She narrowed her eyes at him. “Bolstering your ego was not part of the deal.”
“True. But you can’t blame a guy for wishing.”
She put a hand on the doorknob. “Good night, Bryan.”
He slid his hand around to her nape, leaning closer to her.
He didn’t manage to catch her off guard this time. She jumped away from him as if she were avoiding an electric shock, her scowl warning him off. “There’s no one watching us now. That isn’t necessary.”
“Practice?” he suggested hopefully.
She shook her head. “You hardly need any practice.”
Giving her a resigned smile, he said, “I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks.”
She opened the door. “Go away, Bryan. You’re giving me a headache.”
“You’d better stock up on aspirin. I’m going to be around for a while.”
As her door closed behind him, he thought he heard her mutter, “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
He was chuckling when he headed for the elevator—and looking forward to Sunday.
“…and I thought Mother was going to hyperventilate when Mrs. Cochran said a conflict had come up for the photographer on the day of the wedding. Honestly, you would think Mother was the bride. I said, ‘Mom, calm down. There are plenty of other photographers.’ And she said, ‘Yes, but he’s the best and we want the best.’ So I… Grace, are you listening? Grace?”
The sound of her own name brought Grace out of her thoughts. Realizing that she’d been standing in the same spot for quite a while, a palm-sized, brass-framed mirror in her hand, she set the mirror on a shelf and said, “I’m listening. You said you aren’t going to get to use the photographer you wanted?”
Chloe shook her head. “That’s the part I was about to tell you. The conflict was settled and everything worked out.”
“Oh. That’s great.”
“I can tell you’re beside yourself with excitement.” Chloe set a feather duster on the sales counter and moved to stand in front of her twin, her hands planted on her hips. “What’s going on, Grace?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that. Something’s been bothering you all day. Did anything happen between you and Bryan last night?”
Busying herself with making sure the Closed sign was in place and the front door was securely locked, Grace answered gruffly, “Everything was fine last night. We danced a lot. You know I enjoy dancing.”
“Well, yes. And Bryan’s a wonderful dancer.”
Grace looked over her shoulder. “You’ve danced with him?”
“He took me dancing a couple of times when we were…well, you know.”
“Dating,” Grace supplied in a mutter.
“Spending time together,” Chloe corrected. “Before I met Donovan, of course.”
Grace didn’t need to be reminded that the main reason Chloe and Bryan had stopped “spending time together” was that Chloe had fallen in love with someone else. Bryan would probably be quite content to still be dancing with Chloe.
Grace was well aware that she was a temporary substitute in Bryan’s life. After the wedding, she and Bryan would go their own ways, seeing each other only occasionally through their connection to Chloe and Donovan. Bryan would soon find another dance partner, another suitable prospect for that wife-and-mother position he was looking to fill. As for Grace…
She tugged at the collar of her linen blouse, feeling it tighten again. She would be fine, she assured herself. She had a life of her own. Maybe she needed to keep that in mind more often, instead of spending so much time lately thinking about…well, other things.
Chloe was still watching her. “I heard you met Bryan’s parents last night.”
“Where did you hear that?” Had Bryan paid another visit to Chloe while Grace was out of the store for a few minutes earlier?