“Okay, now you’re being dramatic. And overprotective. Not every kid who isn’t involved with a scheduled activity every single day is doomed to gang life.”
He could see the defensiveness in the way she raised her chin and the straight line of her lips. “I’m doing the best I can.”
“I’m sure you are. And I can’t imagine it’s easy raising kids in New York. Have you ever thought about moving?”
“Often. But I work there. It’s easier to me to stay there since I’m on call a lot for shoots.”
“Which means you shoot in New York?”
She took a sip of water. “Not exactly. But my agency is there and I meet with them a lot. And it’s a good location for flights. It’s convenient.”
He shrugged. “Something to consider for the kids. A big house in a great city. Lots of friends. Less supervision.”
“Oh, come on, Grant. Teenagers can get in trouble in any city.”
He laughed. “This is true. I got in plenty of trouble growing up in Green Bay, and Texas.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Now this I want to hear. I’ve told you about me and my family. Tell me about yourself and this trouble you got into.”
“I don’t think we have enough time for all that. I might miss my flight tomorrow.”
She laughed. “Surely you weren’t that bad.”
“According to my mom, I was. Then again, she’d likely say the same thing about all my brothers. Maybe not my sister.”
She arched a brow. “You have brothers?”
“Three of them.”
“Wow. Your poor mother.”
“You obviously haven’t met my mom. She rules with an iron fist. We’re all a little afraid of her.”
She laughed. “I’d like to meet her.”
“You’d like her. She’d like you, too, with your music and drama lessons.”
“And here we go again with that.”
The waitress brought their dinner, so they settled in and ate.
“What’s up next for you?” he asked.
“I have a shoot next week, then a bit of a break, fortunately, so I can spend some time with the kids.”
“Taking any trips with them or doing anything fun?”
“Not really.”
“Do they like to travel?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never asked them.”
He leaned back. “You should take them on a summer vacation before school starts up. Maybe to the beach, or go horseback riding or something other than that camp stuff.”
She finished her salad and took a long swallow of water. “I’ll definitely give those ideas some thought.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will.” Grant figured she’d give it no thought whatsoever. “Hey, I’m going to be playing against New York in a few weeks for a preseason game. I’d love to see you and meet the kids.”
She gave him a flat look. “That wouldn’t be a very good idea.”
“Why not?”
“For the very obvious reason that you and I aren’t involved in any way.”
He shrugged, set his fork on his plate and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “So? What does that have to do with anything? I like you. I’d probably like your brother and sister. And frankly, I’m a fun guy. I know they’d like me.”
“Yes, I’m sure they would. But I don’t want to confuse them.”
“In what way would meeting me confuse them? Because I’m a guy that you know? It’s not like you’d introduce me as your boyfriend or some dude you’re dating. We met on a photo shoot. I’d be in town, and we could go do some fun stuff. You could show me the city.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Tourist things?”
He laughed. “Yeah, even tourist things. Something wrong with that?”
“I guess not.”
“Great.”
They finished their meal, the waitress cleared their plates and brought the check, which Grant signed. Katrina stood. “Well, thank you. I had a nice time.”
“Do you want to hang out by the pool for a while?”
“No. I think I should start packing.”
She acted like she couldn’t get away from him fast enough, and he knew it wasn’t because she didn’t like him. He hadn’t been pushy—okay, maybe a little pushy. So maybe it was time to back off a little. But not too much. He liked this woman and he wanted to get to know her better.
He walked with her back to her bungalow, and waited while she dug her key out of her bag. When she turned around to tell him good-bye, he figured he’d push just a little bit more.
“So about New York …”
Her head was down, but she lifted her gaze to his. “I still don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, it’s been great meeting you and all, but I don’t see us continuing our relationship beyond today.”
She was a tough one. So skittish. “I’m not asking you to marry me, Katrina. But we have chemistry. We can be friends, right?”