Chapter 13: So Hungry

We entered the Mexican restaurant and stood waiting at the host booth. I watched with curiosity as Grant took in the unstylish decor. The interior was decked out in a Tex-Mex style with sumbreros hanging on the clay walls with beautiful murals of southern sceneries painted in authentic colors. Around the room were the sunken half-circle shelves, each hosting a sculpture of a frog in a traditional charro suit. Some frogs sang, and others played instruments, but they all looked so tacky that it made this place's vibe relaxed and fantastic. My heart thundered because this place was so dear to me, and I was worried about sharing it.

"This place is incredible," Grant murmured. My face split open in a relieved smile. He liked it. I could see the humorous joy in his expression when he saw the stand that sold smaller versions of the frog statues. The host jogged up at that moment.

"Hey, Letty! Your usual booth?" Julio asked, giving Grant a nervous side-eye. This was the first time I'd brought anyone here, so I'm sure Julio was very confused by Grant's presence.

"Yep. Thanks." I couldn't look at Grant, but as I passed him to follow Julio, Grant placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me. This simple gesture that Tanner and Steve both made was completely different when it was Grant's hand. His touch burned through my dress fabric in a way that stole my breath. Julio pointed to the booth, and we slid in opposite each other. Once seated, I opened my menu even though I knew every item.

"Drinks?"

"Water for me, please," Grant replied to Julio, then remained silent. I waited long enough that Julio cleared his throat. "Strawberry lemonade, thanks."

Julio nodded and left us. I leaned my elbows on the table, "They have a wide drink selection."

Grant nodded, his eyes focused on the menu. "I'm in season, so no alcohol."

"Just tequila?"

His lips twitched at the corners, "That was a one-time exception. I needed to celebrate a fresh start."

Julio returned with our drinks, "What can I get you to eat?"

Grant closed his menu, rattling off his order—just his. I again waited so long that both Julio and Grant looked at me expectantly. He actually wanted me to order for myself. With the way my mouth was flapping open and shut, I probably looked like a fish.

"Your usual?" Julio prompted, seeing me struggle to answer his question.

"Yes, please." I squeaked.

Julio walked away, but I couldn't take my eyes off Grant. In this stupidly vulnerable moment, I almost cried. This was a level of respect that I always wanted but never got. I honestly didn't think it existed in the real world. Grant's smile wavered. "Hey, are you good?"

I nodded, blinking back tears. I needed to change the subject, so I smirked, "Yeah. I was just thinking about how wrong you were about that out-of-bounds play."

Grant laughed, but a tiny sliver of disbelief remained, "Yeah, I watched the review later--sober-- and his foot was out."

We engaged in the same sports discussion that we had previously enjoyed and bonded over. With the banter flowing freely, I felt like Grant's love and knowledge of any sport fed that lonely part that formed after my dad died. When our food came, we dug in, falling into a comfortable silence.

"You weren't kidding about being hungry." I smiled as I watched him scarf down another massive bite of taco.

Grant's lip twitched as he chewed, swallowing before his voice came out bashfully, "Yeah. This food is crazy good."

I grinned. "When this place opened, the chef was horrible. I read so many bad reviews of this place that I couldn't leave it alone. An old college buddy of mine was looking for a job, and I knew he had the skill to do this, so I connected the owner with him. A year later, this place is one of the most popular hole-in-the-wall spots in town."

"You just happen to know of a chef when this place needed a good one?" Grant asked, his face unreadable. I felt my throat constrict, and Ben's harsh words cycled through. Ben hated that I connected with everyone I met. His favorite phrase to use when I asked too many questions was, "I apologize for my wife. As a reporter, she has no boundaries." I took a drink of my lemonade.

"Um. I'm sorry. I can be overwhelming and extremely nosy sometimes, so I tend to be in everyone's business."

"That's amazing you connected two people like that," Grant said, ignoring my apology. "Without your introduction, both people would have continued to suffer."

I blushed, doubting his take on my nosiness, "Thanks. My sister says that i'm a networking natural because I'm fascinated by people."

Grant grinned, " I can see that about you."

I chewed slowly, examining his face. Grant was looking around the room with pure amusement. He seemed fully relaxed and content to eat a meal with me. Those cobalt eyes focused on mine as he shoved the last of the taco into his mouth. I really was a sucker for those baby blues. The curious glint in them spoke to that loneliness deep inside me. It was like his soul called to mine to connect. The food I swallowed went down harshly. I was being foolish again. Finally, I just blurted out, "You are dodging me."

He slowed his chewing, his eyes landing everywhere else but on me. Grant cleared his throat and adjusted in the seat, "I'm sitting right in front of you."

"The interview." I simply state. He closed his eyes in a grimace. We were both fully aware of what I was referring to, "Look, I'm really sorry that I messed up the order of the questions. It was an honest mistake because I was kinda overwhelmed with meeting you again."

He sat back with a harsh expression and tossed his napkin on the empty plate. "So did you purposely sabotage the photographer's equipment and the camera so you could get me back in the chair? Or were those lies?"

I balked, "Of course not, Grant! I wouldn't lie about that. Those were seriously just freak accidents."

"Really? That much destruction was just random accidents?"

"It happens all the time, but normally, we have various footage or pictures to use as backups. But you walked out so fast that I barely got anything, and what I did was accidentally destroyed."

"I walked out because you went off script." Grant's voice was even, but his eyes fumed with anger.

I reached out and gently grabbed his hand. When they touched, a shot of electricity zapped through his skin to mine. I longed for more contact, even if only for a moment. It just felt so right, like our hands belonged intertwined. "I know, I'm really sorry about that."

Grant eyed me with suspicion before pulling his hand away from mine. "Would the retake be exactly the same?"

I sipped my drink to distract myself from his lack of touch. "Yes, I promise I will be on my game this time and follow the script exactly. I was just distracted by thoughts of you and what happened between us."

He studied my face for a few moments, "So you were thinking about me naked during the interview, and that's why you messed up?"

"How could I not," I replied without thinking. An instant later, my brain caught up with my mouth, and I blushed as Grant laughed. "I mean... Shit... I don't even know how to dig myself out of that hole."