“Yes, you did, and now we’ve tweaked the girl to the point of horror. Look at her face.”
Both their heads swing to me, and I try to remain calm. Bizzy’s face fills with concern, and she gives me a reassuring smile.
“Grace, we don’t mean to freak you out. It’s all good, promise.”
“What’s all good?”
“Well, Claire and I have decided if Nicky’s anything like Shaw, you’re not simply seeing each other. You’re together—together.”
“Yes, time doesn’t mean much to them,” Claire adds. “One week could equal one month, one year, one decade…”
“I’m not sure I follow.” My conversation with Nick from last night comes crashing back to me, but this is somehow different, hearing it from their perspective.
“Do you know anything about Shaw and me?” Bizzy questions.
“A little.”
“Well, here’s the timeline… We went away on a Thursday. I thought it was a friendly trip, tagging along to relax while he worked. He was sneaky. Thursday night was normal, even though the signs were there. By Saturday night, we were sleeping together. Monday when we returned, we were a couple. He didn’t do slow. He skipped over the concept, claiming we’d wasted enough time. I tried to convince him to wait, and he gave me one week before we went public. Then he blew the lid off my plan.”
“Yes, but didn’t you know each other for a long time?”
“That didn’t matter. When the romantic relationship started, all bets were off. He was ruthless. I see the same thing with Nicky.”
“Oh yeah, I agree. The fancy opening tonight, a public date. The game on Sunday, meeting the clan. Grace, your timeline is the same. Get ready.” Claire ticks off the events on her fingers, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Ummm, we haven’t slept together yet.” Don’t ask me why I tell them this, but it seems appropriate since Bizzy shared her details.
“Oh, that doesn’t matter. Give it a few days,” Bizzy states matter of factly as if discussing my sex life is a normal occurrence.
“We don’t have the history you and Shaw did.”
“That doesn’t matter either. I knew he was interested years ago, but it was nothing like I witnessed yesterday.”
“He told me he’s crazy about me,” I announce, not thinking that I’m sharing this with his best friend.
Her expression goes soft, and she gives me a sweet smile. “There you go. Don’t fight it. He’s one of the three best men I know, and I want him to be happy.”
The sincerity of her words sink in, and I totally see exactly what Nick was talking about. They share something so deep and beautiful yet so open.
“I want that, too,” I whisper, overcome with emotions.
“Well, okay! Now that we have that out of the way, can you show us around this place? I want a VIP tour,” Claire breaks in, coming to link her arm through mine. “I’m not an art girl, but maybe you can help me with that.”
Bizzy and I don’t talk about Nick again as I lead them around showing off the work and explaining the artists. Logan returns with my tea and gives me a loving kiss on the forehead before locking himself in his office.
It’s obvious by the expression on his face that he knows how much this means to me.
“Grace, we’re going to be late to your own shindig,” Nick yells from my living room.
I breathe in and out a few times, looking at my reflection and second-guessing my dress. It’s times like this I really wish I had close girlfriends. They’d be able to tell me if my choice was too much. Self-doubt creeps into my head. This is by far the most provocative dress I’ve ever owned.
I chose a tea length violet halter dress that has a plunging neckline. The ‘V’ cuts down almost to my navel. I made sure the material was generous enough to completely cover my cleavage since I’m unable to wear any sort of bra. The saleslady was the one who convinced me this was the perfect dress. Once I explained the occasion, she wasted no time.
Surprisingly, my mom agreed when I sent her pictures that this was the perfect choice. She reminded me that I’m not in Thomasville, and this is appropriate for Miami Beach. She also reminded me that I might be part business owner with a ton of responsibility, but I’m also a twenty-five-year-old woman and need to act it.
I slide into my strappy sandals and fluff my hair once more, ready to face Nick.
He’s sitting on the sofa sipping a beer when I walk into the living room. He stops, his bottle midway to his mouth when he sees me. The air in the room changes as his eyes rake up and down my entire body twice. He’s quick, setting the beer down and getting to his feet.