Grady: Where are you?
Harlow: I had to go back to Afton’s.
Harlow: Laundry day.
Grady had begged me to stay the night with him after his guys’ weekend. They ended up flying to Chicago and stayed at a house on Lake Michigan. Apparently, Alex had a buddy with a house somewhere on the lake near or in South Haven.
Grady: You could have done your laundry here.
Harlow: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Grady: Are you coming back? I’m going to need you in my bed tonight.
Harlow: We’ll see.
Grady: Harlow.
I could practically hear him growling my name.
Harlow: Maybe, I want you in my bed tonight.
Grady: Interesting counter offer.
Harlow: Let me sweeten the deal, Afton is out of town.
Grady: For a moment, I thought that you were going to suggest a threesome.
Harlow: Not that I don’t find Afton attractive, but hell no.
Harlow: Although, if you’re into that, I know a girl.
Grady: Oh really? Tell me more.
Harlow: Tara from Castle Hill Beach House.
Harlow: I have it on good authority that she is into that kind of thing.
Grady: Is this you giving me the gist again? I need details.
Grady: Use your dirty words, and please be explicit, sweetheart.
Harlow: She told my brother that she’d be into it.
Grady: Um.
Harlow: She didn’t know he was my brother, if that helps.
Grady: It doesn’t.
Since I’d killed the fantasy, I decided to do something I’d never done before—I sent Grady a picture of me wearing a new piece of white lace lingerie. I positioned my arm, so that you couldn’t see my face.
Grady: Oh fuck. That’s hot as hell.
Grady: I’ll be in your bed tonight. Don’t take that off or move from that spot.
I barely paid attention to any news headlines over the past few weeks, but England had won the World Cup. Part of me was very happy for Harry and his teammates the other part of me may have given the middle finger to the ESPN announcer.
The buzzer on the washing machine rang out and I hummed along with the song. After I hung up my delicates, I pulled out the tray for the detergent and fabric softener and dumped the excess water into the sink. I had twenty minutes until my conference call with the lingerie company who sent me a few pieces to try. I really liked the brand and I hoped that they’d allow me to keep the samples.
Knock. Knock.
“Hey, girl, you here,” Afton called out, sliding the door open.
“Hey, I thought you were out of town on business? Are you here to collect the rent?”
Afton laughed and twisted the gold anchor bracelet on her wrist. “Ah, no, you’re a wonderful house guest and this place is . . . is paid for, no . . . no . . . need for money.”
I shot her a sideways glance as she stuttered through her words. Crossing the room, to the kitchen, I asked, “You want some coffee or tea?”
“No, nothing for me,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Are you okay?”
She smoothed her palms over her floral pencil skirt. “I guess that I am. I’m actually happier than I’ve been in a long time.”
I poured some coffee into a mug, and walked back into the living room. Something was off with Afton. I’d never seen her on edge like this before. “That’s great news, so what’s with your weirdness?”
She took a seat on the couch. “Well, I guess I have some news. Some really, really big news—huge.”
I took a seat beside her, tucking my feet underneath me. “Okay, then out with it.”
Afton grabbed the mug from my hands and set it on the coffee table. “Can’t have any hot beverages in your hand while I tell you my news.”
“Out with it, Afton. Quit dragging this out like a damn soap opera.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m . . . I got married over the weekend.”
My eyes bugged out of my skull. “What? To who? I didn’t even know that you were dating someone.” I jumped to my feet in a rush, nearly spilling coffee onto the white rug. “Oh my God, you eloped—how romantic. I need the details. I’m a little pissed that you didn’t invite me, but wow, I’m so happy for you.”
“Well,” Afton began, rising to her feet. “You know him actually, and he’s someone that you like . . . and care about a lot.”
Shrugging, I furrowed my brow. I followed Afton’s gaze, and saw my brother walking up the steps. He pulled open the sliding glass door. “Hey, sis.”
I didn’t give Afton or Nicholas another moment of my time. Mad didn’t even begin to describe my feelings. With only one destination in mind, I zipped my Lexus through the streets of East Harbour. I rescheduled my conference call, which was completely unprofessional but I knew that I was in no condition to be talking business.
By the time I made it to Grady’s, my mood had gone through a cycle of emotions. Once I parked the car, I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. I was hurt, frustrated, angry and teetering on elated. Two of the most important people in my life were in a relationship and didn’t tell me. And now they were married. It was a hard pill to swallow. Giving myself a moment to compose myself, I grabbed my purse and then hopped out of my car.
“Grady, are you here,” I called out crossing through the kitchen. It occurred to me that I should have called him before barging over here unannounced.
“Harlow,” Grady called out, his voice laced with confusion. “This is a surprise—a very good surprise.” Even in my salty mood, I still took notice of the way this man filled out a grey v-neck, t-shirt. It was unfair for a man this sexy to have a charming personality and the brains to back it all up. Fuck. Why Heather ever cheated on him was beyond my comprehension.
Pushing the lustful thoughts aside, I took a moment to focus on my current issue. My eyes scanned over the water watching the sailboats rocking back and forth. The water was inviting, and I was in desperate need of its healing power. Grady bent to meet my eyes, his hands framed my face. “What’s happened, sweetheart? Did your meeting not go well?”
“It’s worse. Afton and my brother got married.” The words tasted bitter on my tongue, which filled me with shame.
“And this isn’t happy news for you?” he asked, dropping a hand to his hip.
Stalking towards the kitchen, I threw my hands into the air. “Good guess, Sherlock.”
“Sorry I asked.” Taking a step back, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Shaking my head, I paced around the island. “I’m sorry.” I blew out a harsh breath and cocked my hip against the edge of the counter.
He pulled a chair away from the breakfast bar, urging me to take a seat. “How about a drink? And you can tell me why this has you so upset.”
I nodded, drumming my fingers against the cool surface. “I’m so mad at both of them. I don’t even understand how this happened.” Grady set a glass and the bottle of Simi chardonnay in front of me. “I am trying to wrap my brain around this idea of the two of them married, and them doing marital things.” I took a big swallow of wine.
Grady stood in front of me, pouring a can of Harbour Brew pale ale into a tall glass.
“At one point, I was convinced she was having a fling with Ridge. I haven’t been this mad at anyone in a long time.”
Grady emptied the contents of the can into the glass and then tossed it into the recycling bin. “What about your ex?”
“What about your ex.” I retorted, and then polished off my glass.
Grady smirked, refilling my glass. “Does this mean that your brother will move here?”
I cocked a brow. “What?” The word came out more sarcastically than I intended.
“Silver lining.”
“Screw your silver lining,” I said through a laugh. “I just don’t get why they didn’t tell me?”
“Maybe they didn’t tell you because they didn’t know if it was going to go anywhere.”
A deep sigh, escaped me as I propped my elbows onto the counter. “Ugh, why are you making sense?”
“Look, Harlow, I get it, he’s your brother and she’s your best friend. They kept a secret from you—something huge and then they cut you out of their big day. I’m sure it brings up feelings of abandonment, how your dad left you, your mom and more recently Harry.”
I let his words roll around in my head, because it all made a lot of sense. Every damn bit of it.
“Go talk to them, let them share their story.”
“Is it wrong, if I push it off until tomorrow?”
He shook his head. “Not one bit.”