Rayne picked up a roll and followed suit. “You’re like a walking advertisement for Fircrest. You should sell real estate.”
Garrett laughed and sat back, relaxing against the booth. “You’re right, I love my little town. I didn’t used to, but I sure do now. I guess you don’t appreciate what you have until you’re far away and you wonder if you’ll ever see it again,” he said, his voice low and serious.
Rayne put her roll down and licked her lips. “Military or school?” she asked quietly.
Garrett frowned and looked away. “I was in the Marines for five years. I did two tours in Iraq and there were a few times I wondered if I’d ever see my home again.”
Rayne felt a wave of compassion hit her and slide through her as she studied the man in front of her. “You look like a Marine, big, strong and the short haircut.”
Garrett smiled at her and ran a hand over his hair. “Old habits die hard.”
Rayne looked down at her water glass and touched the condensation forming. “Thank you.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. “
For
?”
Rayne licked her lips and looked at his arm, wondering if he had a tattoo. “For serving our country. For putting your life on the line. Not many men these days are willing to do that.”
Garrett shrugged and massaged his right shoulder lightly. “Ah, I wanted to. It was my honor to go and I’m glad I did.”
Rayne sat back and smiled at him. She watched as his eyes warmed and he smiled back. The waiter walked up with their entrees the moment was lost just as quickly as it had arrived.
Rayne jumped into her ideas for flowers and what she wanted and Garret took out his phone and made notes of what she said. She took out her iPhone and pulled up the picture she had downloaded to show him what she had in mind.
Garrett had her forward him the picture and they talked more about perennials. Before she knew it, her lunch was gone and Garrett was putting his napkin over his plate. She frowned in disappointment not wanting their lunch to end.
“Would you like some dessert? They serve an amazing tiramisu here,” Garrett said, signaling the waiter.
Rayne was so full she was about to burst but she nodded her head thinking she could take the leftovers home to Ivy and Cleo. She blinked in surprise, realizing she had completely forgotten about them. “I would love some dessert,” she said and then casually glanced around for a splash of pink hair.
She caught sight of her sister and Cleo five tables away and watched as her sister and Cleo gave her identical thumbs up signs. Her eyes went big in horror as Garrett turned his head and caught the signals before Ivy and Cleo quickly turned away and lowered their hands.
“Friends of yours?” he asked casually.
Rayne knew she was bright red and reached up to cover her cheeks with her hands. “Actually, that’s my sister and our friend Cleo. I guess you noticed them giving me a thumbs up.”
Garret nodded his head as he glanced at Ivy and Cleo again. “Yeah, it was hard to miss. They’re pretty excited about flowers too then?”
Rayne sighed miserably and shook her head as the waiter walked up and Garrett ordered the Tiramisu. He looked at her patiently, waiting.
“They followed me here so they could check you out,” she said quietly, wishing she could strangle Ivy and Cleo with just a look. If only she were Magneto from the X-Men. They’d be puddles right now.
“Check me out? You mean . . . like
checking me out
? Why?” he asked, confused.
Rayne shrugged a little and looked up at the ceiling. “I might have mentioned you were cute.”
Garrett blinked at her in surprise. “You told them you thought I was cute?”
Rayne winced and took a sip of water to cool her throat. “Well, maybe not in those exact words but um, something like that. Please don’t be offended. They were bored and hungry and they kind of enjoy embarrassing me so they insisted on coming too.”
Garrett grinned and tilted his head as he looked at her and Rayne felt like crawling under the table. “Why do they like to embarrass you?”
Rayne picked up the wine menu and fanned her hot face. “They both think I didn’t have a childhood. They think I’m too serious and that I missed out on having fun growing up because of all of my piano lessons. They think embarrassing me and making me do stupid things will make up for it.”
Garrett frowned and looked away. “Thinking I’m cute would be stupid?” he asked, his voice expressionless.
Rayne’s eyes widened in horror. “No! Oh my heck, no. Not at all. No I was referring to last week when they made me try long boarding at midnight. No, thinking you’re cute isn’t stupid. It just means there’s nothing wrong with my eyes.”
Garrett’s eyes slowly lightened and his mouth twitched. “That’s good to know.”
Rayne wished now that she hadn’t insisted on ordering the cake. She needed to get out of there before she humiliated herself anymore.
“Look, I think I should go. This was nice though. Um, just email me if you have any other ideas and I’ll uh, do the same,” she said standing up and reaching for her purse.
