rare.â
âIâll have the same,â said Andrew.
âAre you all making it easy on me today so I donât have to remember much?â Did she just try to make a joke? Why did she feel so comfortable? Just because the most gorgeous guy in the world remembered her name? What was happening to her?
âWish he had made it easy on me on the court,â said Andrew nodding to his brother.
âYeah. Looks like you had a rough time today. You definitely have Gregory beat on the sweat factor.â Grace was amazed at how easy she felt standing there despite her embarrassment a few minutes earlier. She knew it was unnatural for her to feel this relaxed in front of someone as beautiful as Gregory but, for some reason, her whole body felt like Jell-O.
âI ⦠uh ⦠have strange sweat glands,â stuttered Gregory with a sideways glance toward his brother. He then looked up at Grace and changed the subject, âHow about some fries, too?â
The intensity of Gregoryâs green eyes boring into her began to cloud Graceâs mind and her easy feeling left as quickly as it came. âS â Sure. Be right back.â
She turned and headed back toward the waitress station with her stomachâs butterflies moving into overdrive again. She had read in some fashion magazine that a good posture improved the back view of a womanâs figure so Grace stood a little straighter as she walked, cognizant that Gregory might be watching her backside and uncharacteristically immune to her own self-consciousness. So much for blending in.
âWell?â Annie pounced the minute Grace reached the waitress station.
âHe remembered my name!â Grace excitedly whispered.
âSo whatâs your next move?â
âI donât know. You know I donât have any moves,â answered Grace as she placed the boysâ order in the club computer. âBut itâs your turn now. Take them some iced tea.â
Annie grabbed the two teas while Grace printed out the checks for the only other table lingering after the busy lunch rush. It was a group of lady golfers who were obviously ready for their tee time but instead sat and ogled the Reich boys like cougars at a downtown singles bar. Grace placed the ladiesâ checks on their table and stood to the side waiting for their signatures, intentionally blocking their view of Gregory. Eventually, the lady golfers picked up on Graceâs hint and paid their checks, leaving Grace to clear their table while sneaking her own glances at the Reich brothers.
After delivering the brothersâ lunch, and with no other patrons remaining in the room, Annie had set up residence in the chair directly across from Andrew and beside Gregory, apparently taking full advantage of the empty room to exhibit her famous flirting skills. Grace had seen Annie work her magic with boys before and, after clearing the cougarsâ table, she decided to hang back at the waitress station while her friend worked the brothers over.
âHey Grace!â Gregoryâs voice glided across the room toward her. âWhy donât you join us?â He smiled and pointed to the seat directly across from him.
Mission accomplished. Annie had done her job. Grace sucked in her stomach, suppressed her butterflies, and quickly moved to sit down across from the most gorgeous guy in the world.
âHey,â was all Grace could mutter when her eyes met Gregoryâs. The white tablecloth stretched wide between them and made his tan look even deeper up close.
Annie seemed to recognize that Gregoryâs presence impacted her friendâs ability to speak. âWe were just talking about the fitness benefits of tennis versus other sports. Whatâs your take, Gracie?â
âUh, I donât know. I havenât played tennis in a while.â Grace sheepishly smiled at Gregory.
âWell, letâs change that. Do you all want to play after work
Kathleen Fuller, Beth Wiseman, Kelly Long