Inappropriate by Vi Keeland
Chapter 13
Grant
“Mr. Lexington?” My assistant buzzed into my office. “You have Ireland Saint James on line one. Would you like me to tell her you’re about to go into a meeting?”
I stood with a file in my hand, ready to head to a ten o’clock meeting, but I sat back down. “No, I’ll take it. Tell Mark Anderson I’ll be a few minutes late and to start without me.”
I tossed the file onto my desk, picked up the receiver, and leaned back in my chair. “Ms. Saint James. It’s been three days. You must’ve had a lot to think about.”
“Sorry. I’ve been busy. But I wanted to get back to you on your dinner invitation, or rather our discussion about having drinks.”
“Okay…”
“You seem like a really nice guy—”
I sat up in my chair and cut her off. “Let’s finish this conversation over lunch.”
“Uh…well, can’t we just—”
I interrupted a second time. “No. I have a meeting now. Be in my office at one o’clock. I’ll have lunch waiting.”
“But—”
“We’ll talk then.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
On my way to my meeting, I stopped at Millie’s desk. “Can you please order lunch for me and Ms. Saint James for one o’clock?”
“Of course. What would you like?”
“Whatever.”
“Do you want salads, sandwiches? Is she vegan?”
“How the hell would I know? Just order a few things.”
Millie’s forehead wrinkled. “Okay.”
“And if I’m late, tell her to start eating without me.”
“The mail just came. Would you like me to put today’s letter on your desk?”
“Shred it,” I bit out.
When my meeting finally broke at five after one, I was impatient. Some people took ten minutes to dance around and spit out one damn fact. For the last hour, I’d found it hard to focus, too busy wondering if my next appointment was going to stand me up.
The tension in my shoulders dissipated as I walked into my office and found Ireland snooping. I shut the door behind me. “Looking for something?”
She turned with a framed photo in her hand. “Is this you and your grandfather?”
I walked over. The photo had been on the credenza since I’d moved into this office eighteen months ago, but I hadn’t really looked at it since. Pops and I were fishing off the side of Leilani. I must’ve been about seven or eight. “He caught a thrasher shark that day. I caught a sunburn.”
Ireland smiled and set the frame back down.
Lunch was set up at the small seating area, rather than at my desk. I held out my hand. “Please, have a seat. I’m a few minutes late, and the food is probably getting cold.”
Ireland sat on the couch, and I took the seat across from her.
“Are more people joining us?” she asked. “There are six different lunches here.”
“I didn’t know what you liked.”
Her face softened. “Thank you. I’m not picky. But I’ll take this cheeseburger, if you don’t mind. I’m starving.”
“Whatever you like.”
I grabbed a turkey sandwich and wasted no time getting to the point. I preferred to discuss business first, so I could actually enjoy my food after. “So, you were about to give me the you’re a nice guy, but… brush-off speech. It’s one I don’t hear too often.”
“Because no one says no to you?”
“No, because I’m not that nice of a guy.”
Ireland picked up a French fry and pointed it at me. “Well, that in itself is a reason I shouldn’t be having dinner or drinks with you, isn’t it?”
I leaned over and bit the fry from her fingers. “Probably. But I’d like a chance to change your mind anyway. I get the feeling you’re wary of me because you sense I’m not being forthright with you. But I’m in a difficult position here. I can’t say whatever is on my mind because you work for me, and I don’t want you to feel pressured.”
“I don’t feel pressured by you as a boss. Even though you did bark at me to come up here for lunch. I somehow know my job isn’t at stake, and it’s just you being you. If I’m being honest, your barking felt real, and I’d rather see that man than the hesitant one who is trying to be appropriate.”
“So you prefer me inappropriate and barking?”
She laughed. “I prefer you to just be you and not filter what you’re thinking.”
My eyes locked with hers. I’ve found that often a woman thinks she wants unfiltered honesty, but it turns out not to be the case once she hears it. “You sure about that?”
“Positive.”
I reached over and took her hand. “Good. Then let’s be honest. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you in days. Hell, since you told me off in that email. You asked me the other night if I just wanted to sleep with you. I absolutely want to be inside you. I’d lock that door and take you on my desk right now, if you were game.”
She swallowed.
“But if you’d like to have drinks and watch the sunset on my boat, I’m up for that, too. I haven’t had anything but a sexual relationship with a woman in seven years, and to be candid, I’m not entirely sure what I’m capable of offering anymore. But if you’d like to start with drinks, we can most definitely see where it goes.”
Ireland started to shake her head. I couldn’t get a read on the surprised look on her face—whether it was a good surprise or one that confirmed she should run the other way.
