and they should be done right about the time you’re finished with dinner.”
Grace eyed her gorgeous niece. Her short hair was styled with some sort of product to tame her curls just enough that they were artful instead of unruly. The purple eye makeup made her blue eyes seem almost sapphire. And she was wearing ripped skinny jeans with a feminine floral blouse that was just the right amount of juxtaposition to be interesting. “You look fantastic.”
“Thanks. Bronwyn is taking me to a poetry reading and then to a late dinner with some of her college friends. I wasn’t really sure what to wear, so I went with some version of modern bohemian. Am I pulling it off?”
Grace laughed. “Hell if I know. But if I was a young lesbian, I’d date you. If we weren’t related, obviously.”
Lex cackled. “Stop. Let’s not go there.”
“Fine.” Grace pulled two plates out of the cabinet. “I already have enough to worry about trying to navigate my own situation.”
“What’s to navigate? Owen’s coming over. You’ll eat, talk, laugh, and then rip each other’s clothes off and finally do something about that sexual tension that threatens to suffocate everyone who’s in the same room with you. And if you’re lucky, he’ll give you multiple orgasms. Sounds like a win to me.”
Butterflies took up residence in Grace’s stomach. Would it be that easy? Owen had been distant in the three days since the incident with Gigi and the Victorian. She’d been so shaken up after the altercation that she’d forgotten to call Owen that night, and it was obvious he was hurt by it. She’d explained and he’d said he understood, but he’d been keeping his distance a little, and she figured their fling that hadn’t ever gotten off the ground was probably getting ready to come to an end.
She’d decided to try one more time, but even she wasn’t sure moving forward was the right thing to do. If he was going to get upset because of scheduling issues, then it wasn’t a relationship she was interested in, even if he was so hot that she kept dreaming about him running his hands and tongue all over her. Grace shivered just thinking about him.
“See, Aunt Grace? That’s a good sign. You’re getting all worked up just thinking about him,” Lex teased.
“Ugh. Am I that obvious?”
“Yep.” Lex cackled. “Sorry. You might want to work on your poker face if you don’t want everyone to know what you’re thinking.”
Grace never had been good at keeping a straight face. She figured at forty-five that wasn’t going to change much. She glanced at the clock and then shooed her niece out of the house. “Owen will be here any minute, and if you don’t get going, you’re going to be late. Thanks for the help with dinner.”
“No problem. I have to pay rent somehow.” She kissed Grace on the cheek and rushed out the door.
Not even five minutes later, Owen arrived.
“Hey,” she said almost shyly as she opened the door. He stood on her porch, freshly shaven, his hair neatly trimmed, and had a faint, enticing spicy scent. Her mouth watered just looking at him. “You look great.”
“So do you,” he said as he walked in and gave her a light kiss on her cheek. “These are for you.”
She took the small bouquet of sunflowers he’d been holding behind his back and beamed. “How did you know these are my favorite flower?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I have my ways.”
Maybe this date was going to go a lot better than she’d feared. Smiling to herself, she led him into the kitchen where she put the flowers into a vase and then placed them on her already set table. “They look perfect there.”
“You look perfect,” he said as he leaned against the bar.
Her cheeks heated and she knew she was blushing, but she didn’t care. She liked this guy and wanted him to know it. “Wine?”
“Sure.”
Grace poured them both a glass and got busy plating the crab-stuffed halibut Lex had made for them. Once she was done, she popped the turnovers into the oven and then beckoned for Owen to join her at the table.
“Dig in,” she said.
“This looks amazing, Grace. I didn’t know you could cook like this,” he said and then took a bite. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he moaned in pleasure.
The sound did all kinds of things to her lady parts. She just sat there watching him until he focused on her