Shattered (14 page)

"Oh. Well, in that case, I'll take a large vanilla spiced frap."

"You got it." He gave me the thumbs up and went to work on my drink.

I didn't take my sunglasses off, not even indoors, for fear of scaring off any and everyone who took a look at me. Miranda wouldn't need my input until the very end, so I sat back and played on my phone. A few hours later, the paint had been put up on the walls and the new countertops were being put in place. The richness and warmth of the deep red chosen to cover up the yellow walls sparked a sensual vibe to the restaurant. Various shades of brown accented the red, and small coffee mugs with little sayings were placed strategically around the room. Miranda brought in what looked to be brown, chiffon curtains.  The floor guys worked around me, placing planks of espresso wood down on the floor. I instantly fell in love with the new look, and took out my camera to take pictures of the work in progress.

A couple of hours and a few more lattes later, I was ready to direct the workers on the placement of my pictures. Each one had a special place where they would be hung, and after looking at the amount of work that Miranda had put into the remodel, I wanted them to finish it off perfectly.  The picture of all of the guys sitting down with Emily lying horizontally across them was hung just behind the coffee bar, where most patrons would be placing orders. The individual pictures were hung strategically around the restaurant, but Grayson's had a special spot. I wanted it where most of the foot traffic took place, so it was hung just inside the entrance, over a placard that read
Owner, Manager, Barista Boy.
 He had come up with that himself, a nod to the introduction he gave when I originally met with him to discuss the remodel.

I stood admiring my work--no, who was I kidding?  I stood admiring
Grayson
when I heard a familiar voice in my ear.

"Don't stare holes through his face, Dallis," Miranda said, with plenty of sarcasm in her voice.

I turned to look at her and rolled my eyes. "I'm just admiring my work. I take damn good pictures, don't you think?" I quickly responded, not wanting to admit to her accusation.

"Right," she lightly patted my shoulder. "And I think he's ugly as sin." She laughed at me, but I just shook my head in response.

As I took more pictures of the finished product, I heard footsteps walk in. Even though the crew was working diligently to get all of their supplies out and into the vans, these footsteps were walking in my direction. The familiar scent of spice crept into my nose, and I gradually turned around to find a business attire clad Grayson walking up to me. He looked disgustingly beautiful. I couldn't see any of his tattoos, and his hair was left in a shaggy mess, but his blue orbs still sparkled against the all black ensemble that he wore. I felt my heart start to race, but I calmly and discreetly worked to slow it down.

"Do you like it?" I asked, showing composure that even I wasn't aware I had.

He smiled brightly, running his hand over the light stubble covering his jaw.

"I love it." He walked around me to look at his picture that was now hung just inside the entrance. "You really want this ugly guy on the wall where everyone can see him?" His playful smile made me want to shower him with praises.

"Well, I just figured the main
barista boy
should be in the front."

Grayson smirked.

I spotted Miranda out of the corner of my eye, grinning from ear to ear, as she made her way over to Grayson and me.

"Are you pleased, Mr. Rivera… I mean, Grayson?"

He turned to face her. "Beyond pleased."

Miranda went on explaining everything that they had done and the longevity of all of the materials used in the remodel. Grayson nodded his head in acknowledgement, but snuck little glances my way every so often, spreading his lips into a sexy grin every time he did so.

"So. How about dinner tomorrow--to celebrate a successful remodel?" Grayson asked, looking down on me.

"Um, that won't be necessary," I responded, catching a glimpse of Miranda's scowl.

"Dinner for the three of us. I'm sorry. I should have been more specific," he quickly corrected.

Before I could decline again, Miranda blurted out, "Perfect. Where should we meet you?"

I cursed her on the inside. Grayson looked over to her and then back to me, smiling.  "Flamingo's."

"It's a date," Miranda said, stealing a quick glance over at me.

I smiled back at Grayson and gathered all of my things before heading out to my Jeep. I could have kicked Miranda in the shin, but settled on giving her a piece of my mind later.

After staring at myself in the mirror for what felt like ages, I finally decided that no amount of further primping was going to make me feel any better about my look. I dressed in my dark wash skinny jeans, a black halter top, and a pair of black heels. I let my freshly showered hair air dry, leaving it in a cascade of red waves, and sprayed a few light spritz of hairspray to tame the frays. Mascara and lip gloss were my best friends, and all I ever truly wore.

Flamingo's was a jazzy restaurant in downtown Seattle. I pulled up, and while given the option of valet parking, I declined and self-parked instead. Strolling into the restaurant, the smooth, melodic sounds of saxophones and trumpets blaring in my ears made me slightly sway to the music. The hostess, a young girl in her early twenties, dressed in all black, smiled brightly as I made my way further into the restaurant.

"Dallis O'Brien?" she asked

"Yes." I answered, surprise filling my voice.

"Mr. Rivera is waiting for you over at the bar," she responded, immediately putting me at ease.

She led me to the bar where I found Grayson, seated, making small talk with the bartender and, looking as delicious as ever. His hair was back to its quintessential point, and he wore loose fitting jeans with a white V-neck shirt. He smiled and gestured for me to join him at the bar. I thanked the hostess, hoping to show her that I wasn't a total bitch, and took a seat next to Grayson, ordering a vodka tonic.

"You look amazing," he said, taking small sips of his drink.

"So do you," I answered back before I even thought about what I’d just said.

The hostess returned and asked if we were ready to be seated, which I declined, stating that we were still waiting on one other person. She nodded and turned, making her way back to the front entrance.

