Grace (The Family Simon Book 5) (3 page)

“Don’t call me Gracie.” The fireball was back and Matt nodded.

They watched each other for a few moments longer, and in those moments he knew that once again he’d managed to screw things up. He’d been honest but it hadn’t been enough.

“It was nice seeing you again,” he said carefully. He took a step back and then headed for the door, pulling out his cell to call a cab before he hit the first step down.

Matt waited in the dark for nearly an hour, jaw clenched tightly and growing angrier by the minute. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he connect?

But he knew, didn’t he? It’s why he kept running. And it sure as hell was why he would never stop.

SIX WEEKS LATER…

T
here was already three inches of snow on the ground, and by the looks of the clouds overhead, a lot more of the stuff was on its way.
Great.

Grace pulled on her hood of her soft pink hoodie and shivered as she trudged through the heavy snow. A winter coat would have been a good idea. Maybe a good pair of boots too. In a foul mood, she smiled at no one. Not even the little kid who pointed excitedly, jumping up and down at the sight of her companion, Josh Hayden.

The up-and-coming shortstop had just finished his rookie season with the Texas Rangers and was one of Tucker Simon’s clients. Her brother had taken Josh on when no one else would—to say the guy had a troubled past would be an understatement. Hence the trip to New Waterford, Michigan, this blasted snow, and Josh’s chance to turn his image around.

“Damn, but you owe me, Tucker,” Grace muttered, spying her rental.

This was the last place on earth she wanted to be, and she was only here because Tucker was in a jam. Grace still wasn’t sure what his emergency was about, but she knew her brother wasn’t the kind of guy to pass something off for no good reason.

And now she was here, babysitting a high profile pain in the ass and hoping like hell she didn’t run into Matt Hawkins. Or maybe she
did
want to run into him because she sure as hell had a lot to say about their night together. She just wasn’t so sure that would be a good thing.

If only she could stop thinking about him. About how aggressive and amazing and hot his lovemaking had been. If only she could forget how he’d fled her bed faster than
anyone
ever
in the history of one-night-stands. Seriously. The guy couldn’t even spend the night.

Angered at the thought, she scowled and shoved her hand into the front pocket of her jeans and scooped out the keys. Served her right. She’d known he wasn’t the type to stay, but still…

“Want me to drive?”

“Nope.”

Josh looked a bit taken aback at her abrupt dismissal. “Not so sure an angry female behind the wheel in this storm is a good idea.”

Grace shot Josh a dark look and waited impatiently for the back door of the SUV to open. She’d met him at her brother’s office in New York City just this morning and the guy had way too much charm for her liking. She was done with men. DONE.

She tossed her periwinkle weekender bag inside. “Let’s go.”

The trip from the airport out to New Waterford took at least forty-five minutes longer than it should have. By the time they reached the outskirts of town, Grace had a monster of a headache and that was for a few reasons. The roads were bad, the snow hadn’t stopped, and Josh Hayden did not…

“Don’t you ever stop talking?” Grace snapped, maneuvering the SUV across the ice-coated bridge that ran through town.

Josh smiled and shook his head, tugging on his ball cap. His dark hair waved to his shoulders, and after the long trip, poked out in all directions. His deep blue eyes crinkled in the corners as his smile widened, and at any other time Grace would’ve had to acknowledge that the young man was hot. You know for a baseball player with hockey-hair flow.

“What’s your deal?” he asked.

Lips pursed, she sighed. “I don’t have a deal.” The admission fell from her lips before she could think about it and her frown deepened. The GPS indicated a left turn and she followed the instructions.

“Oh, I think you do.”

“Josh,” she said, avoiding a large patch of ice in the middle of the road. “We’re not discussing my so-called deal. What we are going to do is get you to your hotel so that you can relax like a good boy and get ready for tomorrow. The charity fundraiser starts in the afternoon and you need this. Instigating a bench-clearing brawl after your troubles in the minors wasn’t a smart thing to do, so don’t screw it up.”

“Man, you sound like my mother.”

“Sorry.”

“You should be. That wasn’t a compliment.” A pause. “At least you don’t look like her.”

“And that’s a good thing because…”

“She looks like Sasquatch.”

“Your mother looks like Sasquatch.”

“Yep.”

