Shauna made her way along Main Street, or what now was called Grayson Schyler Street, checking the booths that were set up on the sidewalk. Some of the stores had opened early to take advantage of the tourists milling around town before the activities started. The bookstore in particular looked busy and she went in.
Johanna, who ran the daycare, rushed to her side. “Did you see him?”
“Who?” Shauna stood on her tiptoes, but the rows of people blocked her view.
“Bruce Coldwell, that’s who.” Johanna leaned against her. “I’d give you my house and be your personal assistant for the rest of my life if you introduce me to him.”
Shauna laughed, taking in the rosy glow on the young, single mother’s cheeks. “I don’t know him personally. It would be pretty silly if I walked right up and pushed you into his arms.”
Johanna sighed. “Dammit. I thought you brought him to town for my — I mean, the town’s benefit.”
“That was Grayson’s doing. They’re good friends,” she said.
Johanna’s finely arched brows lifted. “You could ask Grayson if he’ll let me meet Bruce. From what I hear, he’ll do anything for you.”
Shauna smiled, knowing she was going to the center in a few minutes to see if she could convince Grayson to meet her tonight. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Oh, you are the best.” Johanna hugged her. “I’ve got to get to work before the kids arrive, but I’ll be at the tennis center to watch Grayson play against the winner.”
“Hey, I’m not promising anything. Grayson and Bruce are busy this week and I’ll be lucky if I get a chance to talk with them.” She shook her head as Johanna waved off her concern and hurried out the door.
When the crowd remained clustered in the back of the room with no sign of dispersing, Shauna left the store and decided to go to the tennis center. With an extra spring in her step, she dodged the tourists on the sidewalk, biting her lip to keep from laughing with relief. Things were shaping up nicely, and she knew all the hard work she’d put in on organizing the upcoming benefit would pay off for the community.
Sometime during the last three months, she’d forgotten about her goal of proving herself to the town and threw her heart into the fact she was improving lives. She waved to Betty from Mr. Winston’s grocery store, and received a thumbs up in reply. Inside, she snickered. It seemed word about her and Grayson being together for the last two weeks circulated the town without any help from her. More surprising, the community seemed to support her. She hoped the next few days during the benefit would put her back on solid ground as an upstanding citizen in Cottage Grove.
“Shauna!” From down the sidewalk, Grayson flagged her down.
He threw his arm over a beautiful woman at his side with a familiarity that caused Shauna to stop in her tracks. She closed her mouth. The pictures of Crista in the magazines didn’t compare to her in real life.
With powerful long legs and a graceful walk, Crista turned heads as she strolled with Grayson toward Shauna. Shauna envied the natural openness of the woman’s smile and the short, sassy hairstyle with a hint of pink highlights on her bangs.
“Shauna, I’d like you to meet Crista Johnson.” He moved over to Shauna’s side. “Crista, this is Shauna Marino, she’s the one running the event and your go-to gal if you need anything.”
Shauna smiled through her confusion of why Grayson wouldn’t announce her as his girlfriend, and shook it off as being petty. This was business, and she was a professional.
“Welcome to Cottage Grove, Ms. Johnson.” She shook Crista’s hand. “Thank you so much for helping out.”
“Please, call me Crista.” She laid her hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “Grayson has filled me in on all you’ve done in such a short time, and I can’t help but admire your drive and ambition for your town. Coming from a larger city, it’s refreshing to hear how tight of a community you all have here. Grayson has shared some of the history with me, I’m enthralled.”
Shauna wanted to hate her. She really did. Crista’s sultry southern accent, along with her seductive grace, had her feeling inadequate and small, but her candidness and smile put a Band-Aid on her insecurities to see the wonderful person she’d read about in all her research.
Grayson slipped his hand into Shauna’s and she glanced at him before saying to Crista, “I can’t thank you enough for donating your time. Has Grayson showed you where you’ll be staying?”
Crista pressed her hand on her stomach. “We were headed over there now. I convinced him to come along and eat breakfast with me at the hotel. Why don’t you join us?”
