moved to the back of his head, and she tugged him forward. As she placed a kiss on his mouth, he knew that he was never going to give up.

“That was our first date kiss, and I would definitely like a second date with you.”

“Thank God,” he breathed. “We’re still going to sleep together while we start over and date…right?”

Her head fell back and she laughed. Their dinner was delivered and she moved away from him. “This looks delicious.”

“Was that a yes?”

“We’ll see how the rest of the date goes. Maybe we can make out on the beach, and if I like it, then we can work on the rest.”

“Oh, you’re going to like it. In fact, you’re going to love it.”

Shrugging, she started to eat her meal. When he waited, she pointed her fork at his plate. “You’d better start eating. You may need your energy for later on.”

“Good idea, honey. I plan on being ready for whatever you have in mind.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Friday

Grady walked into the bathroom and set Sara’s coffee down on the counter. “You are getting dolled up to go into the office.”

Glancing over, she set down her mascara. “I’ve decided that I’m going to put an effort into looking like an adult as opposed to a student.”

“I like how you look. Why are you going to change?”

“I’m not changing,
per se
. It’s more of an update.”

He leaned against the counter, watched her put something on her eyes, and found it fascinating. Why she thought that any of that was necessary was beyond him. But he didn’t figure that she wanted his opinion, so he kept his mouth shut. They were in a good place, and he wasn’t going to do anything to change it. After dinner last night, they had taken a walk along the beach and then made out under the moonlight. It was freaking great, and it had only been the beginning. It turned out that they were going to continue to have sex while they started over, and he couldn’t have been more grateful. “I’ll go make some breakfast while you finish up.”

“Thank you, honey.”

He watched her pick up her curling iron and start on her hair. It seemed like something that was going to take a while, so maybe he had time to get some work done before he started cooking.

Just as he finished with the eggs, Sara walked in, and he almost dropped the pan. “Wow, you sure are pretty.”

Smoothing out her dress, she smiled. “That’s very nice of you. All I did was put on a little makeup and fix my hair.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cutlery and napkins and then set place mats down on the island. “I decided that I should treat you like any man I was interested in dating, so I’m going to put more effort into us. You deserve to see the best version of me, and that way you can decide if you want a relationship with me. All you’ve seen is your crazy neighbor who is in danger. I’m a lot more than that, and I intend to show you.”

He came around the island, set their plates down, and then refilled their coffee cups. “Honey, none of that is necessary. I already like you.”

They sat down, and Sara covered his hand. “I don’t want to be seen as a victim.”

Turning, he cupped her face in his hand. “I think you are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. You have withstood a lot, and I’ve never heard you whine or complain.”

“I’ve done a lot of both. I just try to do it in private.”

“No more, Sara. I want you to share stuff with me. I don’t need the brave, dolled-up version of you. I’ll take the crazy-hair, scared version of you any day.”

She kissed his hand and then picked up her coffee cup. “Let me show you the best version of myself for a while. I need to start believing that she still exists.”

“Okay. Whatever you want.”

They started on their breakfast and came up with a plan for the day. Grady felt that she was still holding back, but what could he do? Forcing her to confide in him wasn’t going to work. Patience was the only thing that would allow him to accomplish his goal.