I thought about his hair then, those gorgeous curls and his green eyes. I thought about the way he looked when he was biting on his lower lip. Ah fuck it.
Hamilton, I have been thinking about upgrading to someone new
for my "daydreaming"…any thoughts?
I chose my music, and right before I pulled out of the parking lot, I got another text:
Sheridan, I am having several thoughts…
one question though. Still on for the tryst?
I laughed aloud and sent him one more text:
Hamilton, hell yes,
although I will need to be swept off my feet.
He responded in less than a minute:
Here's to getting you off your feet, Grace…
Dammit, he'd first-named me.
Chapter Five
After getting back, I took a quick shower to wash the canyon off. When I was finished, I headed back down to the kitchen, where Holly had gotten home and was heating up the Mr. Chow that I had picked up for dinner.
"How was your day, dear?" I asked, giving her a peck on the cheek in my best 1950's homemaker voice.
"It was busy. I'm glad to be home. I see you had a productive day," she answered, nodding to the magazine that was in the freezer as she removed the bottle of Absolut.
I laughed and said, "I had to hide it. It was making me crazy! I was trying to write training protocols all afternoon and it was calling to me. I finally had to put it away."
I got out the jar of olives and began mixing two dirty martinis.
"How far did you get?" she asked, as she gratefully took the cocktail I handed to her.
"Hmm, let me think. He was talking with his assistant about making some modifications to the time machine. I really love the character of Isaac."
"Wait until you see the actor they got to play him in the film. Super cute." She grinned, taking a sip of her cocktail and shivering a little.
"How much time until dinner?"
"Oh, I'd say about twenty minutes."
That was just enough time to grab my magazine from the freezer again and settle into the living room for a quick, pre-dinner read.
It wasn't too long before I shouted, "Wait…what? His time machine broke? He's stuck in ancient Egypt! He can't get back?" I jumped up, running into the kitchen with a look of panic on my face. Holly was placing all the food on the table.
"Grace, settle down," she soothed.
"But what about Penelope in the first story? Will he get back to see her? Will he get back to his own time? What about…" I stammered, and then realized that I was excessively invested in this book. I attempted to reel it back in a little. "I mean, it just seems that he should have planned ahead for these kinds of mishaps. I don't know. Whatever," I said nonchalantly as I sat down and began nibbling on a spring roll, trying to appear uninterested. "I wonder if, when he gets back, if he gets back…" I ventured, glancing at Holly sideways to see if she was going to give me any information.
"Oh, hell no. I'm not giving it up," she said, rolling her eyes. "You said you didn't want me to give anything away. You'll have to read it and find out."
I sat quietly for a few minutes, sucking on my spring roll, trying to figure out what my next tactic should be.
He couldn't really be stuck there, although the idea of Joshua meeting a pharaoh's daughter had intriguing possibilities. Maybe if I asked nicely, she would at least tell me if…
"You can quit strategizing, dickhead. I'm not telling you a thing," she said again, smiling through a mouthful of garlic noodles.
Busted.
"Man, you suck! I would totally tell you," I countered.
"Like hell you would! Remember when I was in the hospital with pneumonia and I couldn't see Sex and the City until a week after the premiere? I asked you repeatedly whether Carrie and Big got married. Do you remember what you told me?" she said snidely.
"No," I answered, becoming decidedly more interested in my plate of vegetables.
"You said no way in hell would you tell me, you loved me too much to not let me find out for myself. This is the same thing. Sucks for you," she said triumphantly.
"Fine, whatever, I don't care all that much. I probably won't even finish reading it," I grumbled, sipping my Martini.
"Whatever, Grace, you are so Joshua's bitch now. Just like all of us." She chuckled. "Anyway, speaking of all things Sexy Scientist Guy," she continued, "did Jack get hold of you today? He asked for your phone number. Care to share?"
"Yeah, we texted. I wondered where he got my number. When did he ask for it?" I asked, again trying not to show too much interest.
"He called my office today and charmed my assistant into giving it to him. I swear that guy can get practically anything he wants right now. I have people calling my office constantly to book interviews, to schedule promotions, even club owners wanting him there at night. He's really about to blow up big," she sighed as she slurped up more noodles.
"Is he ready for all that? I mean, that's a lot for someone so young," I added.
"Yeah, he's ready. I mean, as ready as anyone can be. He has such a good heart and he's super smart. We're working hard to make sure that this is all manageable and he isn't just being pimped out all around town. Besides, he's having a great time and we're getting offers for some interesting projects. That makes him happy," she replied. "And speaking of having a good time, what's going on with you two? And don't play games with me, missy. I know you way too well for that."
"Holly, I just met him! He seems like a nice kid, and you know I always like meeting the people you represent. He's a funny guy," I protested, pushing back from the table and bringing my plate over to the sink.
"Yeah, we'll see," she snickered, following me.
"Holly, come on! If what you say is true, this guy can have anyone in this town and probably has. With all that fine young tail laid out like a banquet before him, why in the world would he want someone like me? I'm enjoying having a new friend, let's just leave it at that. Besides, I think he's a little young for me," I answered back, beginning to get a little agitated and not sure why.
Because you do think he is too young for you and it's driving you crazy.
"OK snark, settle. You're telling me you don't have the tiniest crush on him? Tell the truth, Grace," she said, cornering me over by the dishwasher.
"I don't have a crush," I debated. "Well, maybe I have half a crush. I have a 'cruh'," I admitted, giggling. "But it's strictly Joshua inspired," I added, knowing that was not entirely true.
"Oh, well hell, even I have a crush on him that's Joshua inspired. How could you not?" she sighed, getting a little goo-goo eyed.
With that, I knew that the discussion was over and I was anxious to get back to my reading. I helped Holly clean up the kitchen and we talked about our plans to go dancing with Nick the next night.
I grabbed my magazines and took them upstairs with me, telling Holly that I was going to go to bed early. After washing my face, I changed into my favorite old white Polo button down. I had been sleeping in this shirt since college. I snuggled down under my duvet and dove back in, determined to find out what the hell happened to Joshua.
***
1:30 a.m.
I was still reading.