Garrett reached over the table and took her hand, pulling her back down. “Ah, don’t be embarrassed. I have a little brother who drives me crazy too. It’s all good. I’m not embarrassed, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed either. I’m flattered.”
Rayne groaned lightly and then sat rigidly in her seat, glancing at her watch. “Well, I guess you’re used to women telling you things like that all the time,” she said lightly.
Garrett shook his head slowly. “Not at all. So it’s nice when it happens.”
Rayne stopped fidgeting and frowned at him. “Yeah, right.”
Garrett laughed and leaned forward over the table. “Not lying. I haven’t even had a date in over a month. My friends feel so bad for me they try to set me up on blind dates.”
Rayne blinked in surprise. “
Wow
. That’s insane,” she whispered.
Garrett grinned bigger. “Why is that insane?”
Rayne picked up the menu again and fanned her face as she realized she had said too much. “Well, because all the women in Fircrest must be blind. Like that woman, Taryn? She’d be perfect for you. She’s gorgeous.”
Garrett frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, well timing is everything. She’s married now to a really nice guy, Brogan Moore. He just designed our logo as a matter of fact. They’re great together.”
Silence fell over their table and Rayne pushed her hair over her shoulder. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out between you.”
Garrett shrugged. “She wasn’t for me. And she’s happy. I would have driven her crazy anyways. What about you? Are you dating anyone?” he asked, glancing up at her quickly.
Rayne paused and put her menu down as she glanced at Garrett. “Me? Oh, um . . .
no
. I recently broke up with someone and I haven’t had the chance to date much. My parents died a few months ago and I’ve been kind of. .
. lost
,” she said lamely wishing she could explain how she felt without sounding like an idiot.
Garrett smiled sadly at her and nodded his head. “I’ve been lost before. I know the feeling. Well, you’re in the right place. Fircrest is a quiet little town. It’s a good place to get your head on straight.”
Rayne smiled and nodded as their waiter brought their cake and two forks. Rayne laughed. “Looks like we’re sharing. Is that okay?”
Garrett smiled and nodded. “I like to share. But you better dig in or else I’ll eat it all.”
Rayne grinned and took a bite, closing her eyes as she let the delicate flavors flow over her tongue. “
Mmmm
,” she murmured and took another bite.
Garrett ate exactly half of the cake but after four bites Rayne pushed it toward him. “Please finish for me. I can’t take another bite.”
Garrett smiled and finished the cake quickly. They both reached for their wallets at the same time. Rayne took out a credit card and shook her head. “Lunch is on me, Garrett. This was about the landscaping for my house so I insist.”
Garrett frowned and shook his head. “You’re my client and it’s only right that I pay for lunch.”
Rayne looked at him in surprise. She was a multi-millionaire. She could buy twenty landscaping companies with the snap of her fingers.
“Garrett, the client is always right.
I’m paying
.”
Garrett took her credit card out of her hands and slipped it back into her purse. “I’m paying.”
Rayne glared at him and clenched her teeth. “Then you’re fired.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow and looked up at the ceiling. “Do you always get your way, Rayne? I mean, just out of curiosity.”
Rayne’s mouth fell open and her eyes turned bright with anger. “You did not just call me spoiled,” she whispered taking her card out again and handing it to the waiter as he walked up.
Garrett glared back at her and took the card out of the waiter’s hands. “Listen Jake, ignore this lady and charge lunch to my card. Thanks.”
Rayne’s hands bunched into fists on the table as she watched Garrett push her card across the table toward her. She snatched it up and stood.
“You are the most annoying man I’ve ever met in my entire life,” she stated and then pulled her purse strap over her arm. “And just so you know, you’re no longer cute. Not even a little,” she said and then turned on her heel and walked out of the restaurant.
***
Garrett watched her go with a faint grin on his mouth.
Dang, Rayne Nyman was hot.
Too bad she was completely out of his league. He watched as her sister and friend hurried after her and wondered if he’d just messed up the best job they’d had in six months over a little pride.
Ivy and Cleo caught up with her just as she reached her car.
“Hey there speedy, what’s the rush? Things were going so good and then you went all intense and mean looking and stomped out,” Ivy said, looking over her shoulder at the restaurant with a frown.
Rayne sighed and leaned up against her car. “I took out my card to pay for lunch and he went all macho jerk on me.”
Cleo grinned and shook her head. “Oh crud, Rayne.
Really?
He wanted to pay for lunch and you threw a fit?”