"Have you ever been here before?" he asked.

"No," I answered.

I checked the time on my phone, noticing that Miranda was now fifteen minutes late, when it buzzed and a text message popped up on the screen.

* Miranda*

Not feeling well. Have fun at dinner!

"Shit!" I muttered.

"What's wrong?" Grayson asked, obviously hearing me and seeing the sharp expression change flash across my face,

"It's Miranda. She's not coming."

"Bummer. Well, I guess we can have the hostess seat us then."

I quickly looked up from my phone, catching his eyes burning holes through me.

"No. I think our drinks will have to do," I answered, sending his face into a contortion of emotions. "Bitch," I lowly whispered about Miranda.

"We're already here," he pleaded.

"Yeah, but, Miranda was supposed to be here."

Grayson ran his hands over his chin in exasperation. "We came all this way. We might as well have dinner." He smiled, successfully thawing my icy demeanor. After a few thoughtful seconds, I finally agreed.

The hostess took us to a small booth near the back on the restaurant, placing our menus side by side, which I quickly pulled apart. Grayson took notice and smiled, but motioned me into the booth, waiting for me to take my seat before taking his own. A server came and took our order of drinks and fried calamari. I finished off my vodka tonic from the bar and popped a couple of pieces of bread into my mouth. Grayson took a piece of bread, slowly bringing it to his mouth, when he licked his lips ever so seductively. I once again felt the familiar sparks of electricity funnel through my body.

"So how long have you been a photographer?" he asked, trying to break the ice that had settled over our table.

I took a sip of the water that was sitting in front of me. "A couple of years now," I answered, without going into much detail.

"You do a damn good job," he complimented. "It's a good thing you came into Ada's that night, or I wouldn't have known about you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked inquisitively.

 He chuckled.

"The night your asshat ex-boyfriend showed his ass in my restaurant. You dropped your card in all of that commotion. I knew I wanted to remodel the place and after seeing you, I wanted you to be involved with it."

Images of that night quickly flashed through my mind. I remembered Emily bringing out the water, those two highly caffeinated idiots bumping into her, and the water spilling on Colby. My purse did fall and I bent down to pick up everything that had fallen out, but apparently, I didn't get it all. "You hired me because you were attracted to me?" I asked, sounding a bit offended.

"Not entirely," Grayson answered, highly amused by this conversation, "I did take the time to look you up and--see some of your work. You're pretty damn good, and I figured it'd be a good way to get to know you."

"Well, I'm not interested in anything, but thanks for the hire."

 I sat a bit conflicted. On the inside, I wanted nothing more than to thank him for hiring me and for giving me the opportunity to spend time with him, but on the outside, my protective shell had taken shape and was trying desperately to keep him away.

"Why are you so defensive?" he asked, smirking while asking.

I wanted to slap his smirk off his face, then kiss his lips to make him feel better.

"I'm not. I've just got a lot of shit to deal with. I can't go adding anything or anyone else to the mix."

"Your ex?" he inquired, moving his hands for the waitress to place our drinks down in front of us.

We went ahead and ordered while we had her there, then Grayson went back to his earlier question.

"Your ex? Is he part of this mix you mentioned?"

I took a long sip of my drink, contemplating if I wanted to answer him or not. I finally decided to speak. "Why are you so interested? And why do you figure Colby is part of this?"

"I know a jackass when I see one. He's the silver spoon, trust fund baby who believes his shit don't stink," he said firmly, then took a quick sip of his drink. "After spending time with you, I'm shocked you were even with him."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, curious as to where he was going with this.

"You're so carefree. You kind of do your own thing. He seemed so stuffy and definitely full of himself. I actually high-fived Emily when you all left."

I couldn't hold back my laughter. I probably would have high-fived Emily too had I stayed that night.

"How did you end up with a guy like him anyway?"

"You sure are inquisitive tonight," I responded.

"I just want to know all I can about you," he smiled, "Miranda canceling was probably for the best."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn't respond to that little quip. "I've actually known Colby since we were in high school. We didn't start dating until we were both in college though."

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"Where are you from?" I retorted, tired of answering all of his questions, but learning nothing about him in return.

"I'm actually from New York." My eyebrows rose, prompting Grayson to elaborate. "I'm from New York, but moved to Seattle right after high school. My mom took a job out here, so I started working odds and ends jobs until I finally applied to U-Dub and got in."

"Hmm. You graduated from U-Dub?" I asked, finding he had something in common with Colby.

"No. I dropped out my junior year. Life happened and I went back to work. I haven't been back since." His demeanor didn't change. He was in no way ashamed to tell me that he had dropped out, and somehow, I found it a bit relaxing. "So, where are you from?"

"Bellingham. Born and raised."

"Small town girl. I like it."  

I allowed a trace of a smile to spread across my lips. The more Grayson and I spoke, the more I could feel myself relaxing around him.

"Did you go to Western?" he asked, looking genuinely interested.

"No, State."

His mouth fixed into a slight scowl.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's just that, well, you left the beautiful side for the not so beautiful side."

I laughed out loud. "You have no idea how often I hear that." He sat up straighter in his seat, then leaned closer to me. "It may not have been as luxurious as U-Dub, but I met Miranda there, and she's been a blessing ever since." Except for tonight. Then again, the more I conversed with Grayson, the more I was beginning to appreciate her set-up. And I
was
well aware that this was a set-up.

"You two seem pretty awesome together. I enjoyed having you both around. One more than the other, but, you're both great, nonetheless."