Deadly Proposal(69)
“Wax?” James wrinkled his nose, confused.
Mandy shifted uncomfortably. Ally leaned in, whispering something in James’ ear, causing him to blush.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh,” Ally said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Men, I swear.”
James blew out a sigh. “Fine. But we’re walking you down there, and you’re not taking a step outside of that place until we pick you up. Deal?”
Ally squealed excitedly. “Yay!”
“Get your coats,” James said, rolling his eyes in Jake’s direction. “Women.”
“Oh, we’re going to need your credit card,” Ally said, pausing at the door. “The wax is for you, after all.”
James raised his eyebrows but nodded. “Of course you do.”
GRADY hadn’t been inside of Barker Creek’s small community bank in almost eight years. It still looked exactly the same.
“This place is … .” Sophie glanced around, her face expressionless.
“It’s a blast from the past,” Grady said. “There’s no doubt. The modern world fights coming here.”
“Wow. This town is stuck in a time loop or something.”
“It’s just small,” Grady said, putting his hand at the small of her back as he searched the bank. His eyes fell on a blonde woman, one he vaguely recognized, in the small office to the right of the lobby. “There’s Anna.”
Sophie followed his gaze. “She was your prom date?”
“She looked different,” Grady said. “She was a cheerleader.”
“Of course she was.”
“If I had to do it over again, I would troll for dates in newspaper office,” Grady said, kissing her cheek. “I had no idea what a goldmine that place could be. Let’s get this over with.”
Grady knocked on the open door, waiting for Anna to look up. When she did, her face broke into a wide smile. “Oh my gawd! Grady Hardy!”
Grady accepted her exuberant hug, even though he was uncomfortable when she crushed her ample bosom into his chest. “You look great, Anna.”
“I just had a baby,” she said. “I’m still trying to shed the baby weight.”
“That’s got to be tough,” Sophie said, trying to ignore the way Anna was pawing at her boyfriend. “How old is the baby?”
“He’s four.”
“Oh.”
Grady exchanged a small smile with Sophie, closing the office door behind them before settling into one of the two open chairs.
“I can’t believe you’re back in town,” Anna said. “How long has it been?”
“I come back from time to time,” Grady replied. “I haven’t lived here since graduation, though.”
“Yeah, all of you Hardys picked up and left town the minute you graduated,” Anna said. “How is Ally?”
“She’s still causing trouble.”
“And your brothers?”
“They’re still causing trouble, too.”
“Well, that’s good.”
The room lapsed into silence.
“So, what can I do for you?” Anna asked, finally breaking the silence. “Are you looking for a mortgage? Maybe moving back to the area with your … wife?” She searched Sophie’s hand for a ring.
Grady’s smile was easy and relaxed. “Girlfriend,” he corrected. “This is Sophie.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Anna said. “Grady and I used to date.”
“I heard,” Sophie said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. The woman was married with a kid, and yet she was still trying to mark her territory from almost a decade before.
“So, are you looking for a mortgage?”
“Actually, I need some information,” Grady said. He launched into a story, one that was mostly true, glossing over a few unnecessary details, and then waited for Anna to respond.
“Wait, Amanda Avery is with James? Your brother, James?”
“Um, yeah,” Grady said. “They live together.”
“No way.”
“Yes, way.”
Anna’s face was flushed with disbelief. “Amanda Avery? The mousy blonde who used to wear hoodies that were too big for her and walk around with that sketchpad all the time?”
“She looks a little different now,” Grady said. “There’s nothing mousy about her.”
“And they’re really together?”
Sophie didn’t like the woman’s attitude. She was clearly still stuck in high school, and Sophie hated women like that. The way she was looking Grady up and down like a porterhouse steak was also adding to her overt dislike.
“They’re together,” Grady said. “About the account … .”