He chuckled again, his eyes softening. “I knew you wouldn’t. You’re too grounded to do something like that.”
“Grounded?” Meredith wrinkled her nose. “Is that a good thing? It sounds kind of boring.”
On screen, he held her gaze. “Grounded is a very good thing. It’s one of the many things about you I really, really like.”His voice softened now, too, as he echoed his confession from days before.
Meredith felt herself melt a little into the rocker.
“But not too grounded, of course,” he added, eyeing her appreciatively. “IfShadow Quarterdoes become a movie — and as cheap as it is to make a movie in New Orleans, I’m guessing it will be — I have a feeling you’ll look absolutely stunning on my arm at the premier.”
Her eyes bugged. She couldn’t help it. “What?” Her voice squeaked on the word, and, at the sound, Gray’s smile grew double. Triple.
“Yes, you in a fabulous designer dress on the red carpet,” he said, his voice going a little husky. “I definitely need to stick around to see that.”
“Wha— You—” A flare of anger threatened to choke her. She hated it when he made little jokes about not surviving the surgery. “You damn well better.”
He laughed, but just then, Meredith heard the scattering of gravel in the drive as Jamie’s truck pulled in. She looked at the time on her laptop. It was after eleven.
“I need to go,” she whispered. It wouldn’t do for Jamie to find her still awake so late. Especially if he’d been out drinking with friends. He always came back horny when he’d been drinking.
“After class tomorrow, will you be here?” Gray asked.
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, I promise. I have to go.”
Gray frowned at her. “Why are you whispering now? You look scared. Are you okay?”
“Jamie’s home,” she said, closing her laptop and standing with her phone. “I have to get into bed.”
His gaze on her sharpened. “Why? What will happen if he finds you awake?”
Shit.She hadn’t meant to go there. “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Without waiting another second, she tapped the red button and ended the call.
She was pulling her ear buds from her ears when the front door opened, and Jamie staggered inside. He gave a surprised jerk at finding her in the middle of the living room, and a lazy smile came to his lips.
“Hey, bae… you’re up late.” He swayed a little in the open doorway, and Meredith couldn’t help her grimace. Jamie still wasn’t twenty-one, but he never had any problem getting into bars with his fake ID. His size and his weathered skin from roughnecking made the phony age of twenty-four believable enough.
But how he managed to avoid a DWI, she’d never know.
“You’re drunk,” she hissed, knowing she should just let it go and get into bed.
He gave her a slow nod. “I been drinking. But I’m about two shots shy of drunk, Mered. It’s all good.”
“A DWI costs ten grand. You have ten grand?” It was stupid to pick a fight with him when he was like this. Better to bring it up in the morning in front of Leona. She’d let him have it if she knew.
“If I did, I wouldn’t tellyou.” He scowled. “Just like if you did, you wouldn’t tell me.”
He was right about that. If she had ten grand, she’d be gone.
At that moment, her phone chimed, and she knew it was Gray.
“Who’s that?” Jamie scowled at her phone, and she let her face go blank as she made a point of looking at the screen and keeping it out of his line of sight.
Gray:I need you to tell me you’re okay.
“It’s Brooke,” she lied.