Page 5 of Blame It on the Bikini (Ocean Shores #4)

Chapter Three

"Thanks again for rescuing me, Kaia," Lexie said as Kaia pulled into the Ocean Shores parking lot and turned off the engine late Saturday afternoon. "I owe you. Can I take you out to dinner tonight?"

"Actually, I have a date," Kaia said, giving her a sparkly smile.

"Really? Who's the lucky guy?"

"A doctor at the hospital where I drop off patients. He's asked me out a few times, and I finally decided to say yes."

"What took you so long?"

Kaia shrugged, a frown marring her features. "I don't know. I had such a bad date three weeks ago, and I just didn't feel like trying again."

"The guy who keeps texting you?" she asked with concern. "Is that still going on? Do we need to do something to get that to stop? Maybe you should talk to Ben."

"I think he's finally stopped. I haven't heard from him in a couple of days. And the last thing I want to do is talk to my brother about a bad date."

"But Ben's a cop. He could make sure this guy knows who he's messing with."

"I don't need Ben to fight my battles."

Lexie knew Kaia was fiercely proud, and growing up with her dad and two brothers had made her tough. But sometimes pride and toughness weren't enough. "Well, promise me that you'll tell me if you start feeling uncomfortable again, even if you don't want to tell Ben."

"It won't be a problem, Lexie. Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have even mentioned it. And I am moving on tonight with hopefully someone much more interesting."

"What's this doctor like?"

"If we have a good time, I'll tell you more about him tomorrow," she promised.

"You better. And hopefully, tonight will be just what the doctor ordered."

Kaia laughed. "Always the optimist, Lexie."

"It's better than always anticipating the worst."

"True. What about you? What are your plans?"

"I'm going to take off my heels and relax. It was a hellish day."

"For you or the bride?"

"For me. The bride ended up as happy as could be after multiple mishaps that I managed to handle without her knowing."

"Weren't you just there to take pictures?"

"I thought so, but my job seems to encompass a lot more than that. But it's over now. So, I don't want to think about it anymore."

As they got out of the car, she grabbed her equipment from the back seat, then heard Frank's distinctive laugh and another male voice.

Moving around the car, she was shocked to see Grayson Holt bent over the engine of Frank's Mustang, his expensive workout clothes replaced by a faded T-shirt and jeans that had definitely seen better days.

Oil streaked his forearms, and his usually perfect hair was disheveled.

He was holding some kind of tool while Frank pointed at something in the engine compartment, both men completely absorbed in their work.

"Well, that's unexpected," Kaia murmured, following her gaze.

"I'll say. Grayson," she called out, impulsively, too surprised to stop herself.

He jerked upright at the sound of his name, his head connecting solidly with the raised hood of the car. The sharp crack echoed across the parking lot.

"Damn," he muttered, one hand immediately going to his forehead.

"Oh no!" She dropped her camera equipment and rushed over as remorse ran through her. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

"You should put some ice on that," Frank said, eyeing the rapidly forming bump on Grayson's forehead with concern.

"I'll be fine," Grayson said, his lips drawing into a tight line that was probably a mix of anger and pain.

Kaia stepped up. "I'm a paramedic. Kaia Mercer—we met last night—sort of. Frank's right. You need ice. It's starting to swell."

"I'll do that," he said.

"Do you think he should get it checked?" she asked Kaia. "Maybe he has a concussion."

"I don't think it's that bad," Kaia said.

"It's not," Grayson said firmly. "It's just a bump."

"We should probably call it a day anyway," Frank said.

Grayson nodded, still pressing his palm against the injury. "All right."

"But if you want to help me tomorrow, I wouldn't say no," Frank added. "It was sure nice to have an extra set of hands, Grayson."

"I'll see. I'm not sure of my schedule." He handed a tool back to Frank. "I'll let you know."

After Grayson headed into the building, she turned to Frank. "How did you get Grayson involved in this?"

Frank shrugged. "He got himself involved. Came over and started asking questions. He used to work on cars when he was a kid. Since he seemed interested in helping me, I let him. It was going well, too, until you arrived," he added with a twinkle in his eyes. "You distracted him, Lexie."

Heat crept up her neck. "I didn't mean to. I was just so surprised to see him out of his suit and tie. And it seems very odd that he used to work on cars. His family is wealthy."

"He said the vintage vehicles belonged to his father, but the man who taught him how to restore them was his dad's driver."

"Well, that makes more sense. Did he say anything about selling the building?"

"We didn't get into that. We talked about the engine mostly. He's a smart guy, good with his hands, too. And very focused. But his mind went elsewhere when he heard your voice."

"And now he has a bump on his head," she said with a sigh. "That I caused. His stay here is definitely not going as well as I'd hoped."

"He'll be okay," Kaia reassured her. "And it's not like you did anything, Lexie. You just said his name, and he jumped. It was more his fault than yours."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Frank added as he put away his tools. "I don't think that bump is going to factor into his decision."

