Grant sort of liked the jealous side of Maurie. He found it rather endearing. And yes, they hadn’t really dated yet, and things were so new, but Grant hadn’t missed how Maurie had sized up Alicia and Gwen.
Gwen reappeared, an order pad in hand. “Had a chance to look at the menu?”
Not at all, Grant wanted to say. But he knew what he wanted. He looked at Maurie, who browsed the menu quickly, then said, “I’ll take the salmon salad.”
“Great choice,” Gwen said in a friendly tone.
Grant made a quick scan of Gwen. Petite, blonde, spunky. Then his gaze shifted to Maurie. Her dark hair, green eyes, and taller and curvier form were more attractive to Grant. But it wasn’t just her appearance; it was her depth, her fortitude that attracted him. Not to mention the way she looked at him.
And ... he should probably look at the menu. “I’ll take the top sirloin.”
“Excellent,” Gwen said, flashing a smile. “I’ll bring out some fresh rolls right away.”
Grant watched Maurie as she watched Gwen walk away. And Grant could see that her worries hadn’t fully dissipated. He wondered what sort of relationships she’d had with men. Had she been through any boyfriends? Casually dated? Been serious with anyone?
“So, where did you go to college?” Grant asked, because he didn’t want to ask his other questions in a public restaurant. And the more he knew about how fine and normal Maurie’s life had been, the less he had to feel guilty about.
Maurie told him about college and what had led to her gift-basket retailer idea.
“What about you?” she asked.
“Community college,” Grant said. “I pretty much knew I wanted to be in construction, so I decided to get an associate’s degree in business and learn some of the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
“Makes sense,” she said. “Is that when you met Joy?”
“Yeah,” Grant said. She’d pretty much whirled into his life like a tornado, and before he knew it, they were an item. And she was pregnant. “I’d dated some in high school, but Joy was my first girlfriend. She was pretty intense, but I didn’t know better.”
Maurie took a sip of her water, and he liked how she seemed to be paying attention to only him. Listening to every word. Joy always had multiple things going at once, whether it was texting or emails or changing the subject over and over.
“So you got married and had Trent,” Maurie said in a thoughtful tone. “Were things good for a while at least?”
“I thought so,” Grant said. “As long as I was Mr. Obedient Husband. And she could do whatever she wanted.”
Maurie winced. “Well, I’m glad you’re free now. From her.”
She was blushing, and Grant smiled. “Me too.”
Gwen appeared with the rolls, smiled, and left.
Grant picked up a warm roll from the plate and broke it open, then slathered it with what looked like honey butter. He took a bite. Yep, it was.
Maurie prepared her roll too and took a bite.
“What about you, Maurie?” he asked. “Any heartbreakers in your past?”
She wiped her mouth with a napkin, then took a drink. “No dating in high school. I’m sure you’re not surprised.”
Before he could refute her statement, she said, “I was an awkward person for a long time. College was like a new beginning. I was finally an adult, and I liked being treated as an adult. I went out a little, but it took a while to feel like I was a normal girl on a normal date.”
Grant nodded and ate more of his roll, waiting for her to continue.
“Brandon was my first boyfriend,” she said. “We broke up a couple of months ago.”
Grant was curious about her tone. Hurt? Regretful? “What was Brandon like?”
“Well, he wasn’t a player, so that was good,” Maurie said. “But he was ... sort of self-involved, is the best way to put it.” She shrugged. “He ran a start-up software company that kept him really busy. I was impressed with his entrepreneurship. But I soon found out that he wasn’t really interested in me. It was more like he wanted someone to attend social functions with him.”
Grant frowned. “I find it hard to believe that he wasn’t interested in you.”
Maurie shrugged. “As long as things revolved around him, things were good.”
“Ah,” Grant said. “Sort of the feeling of always being left to hold the wet, dripping coat at a party?”
One side of her mouth lifted. “Exactly.” She held his gaze, and Grant knew he was in danger of getting lost in those green eyes of hers.
Gwen appeared at their table, carrying their dinner plates. She set them down, then said, “Anything else I can get either of you?”
When Maurie said no, Gwen left.
They took the first bites of their food, then Maurie turned the questioning on him. “Did you always want to strike out on your own?”
“I was much happier doing certain jobs than others,” he said, cutting another piece of steak. “Working with a large construction company meant I always had to listen to the boss before I could make decisions and dive into a job.”
“And now?” she asked.
“Now I have to listen to my sister, Julie, since she does the scheduling.”
Maurie laughed. Then she sobered. “How many siblings do you have? I realize I’ve never heard about your family.”
