Chapter 21
"Okay, no, that won't work. Go to the other dress."
Ashley had begun to coach me on what I should wear to meet Grant's sister, Lily. Her enthusiasm was helpful at first, but now I'd been FaceTiming her for forty-five minutes, and we had yet to find what to wear to dinner.
"We already looked at that dress, Ashley. I'm going to be late if I don't find something soon." I had spent over an hour on my hair and makeup, and I should have known this would take me way longer to do.
A deep voice came through the background of my phone. "Wait, what about that yellow one?"
The camera angle moved, and a shirtless Beau was lying next to Ashley's head. I looked away from the phone and groaned. "Ugh, gross. Did you FaceTime me right after y'all had sex?"
Ashley giggled and pushed Beau away from her. I was beginning to think at this point I should just cancel, and then I thought back to what Beau said.
"Wait. What yellow dress?" I looked around my closet, and I couldn't find any yellow dresses.
Beau's voice came back through the speaker. "Grant mentioned a yellow dress one time. Said it drove him nuts all day."
I thought back to when I wore a yellow dress. There was one day when I brought him dinner to the house last week. I hadn't even paid attention to what he thought of it, but he was a little strange looking back now.Maybe that's why he was rushing me out and wouldn't introduce me to any of the other workers.
I shifted back through my closet and found my yellow summer dress with small white polka dots. It was a little short, but it wasn't enough to make me self-conscious of the wind blowing it up or to constantly pull on the hem to keep it down.
I showed it to Ashley and she nodded. "Yes, definitely wear that one! Respectful but make his eyes water, I like it." I smiled at her on my screen and we said our goodbyes.
Good thing I was dressed and ready to go, because Grant showed up ten minutes early. His hard knock on the door had my heart racing again. I really should get that checked out.
When I opened up the door, he leaned against the frame, checking his phone for the time. "Hey, Hart, you ready to g—" He looked at me, a hitch caught in his breath, and his eyes widened. I self-consciously twiddled the ribbon in my hair between my fingers.
His face was hard to read, but his mouth agape and his slow blinking confused me. I thought he liked this dress? This was a terrible idea.
I cleared my throat. "I'm ready."
Grant simply hummed a small response, and I wasn't sure how to take it. I closed the door and gave him a side-eye. "Is there something on my face?"
His face relaxed and he flashed me that mischievous lopsided grin as my favorite dimple in the world came out.
"No, you look great. Let's go." He grabbed my hand in his and guided me to his truck, parked next to my car in my new favorite parking spot. Grant opened the passenger side door and directed me into the vehicle. Grabbing the handle at the top, I swung my legs on the floorboard and pulled myself up.
Once I was situated, I straightened my dress and heard Grant mumble to himself, "Jesus Christ."
I turned my head toward him, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. I furrowed my brow.
"Hmm?" I questioned, wondering if something happened to his truck. He simply shook his head no and closed my door.
Grant hopped in his side of the truck and pulled out of my building, heading to his house. My leg started bouncing out of anxiety, my nerves were shot at the thought of meeting the person who clearly meant the most to him. He talked about his sister as if she were his mom, and I was normally great with parents, but this was too different.
His hand reached to my bouncing thigh, calming me down. "It's fine, Hart. Quit overthinking." It was like he knew my every thought and how to rid me of all anxieties. I had so many questions, but I kept them to myself, not wanting to make my mind worry more about his sister.
By the time we reached his house, I felt no better. His hand left my thigh, and he turned the truck off.
"I'm serious, Hart. It's no big deal." I wanted to shout at him how big of a deal it was to me, but I quietly nodded my head instead. I brushed my hair with my fingers in an attempt to tame the wild strands.
I was not sure what I expected Grant's older sister to look like, but this was not it. I halfway pictured her as a stern older woman with black hair and dark eyes that said, 'Come near my brother and I will kill you.' Instead, when Grant opened his door, I was treated to a bear hug from a short blonde woman wearing an apron that said, Never trust a skinny chef.
"Oh, June! I have been waiting so long to meet you." Her arms coddled me in a tight squeeze, and I could hardly breathe.
Grant placed a hand on her back. "All right, Lil. Give her some room." Lily stepped back and grabbed both of my hands in hers, looking me over. Her blonde hair was pushed back into a clip, with strands down framing her face. She had light eyes, her smile was bright, and her presence was warm and comforting.
I had been anxious the last week, wondering if there would be awkward silence to fill, or if her first impression of me would be poor. Grant and I had made it clear that neither of us knew what we were, so meeting family was not on the agenda. However, sitting between the two siblings at Grant's oversized dining room table, I had no doubt I was where I ought to be. To watch Grant laughing and freely enjoying himself was something I never thought I would witness.