Mostly Risky, page 3
part #3 of The Women of Ambrose Estate Series
“Do you like baseball?” Grigg asked.
Maggie scrunched up her nose. “I don’t not like it,” she said. “I mean, my brothers played in high school, but they never went past that. I watched their games, when I wasn’t doing volleyball stuff, of course.”
“Cool.” They’d arrived at the restaurant, and since there was no sign of Amelia and her date outside, Grigg opened the door for Maggie to pass through. “Amelia’s date is a big baseball fan, so I’m sure that will become a topic of conversation during our lunch.” Might as well give her a small warning.
Grigg saw Amelia first, and it looked like Clint had shown up and was on time. Amelia wore one of her usual power suits. This one was a pale gray, with a blue blouse, coupled with high heels. He wondered if anyone else in their firm knew how often she kicked off those heels when she was sitting at her desk. Sometimes he teased her about it, asking her why she didn’t wear flats like some of the other women. But she’d given him one of her scowling looks. He’d laughed and dropped the subject.
Now she turned, as if she sensed them walking in. Grigg noticed right away that she’d done up her makeup more than usual. She also wore earrings, which wasn’t all that unusual, and her heart-shaped pendant. She’d told him that her grandmother had given her the pendant on her sixteenth birthday, calling it the Pendant of Protection. The inscription inside the heart read Together We Are Strong.
Grigg knew for a fact that Amelia never took it off; it was one of her superstitions and connected to her family curse.
But now that she knew the curse could be broken, would she take it off? Apparently his mind could get quite distracted when he was thinking about Amelia, even when she was standing in front of him. Her dark-blue gaze held a question, and he realized that she had just spoken, but he’d totally missed it.
“Hi, Amelia,” he said, ignoring her confused gaze. “Nice to see you again, Clint.”
The blond man shook Grigg’s hand. It was a very brief handshake. And one that was a bit sweaty. Clint was the kind of guy who never sat still, never stopped moving, like he was always ready to spring. Like he couldn’t hold back his energy. As introductions were made all around, it seemed that Clint was ready to bolt at any minute.
Was the guy nervous? Then Grigg noticed that Clint kept looking at another table about halfway into the restaurant. Did he know someone that he didn’t want to see?
The waitress led them to their table, and they passed by the couple that Clint had been eyeing. The woman seated at the table flushed, and Grigg went on alert. Obviously there was something going on between Clint and that woman, or at the very least they had a past together.
Not that it was Grigg’s business—but if Amelia started to really like Clint, then it would become everyone’s business.
As they sat down, Grigg sneaked another glance at the woman Clint had noticed. She wore a wedding ring, and the man she was sitting with also wore a wedding ring. Which meant that most likely they were a married couple. The plot had just thickened.
Grigg didn’t have to contribute much to the conversation after all; no, he just had to sit back while the other three talked baseball. Maggie did know quite a bit about baseball, and for all intents and purposes she acted like she was still a fan. What she didn’t know about the pro teams, Clint was clearly happy to fill her in.
Everyone ordered, and Grigg decided to go out on a limb and order the lasagna. Amelia immediately noticed. “You’re not getting your usual chicken fettuccine Alfredo?” she asked.
Clint’s gaze swung in Grigg’s direction. Maggie raised her brows.
Well, now that Grigg had everyone’s attention, he guessed he should explain. “I feel like trying something new today, that’s all.”
“Do you always order the same thing when you go out to eat?” Maggie said.
“Always,” Amelia deadpanned. “Grigg orders chicken fettuccine Alfredo at any Italian restaurant, chicken massaman when we eat Thai food, chicken enchiladas with green enchilada sauce when we eat Mexican—”
“I don’t think they want to hear all my secrets,” Grigg cut in with a laugh.
Amelia smirked.
“I guess you two eat out a lot together?” Maggie asked, her brows raised.
Clint’s eyes had narrowed.
Ah. Grigg could see how this all sounded. Perhaps that wouldn’t be a bad thing for Clint, but Grigg didn’t want Maggie to think he was a two-timing jerk.