“Was that supposed to be you pleading your case for me to go out with you? Because you basically told me you suck at relationships and might just only want to have sex with me. And oh by the way, if I’m up for banging on your desk, that’s an available option, too.”
“That depends. Did it work?”
She laughed. “Oh my God. I think I’ve lost my mind. Because I think it might have.”
“Good. Then shut up and eat your lunch because your food is getting cold.”
Ireland was still laughing and shaking her head as she bit into her cheeseburger. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that had started to lose his mind. Especially since watching her sink her teeth into her lunch made me salivate at the thought of sinking my teeth into her skin.
With the important stuff out of the way, we managed to have a relaxed meal. We talked about work, our routines, and she asked if my grandfather had attempted any escapes again—which I liked. She was thoughtful, and her interest seemed genuine.
Too soon, Ireland’s phone buzzed. She had a reminder set on her phone, and it made me think of how I had Millie call to get me out of stuff. I eyed her cell.
“Is that a made-up appointment to help get you out of here?”
She brushed a hair from her face. “No. I wish it were. I have to run out to meet my contractor. I’m building a house in Agoura Hills. Construction is supposed to finish in a few weeks, but my builder said there might be some sort of a delay, and he wants to discuss plans.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it definitely doesn’t. Especially since my roommate is moving out in two weeks when she gets married, and our lease is up in just a couple of months.”
“I have a good real estate agent who can help you locate something temporary if you need it.”
“Thank you.” She squinted at me. “So is that something you do on a regular basis?”
“What?”
“Make up appointments to get out of a meeting faster.”
I smirked. “Occasionally.”
Just then, my desk phone buzzed, and Millie came over the intercom. “Mr. Lexington? Leo arrived a few minutes early. He just ran to the bathroom.”
Ireland raised a brow.
“That was a total coincidence. Leo is an actual person. I’m sure he’ll be busting in here when he gets back if I’m not out. So you’ll get to meet him. He has a button on his ass that makes him pop up after more than ten seconds of waiting if he doesn’t have a video game in his hand.”
“Is Leo an adult or child?”
“Child. Who thinks he’s an adult. He’s my… We spend time together every Wednesday afternoon. It’s part of a program my mother started twenty years ago for foster kids. It’s sort of like a Big Brothers, Big Sisters program, except all the kids in it are in foster care and all of the Bigs are former foster children. Bigs make a commitment to mentor a Little from five to twenty-five. Foster kids get bounced around a lot, and having the same Big for years gives them consistency.”
She shook her head. “That’s awesome. But there are really two sides to you, aren’t there? You should have told me that story the other night. I probably would have said yes to dinner.”
I chuckled. “Now you tell me.”
Ireland smiled. “But I’m also glad you didn’t make up an appointment to ditch me.”
“Likewise.”
“I should get going anyway. We both have things to do.” Ireland stood. “Thank you for lunch. Next time you don’t need to go overboard and order so much. I’m not picky. I eat anything.”
“Glad to know you’re planning a next time. I’ll pick you up Friday at seven?”
“I’ll come to you.”
“I’m capable of picking you up. Besides, I already know where you live.”
She smiled. “And I’m capable of driving myself.”
I shook my head. “You’re always a pain in the ass, aren’t you? I’ll see you Friday at 7 at the marina.”
Ireland picked up my empty food container and hers from the table and shoved them into a bag. She held the garbage out to me. “Oh. And I should tell you I don’t kiss on the first date.”
I took the handle of the bag, along with her hand, and used it to yank her closer to me. “That’s good. Because this was our first date. See you Friday, Ireland.”
***
“I don’t want the alarm connected to the police station. I don’t like guns in the house.”
The installer looked at me, and I motioned for him to keep working as I guided Grams into the kitchen to talk. “Grams, if the alarm goes off and you don’t hear it, they’ll know to go looking for Pops. I registered him with the police department, so they’ll understand that it’s more than likely a missing person and not a break-in they need to show up for with guns blazing.”
She sat down. “I’m capable of taking care of him.”
The worse Pops got, the harder things grew for her, too. She felt disabled herself for needing any help with her husband of fifty years.
I sat across from her and covered her hand with mine. An older, independent couple didn’t view taking help much differently than a foster kid might—they didn’t want to rely on anyone but themselves. Logical arguments don’t work, because what they’re fighting is emotional and not practical. So just like with Leo, I knew the best thing to do wasn’t reason with my grandmother. She needed her emotions validated.
“I get that you don’t need any help, Grams. You could handle him all on your own. But I want to help. If Mom were still here, she’d be moved in and sleeping on your bedroom floor to make sure Pops didn’t wander off and get hurt. Letting me help Pops is for Mom and me. Not because you can’t do it yourself.”
