“All I know is that she’s sullen and crabby as hell with me, and if you know Lexi, which I know you don’t yet as well as I do, that is absolutely not like her. That child is the most effervescent, easygoing, and adaptable person I know. She’s been handling all of this with you and Gray with incredible maturity and optimism. And now she seems to be defeated, and all I know is you were last in her presence when this happened.”
“She was reserved at the game,” I say as I remember that night. I’d expected her to be jumping up and down in her seat, but she had no enthusiasm. “Not like when I saw her down near the family lounge before…”
My words trail off.
Lexi was fine then. When Gray and I saw her standing in the hallway, both pleased and surprised at the same time to see her there, she was genuinely happy to see us both. She accepted my hug easily. It was all good, until a singular moment of some awkwardness when she admitted to us that she was there by invitation of Roman.
I was surprised, of course, as I didn’t realize she knew him, but really didn’t think much of it. I was just happy to see her there.
But Gray had questioned her about Roman with a little more diligence, and was probably still doing so when I left for the locker room to wish the team good luck.
Had something happened then between Gray and Lexi?
I can’t imagine what it could be, because they were talking it up in the owner’s box as we watched the game. While Lexi was definitely a bit reserved as she watched the game, she wasn’t completely mute. She sat between Gray and me and talked with both of us. I didn’t sense anything bad between them at all, but still…something had to have happened between the time I saw her in the hallway and when the game started, because that’s when the change was noticeable.
“I need to see Lexi,” I say abruptly to Georgia.
“Of course you do,” she says with wink. “She’s at the coffee shop and she’ll be there all afternoon. I knew you’d jump into dad mode.”
“You did?” I ask, momentarily distracted from my worry by my curiosity.
“You’re a great dad,” Georgia observes. “I watched you that night at The Grind, watching Lexi. I’ve seen how you’ve accepted her at face value and with open arms. I’ve seen—through the media, of course—that you’ve already raised an amazing daughter. So yeah…I knew you’d jump right on figuring this out.”
Georgia smiles knowingly at me and turns her gaze back to her plate, cutting off another piece of lamb to put into her mouth. With no other way in this moment to solve my daughter’s problems, I contemplate this curious woman before me. Clearly she has my attention, but I can’t figure out if I should explore something or turn tail to run.
“What’s your story, Georgia?” I ask casually.
She lifts her eyes to mine as she chews, then swallows, a wide smile gracing what I’m thinking is a near perfect mouth. “It’s about time you got around to showing interest in me.”
I ignore her rebuke, starting to figure out she likes to try to work her way under my skin. Well, she’s firmly embedded there now, so I don’t take the bait, instead just cocking an eyebrow at her. “Well?”
Georgia dabs at her lips, which amazingly still have a perfect sheen of lipstick on them, and pushes her plate a few inches away so she can rest her forearms on the table. “Well…let’s see. I’m from Savannah, Georgia, originally. Came to Raleigh for my undergrad and decided to make it my permanent home.”
“What did you study?” I ask her.
“Nuclear engineering.”
Because this woman has point-blank told me some whopper stories before, I can’t help but say, “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not,” she says firmly. “I’m really smart.”
“Then how did you go from nuclear engineering to owning a coffeehouse?” I ask incredulously.
She shrugs. “It just wasn’t for me. Engineering, that is. I worked for a defense contractor in DC for several years after I graduated, and I hated it. The work was interesting, but I just didn’t feel fulfilled. I went to work every day and sat beside a lot of other really brilliant people as we developed and enhanced nuclear technology, and I came home every night just completely exhausted in my soul. It took me awhile to get up the courage to make a break from such a steady career, but I’ve never looked back since, and I don’t have a single regret.”
Now that’s goddamned impressive.
“Lexi said you have a son,” I say to keep the conversation going, now more fascinated than ever by this woman.
Georgia’s eyes sparkle and she leans in a little. “Asking about me, huh? I’m flattered.”
I don’t disabuse her of that, because although I didn’t specifically ask Lexi about her, I do like the fact I’ve apparently flattered her. So I merely give her a sly smile that she can take how she wants and push at her, “Lexi says he lives out west.”
Georgia sighs dramatically and waves her hand at me. “I love him to death, but he’s also the bane of my existence. Let me tell you all about it while we finish lunch and you’ll realize how lucky you are to have girls.”
I laugh.
It’s deep and stems from genuine amusement. For the first time, I’m not guarded with this woman and I let her carefree spirit charm me. I think I can firmly say that this is a good first date, and yes…I go ahead and admit that this is a date.
Chapter 14
Lexi