Grayson headed toward where I worked as he made small talk.
“So how are things going with work?”
“Good I guess. I have one kid who I’m really worried about.”
Even I could hear the worry in my voice. Mitchell was a smart kid and had everything going for him. Unfortunately, he had become the subject of bullying. It was tearing him apart.
“What’s going on with him?”
With a frustrated sigh, I shook my head. “He’s had some bullying going on. They don’t do it to him at school very often, mostly online.”
“Really? Who’s doing it?”
“Another teammate. He plays football and just got accepted to Stanford to play.”
I could see Grayson look over at me. “That’s amazing. Why in the hell is someone bullying him?”
With a shrug, I looked at him while he was sitting at a red light. “Why does anyone bully?”
A look of compassion moved across Grayson’s face. My heart melted a bit with that small gesture from him. “That’s true. Hurt people tend to hurt other people.”
“Yeah,” I barely said as I looked away.
Grayson pulled into the parking lot of Helping Hands and parked as I quickly opened the truck door and jumped out. Rounding the front of his truck, Grayson winked and laughed. “I promise not to treat any part of today like a date, but I am still a gentleman, Meg. Getting the door for you doesn’t mean I want in your panties.”
With a tilt of my head, I decided to test Mr. Bennett. “You don’t want in my panties, Gray?”
Without so much as a flinch, Grayson shook his head. “Nope.”
Huh. He’s holding out strong. Impressive.
Grayson pulled the door open and motioned for me to lead the way. Jennifer, the receptionist, was sitting at the desk with a bright smile. The moment she saw Grayson her mouth dropped open.
“Hey . . . um . . . Meg.”
Jennifer worked part time for us. Three days a week and Saturdays. She brought such a lightness to the office with her amazing sense of humor. Something we needed now and then with the type of work we did. “Hey, Jennifer. This is my friend, Grayson.”
I couldn’t believe how fast she jumped up and reached her hand out for Grayson’s. “Hi there,” she said with a purr.
Turning back to me, she asked, “Friend?”
My eyes darted between Grayson and Jennifer. “Yep. Just friends.”
That was her signal to flirt mindlessly with him. “Well hello there, handsome. Please tell me you’re single.”
Grayson laughed as he took Jennifer in. She was about five-six with flaming red hair. She gave me hell for two weeks when I dyed my auburn hair brown, along with my father who questioned why I wasn’t happy with my original color. I loved my new color though and planned on keeping it.
“I am single. Yes.”
The growl that came from Jennifer caused me to look back at her as I made my way to my office. “The things I could do to you.”
With a chuckle, Grayson headed down the hall. “Behave, Jennifer, or I’ll have to put the handcuffs on you.”
I rolled my eyes and made a gagging face as I unlocked the door to my office and headed in. Grayson followed me in and sat in a chair as I fumbled with my jacket. I looked through a few files, looking for Mitchell’s, as Grayson sat there watching my every move.
Finding the file, I sighed as I sat down and opened it. I flipped through the paperwork as I read over my notes from yesterday when I met with Mitchell.
“Grayson, would you mind if I made a phone call? I won’t be long.”