Grams’s eyes watered. I’d broken out the big guns mentioning Mom, but it was the truth, and we needed to get past her unwillingness. Unfortunately, things weren’t going to be improving.
She squeezed my hand and nodded. “Fine. But if I’m taking your help, there’re some other things I could use a hand with.”
“Name it.”
Leo busted into the kitchen, and Pops followed behind. “Look at this thing Pops made. It’s an electric chair!”
Great. More shit I’d have to explain to Leo’s social worker at some point. In his retirement, my grandfather had taken up building replica miniature houses. All of his years as a wooden boat builder had come in handy, and he’d spent the first two years of being home building an exact miniature replica of his and Grams’s house, down to the bathroom fixtures and chipped bluestone in the yard. Leo and I visited Grams and Pops a lot, and he’d tried to get Leo interested in his little hobby. But being a typical eleven year old, Leo thought making a dollhouse was boring. That is, until Pops started to work on a creepy dollhouse. The entire thing was a freak show of weird shit. But Pops and Leo had built every little bit of that freak show, and Leo had gotten pretty good with woodworking.
I took the miniature electric chair from Leo’s hands and checked it out. The details were pretty amazing, down to the tiny black leather wrist straps on the arms of the chair and what looked like a few drops of blood stained on the seat.
“It’s great. But do me a favor and don’t bring it home to your foster mom. She already suspects I might be a devil worshiper after you brought home that creepy miniature doll so you could work on mangling it.”
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Grams got up. “What can I make you to eat, Leo? How about a peanut butter and banana sandwich for a snack?”
He grinned. “With no crust?”
Grams walked to the bread drawer and opened it. “People who eat crust can’t be trusted.”
Leo took a seat on a stool at the granite kitchen bar and propped his feet up on the one next to him.
I knocked them off. “Feet off the furniture.”
Pops said he was going to go take a nap, so I told him I’d tag along to check on the ceiling fan Grams had said wasn’t working.
When I came back to the kitchen a few minutes later, Grams and Leo were laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“You. In a Santa suit.” Leo chuckled.
I swiped a piece of his peanut butter and banana sandwich from his plate and shoved it into my mouth. “What are you talking about?”
Grams answered. “Earlier, when we were talking about how you like to help, you said you’d do anything I needed, right?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah. But why does the way you’re asking me now feel like a trick question?”
Leo laughed. “Because she’s gonna sucker you into playing Santa this weekend, instead of Pops.”
I pointed a finger at Leo. “Watch your language.”
“What did I say? Sucker? That’s not even a bad word. I’ve heard you say way worse.”
“I’m an adult.”
“So?”
“So, you’re not.”
Grams got up and took Leo’s empty plate. “He has a point, Grant. If you want him to act a certain way, you need to mind your own rules.”
Leo boasted a smug smile. The little shit knew I wouldn’t argue with Grams. “Yeah, Grant. I only say bad words because I hear them from you.”
I made a face that screamed bullshit. “My ass.”
Leo pointed to me and looked at Grams. “See, there he goes again!”
Grams sighed and turned on the sink to rinse Leo’s plate. “Settle down now, boys.”
The brat was just about to eat the last bite of his sandwich when I swiped it from his hand and popped it into my mouth.
“Hey…” Leo whined.
I grinned. “You heard the lady. Settle down now, kid.”
Grams came back to the table. “Grant, I really do need you to play Santa this weekend at the Pia’s Place Christmas in July party. You know Pops usually does it. But I don’t think he’s up to it this year. Sometimes he forgets what he’s doing, and I don’t want him to scare any of the little kids.”
“Can’t you find someone else?”
Grams frowned. “It’s a family tradition now. I think it should be passed down to you.”
Leo grinned from ear to ear. “Yeah, Grant. It’s a family tradition.”
The little shit was in rare form today. But I couldn’t say no to my grandmother. Even though I suspected I’d been set up from the get-go today. She’d lured me into the conversation about doing things for her, just so I couldn’t refuse.
“Fine.” I pouted. “But if any little kids pee on me, I’m telling you now, next year the tradition will be passed to Kate’s husband.”
Grams walked over and cupped my cheeks. “Thank you, sweetheart. It means a lot to me.”
Later in the evening, on the ride to Leo’s house, he mentioned he was going up to San Bernardino next weekend so he wouldn’t be at the Christmas in July festival this year.
I glanced over at him and back to the road. “San Bernardino? What are you doing there?” I knew of only one reason he might be making that trip, and I hoped I was wrong.
“My mom’s back in town. She’s picking me up and taking me to visit my sister.”
Shit.“Rose is taking you to see Lily?”
Leo frowned. “That’s what my social worker said.”
