One such area has a stone bench on it. The back of the bench is decorated with carved roses and there are little twirls of ivy on the side—and none other than Grant Denfield sitting on it. He’s the kind of handsome that stops you in your tracks. I’ve always sort of had a thing for him. It’s the strong jaw and the striking green eyes, and the fact that even though his dark hair is a little on the longer side, it still manages to look professional and sleek.
I step around the edge of the bench, curling my hands together behind my back and leaning forward just slightly. “Hey. You mind having some company?”
Grant is startled, just a little bit. Then he smiles at me. It gives him dimples. “I would love some. What has you out so late?”
“I just wanted out of the house for a while,” I say, sitting down on the stone bench next to him. “I thought, hey, coming out here seems like a much better idea than sitting around and being miserable.”
“That kind of a night?”
“It’s just—a lot going on,” I say, with a sigh. “My dad is on a kick.”
“Oh?” Grant makes a gesture to the empty space around us, towards the star-studded expanse of the lake. “I think that we could probably trade complaints, if you want. I got a call from my dad today, too.”
“Really?” I think on it for a moment but then I decide that it does actually sound really nice to air my grievances with someone that’s not my sister. My friends from high school and college are out in the world, living their best lives, and at work I haven't really connected with anyone. “He’s really focused on trying to create this perfect family, and all I ever hear from him is how I need to hold myself differently, and act differently and—” I make a face. “Get married.”
Grant lets out a startled laugh.
I tell him, “I know how that sounds, but you don’t get it. He wants me and Heather to get married, because he thinks it's going to boost his political gain. Everyone loves a good wedding and the whole happy family appearance.”
Grant puts a hand on my shoulder, his warm touch more than pleasant. “No, I’m not laughing at the idea. I’m just laughing because my dad was giving me a hard time over the exact same thing. He wants me to have someone to rely on and I get it—but I’m not going to find that with a snap of my fingers. And it’s not like I can put an ad in the paper for someone to come and date me.”
I find it really hard to believe he has trouble finding someone to date him. It’s probably that he doesn’t want to be in a relationship. Grant has been living here forever and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with someone—okay, that might be a stretch. But I know for sure that I haven’t seen him with the same woman more than once.
“I mean, you could. Dating apps are popular these days. But even if you don’t want to date someone—there are other options. Plenty of people out there get someone to come and be their date for family dinners and the like,” I tell him. “I’ve read a couple of articles about it, you know? I think it happens more than most people realize.”
“Sure, maybe for one event or another,” says Grant. “But it’s not like it’s going to be someone that actually cares about me, and it won’t develop into the kind of relationship that my dad is hounding me to have. Relationships like that take a long time to build, even after you find the right person. And in the meantime, I have to listen to him.”
I give a heavy sigh, slumping sideways against him, my head resting on his shoulder. “Maybe we should just get engaged to each other and call it a day. That would get them off both of our backs.”
Grant laughs at me, and I laugh too, but there’s this little section in the back of my mind that can’t stop thinking about what I’ve just said. I take a few moments, letting the silence wash over us.
Then I say, “No, seriously. We both want time to just be ourselves and see where life takes us. If we pretend to be engaged, then our parents will back off and we’ll finally have the space to do that.”
Grant gives me this double-take look, like he can’t believe that I’m actually suggesting this. But then his mouth twitches upwards at the corner and he leans towards me, one hand braced on his thick, muscular thigh. “You’re being serious right now.”
A cool wind blows. I tuck a strand of blonde hair behind my ear and nod at him. “I’m being totally serious. When we actually meet someone that we really like, we can just break off the engagement and go for it. But so long as we’re planning on getting married to each other, then—they’ll just let us be.”
The longer Grant sits there quietly, just thinking about it, the more nervous I get. I rub the back of my neck and give him a more sheepish smile. “You think that sounds silly.”
“No, no, just—let me think for a moment,” says Grant. “This might be— We’ve known each other for some time so it won’t look like it came out of the blue. My dad would be thrilled for sure, but yours-I mean, I’m almost twice your age.”
The age difference might be a hiccup for my dad. But I think Grant’s family name and fortune would skew this in his favor, so…
“I don’t think that will be a big issue.”
Grant starts nodding, a hint of excitement in his eyes. “Still, we would actually have to put some effort into this. Your dad is right there, and mine—he’s smart. He’s going to ask us questions, and he’s going to want pictures and—it’s going to take more than just telling them that we’re engaged.”
“I know,” I tell him with a slow nod. “We will have to pretend to date, at least at first. For my dad. But… It could be something simple. It doesn’t have to be—”
“It’s a good idea,” interrupts Grant. He gives me another one of those dimple-causing smiles. “I like it.”
“You do?” Excitement crinkles up my words. I shift a little bit on the bench, turning more fully towards him. My knees bump against the side of his thigh.
“I do,” agrees Grant. “You should come by my house tomorrow, and we can work things out a little bit more.” He stands up, but then reaches out and tucks another strand of hair behind my ear, the tips of his fingers brushing against my cheek. “It’s a good idea.”
“Just name a time and I’ll be there.” I smile up at him.
“How about noon? I’ll cook us lunch.”