Garrett frowned and shook his head. “You’ve been dating the wrong man.”
Rayne smiled to herself and nodded. “I know.”
They decided to share an appetizer of pan seared oysters while she ordered the seafood fettuccine and Garrett ordered the New York steak. Even though they came from completely different backgrounds, they never ran out of things to talk about. They had similar tastes in pop music, movies and books. They were completely opposite though when it came to favorite vacation spots. She’d been so many places and traveled most of her life that her idea of a fun vacation would be a small beach house on the coast of Maine with as much privacy as possible and a few good books. Garrett, who had only left the United States to see Iraq, wanted to see it all.
“Come on, if I said, hey Rayne, we just won an all-expenses paid trip to Vienna, you’d say,
nah, I’d rather stay home?
” he asked looking shocked.
Rayne giggled and nodded her head. “In my defense though, I did work on every trip. I didn’t have the chance to just relax and go out and sight see. It might be fun to go explore Europe with a friend.”
Or a boyfriend
, she couldn’t help thinking to herself.
Garrett must have read her mind though because he smiled warmly at her. “I bet it would be fun to see Europe with you. Maybe someday I will.”
Rayne looked down at her lap and felt her hair cascade over her shoulder, hiding her face. “You first have to survive tonight,” she said and finally looked up at him to find him still smiling at her.
Their meals arrived and Rayne didn’t know if it was the food or the company but she’d never enjoyed food more. It must be what Ivy had been talking about. She was completely alive and in the moment. If this was what living in the moment and enjoying every second felt like, then she was all for it.
Garrett laughed and talked and looked like he was enjoying himself just as much as she was which for some reason helped her to relax and be herself. He told her about growing up without a mom and only seeing his dad every now and then. She told him about the nannies and the private schools and never getting to see Ivy since her parents had made the decision to send her to Julliard.
“I was pretty lonely. And then when I was home, my parents desperately wanted me to um . . . fall in love with their friend’s son, Liam. They kept us pretty busy with all of the activities and dates we were pushed into. But even with all the whirlwind of activity, I still felt lonely.”
Garrett nodded his head. “I know what you mean. When I was over in Iraq, I was constantly surrounded by people, but there were times when I felt so alone and so empty and hard that I didn’t know if I’d ever make it out the same person.”
Rayne felt her heart squeeze and she found herself reaching for his hand. “And did you? Did you make it out the same?” she asked softly.
Garrett paused for a moment, looking out the window before he finally shook his head slowly, lifting his head to look at her seriously. “No Rayne, I didn’t. I was changed. In some ways not for the better,” he added.
Rayne nodded her head. “How could it not affect you? Was it hard coming back?”
Garrett nodded his head. “I dreamed night after night of coming home, and when I did, everything bugged me. I was so angry and impatient. The littlest thing would set me off. I got into fights with random people even. One time, I was dating this girl, Jane Kendall, and this guy comes in her store and starts hassling her and I just lost it. I knock the guy out and then of course there’s a cop there, and I figure, why not take that guy on too?
So stupid
. After that I got help. I was having symptoms of PTSD and once I realized what was going on, I was able to get the help I needed. I have a great therapist now. Becket goes with me to group therapy once a month too and that helps a lot. Sometimes it’s nice just knowing that I’m not the only one feeling what I’m feeling you know? That in some way, I’m still normal.”
Rayne nodded her head. “You’re amazing,” she said quietly, staring into his haunted eyes.
Garrett blinked at that and then shook his head, letting out a long breath. “I think I just broke dating rule number one. No telling your date every horrifying thing about you. You’ll probably never go out with me again,
huh
?”
Rayne smiled slowly at Garrett and she shook her head. “I don’t scare that easily and if you ever did
um
, want to ask me out again, I can promise you I’d say yes.
Especially now.
Especially knowing what an incredible man you are. I’d be honored.”
Garrett stared at her in surprise and then smiled slowly as his eyes warmed. “Where did you come from? You’re not like any of the girls from around here. You’re kind of a like a dream come true to be honest.”
It was Rayne’s turn to stare in surprise. “
Me?
Yeah, right,” she said laughing as she took a bite of her asparagus.
Garrett grinned at her. “Now who’s throwing out the false modesty? Come on, you’re beautiful, you’re smart and you’re talented. What’s not to like?”
Rayne blinked a few times and smiled down at her plate.
Hmm, when he said it, she could almost believe it
. “Well, dating you would definitely be good for my ego.”
Garrett smiled and put his fork down. “Well then we better try it out. We’ll do a little experiment for scientific purposes. Ivy would love that. I’ll see if I can fix your ego problem and it would probably be good for me to date someone who didn’t let me always call the shots. We’ll be little fixer upper projects.”
Rayne laughed as her eyes widened in shock. “You’d
really
want to date me? Are you talking
exclusively
?” she had to ask, not believing what she was hearing.
Garret grinned and sat forward, nodding. “When I date someone, it’s always just them. I’m not in high school anymore.”