“Oh, I would like that, but I’m afraid I need to go meet the others who are coming.” She reached out and caught Crista’s arm. “But I’d love to talk with you more before the activities start. How about I buy you dinner tonight?”
“Better yet, why don’t you come over to the house, Crista? Dominic and Gary are staying with me, you remember them, and you can meet the others who are due in this afternoon.” Grayson glanced between her and Christa before settling his gaze on Shauna. “I’ll call the hotel and see if they have time to cater dinner. Will you have everything wrapped up by seven tonight?”
She nodded. “Sounds great.
Grayson kissed her. “Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll see you later then. I better go feed Crista before she knocks me down.”
She snorted. “Be nice. I want to get to know her better. I have a ton of questions I’m dying to ask. Besides, I can tell she’s too sweet to hurt anyone.”
“No, I’m not.” Crista laughed. “You’ll have to ask him what happened when he said I couldn’t beat him in golf because I’m a girl.”
“Oh, no you didn’t.” Shauna laughed and slapped at Grayson’s shoulder. “I hope she kicked your butt.”
“She annihilated me, and then forced me speak to the whole crowd about the power of women in sports.” Grayson shook his head, but his smile came easily. “I’ll never be able to step foot in that city again.”
She joined the laughter. “Okay, you two get going. I don’t want Crista harming you. I sorta like you just the way you are.”
Crista stepped over and hugged her, whispering in her ear. “I take it you’re the one who’s put the smile on Grayson’s face. We’ll definitely talk tonight.”
“I can’t wait,” Shauna replied, and watched them walk away.
Her earlier assessment of Crista had been wrong. She was Grayson’s friend, nothing else, and Shauna couldn’t help but like her. She smiled. Even though she had wondered if Crista and Grayson were together in the past, Grayson had made it clear he and Crista were only good friends.
Running late, she hurried to her car and headed out to the tennis center to meet the others. Ten minutes later, she stood inside the lobby surrounded by the biggest, most intimidating men she’d ever seen. At a loss for words, she stared up into the face of Gary Satchel, defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If Crista’s big personality had her feeling small, Gary’s six-foot-four frame and gazillion pounds of muscles reduced her to a breadcrumb. His dark brown eyes creased at the corners as he leaned down and wrapped his mammoth arms around her. She held her breath, prepared to have her ribs cracked, but he gently squeezed before letting her go.
“So, you’re Shauna, Grayson’s stalker.” Gary stepped back and seemed to admire her body. “I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to fly over and shake your hand for keeping Grayson on his toes.”
“Me?” She laid her hand on her chest. “Whatever he’s told you was fabricated.”
“I hope not.” Gary laughed. “I’d be disappointed to hear that a woman with that much spunk didn’t exist. Is it true you spray painted his name over and over on the road for five miles on the way out of town years ago?”
“Um. Well, some of it might be true. I thought the message would show how much we all loved him here in Cottage Grove as he drove to the airport.” She grinned. “Let’s just say I’ve grown up and no longer do things like that. Maybe you can pretend I’m a well-mannered professional that’s grateful to you for helping with the benefit instead.”
“But you’ll tell more stories about how you drove Grayson crazy later?” His brows rose in hope.
She leaned in and whispered, “Deal.”
The next man shouldered Gary out of the way and stuck his hand out to her. “I’m Dominic Chekovsky. You can call me Dominic and I will call you beautiful.”
She laughed at the very precise way Dominic talked. “I think I’m going to have to watch you. You’ll have half the women in town ready to move out of the area to follow you wherever you go.”
He nodded, his mouth thinning the longer it took him to answer. “It happens. It is not something I can help.”
Despite his big ego, Dominic’s baby face, including a gapped toothed grin, had her instantly liking the man. He totally blew her image of the stereotypical beat-up hockey player with his blond good looks and soft-spoken voice. She could understand why the magazines have dubbed him a Russian magnet.
“Okay, this is what I’ve got for you both.” She passed them each a folder. “I’ll need you to — ”
“Wait.” Dominic removed the rest of the papers out of her hands, and slipped her hand under his elbow. “Business later. Lunch now.”
