The white-haired man headed their way, and his companion turned and followed. As the two men approached, Charli went stiff next to Grant. She pulled her hand from his. “Crap. What the hell is he doing here?”
Grant was about to ask her what she meant, but then the elderly man’s wide-shouldered friend squinted at Charli. “Beaumonde?”
Charli sighed. “Hi, Trey.”
Trey. Grant searched his brain, trying to remember if Charli had ever mentioned that name.
The guy looked Charli up and down with evaluating eyes. “Wow, I barely recognized you all dressed up. What are you doing here?”
Grant gritted his teeth, the guy’s tone and perusal of Charli pushing Grant’s mine buttons.
Charli shifted from one boot to the other, then looked over to Grant as if deciding whether to come up with a story or tell the truth. “I’m on a date. This is Grant Waters. Grant, this is Trey Winger, my boss.”
Her boss. And ex-lover. The guy who told her she wasn’t good enough for an on-air position. Grant stuck out his hand and shook Trey’s maybe a bit too firmly. Trey looked between Grant and Charli, openly curious.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Charli said.
Trey shrugged and put a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “Mr. Brinkley invited me. He sits on the station’s board of directors and owns this property.”
More introductions were exchanged, and Grant could sense Charli’s professional image rising like the tide. Her posture turned straighter, her voice firmer, despite the fact that her heart had to be hammering in her chest. Hell, his own knees were still a little weak from their interlude. Seeing Charli flip that switch so easily gave him a ridiculous sense of pride. His girl had her shit together.
His girl. Damn, he needed to tame those thoughts.
He grabbed her hand again anyway, ignoring the satisfaction he felt when she grabbed back.
Mine, his mind whispered.
TWENTY-FIVE
“So do you think your boss saw anything?” Grant asked as he turned the truck into Charli’s neighborhood.
She shrugged, thinking back to the way Trey had looked at her when he’d realized who she was. That wow reaction had been more than a little satisfying, had made every wax and pluck of her makeover worth it. Nothing like a great how-ya-like-me-now moment. “I really don’t think so. Trey’s not smooth enough to cover up his reactions that well. He wouldn’t have said anything, but he would’ve shown some sign.”
“I thought when you two went off on your own for a few minutes that he was going to confess to having seen us.”
“Nah, I just wanted to tell him about my big break in the story,” she said, looking out the window at her sleepy neighborhood. “He was really excited. Offered to go with me in the morning.”
“Is that right?” Grant said, his sarcasm evident.
She looked over at him, frowning. “It’s going to be a huge story. Of course, he’d be interested in going.”
“Uh-huh.”
“What?”
Grant’s gaze slid toward her, then back to the road. “You should know that boss of yours is still interested in you.”
She snorted. “Oh, please. First of all, this is the guy who told me I wasn’t pretty enough for TV. Second of all, I’ve been down that road with him and have no interest in going back. He knows that.”
Plus, how could she go back to someone like Trey after experiencing what she had with Grant? It’d be like going back to canned ham after you’ve had Kobe beef.
“Freckles, I’ve spent a lot of time in my life observing people’s behavior. And the way Trey acted with you tonight was like a dog on the hunt. His attention never left you when you moved around the party. And the guy looked at me with challenge in his eyes.” Grant smirked at her. “Which proves he’s not only interested in you but apparently has a death wish.”
She laughed. “Ooh, jealousy. Looks kind of pretty on you, cowboy.”
He sniffed.
“For the record, I told him he didn’t need to come along. I don’t want him spooking my source.”r: Roni Loren