I was stunned by Alexis’s impropriety, and I didn’t even have to see Grace’s face to know it was red. I slapped on a smile and said good night to the rest of the table, then steered Grace toward the door, fuming and trying to figure out what Alexis had been hoping to do with that remark.

When we arrived at the front door I called the driver and pulled on my coat, then apologized to Grace. “I have no idea what she was thinking, saying something like that in front of you. I’m sorry.”

She shrugged and pulled her wrap around her shoulders. Her cheeks were still flushed. “I’m not offended; it’s your life. It doesn’t affect me.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Well, I know that, but I don’t want you to think I’m some playboy—well, I sort of was there for a while, I’ll admit that, but I’m not now. And it put you in an awkward position, and that’s not right either.”

“They all think we’re dating.”

I was caught off guard. “Huh?”

“I think they think we’re going out. Madison was all surprised when I said this was just a friends thing.” She yawned and then grinned apologetically. “I shouldn’t have had that drink; alcohol always makes me sleepy.”

I chuckled. “You can sleep in the car on the way back.”

“And make you sit there all by yourself? No way.”

The doorman escorted us under his enormous umbrella to the car. It was a relief to be out of the crowd and back in the privacy of the limo. Grace settled into the seat, and I could see she felt the same way. She was watching the houses again as we drove through the ritzy Beverly Hills neighborhood.

I tried to think of something to say to start the conversation again. The first topic that came into my mind started with a question I’d been wondering about for weeks: now that she was off the pain medication, did she still think she’d had a message from God about me? I debated whether to bring it up. I wanted to, but at the same time, I didn’t want to end the evening on an uncomfortable note. It would be a long, torturous ride home if it didn’t go well. She seemed to have loosened up a bit, and I didn’t want to put her back on the defensive. I wracked my brain for something else to say, and finally came up with something. I asked her what she’d been thinking about earlier.

“During dinner?”

“Yeah, when you checked out.”

She chuckled and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Was I catatonic for long?”

“No, I doubt anyone else noticed.”

“But you did.”

I shrugged. “I was watching to make sure you weren’t uncomfortable.”