“If Beth is free to stay with Suzy, I should be able to. I need to pick up some papers at the office anyway. I’d like to see Declan in person. I think it’s important to close the deal with him and bring him onboard. He’s more likely to do that if I’m there.”
The merger of Danvers International with Mericom had created a communications giant. Both he and Nick had been pulled away from their base in Charleston, South Carolina and were relocating to the corporate headquarters of Danvers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Even with the promotion of key personnel in both Charleston and Myrtle Beach, the company was still short staffed and he, Nick and Jason were constantly being pulled in a million directions. The addition of Declan would be huge. He and Declan went way back. They had been college roommates and even though Declan had made California his base for the last several years, they still remained in touch.
Declan had served two tours with the Air Force. Gray knew he’d spent a lot of that time in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Declan who came out of the military was a much darker and harder man than the friend he remembered from their younger days. He came from power and money, and after he left the military, he’d used both as a base to launch his own consulting business. His specialty was mergers and acquisitions. He could smell a weak company a mile away and knew when it was prime for a take-over. He rarely considered a long-term assignment, and the fact that he was even willing to talk with Danvers about a permanent position was a testament to their friendship. With someone like him in place, Danvers would continue to grow and prosper beyond their wildest dreams.
Gray jolted as Nick said, “Hey, I think the princess is calling you.”
Gray quickly sat his coffee cup down on the counter and grabbed a chair from the kitchen table. He hurried back towards bathroom and prayed that Suzy would be covered from head to foot now. Gray walked in the bathroom and sat the chair down in front of the vanity. He stepped over to the shower and said a prayer of thanks that Suzy was indeed sufficiently covered for his peace of mind. He stepped into the shower and, almost as if by habit, dropped a quick kiss on her mouth as he put his arms underneath to lift her. “Hey there, beautiful, you from around here?” he joked.
Suzy smiled, grateful to Gray for lightening the mood since her sister Beth was standing not two feet away. “Sorry, babe, I’m way out of your league so save the charm for someone else.”
Gray looked down into her eyes, his expression growing serious and said, “It’s all for you, Suzanna, everything I am is yours.” Suzy stared back at him for a moment, surprised by the change from teasing to seriousness. Gray sat her down on the seat he’d brought into the bathroom with him, and the moment was gone so quickly Suzy had to wonder if she’d imagined the whole thing. One looked into the sappy expression on Beth’s face, though, convinced her that it had been real.
Beth cleared her throat and said, “Gray, my sister needs something for pain, could you get it for her?” Suzy looked at her in surprise. She thought she’d been hiding the misery she was feeling pretty well but apparently her sister read her better than she thought.
Gray frowned down at her. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me you were in pain? I should have known this shower would be too much for you. I’ll be right back with the medication. Just stay here.”
Both she and Beth laughed as he hurried out. “Um, exactly where did he think you were going to go?” They both tried their best to hide their smiles as Gray rushed back in with a glass of water and her medication. He shook one out into his palm and handed it to her. He absently rubbed her leg through her towel while he waited for her to finish and hand him the glass of water back.
“Gray, I’m going to dry Suzy’s hair and help her get dressed.” As he started to protest, Beth said, “I’ll call you if we need your help. Go have some male bonding time or whatever it is that men do when they’re together.”
With one last look at Suzy, Gray reluctantly left the bathroom, and the bedroom door closed quietly behind him. Beth looked at her sister when he left and said, “You know he loves you. Is there any doubt left in your mind after all this? I’ve never seen a man look at a woman the way he looks at you. I love you, sis, and I know you better than anyone else so I’m saying this with nothing but love, ‘don’t screw this up.’ Don’t run away from him or try to chase him away. He’s the best thing that ever entered your life so grab onto him with both hands and don’t let him go. He’s not Jeff, he’s a good man.”
“You’re forgetting, Beth, Jeff was a good man, too, and look how that turned out. Maybe I turn good men into bad people. “
With an unladylike snort, Beth said, “Jeff was a spineless weasel, and I have no idea what you ever saw in him. I’m all for equal rights, but wouldn’t you like to be with a man who actually wears the pants in the relationship at least part of the time? Jeff never seemed to have an opinion of his own; he was always in your shadow. I’m surprised he had enough ambition to cheat on you without someone advising him to.” Suddenly, as if realizing she’d said too much, Beth’s hand flew to her mouth, “Oh God, I’m sorry. Oh crap, I was just running off at the mouth. Please forget I said all of that.”
At first, Suzy was surprised, Beth rarely said anything negative about anyone and she’d no idea that she viewed Jeff in this light. Now that the wounds were less raw, she could actually admit that Beth was right. Jeff had always deferred to her, and sometimes she’d felt more like his mother than his lover. If they had ever been equals in their relationship, it had been long ago. Maybe she just couldn’t let anyone take care of her. As soon as she had that thought, she pictured Gray. She’d actually loved having him to lean on the last few days and never once had she felt threatened or annoyed by it.
She smiled at her sister and reached over to squeeze her hand. “You go, girl. I think you have more of me inside you than we either imagined. Never apologize for being honest with me, and by the way, I agree. Now, about these ugly clothes you packed for me, where the hell did they come from?” As they both doubled over in laughter, Beth admitted that they were hers, and she’d just been trying to pack things that would be easier for Suzy for relax in while she was healing. Beth promised she’d go pack some of Suzy’s things that afternoon. Soon Suzy was starting to feel loopy from the pain medication, and Gray came back to carry her to the sofa in the living room where he had a breakfast tray waiting for her.