I chuckle while Grady grunts

“Can we play sometime?” Marigold asks.

I gasp. “You want to play them with me?”

Her brow stitches like she’s unsure. She glances at Grady.

“Yes, she wants to play with you,” Grady clarifies. “She gets nervous when you answer a question with a question.”

“Oh, sorry, Marigold. I’d love to play games with you. Let’s make a night of it soon. I’ll let you decide if you want Grady to join us. Do you like popcorn?”

Marigold nods. Grady waves her out of the room, saying, “Are we ready to go?”

I grab a fuzzy, pink cardigan from the back of a chair, my purse, keys, and cane. “Ready. I think.”

Grady ushers us out, takes my keys, and locks the door behind us. His hand grips my elbow as I move more slowly down the stairs. His hand is warm and rough, just like him. He opens the passenger door and hooks my cane to his forearm.

“No Beast today?” I ask, glancing over his much newer black F150.

“Nope. This is my truck. Just got it out of the shop.”

He takes my hand to help me inside—help I don’t need, but appreciate. Is it wrong that I like him having an excuse to touch me?

Geez, Marnie! Lonely much?

He gets in the truck and starts the engine, but hesitates, turning to me with a pinched brow. “All I ask is that you keep an open mind.”

“Oomph, now you’re making me nervous.”

“Me, too,” Marigold chimes in from the backseat.

His head tilts as he takes me in. “No need to be nervous. Or nice. You can always say no, Marina.”

Then, he hits me with one of the top five sexiest side smiles I’ve ever seen—devious like he knows a secret and admiring, especially the way his eyes trail down my long hair like he wants his fingers to follow.

Now, I need to relax. I must be imagining it—Grady Tripp has zero interest in hair-fondling or general Marnie-fondling. Right?

Still, delightful twinges skitter through my nervous system whenever he looks my way, making me wonder.

Wherever he’s taking me, whatever requires an open mind, saying no to him might be impossible.

19. Grady

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Grady

I’ve moved into forgotten territory—wanting to know someone better. I know Marina differently than anyone. In some ways, our bond is stronger than most. But I don’t know her, not well. She doesn’t tell me her problems, doesn’t share her cool hobbies. These things bother me.