“Sorry but I have a hard time believing a woman who looks like Sasquatch gave birth to a guy who…”

Shit. Now his grin wouldn’t go away.

“A guy who…” He prompted.

“A guy who doesn’t look like Sasquatch.” No way was she feeding into his ego. Josh Hayden knew exactly how good looking he was.

Grace peered ahead, looking for the hotel. It should be just around the corner.

“Hey what’s that place?”

Grace followed his gaze and spied a smallish plaza on her right. There were several stores that she could see—a weight loss clinic, a health food store, and a pizza joint. There was also a large pub or restaurant, The Roadside Grill.

“Let’s stop in for some food. I’m freaking starving.”

She shook her head. All she wanted was a hot shower, two extra strength tablets for her headache, and a bed. Kind of sad considering it was eight o’clock on a Friday night, and she was only a few weeks shy of her twenty-sixth birthday. When had her life become so incredibly lame?

“Come on,” Josh coaxed. “You gotta be ready for some eats.”

Grace took her foot off the gas. She
was
hungry, and she was pretty damn sure the hotel wouldn’t be able to touch good pub food.

“I’ll even buy.” Josh slapped his thighs and whooped when she turned into the plaza.

“Down boy,” Grace said, unable to hide the smile creeping over her face.

“So that’s all it took.”

“Huh?” She found parking near the main door.

“Food.”

“Food,” she repeated, cutting the engine and turning to him with a frown.

“I’ve been trying to figure you out since you picked me up in New York.”

“Trust me. I’m not all that interesting.”

The snow was still falling and Grace swiped at a large snowflake that caught on her eyelashes. She tugged on her pink hoodie and slipped off her beanie, shaking out her long hair as she followed Josh into The Roadside Grill.

The place was nearly empty, most likely due to the snow, and Grace was fine with that. She spied a large man pouring beer for a couple guys at the bar—his handlebar mustache was something to behold. He nodded and returned to his customers. There were a few tables occupied but other than that, it was quiet.

A young girl appeared and directed them to a booth in the corner. Good. Grace liked the shadows and from this vantage point she could see the door. Josh slid across from her and immediately ordered two drafts and a plate of nachos.

“I might not be a fan of nachos,” she said, toying with her napkin.

“Of course you are,” Josh replied, flashing a million-dollar smile up at the waitress as she set down two mugs of beer.

Grace watched, amused as the woman’s cheeks deepened and she fussed with her notepad.

“Would you like anything else?” she asked, not taking her eyes from Josh.

“The nachos are fine for now,” Grace replied. “Can I have an extra container of guacamole?”

“Me too,” Josh said, digging into his draft.

“Sure.” The waitress toyed with her pen and smiled. “Just let me know if you need anything else.”

“Will do.” Grace smiled at her.

The girl took a step back and paused. “Are you…”

“I am,” Josh chuckled.

Her blush deepened. “So cool. I heard you might be coming to town for the fundraiser.”

He winked. “Make sure you come and say hi.”

She backed away, giggling like a schoolgirl and Grace watched her disappear into the kitchen.

“Impressive,” she said, taking a sip from her mug.

Josh’s eyebrow shot up. “Yeah?”

“I’d say it took no more than ten seconds for that girl to fall under your spell.”

He grinned. “So how long are you gonna take?”

Grace shook her head. “Nope. Not going there, Josh.”

“Come on,” he replied. “Give me a chance.” He leaned back and Grace was pretty sure his smile could melt most women’s panties. “You’re single. I’m single…”

She had to give it to him. He was one hell of a charmer.

“How do you know I’m single?”

Josh took a moment, his boyish smile near perfection. “Because no guy in their right mind would let his hot girlfriend head out to the middle of nowhere with someone like me.”

“Someone like you?” She laughed outright at that.

“I’ve been called irresistible.”

“Puh-lease.”

“Read it in a Sports Illustrated article. So you know, it must be true.”

“And that, Mr. Hayden, is the reason I don’t date athletes. You’re all full of yourselves.”

“Maybe.” There was that grin again. “But I’m right. You’re single.” He paused. “Your brother, Tucker, told me.”

Of course. Grace sighed. “Yes I’m single, but no I’m not interested.”

