All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Thirty Three

        Over the next few days, Grayson and I fell into a nice routine. We would wake up as good friends and nothing more, I would head back to my room to get ready for the day, take him to work, then spend the day galavanting around the city. At five I would pick him up and we'd figure out dinner, usually takeout, then simply reside in the penthouse. Sometimes we'd watch a movie together, but other than that we stayed separate.

        It wasn't until Saturday we had a conversation that we have a personal discussion about something that wasn't required. (Unlike the conversation about dropping someone's toothbrush in the toilet. I won't say who or whose toothbrush.) Grayson walked into the living room to find me watching basketball. He leaned on the back of the couch, watching for a moment before asking, "Did you and Tay ever do the coffee thing?" 

        "What coffee thing?" I asked, eating a chip.

        Grayson was unfazed by the chip. "I thought you were going to ask him out."

        "Decided not to," I said absentmindedly.

        He raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask why?" 

        Reluctantly, I gave him my full attention as I said, "I...felt bad about cheating."

        "Oh, I don't mind," he said cheerily.

        "Okay, but I do," I sighed. "I know we both know it's fake and neither of us actually care for each other, but I couldn't live with myself if I just got a boyfriend while I was married. Maybe my love life is screwed up, but I'm not a cheater." 

        Grayson paused for a long moment before slowly saying, "Okay, as much as I admire your morality, you're twenty-three, Jackie. You should be out seeing the world and going to concerts and cool restaurants and having adventures. While a boyfriend doesn't solve all or any of that, what I'm saying is you should get to date while you're young. It shouldn't matter that we accidentally got married; you deserve to go on dates with guys you like."

        "I'm a year younger than you, but you sound like you're fifty," I teased. "And don't worry about me being young. We all know that if I was back in Arlington I'd be working an extra shift today then treating myself with a run to the grocery store."

        "Jackie, I'm serious! If you like Tay, you should ask him out," he said, sitting down on the couch next to me.

        "What if I don't like Tay?" I challenged.

        Grayson snorted a little. "You like Tay." 

        "Can I be honest? Yes, he's cute, yes he's good at flirting, but he's just not really my type," I groaned. Clearly discussing my crushes with my husband made sense.

        "I can see that," he laughed.

        "Not that that's bad, I just don't think it'd go anywhere so I don't want to bother," I said, turning my attention back to the game.

        We sat quietly for a while, and I thought the conversation was over until he said, "You're a good person, Jacks."

        "Thanks, but I'm not like a saint or anything. I mean, look how I met you," I pointed out.

        "Fair. But still," he said, shrugging.

        I shrugged too, unsure of what to talk about now. Falling back into wifey mode, I asked, "How is work going?"

        "Honestly, really well," Grayson said. "Dad's been helping me with all the boss stuff, so I'll be ready to take over after the wedding. The poor man is ready to retire, and he has to have a successor he can depend on."