"Maybe helping you will. I'm glad you got him doing something he obviously enjoyed."

"It was nice to have the help. He reminded me a little of my son."

She hadn't anticipated that Frank would be the first one to find a connection with Grayson, but she was very glad it had happened.

"I should go inside," Kaia said. "I need to take a shower."

"I'm coming, too." She retrieved her camera equipment and walked into the courtyard with Kaia.

"I can't believe Grayson was working with Frank on his car.

He had oil on his jeans and on his hands, and before today, I would have thought he was a man who wouldn't allow a piece of lint to cling to his suit jacket. "

"I thought this version of him was hot," Kaia said with a smile. "You like him, don't you, Lexie?"

"God, no! The man is trying to take away our home. I don't like him at all."

"You don't want to like him, but?—"

"No buts. I'm just trying to figure him out.

I need to know who he is so I can find a way to change his mind.

Since my plan of charming the hell out of him is not working very well, I might need to think of another approach.

Anyway, thanks again for the ride, and have fun on your date. Tomorrow, I want details."

"If there's anything worth sharing, you'll be my first call."

After parting ways with Kaia, she headed into her first-floor apartment.

Dropping her bags on the coffee table, she kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the couch for several long minutes, debating her next move.

She'd planned to put on her sweats, heat up some leftovers, and find a movie to watch, but she couldn't stop thinking about Grayson and the injury she'd caused.

Getting up, she moved into the kitchen and opened the freezer.

The ice pack she'd used when she'd pulled a muscle last week was right on the shelf.

The least she could do was take him some ice and apologize again.

Ignoring the fact that he probably had plenty of ice in his own freezer, she grabbed the pack and headed outside and up the stairs.

Grayson answered her knock, still wearing his same dirty clothes, faint streaks of oil still on his hands and forearms. The bump on his forehead was definitely swelling and turning purple.

"Ice pack," she said, holding it up. "For your head. I feel terrible about startling you."

"That's not necessary. I was just going to throw some ice in a towel."

"Well, this is better." She studied his head with concern. "I could take you to urgent care, if you want to get it checked out."

"Lexie, I'm fine. Stop worrying. In fact, why are you worrying?" he asked, sending her a speculative look. "You hate my guts, don't you? Seems like you'd be more concerned about the damage to the hood of that car than to my head."

"I wouldn't say I hate you. That's a little strong. And I certainly don't want to see you hurt."

"Afraid I'll hold it against you? That it will make me want to sell even more?"

She let out a breath, thinking this move was a mistake.

"Believe it or not, I just wanted to make sure you were all right.

I didn't think about it beyond that. You were nice enough to give me a ride to the wedding this morning, and I felt guilty for surprising you and making you bump your head.

That's it." She held out the ice pack. "Take it or leave it. "

He took it from her hand. "Thank you."

She could leave, but instead, she lingered in his doorway. "I was surprised to see you working on Frank's car. You don't seem like a man who likes to get his hands dirty."

"Like I told you this morning, you don't know anything about me."

"I guess I believe that more now. Just like you don't know that much about me. We've both made assumptions, wouldn't you say?"

"Probably." His gaze dropped to her shirt, tipping his head at the purple stain streaking across her blouse. "Rough day at the wedding?"

She glanced down and then nodded. "Three-year-old with purple icing on her very sticky fingers."

"Sounds like fun."

"Fun isn't the word I'd use. But it's over, and I got great shots. In the end, everyone will be happy with the pictures."

"Then it was a successful job."

"It was."

"Good. By the way, I told Frank your battery was dead. He gave me jumper cables, and I put them in the back of my car. I can give you a jump, if you want."

Heat flooded her cheeks as his innocent offer sent her mind in a direction that it shouldn't go. Clearing her throat, she said, "That would be great. But you should rest your head. You don't need to do that now."

"Why don't you give me an hour to clean up, and then we can get your car running?" he suggested.

She was surprised again by his generous offer. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I am, and I suspect you're going to need your car at some point."

"Tomorrow morning, in fact," she admitted.

"Then let's do it tonight. Unless you have other plans. You will need to drive it around for a while to charge the battery. Are you up for that?"

"Sure." She hesitated again, then said, "Since I'll have to drive somewhere, do you want to come with me?

I can take you to dinner. There's this great new restaurant that two of our residents, Madison and Gabe, opened last year.

They usually work Saturday nights. You could meet them, and their food is fantastic.

" Grayson didn't immediately respond, and she couldn't help pushing.

"I owe you for the ride this morning and for helping me with the car.

Please say yes. I don't really want to owe you. "

A slow smile spread across his face at her words. "In that case, I will say yes. Then we'll be even."

"I'll meet you in the parking lot in an hour."

"See you then."

As she turned away from his door, she felt both happy and worried about her impulsive invitation. But considering how bad things had gone so far, tonight could only be better. At least, that was the hope…