Before she could protest, Dominic and Gary had her sitting in the driver’s spot of her car. She gazed over at Gary sandwiched sideways in the backseat of her little hatchback. Dominic sat in the front, his knees squeezed against the dashboard, and she laughed.
“Okay, guys, what do you feel like eating?”
“Steak.” Their voices blended into one.
She shook her head, amused. “All right, guys, steak it is.”
“So, Shauna.” Dominic pushed back from the dashboard. “What’s your plan?”
“My plan?” She glanced over at him and raised her brows. “What do you mean?”
“How do you plan on winning Grayson? He’s got a lot of girlfriends.” Dominic ducked away from Gary’s punch. “Maybe I can help you.”
“Damn, Dominic. Lay off her,” Gary muttered.
Girlfriends?
She pushed down on the accelerated and squeezed the steering wheel. Next time she had a few minutes alone with Grayson, she would find out about his
girlfriends
.
Shauna reluctantly excused herself, and stepped out of Grayson’s front door. Her skin tingled from the rush of warm night air compared to the chill from the inside air conditioning. She’d expected to feel awkward around Grayson’s friends, and instead found herself joining in on the teasing and stories.
Grayson and his friends had history together, and a common bond. Each of them understood the highs and lows of being in the public eye, and seemed to enjoy their time together where they could relax and visit. She soon found out that they teased Grayson unmercifully about all the women after him and she was able to relax, knowing Dominic’s earlier comment was part of that teasing.
She sat down on the step, planted her elbows on her knees, and propped her chin in her hands. Grayson had surprised her by barely leaving her side all evening. Contentment washed through her. If he wasn’t holding her hand, he was pulling her onto his lap, sneaking kisses, and letting everyone see how they felt toward each other. He’d come full circle and seemed to be over his reluctance to have a relationship.
And, once the benefit was over, she’d take her dad out to dinner and ask him if he’d like to go apartment hunting with her. The realtor she’d called had sent a printout of houses available, but most were too far out of the city or not in her price range. It looked more promising to rent for the time being. Maybe having her dad involved in the search would put her life back on even ground, and she could make things right with him again.
The door opened behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. She smiled and patted the spot beside her. Grayson sat down, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Hey, you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Shouldn’t you be entertaining your friends?”
“They’re fine on their own.” He kissed the top of her head. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Perfect. I came out to wrap my head around what all is involved with the events tomorrow. Do you think I’ve covered any problems that’ll arise? I haven’t even seen the media yet. What if they don’t show up? They probably think Cottage Grove’s small news and not worth their time.”
“They’ll come.” He stretched his legs out. “Earlier, at the hotel, Stan Dogger was singing your praises to all the customers, and telling them how he always knew you were an important part of why Cottage Grove is special.”
“He’s such a nice man.” She smiled. “I think he was ready to retire from his position at the Chamber of Commerce. Did you know he’s a great grandpa now? Jason’s wife had a little girl a few days ago.”
“He’s a good man. I remember how he stepped up and helped me handle the paperwork on the house when my parents died.” Grayson sighed. “What do you say about staying over tonight and keeping me company?”
“Company, huh?” She laughed. “I shouldn’t. You’ve got guests, and I need to start work early to set up everything Dominic will need at the park.”
“I was hoping we could have this time together. I promised Crista I’d run the time clock for the race tomorrow, so I’ll probably only get to see you between events,” he said.
She pouted. “Poor baby. I’ll have to make it up to you in three days when this is all over.”
Grayson growled and nuzzled her neck. “You better.”
“I will.” She wiggled away from him, laughing. “I promise.”
“It’s already dark. Let me run in and grab my keys. I’ll drive you back to the hotel.” He stood up.
She stopped him. “I’ll walk. The streetlights emit enough light for me to see my way. I’m so wound up about doing everything perfect this week that a nice walk will relax me. I’ll sleep like a baby tonight.”
Grayson grinned, held up his finger for her not to move before glancing behind him. He turned back around and grabbed her hand, tugging her off the porch and into the garage. She watched him with amusement as he lowered the garage doors casting them into darkness, and laughed as he ran into one of his cars and grunted in pain, finding his way back to her side.