Loving Eden (16 page)

Finally, he spoke. “All right.”

“All right?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Was he back on his pain meds?

“Yes, but the minute he starts his asshole tricks, he’s out. Agreed? And I get to toss him out.”

I nodded. “Agreed.” I jumped from the bed ready to tackle Grey. I stopped short of the crutches and pecked him on the lips. “Ok, I’m going to go ask Taylor right now. Thank you.” I ran out of the room.

It wasn’t easy for me to drag the kitchen table on the deck, but I refused to let Grey help me with a single thing. Besides this dinner tonight, my number one priority was getting his leg back to normal status. I wasn’t about to let him reinjure it because I wanted to dine al fresco.

I admired the table I had set. It was going to be a beautiful sunset. I shuffled the forks again.

“Darlin’, I think it looks fine. Quit messin’ with it.” Grey poked his head out of our bedroom door. He had just showered.

“I just want it to be perfect.” Not only was this a peace summit dinner, but also our first official dinner party as a couple. There was a lot riding on this dinner.

“Come here.” He motioned me toward the bedroom.

I nestled into his chest as his arm wrapped around my shoulder. Everything felt calmer and safer like this with Grey. I inhaled his aftershave.

“Thank you for trying to work something out for the Palm, but I don’t want you to be disappointed tonight if Mason shows his true colors.”

I looked at him. “You don’t think there’s anything redeeming about him do you?”

“Not a damn thing.” He closed the door behind him and hobbled onto the deck.

“I hope you’re wrong.” I scurried into the living room. Now that we had guests on the way, I really wish we had gone couch shopping. As soon as Grey was off the crutches, we would do it. The living room had been empty for too long.

I had prepared a pitcher of mojitos, the guacamole dip Grey liked so much, and had shrimp ready to go into a shrimp boil. I thought it was a great combination of Texas and North Carolina specialties. I checked the clock. Only five more minutes until showtime.

I carried the mojito pitcher and the snacks to the deck. Grey was sprawled in one of the two lounge chairs.

“Maybe I should go ahead and have one of those.” He looked at the glasses.

He wasn’t the only one. I was nervous. I poured two drinks and handed him one. “Here you go.”

Two minutes later, I heard Taylor’s laughter from the beach. I looked over the railing to see her tucked under Mason’s arm. He whispered something in her ear. My chest tightened as they took the steps.

“Hey, y’all.” I waved.

Mason grinned. “Thanks for the dinner invitation, Eden.” He handed me a bottle of wine. “This is for you.”

“Aww, thank you.” I plastered on a smile. “I’ll put this in the fridge and be right back.”

When I returned from the kitchen, Taylor was pouring drinks for her and Mason. If I didn’t know they had only met last night, I would have guessed they had been a couple for a while. They moved in sync with each other. Maybe there was something to the connection she proclaimed they had.

Mason crunched on a chip. “This guacamole is delicious.”

“Thanks, I made it today. It’s Grey’s favorite.”

“How’s the knee?” Mason pointed to the leg still in a brace.

I could tell Grey was reluctant to enter a conversation with him. “Getting better.”

Taylor threaded an arm through Mason’s. “Mason was telling me today about a trip he might take to North Carolina.”

I knew I looked stunned. I quickly tried to rearrange my face. “Oh, wow. What kind of trip?”

“I have some business with a boat builder in Charlotte. I was thinking I might make a detour through Chapel Hill while I’m there.”

“That’s quite a detour.” I took a sip of the minty drink. I wished I had poured more rum in it.

He grinned. “Isn’t life full of detours?”

I wondered which one he was referring to. We were all on a massive detour as far as I was concerned.

“Are you interested in boats, Mason?” I leaned against the railing.

“The business side of it. There are a lot of directions you can go with a boat business. This guy I have a meeting with is interested in diversifying. Right now he’s in high-powered fiberglass vessels.”

Taylor piped in. “Eden was a business major. She’s eventually going to get her MBA. Maybe you two could bounce some ideas around.”

Grey’s poker face tonight was excellent. I was proud of him, but doubtful it would last.

“Is that so?” Mason strolled next to me. “You’re into business and Grey’s into fixing things?” He hid his smile behind his glass. I didn’t like what he was implying.

“Actually, Grey was in an advanced engineering program when his grandfather became sick.” My stomach knotted. Introduce awkward. I tried to skip over the fact I had added Pops to the conversation. “We have a long-term plan with the Palm Palace and one for Grey to finish his master’s degree.”

Mason didn’t seem bothered by the fact I had mentioned his father. “Since you brought it up, what is that long-term plan? It obviously doesn’t involve raking in millions of dollars.”

I hesitated long enough for Grey to take over. “Not everything’s about money. The Palm can be a self-sustaining business. With Eden’s help, it’s getting there.”

Mason chuckled. “Considering your only guests right now are her best friend and your long-lost uncle, I’d say your prospects are dim.”

