Eleanor & Grey(85)

“Mr. East! Mr. East! Over here!” a reporter shouted.

“No, over here, Mr. East!” someone screamed.

“Who are the ladies with you tonight?” another asked.

“Two old high school friends,” Greyson commented with a smile.

Yup, that was me, just an old buddy of a really successful man. Honestly, I hadn’t realized how successful Greyson was until that moment right there.

“Does it feel weird being here without your wife? How are you dealing with her death?” another reporter asked.

“How are you coping with the loss? Is that why these two women are your arm candy?”

I felt Greyson tense up, but he kept that smile of his in place. He thanked them for their time, and we walked off the carpet toward the party.

“That was freaking rude,” I hissed, annoyed with the carelessness of the reporters.

Once we made it inside, Greyson released our arms and gave me a small smile with a slight shrug. “Just a part of the job.”

“Well, that’s ridiculous. You know, if you want, I can go kick their asses for you. I’ve been doing Pilates, and I’m really building up my strength,” I remarked.

Greyson smiled as we walked into the room. “Or, we can just forget them, and take shots of the new whiskey,” he said as a tray of them was presented in front of us. Greyson pointed out the different types. “This one is cinnamon flavored, this one is apple, and this one is kind of like a citrusy-thing. You have to try all three. It’s the rule,” he said.

Well, bottoms up.

The three of us picked up shot after shot, and even though it burned a bit, it was smooth on the way down. Apple was my favorite.

“Oh, my gosh, Greyson! Those are amazing!” Shay exclaimed.

“Which is your favorite?” a voice asked from behind us. We turned to see Landon standing there in a tailored navy suit, looking as dapper as ever. His blond hair was combed back, he wore a burgundy tie that matched his shoes, and I couldn’t lie—he looked amazing.

I was guessing Shay thought the same, because her mouth was currently agape.

I leaned into her. “Shay?”

“Yes?”

“Close your mouth or you’re going to catch flies.”

Her lips formed a tight line and she pulled herself together, standing tall.

“Eleanor, it’s good to see you again.” Landon slid his hands into his pockets, and gave Shay that sly Hollywood smile. “And Shay, long time no see. You look as beautiful as I remember.”

“Whatever, Landon. You look fine.”

He chuckled. “I see you still have that fiery personality.”

“And I see you still haven’t grown into your ears,” she shot back.

They shared a glare for a while, almost as if they were in a staring contest and whoever looked away first would be the loser.

It was becoming very odd, to say the least.

“Uh, okay. Well, I’m gonna go show Ellie around,” Greyson said, placing his hand on my lower back.

I wished he’d stop doing that.

He didn’t realize what kind of nervousness it provoked within me.

“Why do I get the feeling Landon and Shay are going to end up sleeping together by the end of the night?” Greyson whispered against my ear. I swore his lips gently brushed against my lobe. Or maybe I just dreamed of such a thing happening. Either way, my body reacted to his close proximity.

“Oh, because Landon and Shay are totally going to end up sleeping together,” I explained.

We started walking off, and every time a tray of whiskey passed me, I took a shot to help my nerves. The drunker I was for this, the better off I’d be.

Someone bumped into my shoulder and apologized, touching my forearm lightly. I swore it was Captain America and oh my gosh, I am never washing my arm again.

“I want to show you something,” Greyson said, walking me through the crowd of people. We headed toward the VIP area, and when we walked through a door, there was a long hallway with more closed doors. We walked down the halls, and when we reached one of the rooms, I raised an eyebrow. The door was tagged with my name.

“What is this?” I asked.

Greyson pulled out a key card to open it, and when he did, my eyes watered over.

There were strings of white lights hanging across the room, and the floor was covered in blankets and pillows. There was a table with snacks and another with stacks of novels.

“What is this, Grey?”

“I know how overwhelming parties can be for you. So, I made you a reading nook. You know, so you could escape if you needed to.”

He made me a reading nook…

He made me a reading nook!

Goodbye heart. You now belong to Greyson East.

“Thank you, Grey. This is…” I breathed in deep as I saw the stack of Harry Potter books. “This is beyond perfect.”

“I have to go do some press work, but here’s the key card. You can come and go whenever you want. Just show security that and your VIP landyard. There will be a big confetti drop at midnight to celebrate the official launch of the whiskeys, just FYI in case you want to see it. There are also going to be fireworks outside. I know it probably sounds stupid, but it’s actually pretty neat.”

“I’ll be there,” I said, smiling. I could tell how much it meant to him, and I didn’t want to miss it. “I’ll find you.”