Chapter 559

Moran Albright, who’d been bored out of his mind all evening, finally cracked a smile when he saw Granger Harden approach. “There you are! I was about to die of boredom without you.”
Granger chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. He gave Vesta Hawkins a brief nod of acknowledgment as he sat down next to Moran.
Leah Spencer hadn’t known Granger was coming. The memory of his blunt rejection was still painfully fresh, so after one quick glance, she lowered her head and refused to look at him again.
“We’re playing Werewolf later,” Moran announced. “Good thing Thorne’s not here. We can actually have fun for once instead of him winning every single round. It completely ruins the experience for the rest of us.”
Granger, despite having already eaten, grabbed a few skewers from the grill. He clinked his bottle against Moran’s. “Sounds good.”
After they’d eaten for a bit, Moran and the others were itching to start the game. But as they played, Granger’s mind was elsewhere. He’d been scanning the campsite ever since he arrived, but there was still no sign of Charlene Ross.
Two rounds later, just as a new game was about to begin, Granger paused. With a casual smile, he tapped Moran’s shoulder and gestured toward the other side of the clearing. “I’m gonna go say hi to someone.”
Moran glanced over and saw Stewart Ferguson. Not thinking anything of it, he waved him off. “Yeah, yeah, go ahead.” Then he turned right back to the game.
The others might not have noticed, but Vesta had seen Granger’s distraction all night. Granger, however, was so oblivious to her that he had no idea she’d read him like a book. She pressed her lips into a thin line as he eagerly made his way toward Charlene, his thoughts clearly consumed by her.
Moran had noticed Vesta seemed down, but he just figured it was because Thorne hadn’t shown up.
Leah was also watching Granger leave. She hadn’t dared to look at him much, but she’d seen enough to know he’d noticed her and pointedly ignored her. The rejection stung, and now, watching him walk away, she felt a fresh wave of frusery that killed any interest she had left in the game. s
Stewart had just come back to grab some drinks and was surprised to see Granger He’d assumed both he and Thorne had skipped the event. A quick scan of the area confirmed Thorne really was absent. s
As Granger approached, Stewart offered a polite greeting. “Mr. Harden.”
Granger smiled back. “Mr. Ferguson.” He paused for a beat before asking, “Is Ms. Ross not here tonight?”
Stewart knew they were working together and seemed to be on good terms. He pointed. “She’s here. Right over there.”
Granger’s eyes followed his gesture. Noticing the drinks in Stewart’s hand, he asked, “Are those for Ms. Ross? Mind if I tag along? I’ve been meaning to say hello.”
Stewart, thinking it showed a commendable level of dedication to his business partner, nodded. “Of course.” Newest update provided by.net
As they walked, Granger finally spotted Charlene. But she wasn’t alone. York Watson and Gaylord Hearst were with her.
At the sound of their approach, York and Gaylord turned. Gaylord’s expression immediately soured at the sight of Granger while York just looked surprised. “Mr. Harden, you made it.” s