The sketches he drew. “She did?” Now hewas even more intrigued by Jamie. “Willow, I can see you’re loyalto your friend, but can you give me any pointers on how Ican make it up to her?”He closed the Tiffany box and put it back in his jacket pocket.“Showering her with gifts won’t work, I get that now, and I’veapologised a hundred times, but she still won’t forgive me. Tellme, am I wasting my time?”
“I don’t know for sure, Grayson, but I don’t think so. You’d haveto ask her.”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I wouldif she would open her door.” Grayson turned to knock on Jamie’sdoor again.
“Not today you don’t,” Willow said, placingher hand on his arm. “Give her time. It takes her a while to trust anyone.”
He faced her again. “But I booked us a mealat Gianni’s, for tonight.”
“The Michelin star place? Doesn’t it have aneighteen-month waiting list?”
“It does, but I can be very persuasive when Iwant to be.”
“You mean you paid to jump the queue?” Willow rolled hereyes. “There you go again, waving a wad of cash to get what youwant. I told you, Jamie hates that sort of thing.”
Grayson considered her words. Is that howJamie would see it? “What can I do then?”
“Uh-uh, big guy. Work it out for yourself. Jamie is far morelikely to come around if you do something less extravagant. Morepersonal, like you’ve put some thought into it.”
He didn’t think he’d ever had to work sohard at getting someone to go out with him, but Jamie was worth it, a hundred timesover.
A whisper of an idea came to mind.
“Thank you, Willow,” he said sincerely. “I’llleave you in peace now. I can’t wait to tell my daughter I met you.She’s going to be so jealous.”
She grinned. “Wait here asec.” She darted backinto her apartment with Cujo tucked under her arm, and returned aminute later holding a rectangular flat box. She handed it to him.“This is for Luna.”
“What is it?”
“It’s my latest palette. I signed it,too.”
“Am I supposed to know what that is?”
“It’s a set of eyeshadows.”
Grayson started to object—Luna was far tooyoung for makeup—but Willow cut him off. “Don’t look alldisapproving. They’re natural shades, age-appropriate, nothinggarish.”
He didn’t recall telling her Luna’s age.Maybe Jamie mentionedit. Against his better judgement, he took the box. “Thanks, I’msure Luna will love it. Now I really have taken up enough of yourtime.” He reached forward and gave the dog’s ears a ruffle. “Bye,Cujo.” The Chihuahua tilted his head to one side. Such a cutelittle pup.
“Bye, Grayson.”
With a spring in his step, he headed towardsthe lift, his thoughts returning to Jamie and what he could do towin her over.
One thing was certain—he was not going togive up on her.
Chapter Six
Jamie sipped her instant coffee.Yuk. She was theworst coffee maker in the history of coffee making. “Do you fancygoing out for a cappuccino instead?” she asked Willow.
Willow leant on Jamie’s kitchen worktopand pulled a face as she swallowed. “What, and miss out on this tasty mug ofmud?”
“It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t like to say, but yeah.”
“Give it here. I’ll pour it down the sink andbuy you a decent coffee in town.”
“No…err, thanks.”
Jamie frowned at her friend’s abrupttone.
“It’s… well, you said you’ve got the whole day off,” Willowfidgeted from one foot to the other, “and I’ve finished editing mylatest video. I thought we could spend the day chilling out here,that’s all.”
“Okay, what’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“We’re besties. I know when you’re upto something.”
“Moi? Never.” Willow placed her palm on herchest, her expression anything but innocent.
“Tell me or I’ll make you drink thatcoffee.”
Willow chuckled. “No, no! Anything butthat.”
“Well? I’m waiting. Come to think of it, itwas odd that Harper gaveme the day off today. What’s going on?”
Willow averted her gaze, looking at the manyflowers Grayson had sent, the vases dotting every available worktopand shelf in her kitchen. “The flowers are still doing well, aren’tthey?”
Okay, she was definitely up to something. Jamie played along.“Hmm, they are lovely, despite who sent them. I still can’t believeyou spoke to Grayson that day.”
“You mean the day you had your hissy fit andleft poor Cujo in the corridor?”
“I did not have a hissy fit. I gaveGrayson Beckett a pieceof my mind, nothing he didn’t deserve. End of.”
“Is it the end, Jamie? He’s apologised forhis behaviour a million times, and he seems like a genuineguy.”
Jamie stared into her mug. Blobs ofundissolved coffee granules floated on the top. Willow would have a pink fit if she knewshe’d been speaking to a werewolf.
She had to admit, Grayson had gone to alot of trouble, and after the way she’d insulted him again, she’dbeen surprised he’d hung around outside her flat long enough totalk to Willow thatday.
He’d wound her up so much, she would havetaken on his whole pack if it meant getting her ‘not interested’message across, but why had she let him creep under her skin likethat?
The Tiffany bracelet he’d tried to giveher was stunning, butwhy had he got down on one knee? For one crazy, head-spinningmoment, she’d seen the jewellery box and thought he was about topropose. How ridiculous was that? She didn’t even know him and yethe’d opened something inside that began to consider the possibilityof sharing her life with someone again. After her wedding dayfiasco, she’d vowed to spend her life on her own and she was happywith that, so why had a werewolf made her question herdecision?
A niggling little voice had been plaguingher for a whole weeknow. BecauseI like him.
Jamie gulped her revolting coffee, staringat the vases full of flowers like she was in some kind of trance.Yes, the flowers were beautiful, and her flat had smelt like theChelsea Flower Show all week. According to the delivery lady, Grayson had arranged tosend her chocolates and champagne too—until she’d refused them. Inhindsight, maybe that had been a tad rude.
If wasn’t as if she didn’t like receivinggifts, but there was such a thing as being excessive, andGrayson was way tooextravagant. She
