Everything had gotten out of hand, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have a future.
No acting. Just straight talk.
Chapter 16
Feeling almost human, I went into work at the diner the next morning.
I wasn’t sleeping well and I couldn’t get images out of my head of laughing with Grant, being in bed with Grant, hearing him saying he loved me. It was killing me.
I was shocked Lou had given me my job back so quickly. He must not have been able to find a replacement on such short notice or maybe he’d decided to just give me a written warning. Whatever his reason, I was grateful.
The diner was crowded as usual when I walked in, but I frowned, immediately puzzled. Who the hell was singing? Because he sucked. It wasn’t any of my usual co-workers. It was a singing voice I’d never heard and never wanted to again. I looked around, trying to find the source of the off-key baritone. My gaze landed on a guy with broad shoulders wearing the diner uniform of a black T-shirt and jeans, sleeves rolled like greasers in the fifties.
Then he turned and I almost fainted for real this time. It was Grant, attempting Grease Lightning, very unsuccessfully.
He gave me a wink.
Theresa appeared at my elbow. “What is happening?” I asked her, heart racing. I was ridiculously, embarrassingly happy to see him.
It had to mean he wanted to talk.
“He sucks, doesn’t he?” she asked cheerfully.
“I don’t understand.” I had no clue whatsoever what was going on.
Lou appeared next to Grant. He made a throat-cutting gesture. Grant stopped singing. Then Lou yelled to me, “Leah! Get up here. Duet.”
This was a total setup. I wasn’t even sure I had my job back but it was clear Grant had paid Lou to do this. The man loved a grand gesture. This time I decided to roll with it. Why was I even fighting it? Hadn’t I always said I loved an entrance?
All eyes were on me. I went over to the counter by the kitchen door where Grant was standing. “What are we singing?” I asked him, trying to act cool.
For a minute he didn’t speak. He just stared into my eyes and I saw everything I wanted to see there. Regret. Love. Hope.
Then he started singing, his voice rough.
Of course it was Summer Lovin.’ I gave him a look, but I joined in right at my part. The strength of my voice seemed to bolster his, and conscious of the fact that he was humiliating himself on my behalf, I entered and exited sooner than necessary, embellishing and playing up the fun aspect of the song. I mostly looked at him, admiring how hot he was in that black T-shirt, but I also engaged with the diners out of habit.
When the last note rang out, there was a respectable amount of applause.
Lou, who wasn’t known for interacting with the customers, spoke up. “Thanks for being patient with us this morning, folks. If you noticed Grant here does not have a pro voice but he wanted to serenade his girl, and I couldn’t resist.” He put his hand to his chest. “I’ve been married to my sweetheart for twenty-five years and I’m a sucker for romance.”
He was? That was adorable. Lou talked about his wife on a regular basis but he always acted gruff. Right now, he genuinely looked like he’d wanted to be a part of a moment.
“Back to your regular program,” he said now with a grin. “Theresa, sing something.”
Theresa stepped forward and launched into “Memories” from Cats.
“What is going on?” I asked Grant, wanting to jump into his arms and kiss his handsome face, but knowing we needed to talk first.
He pulled me into the kitchen. “I’m sorry,” he said. “For leaving you in the Hamptons. For being an idiot. For not telling you about the theater. For proposing to you in front of everyone. I’m sorry.”
“You should be.”
Grant cleared his throat. “I am.”
“I’m sorry too,” I murmured. “I didn’t know what to say and everything I said sounded wrong.” It hadn’t told him anything about the truth of what I felt for him.
He nodded. “I’m here to tell you that I am sorry but also that I have no intention of tearing the theater down. That I know you want to be independent and in control of your own life and choices and I totally respect that. That I’m asking you to be with me, because I love you and you make me happy in a way I could never have imagined.”