The waitress stopped by with their platter of nachos and two extra containers of guacamole. She lingered a few seconds longer than she had to, and Grace did a double take, because she was pretty sure the woman’s shirt hadn’t been so…provocative.

“At least two of ‘em.”

She swallowed her food. “Excuse me?”

Josh grinned and dug into the platter. “She undid at least two buttons.”

“You’re unbelievable.” But she couldn’t hide her grin.

“I think that there was in the SI article too.”

The next twenty minutes passed and the two of them chatted about music (he was a huge country fan and had met her sister-in-law Donovan once) and entertainment (he loved chick flicks—who knew). Grace was just starting to relax when the door to The Grill opened, bringing with it a gust of wind and twenty or so men. They spilled into the place and instantly the energy changed. The guys all headed toward the bar, along with the few women who’d followed them in. Grace watched from the shadows and tried to remain calm. But she somehow knew. Her heart sped up and she nearly choked on a nacho chip.

The last man to walk into the bar strode into the place as if he owned it. Dressed in jeans and black leather with a black knit hat pulled low over his head, he had his arm around a slim redhead. Smiling widely at the guys ahead of him, he took Grace’s breath away. She wanted to look away but couldn’t, and when he reached down and swept a kiss beside the redhead’s mouth, her heart actually hurt.

“Shit,” she whispered. This was worse than she thought it could ever be. Not only had her feelings stayed, they’d intensified.

“So that’s it then.”

Slowly she came back to earth and tore her eyes from Matt to focus on Josh.

“What?” Mouth dry, she licked her bottom lip and reached for her mug of beer. She needed to do something with her hands. No. She needed to be somewhere else.

“Your deal.”

“My deal?”

Josh nodded. “That guy over there. He’s your deal.”

Grace stared across the table at Josh Hayden for several long moments. The men got louder as the beer started to flow, and the music cranked up a notch. There was no point in lying.

Slowly, her eyes returned to Matt, who had sidled up to the bar and was chatting with handlebar-guy. “Yeah,” she said softly. “That’s him. That’s Matt.”

Josh sat back in his seat and signaled the waitress. “So what are you going to do about it?”

Grace glanced back at Josh but she had nothing. For the last six weeks, she’d envisioned what she’d say to Matt Hawkins should she ever get the chance to see him again. And now that the moment was at hand, she was hiding.

That wasn’t who she was. That wasn’t who she wanted to be.

The waitress came over. “You guys want another round?”

Did she? The redhead slid onto the seat beside Matt and an ugly wash of
something
rolled through Grace. It was time to put this crap to rest. She’d say her piece and move on.

“Uh huh,” she murmured, tearing her eyes from Matt to nod at the waitress. “One more.”

Josh raised an eyebrow and drained his mug before slapping it down on the table. “Good call.”

Grace didn’t answer. Her stomach was in knots. Her heart rate would make any doctor insane. And she was pretty sure that her cheeks were the same color as the cranberry juice in the glass at the next table. She was hot and bothered and more alive than she’d felt in weeks.

Good call? Only time would tell.

4

^“
Y
ou going to the arena tomorrow?”

Matt wiped the foam at the corner of his mouth and shrugged. He’d been planning on it but he had Rosie to deal with, and he wasn’t so sure that situation was going to work itself out in time.

“Not sure yet,” he replied, reaching for the basket of popcorn Duke Everett had placed on the bar.

The bar owner huffed. “We need you there for indoor volleyball. Not to mention the hockey game. They’re bringing in some big guns and I don’t like to lose to a bunch of Hollywood pansies and spoiled athletes.”

“Better not let Betty hear you talking like that, Duke. Her husband is one of those Hollywood-type pansies.”

“Bah,” Duke barked. “Beau’s all right. Besides. He won’t be here.” Duke’s eyebrow shot up. “Or will he? You know something I don’t? Did he come to town with Betty?”

“Betty doesn’t fly in until tomorrow, but no, she’s coming alone. Beau’s stuck filming in New Orleans for at least another week. Not sure why, but it had to have been important to keep him away.”

“I know the fundraiser means a lot to the girls.” Duke had a soft spot for the Barker triplets, not surprising, most in town did. The big guy tugged on the edge of his mustache. “How’s Trent doing by the way?”