“Work lunches,” Amelia said.
“Yep,” Grigg said. “Since Amelia doesn’t eat dinner, it’s all about the work lunches, provided of course there really is work being discussed.”
Another smirk from Amelia.
“How long have you guys been working together?” Maggie looked back and forth between them.
“Two years,” they both said at once.
Grigg reached for his ice water and took a long swallow.
Miraculously, and thankfully, Maggie said, “It must be nice to work with a cousin.”
Right . . . perfect segue. “Yeah, it is great,” he said. “Like a family connection, but without the sibling rivalry.”
Maggie laughed. She was a pretty woman, a different pretty than Amelia. But Grigg could appreciate more than one type of woman. Maybe this wouldn’t be their one and only date.
But then Clint turned the tables.
“What do you do, Maggie?” he asked.
Grigg was surprised at Clint’s pointed interest in Maggie, then he noticed that the couple with the wedding rings had left their table. Now Clint’s attention wasn’t divided any longer.
She talked about her job as a barista, then her graduate work in psychology and child development. And wouldn’t you know, Clint found it fascinating. Who would have thought that a baseball nut would be so interested in Maggie’s social work? And honestly, Grigg was impressed too. Both with Maggie’s work commitment and the fact that they were no longer talking about baseball.
By the end of lunch, Grigg estimated that Maggie and Clint had talked the most to each other. Which was completely fine with him, but was it fine with Amelia? He tried to catch her gaze more than once, to assess her internal thoughts about how the date was going with Clint, but she wasn’t meeting Grigg’s eyes. In fact, she was sneaking plenty of glances at her phone. Maybe her attention had already been diverted back to work.
As the four of them walked out of the restaurant together, sure enough Amelia said something about hurrying back to work. The comment was lost on Clint and Maggie—because Maggie was currently telling Clint about the case study she was working on, and Clint had apparently been through the foster system when he was a kid. So it was that Grigg and Amelia walked back to their office together, leaving their dates still talking outside of the restaurant.
“What just happened?” Amelia asked.
“I think we both got ditched,” Grigg said. “I thought baseball was going to dominate, but apparently it was social work.”
“I thought Maggie looked familiar,” Amelia said. “Have you had your eye on her for a while?”
“Not exactly,” Grigg said.
Amelia seemed surprised at that. “So this was your first date?”
“Yep. And I think it was our last,” Grigg said.
Amelia slowed her step as they reached their building. Grigg slowed too and looked down at her.
“Did you ask her out because you like her? Or because we had planned this double date?”
Grigg smiled. “A man’s gotta have at least one secret.”
Amelia folded her arms. And kept watching him. Well, if Grigg had her undivided attention, maybe he could give her a little information. He couldn’t fathom how Clint could have passed up a woman like Amelia for anyone, even Maggie. “Alright, you caught me. I did ask Maggie out for this lunch because of the double date. She’s a nice girl, and I knew that she wouldn’t be a poor choice. But I also didn’t want her to read into things too much. I already knew going into it that it would be a one-day thing. Clint saved me the trouble. Such a gentleman.”
Amelia’s mouth turned up at the corners as if she was pleased, or triumphant. It was hard to tell.
“You satisfied now?” Grigg asked. “Maybe I should make a list, one that will match up with yours.”
“You know you don’t have to come on every date with me,” she said. “I mean, I think the date with Hayden is going to be really painful for you. You’ve already made fun of his name.”
“Have you called him yet?” Grigg asked. “We getting together for Hawaiian haystacks?”
Amelia shoved his arm. “I was waiting to see how things with Clint went.”
Grigg nodded. “And how do you think things went?” He tried to hide his smirk but failed.
Amelia looked heavenward. “Well, you were there, and I agree with you. We both got ditched.”
“I guess we won’t know for sure until Clint calls to tell you the bad news.”
Amelia shrugged. “I don’t think Clint’s gonna call me. He’s more like the blow-me-off type of person. At least that’s what happened last time we dated.”