Rayne blinked slowly and tried to control her irritation. “He has a
landscaping
business. It’s not like the guy is a doctor or a lawyer. He doesn’t need to pay for my lunch too.
And
I ordered a dessert. Of course I didn’t want him to pay.”
Ivy crossed her arms over her chest as she stepped closer to her sister. “One question. Whose idea was it to go to lunch?”
Rayne looked down at her feet and gulped. “
Um
. . . I guess it was his,” she said softly as she pursed her lips and tried to figure out how it was still her right to pay for lunch.
Cleo stepped forward and patted her shoulder. “That’s too bad, Rayne. He’s probably the only guy around who isn’t after you for your money too. You didn’t tell him that did you? You didn’t smack him with your credit card and say,
hey little man, don’t you know who I am? I’m a millionaire. Let me have my way
.”
Rayne blushed and pushed Ivy and Cleo away. “You’re so rude! Like I would say something like that.”
Ivy frowned at her sister and sighed. “Yeah, but you’d think it. You’d feel it. Come on Cleo. I’m so depressed now. There we were thinking Rayne was finally going to date a
real
man. Someone, by the way, who is incredibly gorgeous. And then you have to turn all rich witch snotty.”
Rayne grimaced as Ivy stomped over to Cleo’s Mini Cooper. “Did I seriously just mess up?” she asked Cleo quietly.
Cleo smiled and looked over her shoulder. “Ignore Ivy. That’s what we call a guilt trip. I say do what you feel is right. If he’s as great as Ivy thinks he is, then he won’t care if you tried to pay for lunch.”
Rayne bit her lip. “Oh, he cared.
And
he got his way,” she grumbled as the front door to the restaurant opened. She stiffened as she watched Garrett walk out with a phone to his ear. As soon as he saw her though he hung up and walked toward her.
Cleo grinned and hurried away, hopping in her car but not turning it on or actually driving away. Rayne licked her lips and knew if she jumped in her car and tried to drive away she’d just look childish.
“Still mad, huh?” he said with a faint smile as he walked up to her.
Rayne lifted her chin in the air and smiled stiffly. “Not at all.”
Garrett grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Well, I’m glad I caught you. I’ll work on the design plan tonight and bring it over tomorrow. If it looks good to you, you can sign the contract and put down the deposit and we can get started. Sound okay?”
Rayne felt a sense of relief and nodded her head. “It does. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said and then moved to open her door.
Garrett reached over and put his hand on the door, stopping her. “About lunch.
I’m sorry
. I guess I should have let you pay since you were so set on it.”
Rayne refused to turn around and look at him. “Why didn’t you?” she asked softly.
“I guess because when I ask a pretty girl out for lunch, I like to be the one paying the bill.”
Rayne felt herself smile as she let a little breath out. She turned around but he was already walking away. She watched him go and let herself smile bigger since he wasn’t looking at her. She heard a car’s engine and jumped a little in surprise as Ivy leaned out of the window.
“I’ve decided to forgive you. Let’s celebrate by skinny dipping tonight!” she yelled, loud enough for just about everyone in the parking lot to hear.
Rayne slowly turned around to see if Garrett had heard and saw him grinning as he pulled himself up into his truck.
He’d heard
.
“Ivy, I’m going to kill you,” she hissed and pulled the door to her Lexus open and slipped in. Little sisters were the worst.
She had to drive past Garrett’s truck to leave the parking lot and attempted a dignified wave but flinched when Ivy and Cleo honked and waved at him as they drove past. Garrett must think they were complete lunatics.
As soon as she got home she ran upstairs and ignored Ivy’s texts to come down. If Ivy ever got a boyfriend she swore she was going to embarrass her as much as humanly possible. She grabbed her Kindle off her desk and decided to read for a couple hours. But when Cleo and Ivy banged on her door she relented and headed to the beach with them. Cleo made a fire in a fire pit and they sat together and talked until the sun went down. After a while, she lay on the blanket and watched the stars as Ivy and Cleo skinny dipped. They were the only ones on the beach, so she could have, but it just wasn’t in her personality to go all
public nudity
. She was much more the staring at the stars type of girl.
She sighed and closed her eyes for a second and wondered what kind of girl Garrett liked. Was he the type of guy who liked a girl who skinny dipped? Or was he the type of guy who would like a girl who could get lost in a starry sky and happened to have tiny streak of feistiness?
She hoped to someday find out the answer to that.