It was Andrew’s turn to step in the way of the door and keep it from closing. “Wait. What?”
“It’s true,” Tara said, wanting to take part in this, although she wasn’t entirely sure why Grant would choose to divulge this piece of information. It was still early in Miranda’s pregnancy. Did she want everyone to know about it?
Andrew blew out a deep breath. “Well, give her my best.”
“Or you could call and tell her yourself, then apologize for missing Johnathon’s service,” Grant said.
“I’m heading to the airport right now and flying home to Seattle. I’ll call her soon.”
“Just don’t be a jerk, okay? She’s been through a lot.” Grant stepped back.
Andrew did the same. The elevator doors whooshed shut. And he was gone.
“Wow. That was weird,” Tara said.
“It was infuriating—that’s what that was.” Grant wandered over to a small window and pounded the side of his fist against the frame. She loved seeing this side of him—fiery and passionate. She wished he’d be like this more often. “You know, I had plenty of problems with Johnathon, but he was nothing short of an amazing person. Andrew was his only family on this earth, and he couldn’t show up when it mattered? It’s pathetic.” He turned back to Tara and she could see the fire in his eyes again. She understood what a confluence of emotions Johnathon brought up, and she admired that Grant wasn’t afraid to show it. He was being brave in ways she wasn’t always able to be.
“I’m sorry that happened. It was my idea to talk to him. I should’ve just let him leave.”
Grant shook his head and reached out for Tara’s arm, dragging his fingers down the back of it until he reached her hand. “No. It was a good thing.” His voice was quieter now. “I needed to say those things to him and Andrew needed to hear them, even if he didn’t know it. You push me, Tara, and that’s a good thing.”
His statement brought a smile to her face, but it also sent goose bumps racing over the surface of her skin. The idea of her and Grant as a team wasn’t hopeless. She knew they could work together well. She just needed to prove it to him. “Does that mean I can push you on the Seaport Promenade?”
A breathy laugh escaped his lips and he raked his hands through his hair. At that moment, Tara fought an intense urge to kiss him, or at the very least, take the chance to run her own fingers into the dark mop atop his head. “It might take a lot of pushing.”
“I’m up to the task.”
Grant pressed the button to call the elevator back to their floor. “Let’s get out of here. I don’t need any more free beer or fake conversation.”
“What did you have in mind?” Tara was thinking that a drive to her place might be in order. They could open a bottle of wine. She could try to press him some more on the Seaport project.
“Let’s walk over to the ballpark, buy some tickets and watch the rest of the game. From actual seats. Not a luxury box.”
“It’s got to be the fourth inning, at least.”
“So? Still plenty of baseball to be played.”
“Neither of us is dressed for it.” She looked down at her clothes. She was wearing heels, a black skirt and a silver silk blouse. Not exactly the right attire for a sporting event.
The elevator dinged. “Something tells me they’ll still take our money.”
With a beer in his hand and Tara at his side, Grant was having the most fun he’d had in...well, he couldn’t remember a time he’d had more fun. “This was one of my best ideas, ever.”
Tara popped some popcorn into her mouth, then licked the salt from her fingers. “We can definitely see a lot better. I’m just not sure it was worth it to drop five hundred bucks on seats right behind home plate when we aren’t even going to see the whole game.”
Grant reached over and took a handful of popcorn. “You only live once. I’d say it was worth every penny.”
She cast a smile at him, which made his entire body warmer. “The view is so much better close up.”
You’re so much better close up.
He sat back and draped his arm across the back of Tara’s seat. He didn’t buy this whole notion that he was a nice guy and therefore not right for her. In fact, he thought it was complete bull. He’d proved back at the Sussex that he was capable of being a jerk when needed, and more important, he could tell that she appreciated having nice things done for her.
No, as far as Grant was concerned, the big thing standing between Tara and him was Sterling Enterprises. It was one thing for the founder’s ex-wife to show up on staff because she’d inherited a chunk of the company. It was quite another for her to take up with the new CEO. There would be talk, and that would prompt questions about Grant’s fitness for his role. He’d worked too hard to let a romance with Tara get in his way.
Still, he was all kinds of tempted. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even when she was distracted by the game and everything going on around them. He was only vaguely aware of the rest of the world. Her beauty demanded his focus, but it was about more than her flawless facade. He knew what was behind the pretty face and kissable lips. Tara was smart as a whip and a total handful. Full of life and surprises.
A chant of voices broke out around them, growing louder and louder. What are they saying? One word, over and over again. Kiss? Tara looked up. She pointed at the mammoth television monitor nearest them and laughed. Grant followed her line of sight and there they