Now this was new to Grigg. “Really?”
“Why does that surprise you?” she asked.
“Because,” he said in a slow voice, focusing on her blue eyes, “you’ve always been the heartbreaker in your relationships.”
“Not always,” she said. “Clint stopped reaching out to me when I canceled two dates in a row. They were real excuses too, not me blowing him off.”
Grigg slipped his hands into his pockets because the wind had picked up and he was tempted to move back the flyaway strands of hair from her cheek. “So we’re onto number three. Are you calling Hayden tonight?”
Amelia smiled. “Yep. There’s no reason to waste any time.”
No reason at all.
Amelia smiled to herself as she approached Hayden at the French café where they’d agreed to meet. His profile told her he hadn’t changed at all from the always-in-need-of-a-haircut professor type. When Amelia had first met Hayden a while back at a mutual friend’s wedding, he’d reminded her a bit of her father. Both were highly intelligent and worked in the field of academics.
Amelia’s father was her mother’s second husband, and Poppy had told Amelia more than once that she’d wanted to marry a man who wasn’t a daredevil pilot. Amelia’s dad had been a professor of science with a bit of an obsessive personality—similar to Hayden in a way but completely different in looks. Amelia never saw her father without his pristinely clean clothing and hair buzzed short. Hayden always wore a slightly rumpled button-down shirt with a bow tie, along with khakis worn at the hems.
Still, just because her father wasn’t an air force pilot didn’t mean that his death hadn’t come early. Because of the curse. Now Amelia blinked away memories of her father and refocused on the history professor she was about to have a meal with. Hayden was only a couple of inches taller than her, and he wore a button-down, plaid shirt, khakis, and his usual scruffy, longish hair, and round glasses.
When Hayden’s light-blue eyes landed on her, she felt gratified at the warmth in them.
“Amelia, it’s great to see you,” he said. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, which she didn’t necessarily mind, but it felt new.
Hayden hadn’t been the most affectionate man to date. Yes, they’d held hands and kissed a few times, but he always seemed more interested in ruminating about things long in the past.
“Great to see you too.” Amelia straightened her blazer. She hadn’t had time to go home and change, since a meeting had gone longer than usual. In fact, she’d left Grigg to finish it up, which probably meant he and his date would be a no-show tonight. Amelia had no doubt that Grigg would just take Silvia to another place later.
Amelia didn’t want to think about Silvia right now, or Grigg and Silvia . . . She was a beautiful and sweet woman who worked at the after-hours call center for their building. Grigg had said that Silvia wouldn’t read much into the dinner invitation, but Amelia had seen the way the woman checked out Grigg. Whatever happened was fine. Grigg didn’t even like French food, and he’d asked Amelia if she could change the restaurant location. She’d laughed and told him no. After all, it wasn’t a date with Grigg but with Hayden.
“Our table is ready,” Hayden said. “I’ll let the hostess know that you’ve arrived.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Moments later, Amelia was sitting across from Hayden at a circular booth. On the table, small candles glowed among the crystal wine glasses and fine china. Low classical music played, and this place would be plenty romantic if she were here with someone she was in love with.
Was Hayden a possibility? He’d opened the menu as soon as they were seated, and now he was mouthing the menu items, in French no less.
Amelia cracked hers open. She understood enough French from taking it in high school to get the gist of most of the dishes. But she was no connoisseur. She’d stick with chicken and some sort of sauce.
“We should order the oysters for an appetizer,” Hayden said, looking up at her. “They’re very good here.”
Amelia didn’t love oysters, but she didn’t hate them either. “Sounds good.”
“In fact, let me order the rest of your meal,” Hayden said. “I’ll surprise you.”
She didn’t really like the idea, but the hopeful look on Hayden’s face changed her mind. “If you insist.”
He reached for her hand, another surprise in the affection department. “I do insist.” He gave a soft laugh. “I let you get away once, and I don’t plan to again. I’ve learned that I need to be more assertive with women, ask for what I want. Find better ways to meet their needs.”
