ever been to Brio’s?” he asked, trying to shift the subject to something more pleasant.
“No.”
“It’s really nice. The food is amazing. I made reservations over a month ago because it’s so hard to get in there on Valentine’s Day.”
“Grant . . .” she started, then her voice faded out. “Valentine’s Day isn’t really my thing.”
That was a first. Grant had dated a lot of women in his time, and even if they claimed that Valentine’s Day wasn’t a big deal for them, it was usually a lie. He always took the holiday very seriously and it hadn’t steered him wrong yet.
“Well, we could do something different if you like. I am at your mercy. Whatever you want, I can make it happen.”
She looked up at him, her dark eyes dry, but still red. “Whatever I want, huh? You don’t happen to be a Sheetrock guy in your spare time, do you?”
Grant’s brow furrowed. “Sheetrock? Uh, no, I’m not. Why do you—”
Pepper turned on her heel and walked away before he could finish. She handed over her check to Gloria, got her receipt, and marched out of the room without another word to him or anyone else.
That’s when he realized what was going on. She’d told him last week that she was saving up to work on her house. For some reason, she’d just bid the majority of it on him and she wasn’t happy about it. That didn’t make any sense at all.
“Did you hear Grandma Dee tripped and dumped a whole glass of ice water in Pepper’s lap tonight?” Simon asked.
Grant closed his eyes, the final piece falling into place. The tears, the wet sweater, the Sheetrock . . . she hadn’t meant to bid on him. She’d had no intention, whatsoever, of laying out a penny for Grant, much less four hundred thousand of them.
This was his grandmother’s doing. Sure, she’d tripped, but he could feel in his bones that she was meddling. Grant would gladly accept any help to melt Pepper’s icy reception of him, but this wasn’t the right choice. Her house was so important to her. She needed that money to fix it up.
Without answering Simon, Grant whipped open the curtain and found his grandmother talking with a few people in the gymnasium. “Grandma Dee, may I have a moment, please?”
She appraised him with an arched brow, then politely dismissed herself from the conversation. “Yes, Grant?”
“Did you do that to Pepper on purpose?”
“Do what to Pepper on purpose?” she asked.
“Did you dump water in her lap so she would bid on me tonight?”
Adelia sighed and considered her answer. She knew how big Grant was on being honest, so lying was pointless. Finally, she gave him a curt nod. “Yes, I did. She wasn’t going to bid on you otherwise.”
There wasn’t an ounce of shame on the older woman’s face. In her mind, she’d simply done what needed to be done.
“Grandma Dee, she couldn’t afford that. Four thousand dollars? That’s nearly everything she had saved to work on her house.”
She watched him for a moment and then sighed. “That’s unfortunate. If only there were a strong, handy man in her life who could help her work on the house . . .”
Okay, Grant thought. Now he understood what was going on here. She was a tricky thing. Tricky, tricky, tricky. But it wouldn’t work out the way she envisioned it. His grandmother didn’t know Pepper and how stubborn she could be. “Even if I did—”
“You want her, this is your chance,” she said, cutting him off. “If Pepper wants to fix up her house, then you help her make it happen. Spend time with her doing something important to her, as opposed to you just throwing cheesy pickup lines at her. You’re a great young man, Grant, and I’m not just saying that because you’re my grandson. You have a lot of qualities that are charming, but most of that goes to the wayside when you’re acting like the town’s sexy bad boy. You’re big on honesty, so be genuine with her and I guarantee you’ll make progress.”
Be genuine?
“No.”
“It’s really nice. The food is amazing. I made reservations over a month ago because it’s so hard to get in there on Valentine’s Day.”
“Grant . . .” she started, then her voice faded out. “Valentine’s Day isn’t really my thing.”
That was a first. Grant had dated a lot of women in his time, and even if they claimed that Valentine’s Day wasn’t a big deal for them, it was usually a lie. He always took the holiday very seriously and it hadn’t steered him wrong yet.
“Well, we could do something different if you like. I am at your mercy. Whatever you want, I can make it happen.”
She looked up at him, her dark eyes dry, but still red. “Whatever I want, huh? You don’t happen to be a Sheetrock guy in your spare time, do you?”
Grant’s brow furrowed. “Sheetrock? Uh, no, I’m not. Why do you—”
Pepper turned on her heel and walked away before he could finish. She handed over her check to Gloria, got her receipt, and marched out of the room without another word to him or anyone else.
That’s when he realized what was going on. She’d told him last week that she was saving up to work on her house. For some reason, she’d just bid the majority of it on him and she wasn’t happy about it. That didn’t make any sense at all.
“Did you hear Grandma Dee tripped and dumped a whole glass of ice water in Pepper’s lap tonight?” Simon asked.
Grant closed his eyes, the final piece falling into place. The tears, the wet sweater, the Sheetrock . . . she hadn’t meant to bid on him. She’d had no intention, whatsoever, of laying out a penny for Grant, much less four hundred thousand of them.
This was his grandmother’s doing. Sure, she’d tripped, but he could feel in his bones that she was meddling. Grant would gladly accept any help to melt Pepper’s icy reception of him, but this wasn’t the right choice. Her house was so important to her. She needed that money to fix it up.
Without answering Simon, Grant whipped open the curtain and found his grandmother talking with a few people in the gymnasium. “Grandma Dee, may I have a moment, please?”
She appraised him with an arched brow, then politely dismissed herself from the conversation. “Yes, Grant?”
“Did you do that to Pepper on purpose?”
“Do what to Pepper on purpose?” she asked.
“Did you dump water in her lap so she would bid on me tonight?”
Adelia sighed and considered her answer. She knew how big Grant was on being honest, so lying was pointless. Finally, she gave him a curt nod. “Yes, I did. She wasn’t going to bid on you otherwise.”
There wasn’t an ounce of shame on the older woman’s face. In her mind, she’d simply done what needed to be done.
“Grandma Dee, she couldn’t afford that. Four thousand dollars? That’s nearly everything she had saved to work on her house.”
She watched him for a moment and then sighed. “That’s unfortunate. If only there were a strong, handy man in her life who could help her work on the house . . .”
Okay, Grant thought. Now he understood what was going on here. She was a tricky thing. Tricky, tricky, tricky. But it wouldn’t work out the way she envisioned it. His grandmother didn’t know Pepper and how stubborn she could be. “Even if I did—”
“You want her, this is your chance,” she said, cutting him off. “If Pepper wants to fix up her house, then you help her make it happen. Spend time with her doing something important to her, as opposed to you just throwing cheesy pickup lines at her. You’re a great young man, Grant, and I’m not just saying that because you’re my grandson. You have a lot of qualities that are charming, but most of that goes to the wayside when you’re acting like the town’s sexy bad boy. You’re big on honesty, so be genuine with her and I guarantee you’ll make progress.”
Be genuine?
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