"Look, Grant. I appreciate the offer. Really, I do, but I'm a big girl. I've been on my own long enough now. Driving through a couple of states by myself is no biggie. Trust me. You know how protective my mom has always been."
"All that being said, it's still not a bad idea for us to drive together. We are going to the same place. Just think, if we ride together, we can share the driving duties and get there even faster," he reasoned as an employee led us out to the airport shuttle. >"Like a couple of hours, probably. What's your deal? Do you need to hit the john?" he asked as I did my "I'm dying without my phone" dance.
"Still not funny. I happen to need my purse more than the average person," I stated, looking around for anyone who could help me. The airport staff were scattered about, but seemed to have more important duties than to retrieve lost purses at the moment.
Grant's indifference swiftly changed to concern as he stood up to help me search. "I didn't realize you needed it that bad. Is it for health reasons or something? I should have grabbed it before we left the airplane," he said, spotting a flight attendant across the room. "Let me see if we can get you what you need," he threw over his shoulder as I watched him stride purposefully for help.
Crap, he thought I needed medicine or something from my bag. Embarrassment flooded me. I should have called him back, but my desire to have my phone outweighed my remorsefulness. Besides, it wasn't my fault he had misunderstood me. I never said I had medicine in my purse. All I had said was I needed it more than the average person, which was technically true. My entire business was run by the electronic devices in my bag.
I was still rooted to the same spot when Grant returned, looking concerned. "They're going to see about getting you your bag. Are you feeling okay? Maybe you should go to the hospital. I'm sure they will have the medication you need on hand."
I shifted my weight to my other foot, feeling like a complete ass. I couldn't believe how concerned he was. "It's not medication I need from my bag," I admitted.
"It's not?" he asked. His eyebrows came together with confusion.
"No, I need my iPad and my phone."
"Are you serious? I thought you were diabetic or something," he said through gritted teeth.
"I need to call my mom, but I also make a living on those devices, so you can wipe that look off your face," I said in a huff.
We both watched the flight attendant talking to an airport official as she pointed in my direction.
"Great, what did you tell her?" I asked under my breath.
"What do you think I told them? I thought you needed your bag."
"Well, I do," I said defensively, though the guilt was now gnawing at me.
He looked at me incredulously for a minute. "For your phone."
"Well, you should have asked before charging off like some knight in shining armor."
He muttered something under his breath that I didn't quite catch, but I ignored him. I felt guilty over the mix-up, but a part of me still just wanted my bag. Time slowly trickled by and after a half an hour passed, it became clear finding my purse wasn't a priority. I watched with envy as Grant extracted his phone from his pocket and proceeded to make a call. I didn't have to attempt to eavesdrop since he didn't seem to care that everyone in the vicinity could hear him. The conversation sounded one-sided as Grant only interrupted occasionally to reassure the person on the other line that he was okay. I felt an odd stirring in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to admit I was jealous that he obviously had a special someone who cared for him and I had no one. I was proud of the success I had reached with my business, but it didn't change the fact that when I left Woodfalls four years ago, I thought it was only a matter of time until I found Mr. Right. I wanted a relationship like my parents had, one that stood the test of time and was an equal amount of give and take. Now, five years later, I had dated enough guys to realize that Mr. Right was tougher to find than I thought.
My spirits perked up when I heard him address the person on the other line. He was talking to his mother. Thank goodness. Wait, that was harsh, I thought. It wasn't like his love life was any of my business. It was all but a given in high school that he would marry Amanda when we graduated, which was one of the reasons I had hightailed it out of Woodfalls. Even now, I made a point anytime I talked to my cousin Tressa to never ask about it. Only one person in Woodfalls knew about my past crush on Grant, and I knew that person would take that secret to the grave.
He gave his mom one more reassurance before hanging up. "My mom," he acknowledged after hanging up his phone, not that I needed the clarification. I nodded, though my eyes were focused on his phone. He grinned mischievously, wagging his phone in front of me. "Did you want to use my phone?" he asked. I reached out to snatch it, but he pulled it just out of reach. "Say please," he teased.
"Please," I said through a fake smile. This was the Grant I remembered, always the tease. I made another grab for the phone.
"And you're sorry you deceived me before," he added, pulling the phone away again.
I glared at him before turning away. He could shove his damn phone for all I cared. This was why he had infuriated me so much in school.
"Here, I was kidding," he said, holding the phone in front of my face.
I made no move to grab it. I knew him too well. I knew once I tried, he would move it again. Sucker me couldn't help myself. He moved it at the last second—of course.
"Say it," he taunted.
"God, are you ever going to grow up?" I fumed, glaring out the large window.
"Do you mean am I ever going to become uptight like some people?" he asked, looking at me pointedly. "I sure hope not," he added, shuddering dramatically. "Don't you get sick of always taking life so seriously?"
"We're adults, Grant. It's what adults do."
"It's what adults do," he mocked in a deep voice. "Oh my god. Obviously you're not hearing yourself. You're twenty-three, not forty-three. I bet you were a barrel of laughs in college," he laughed.