Okay, then, she thought. Was this all a good thing or a bad thing?
The waitress took their order, which Hayden delivered completely in French.
Amelia was impressed, although she was probably overanalyzing things too much. Whenever she’d dated in the past, she knew she was only dating for the short term and not to find a husband. So this felt different. Which probably was making her more hyperaware.
After the waitress left with a promise to bring their hors d’oeuvres soon, Amelia asked, “How is the university these days? Are you teaching a full class load again?”
Hayden smiled. “I’m teaching four undergraduate classes and two graduate classes. I’m also on the committee for historical preservation at the university. Keeps me almost as busy as you. Although I won’t ever be in your income bracket, I’m happy.”
Amelia smiled to hide the prickle of irritation that climbed along her neck. “Sounds like you’re doing great things. Have you published any articles lately?”
“I have.” Hayden proceeded to fill her in, almost word for word, about an article he had written about the turn-of-the-century conflicts that led to World War I.
She tried to focus, she really did, but her mind kept straying to the meeting she’d left Grigg to finish up. How were things going, and would he follow through with the recommendations they’d discussed together? What about—
“Hello there. Sorry we’re late.”
Amelia snapped her head up to see Grigg standing before their table, with Silvia at his side.
“Did you order yet?” Grigg asked. “We can call the waitress back over and be quick about it.”
Hayden’s eyes about popped open.
Amelia recovered first. “It’s only been a few minutes. I’m sure they can get yours in too. Uh, Hayden, this is my business partner, Grigg Edison.”
“Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand, and Hayden half rose to shake it. “And this is Silvia.”
“Hello there.” Silvia wore a formfitting black dress, covered in sequins no less, and she definitely had plenty of curves to show off. Her blond hair and smoky eyes would draw any man, and Amelia didn’t miss Hayden’s appreciative gaze.
Maybe Amelia should have brought extra clothing to the office, since she was feeling like a stuffed suit in this scenario.
Grigg had even dressed down somehow. Yeah, he was still wearing the same pants and shirt as he had at the office. But he’d ditched his tie, unbuttoned a couple of shirt buttons, rolled up his sleeves, and looked relaxed and casual. And sexy. Amelia bit her lip. Where had that thought come from?
Grigg motioned Silvia toward the booth, but she shook her head. “You first. I want to be on the end, in case I need to visit the powder room.”
Grigg didn’t make any effort to protest, and instead, he slid in right next to Amelia.
She scooted over, and so did Hayden, but she was effectively sandwiched between both men.
This close to Grigg, she could smell his light spice, whereas Hayden smelled faintly of paper, if she were to make an assessment.
“Oysters, huh?” Grigg said.
The waitress had arrived and set down a large platter with a dozen oysters artfully arranged on ice.
“They’re excellent here,” Hayden said. “Please help yourself.”
“I’ve never tried oysters,” Silvia said. “Aren’t they cold and slimy?”
Hayden chuckled. “They are that, but so much more as well.” He then proceeded to show her how to prepare the oysters for eating.
Silvia picked one up and followed Hayden’s direction. Then she downed the thing.
“Oh,” she said, her eyes widening. “Not bad, but strange.”
Hayden looked pleased, and Amelia frowned as she looked between him and Silvia. Would this be another date swap?
“What about you, Grigg?” Hayden asked. “Are you going to have one? You don’t want to leave your date hanging, do you?”
“Oh, sure. I’ll try one,” Grigg said.
Amelia hid a smirk. His tone was less enthusiastic. She watched him gingerly pick up the oyster, prepare it, then swallow it down.
She was pretty sure his normally tanned skin lost some color.
Grigg reached for her water and, without asking her, drank from it.
“Good, huh?” Hayden said.
Grigg wiped his mouth with a napkin before responding. “Not bad at all.”
Amelia bumped her leg against his, and he bumped hers back. She wanted to laugh and tease him, but she could tell he was trying to keep things nonchalant on this double date. Maybe he’d learn his lesson and stop jumping into her dates after this.