Grant finished eating the bite of steak he’d just taken. “One sister, who’s married to Dave Briggs,” he said. “Thus the Briggs Brothers name of our company. My parents sold their house and bought a condo in a new development on the other side of town.”
“Does your sister have kids?” Maurie asked.
“Two.”
Maurie nodded. “So she works part-time from the house?”
“Yeah, her job’s pretty flexible.”
“I think it’s great that she can do both,” Maurie said. “Raise kids and have something to call her own.”
“Is that what you want to do someday?” he asked. “Keep your store going even if you have a family?”
“I can always hire someone to work in the store,” Maurie said. “So it would definitely be possible. There’s a lot of things that don’t require face-to-face interaction. You know, so if a kid’s crying, it’s not like I can’t take a break.”
Grant didn’t miss the flush of her cheeks. He cut into his steak and took another bite. He couldn’t remember a first date where so many serious topics were discussed.
“Well, I can’t complain about my current situation,” he said. “I make more money now, and I have more flexibility. I can set my own schedule and take off holidays if I want to. That’s especially important when Trent’s with me.”
Maurie didn’t seem put off when he talked about Trent, and Grant liked that about her.
“Do you ever take Trent on jobs with you?” Maurie asked.
Grant chuckled. “Um ... no. He’s way too much of a busybody and asks endless questions. Besides, he loves to play with his cousins when he’s in Pine Valley. But mostly, I work my schedule around his.”
“You’re a great dad, Grant,” she said in a soft voice.
Something in his heart pulled. Maurie never talked about her dad—who’d abandoned the family, and as far as he knew, hadn’t been heard from again. So the wistfulness in her eyes made Grant all the more determined to be a good dad to his son, no matter the miles that separated them.
Gwen returned. “How was everything?”
Grant had finished his meal, but Maurie had only eaten about half of her salad.
“Want any dessert?” Gwen said. “To-go boxes?”
“I’m full,” Maurie said. “But I’d love a to-go box.”
Gwen nodded, then looked over at Grant. “And you?”
“No dessert for me, thanks,” he said. “I’ll take the bill.”
Gwen smiled and set the bill folder on the table. “Have a great evening. Thanks for coming in.”
“Here you go,” Grant said before Gwen could leave. He handed over the bill folder with his credit card inside.
“Be back in a minute,” Gwen said.
Before Grant could resume his conversation with Maurie, a man approached their table, carrying a plate of what looked like a giant slice of chocolate cake. “Hello, folks,” he said. “I’m Seth Owens, the owner of the restaurant. How did you enjoy your meals?”
“Mine was great,” Maurie said, eyeing the chocolate cake.
Seth Owens smiled. “Nice to hear. And you, sir?”
“The steak was very good,” Grant said.
Seth placed the dessert on the table, then produced two forks. “I’ve brought a complimentary dessert for you to try. All that we ask is that you rate it on our website. If you’re too full now, we can box it up.”
But Maurie reached for a fork. “What kind of cake?”
“Chocolate raspberry, with a little something special.” Seth moved a step back. “Enjoy.”
“Thank you,” Grant said. He turned to look at Maurie, who’d speared a bite of chocolate cake and a raspberry on her fork.
She lifted a brow, then put the cake in her mouth. “Oh, that’s good.”
“I guess we’re eating dessert then?”
Maurie smiled. “Can’t beat free,” she said and dug in.
Grant tried the cake. The chocolatey goodness was rich and creamy. “Wow, it is good.” He speared another piece. It was kind of fun sharing the cake with Maurie. And he didn’t mind watching her enjoy it either. “Not as good as your cinnamon rolls though.”
Maurie laughed. “You’re a charmer, Grant Shelton.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Maurie Ledbetter.”
She shook her head and ate more cake. “Okay, I’m really stuffed now. You’re going to have to roll me to the car.”
“Maybe we can work it off this weekend,” Grant said. “Have you ever been skiing?”
By the look on her face, Grant knew the answer was no.
“I’m pretty swamped right now,” she said, “and I’m not all that coordinated.”
Grant tilted his head. “You’ve never been?”
A blush stole across her cheeks, and she shook her head.
“We can stay on the bunny hill.”
Her brows shot up.
“You know, the easy slope for the beginners,” he said.
“I don’t think so,” Maurie said, glancing away. “I mean, I’m going to embarrass you.”
“Not possible,” Grant said.
She arched a brow. “How do you know?”
“I just know,” he said. “Being with you is different. You’re ... I don’t know how to explain it.”
She narrowed those beautiful green eyes of hers. “Is ‘different’ good or bad?”
“Oh, definitely good,” he said with a smile.
And there it was. Another blush.