Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) - Heidi McLaughlin Page 0,74
change in him.
“Rennie, I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’ve done for my family.”
“I didn’t—”
Graham held his hand up, and she stopped speaking. “You did, and you didn’t have to. You went to bat for Grady, protecting him from jail. I’m not sure where he would be if you hadn’t stepped in. I believe in the trickle effect. Because Grady is in a better place, my parents are happy. My dad, he bantered back and forth with my mom. He admitted he enabled Grady. These things may not mean much to someone on the outside, but they do to me. My family will never be the same, but we’re moving toward what hopefully is a new normal.”
“I don’t know what to say, Graham. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.” Even as she spoke the words, Rennie knew she lied. Usually, clients came to her. She never sought anyone out. But when the police came for Grady, she jumped into action, even though she knew nothing about criminal law.
Graham pulled Rennie into a hug, and her heart raced. She shouldn’t be excited by a hug, let alone his touch, but she was. Rennie rested her head against his chest, and she could hear his heart thumping. They held each other tightly, and the slight sway of the houseboat made it seem as if they were dancing. They hadn’t danced in years. The last time was at a frat party in their junior year of college. That was also the last time they had been intimate with each other. Graham met his girlfriend a week later.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Rennie asked as soon as she saw Graham sitting on the bench outside of her dorm room. She sat down next to him and set her backpack on the ground.
“I met someone.”
“Get out of town, Graham Cracker. Are you serious about her?”
He shrugged. “I like her a lot.”
“Tell me about her,” Rennie prodded.
“We met on the quad. I had to leap over her to catch a football. She screamed, and I thought I hurt her, so I checked on her.”
“Total pickup move. I’ve done it before.” Rennie laughed. Graham did as well.
“It worked. I’ve seen her every night since.”
Rennie’s shoulder bumped Graham. “Are you in love?”
He turned and looked at her so intensely she had to avert her gaze. She swallowed hard and waited for his response. “No, but I like her. I want to see where it goes.”
“Then I’m happy for you, Graham Cracker.”
Later that night, when Graham didn’t call her like he usually would, Rennie cried herself to sleep. Many times, over the years, she had wanted him to pick her. She wanted to be the one he kissed last before he went to sleep at night and the first when he woke. She never considered he would meet someone else, and now that he had, she knew they would never be the same again.
Graham was the first to let go. “Sorry,” he said as he stepped away.
“For what?”
He shook his head slightly and looked at her. “We should eat. Dinner is warming in the oven.”
Rennie wanted to stay and find out what Graham was sorry for, but he had other ideas. Years ago, she would’ve tackled him on his bed, straddled his hips, and tickled him until he told her. They were adults now, living completely different lives, and this time around, she was the one in a committed relationship.
She lagged behind Graham, and as she descended the stairs, she got another look at Graham. He wore an apron with the image of a bare-chested man with chiseled abdominal muscles.
“What is this?” she asked, barely able to control her laughter.
He stood there with his arms held out wide. “What do you think? Does it look like me?”
Rennie shook her head and dabbed at her eyes. “Where did you get this from?”
“Krista and her husband gave it to me for Christmas.”
“It’s priceless,” she told him as she went to the counter. “What can I do to help?”
He nodded toward the bottle of red wine. “Glasses are in the cupboard if you want to pour.” Rennie uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses. She carried them to the table and went back to the kitchen. She helped where he thought he needed it and told him everything smelled amazing.
They sat down, and she held her glass up for a toast. Graham did the same. “To old friends,” he said before she could start.