Page 93 of Getting Down to Business

Gray relaxed as soon as Alyssa survived the hug. He knew everything would be fine.

“So what’s really going on?” his dad asked when Alyssa and his mother were laughing in the kitchen.

“What do you mean?” Gray tried to evade the question, but he knew it was futile with his father. He was too observant.

“The girl. She doesn’t look like a call girl you hired to make it look like you had a girlfriend.”

Gray laughed with his father who had obviously been joking.

“She’s not a call girl.”

“Then what is she?”

“Does it matter?” Gray asked.

“It matters if the reason you’re not telling me is because you don’t know.”

“I do know.”

“Fine.” He put up his hands. “That’s all that matters.”

Gray took a moment. His father was letting him off the hook. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be off the hook yet.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted quietly, glancing toward the door. “We agreed we weren’t in a relationship. We are both busy with work.”

“And have too many excuses,” his father interrupted, his eyebrows mashed together.

“Maybe. We’re happy with whatever we are. We talked about it a little bit on the way here.”

“Just keep an open mind. I’d hate to see you miss out on a good thing because you were too stubborn to change your initial plan.”

Gray wasn’t worried as much about his open mind. He was more concerned about his open heart. For the first time in his life he wasn’t worried about being hurt by someone cheating on him. His concerns now were that he would be hurt because the woman he cared about didn’t return his feelings.

“We’ll see what happens,” he told his father as they went back to the kitchen to check on the women.

“Isn’t she the cutest thing?” his mom crooned when they stepped through the doorway. “I love her to pieces, Grayson. You’d better not mess this up for me.” He could tell his mother was only half joking.

After a quiet dinner at home, they played cards and went to his room.

“So how much do you want to run away right now?” he asked Alyssa as she slid into bed next to him.

“I don’t. I had a lot of fun. Your dad was so cheating at cards.”

“I know.” They laughed together.

“I think your mother expects something.”

“Let her.” He shrugged it off.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re very welcome. I’m glad you’re here.”

Late the next morning, Izabelle arrived. For the next two hours, Alyssa was grilled with questions disguised as get-to-know-you conversation while they got ready for the picnic.

The guests started arriving at noon, which meant Alyssa was released from his mother and sister so they could interrogate the new arrivals.

“Let’s go hide,” Grayson suggested as he tugged her off to the far corners of the backyard.