Rayne blushed as she realized he was serious. “So I’ll keep you humble and knock you down a few pegs and you’ll stand around telling me how beautiful and wonderful I am. It sounds too good to be true,” she admitted, staring at his mouth and wondering what it would be like to actually kiss someone like him.
Garrett nodded his head and snagged her hand, kissing her knuckles. “Do you think we have to come up with a hypothesis for this experiment? Or should we just take notes and see what happens?”
Rayne grinned and bit her lip. “Ivy would prefer videotaped documentation but I’d prefer the let’s just see how it goes method.”
Garrett smiled warmly at her and then let go of her hand as the waiter arrived and removed some of their plates. “Would you like the dessert menu?” he asked solicitously.
Garrett raised an eyebrow in silent question and she shook her head. “I’m too full Garrett, but go ahead if you want something.”
Garrett shook his head and asked for the check. As they drove home, Garrett casually reached over and took her hand.
“So now that we’re dating, do you think you can tell me more about this situation you and Ivy are in? You were terrified yesterday when Graham had you cornered on your doorstep. You honestly believe he killed your parents. I’d kind of like to know all the facts. And you never know, maybe I can help?”
Rayne frowned and looked down at their clasped hands. She’d felt so alone, carrying everything on her shoulders. She didn’t want to stress Ivy out and send her relapsing and Cleo, although a good friend and their body guard, was still someone she didn’t want to burden with all of her worries and fears. She’d never once opened up to Liam about her feelings or struggles. He would have been horrified if she’d attempted it.
“You pretty much know everything, except for a few minor details,” she said quietly, wondering if telling Garrett the truth about herself would change the dynamic of their relationship.
Garrett glanced at her curiously. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just want you to know that I’m here for you if you need someone to talk to.”
Rayne stared at his profile as he turned on the windshield wipers and made the turn to get on the freeway. He was so strong and confident. Maybe he could handle the truth?
“Garrett, the reason I think my parents were killed and that I could be next, is because my family is very wealthy.”
Garrett glanced at her with a frown. “Wealthy enough to be killed over it?”
Rayne nodded her head once. “Yes,
that wealthy
. My grandmother, Marion Stewart was married twice. Her first husband was Benjamin Mitchell and he owned a soap company that did very well. Together, they had daughter named Grace. Well, five years later, she found out that he was cheating on her. She was devastated. Especially when he asked for a divorce so he could marry his mistress. He hired the best lawyers and took everything away from her. He even got full custody of their daughter and she hardly ever got to see Grace. Well, a few years later, my grandmother married Joseph Stewart who owned a shipping business and within a few years, he quadrupled his profits. They were happy and they loved each other and together they had a daughter named Addison, my mother.”
Garrett glanced at her and frowned. “So your cousin Graham, the half- cousin. He’s from Grace and the first marriage?”
Rayne nodded and looked out the window. “Yes. My mom decided to get in touch with her half-sister when I was a little girl to try and mend bridges. She did it mostly for my grandmother’s sake, but Grace blamed Grandmother for abandoning her and never gave her a chance. But she was curious about my mother and me and Ivy. She would bring her husband and Graham to our house in San Diego during the summers so everyone could get to know each other.”
Garrett smiled and raised an eyebrow. “I take it those visits weren’t that fun.”
Rayne grimaced and shook her head. “My mom tried to connect with Grace, but it just never happened. And Graham who is a few years older than me would just pick on us and tease us constantly. We were so relieved when we didn’t see them for a few years. They started coming to see us again when I was about seventeen.”
Garrett glared out the windows as he turned onto their exit and drove into Fircrest. “And that’s when things changed, right?”
Rayne swallowed sickly and nodded. “Yeah, things changed. Graham didn’t tease me anymore. But he followed me around, staring at me. It made me uncomfortable. For my eighteenth birthday party I invited all of my friends over. There was dancing and food and music and everything was fun and exciting. I still remember dancing in the sand,” she said softly.
Garrett pulled into the driveway of a modest home on the outskirts of town. Rayne looked away and clasped her hands together. “He asked me to dance and of course it was a slow dance. It was pretty horrible and then at the end, he leaned down and started kissing me. I pushed him away, but he wouldn’t let me go. He just leaned down and whispered in my ear, that we were meant to be together and that he’d find a way for us to love each other. Liam showed up then, not that he knew what had just happened, but Graham was forced to let me go. He’s been pretty persistent ever since. For a while he would follow my concert tours and show up with flowers after every performance. I finally had to have my security turn him away. It got kind of ugly after that.”
Garrett put his hand on her shoulder and just the warmth from that touch made her feel better somehow.
“Ugly how?” he prodded.
Rayne shrugged. “I don’t know, when he didn’t get his way, he began emailing me hateful letters blaming me for all of his problems and misery. And all I had to do to fix everything was be with him. I hired my first bodyguard when I was twenty.”
Garrett played with the hair at the back of her neck casually as he studied her. “Sounds kind of fixated, that’s for sure. But it does explain all the weird vibes I felt when I showed up on your porch yesterday. The guy was sizing me up as competition and giving me the signal to back off.”