Not Planning on You (Danvers #2)(43)
Suzy threw her head back and laughed until tears streamed down her face.
“You’re starting to hurt my ego here, baby, a simple no thank you would have been sufficient. You don’t have to laugh until you collapse.”
“Sorry,” she managed to choke out. “I wasn’t laughing about going to a concert with you; I was laughing because I never imagined you going to one period, unless it was a Harry Connick or Michael Buble. Not that there is anything wrong with them, I just imagined you would like quieter music. I told Claire once that I could never go out with you because you didn’t even own a Bon Jovi Tour shirt and now I find out you saw them in Japan, how cool.”
With a chuckle, Gray said, “Well my conversation with Claire makes a little more sense now. I couldn’t figure out why she was grilling me on my musical preferences and seemed greatly relieved when I mentioned liking a lot of the older rock music. With her being pregnant and all I was terrified of letting her down and making her cry. She looked so serious at the time. Now I know she was just interviewing me to see if I was worthy of dating her friend.”
They talked about other bands that they both liked, and Suzy was surprised to find that their tastes were pretty similar. As if by mutual agreement, they avoided talking about their argument that morning and about Reva. Looking at the road signs, she saw they were getting closer to Charleston. “So where do you live in Charleston? I’ve been there couple of times for weekend trips.”
“I have a place in the French Quarter. Have you been there?”
“Wooo, baby, I’m impressed! Yes, I’ve been there. I bought a beautiful bracelet in a little shop there a few years ago. That’s a gorgeous place. Are you keeping your place there even though you will be living in Myrtle Beach?”
“For now, yes. I’m sure I’ll be going back and forth between the two cities a lot and I’m rather attached to my place there. There are only twelve condominiums in my complex and it’s located in a residential area full of historic homes. I know most of my neighbors by name and there is nothing like strolling around in the quarter on a Sunday. My usual routine when I wasn’t traveling was to stop at one of the outdoor coffee houses there and have a cup of coffee, a pastry and read the paper. I could sit there for hours during the spring and fall. During the summer, you have a brief window before the day starts to heat up.”
Suzy couldn’t help but smile at Gray’s obvious love of the city. She could picture him doing exactly as he described and she also knew that she’d love to be with him some morning holding hands and strolling through the city. Maybe when this whole mess was behind them, they could start over and be a normal, dating couple. Ugh, when have I ever wanted to be normal? Ok, maybe she could settle for an unusual dating couple. Yeah that had a better ring to it.
Suzy looked out the window with interest as they drove through the city. Charleston was called the Holy City, and it was obvious when you drove around how it got its nickname. Churches were more numerous here than anywhere she’d ever traveled to. The architecture was breathtaking and the colors vibrant. Stately old homes kept in pristine condition surrounded by palm trees and colorful flowers gave you a sense of being transported to another time and place. The Ashley River made a perfect backdrop for Battery Park. As they passed White Point Gardens and entered the French Quarter Section, she sighed in pleasure.
This section of Charleston was probably the most suited to her personality. It had almost a hippy feel to it. She was surprised that Gray had a home here. This was probably the most expensive area to live in the city, but she would have expected something a bit more traditional for him. Gray wasn’t the straight arrow she’d always thought him to be. When he pulled up to a gated building complete with a security guard, Suzy smiled as the guard addressed Gray by name. Gray pulled into an underground parking garage and turned off the ignition.
“Home sweet home, baby. Let me help you out and I’ll come back for the bags later. I’m on the top floor, but luckily I have an elevator so it shouldn’t be too hard for you.” He opened his door and stepped out, opening the back door to get her crutches from the backseat. As he helped her from the car, he leaned over to give her a quick kiss as if afraid she’d protest the contact.
Soon they were in the elevator going from the garage floor to the second floor. The hallway they stepped out into was sleek, and she counted four other doors before they came to one at the end of the hall and Gray stuck a key card into the slot on the door. When he swung the door open, he stepped back to allow her to enter the hallway first. She instantly liked the clean lines of his home; everything looked modern, but not cold.
Just as she was turning to get a better view of the living-room, she gave a shriek when a couple sitting on the sofa looked at her curiously. Gray almost barreled into her back not expecting her sudden halt. “What’s the matter, baby?”
As he peered around here, he groaned out loud. “Mom, Dad, what’re you doing here?”
~~~
Suzy wanted to turn around and leave as fast as her crutches would carry her. Even as she seriously considered doing just that, his parents rose from the couch and walked over to where they were standing. Gray’s father was an older version of Gray and Nick. He had dark hair with silver at the temples and he was tall and well-built. He wore a pair of faded jeans and a blue polo shirt. When she looked at his mother she didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. What is it that they say about the bond between little boys and their mothers? God it must be true because Gray is dating his mother. Suzy didn’t look like his mother physically other than maybe height, but they could be twins in their choice of clothing. Gray’s mother was wearing a pair of tight, skinny jeans tucked into a pair of black spike heeled knee boots, a button down white blouse was left loose and a cropped black jacket gave the whole look a fashion punch. She had long blond hair that flowed in waves down her back and perfectly applied makeup that showed off a set of eyes that looked exactly like Gray’s.