“That’s not true.” I tightened my hold on the mojito. “I have a plan in place with a senior advertising company that’s going to appeal to the snowbirds. We’ll be booked all winter, and then of course there’s spring break. By summer, we’ll have families. It’s going to work.” I was defensive about the Palm. I noticed Grey was smiling. “It’s a landmark on the island, and there is more value in that than a development contract.”

“Sweetheart, that might be true. Let’s say you and the nephew here can make a business out of the place. You would still take that over two million dollars? Do you know what you can do in life with two million dollars?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Mason, I feel bad for you that you can’t see past all those dollar signs.” I placed my drink on the table. “I’m going to put the shrimp on. Dinner should be ready in ten minutes.”

“Let me help you.” Grey struggled to stand from the lounge chair, not his most athletic moment.

He followed me to the kitchen, sliding the door behind us. We left Mason and Taylor to enjoy the beginning beams of the sunset. I needed a minute away from them.

“Eden, hold on.”

I had one hand on a four-pound bag of shrimp in the refrigerator. “What?”

He caught my chin with his hand and crashed his mouth into mine. My lips moved against his, and I lost the grip on the shrimp. I didn’t care that our dinner was all over the floor. Grey’s hands coasted over my hips and along my sides. His tongue sent fire through my nerves. I breathed in the taste of him, only fueling the need I had to consume every part of him. God, I missed this.

“I have never wanted you like I do right now.” His voice was pained. “What you said out there.”

I quieted him with another kiss. I wanted to forget my ankles were bathed in seafood and that we had company on the deck. Some things don’t matter. I tugged on Grey’s neck, ready to take the kiss to the next level, when he groaned and seized at his leg.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I looked at him full of regret for getting carried away.

He shook his head. “Don’t ever apologize for kissing me like that. Ever.” He kissed my forehead. “We have to figure out a way around this leg. You are driving me crazy.”

I laughed. “That we do. But first, I better get these suckers in the pot.” I bent to scoop the shrimp in a colander and rinse them in the sink before dumping them in the boiling pot on the stove. I added a few slices of lemon, a beer, and an extra shake of bay seasoning. I set the timer for six minutes.

“Dinner will be ready in a few.” I pulled down the only serving platter we had from the top of the cabinet.

“Think that’s enough time for me to take a cold shower?” Grey tilted his head.

“Only if you think we can both fit, dry off, and get dressed before these shrimp are finished.”

He shook his head. “Probably not.” He gripped the handles on the crutches and started for the door. “We’re really going to finish this dinner?”

“Yes. We really are. And you’re doing great.”

“Don’t know how much longer I can put up with it.” He took a few lunges forward.

I watched as he re-entered the deck and started small talk with Taylor. I had to give him credit. He was trying harder than I had ever seen him. It made my heart melt.

The rest of dinner was surprisingly calm. Taylor and I told Carolina stories. Our favorite was about a third roommate who tried to move into our dorm room our sophomore year even after all our stuff had been unpacked. That poor girl was homeless for a week before the housing department found a place to put her.

When the last shrimp was peeled, Mason stood and started loading bowls and plates into his arms.

“You don’t have to do that.” I tried to match his table bussing.

“You did the cooking. Taylor and I can do the cleaning.” He smiled at her, and she immediately began to clear the table.

She giggled. “You and Grey enjoy the deck. We’ll get these done in a flash.”

I shrugged my shoulders and sat in my seat. I waited until they were inside before saying anything to Grey.

“What do you think?” I whispered.

He swirled the last bits of ice in his glass. “My opinion hasn’t changed, but I’m glad they are helping you with the dishes.” He smiled.

“That’s not what I mean.” I turned to make sure they were still busy in the kitchen. “About them. What do you think about them?”

“I don’t know. Taylor’s a sweet girl. She obviously likes him, but I can’t tell if he’s for real or not.”

I thought the same thing. Mason said and did all the right things where Taylor was concerned, but I still couldn’t figure out if he was legitimately interested in her or if he was a two-night stand kind of guy.

I sighed. “At least we salvaged her last night in Padre.”

Grey gripped my leg under the table. “You’re a good friend, Eden. She’s lucky you’re being so understanding.”

The reality was I didn’t have much choice. I couldn’t lose my best friend.

The sliding glass door opened, and Taylor emerged on the deck with a plate of brownies. Mason trailed behind her with ice cream, bowls, and spoons.

He held them up. “We guessed this is dessert.”

“Yep.” I had made the brownies as soon as I got home from work.

He began scooping vanilla ice cream on top of the brownies as Taylor placed one in each bowl. I sat as they served dessert to Grey and me. I kept the sigh to myself. This could all be so different if Mason wasn’t hell-bent on the lawsuit. We could be a happy four-some, swapping jokes, enjoying cocktails and brownies, but instead we were all pretending that life was different from the layers of this moment.