CHAPTER SIXTEEN #2
I don’t want to keep fibbing about this to my friends, so I do my best to change the direction of the conversation.
We talk about customer drama at Brews on the Bay, about recent hang sessions with mutual friends, about the latest and greatest in relationship news among our Bayshore circle.
While we chat, I search out Griffin across the party for a quick smile or glance.
Drinks are flowing. The sun is shining. Life is perfect.
Truly.
I relish this feeling for as long as I can, before the doubts creep in, the what ifs, the justifications. Somehow, I have stumbled into perfection. I wish so badly that this 5-star-read studded Griffin cocoon could remain my reality forever.
But I have it for right now.
As the afternoon whiles on, we meet and greet with tons of Bayshore locals and old friends.
Grant Liddell has always thrown these summertime soirees, though this is the first one I’ve ever been able to attend.
I migrate to the appetizer table set up on the enclosed porch to grab another fizzy summer drink.
I’m on my way back to the lounge chairs the girls and I have set up when a guy steps into my path.
“Hey there. Hi. I’m Will.” Will offers his hand. He’s tall and imposing, a broad-shouldered man in a polo shirt and mint green shorts. “I’ve seen you lounging and had to come say hi.”
“Hello, Will.” I shake his hand, offering a small smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m Casey.”
“Are you from the area?” He tilts his head, leaning in. I can tell he’s angling for something; I just don’t know what. This has equal chance of turning into flirtation or an insurance pitch.
“I am. Bayshore born and raised. What about you?”
“Moved here for work. I’m in tech.” He looks proud, and I get the urge to pat his shoulder and walk away.
“Casey! Time to dip!” Roxie calls out, shedding her sundress at the lounge chair.
“That’s my cue,” I tell Will, drifting their way.
“Have fun, Will!” When I hit the lounge chairs, I tear off my sundress.
I wonder if Griffin is watching and if so, what he thinks.
I glance around the area, searching him out, but I can’t see him.
Roxie, Julie, Sara, and I head for the pool steps, joining a small handful of others in the water already.
“God, this feels so good,” Sara groans.
“Grant, can we live with you?” Roxie calls out as Grant walks past the edge of the pool.
“Of course, Roxie. If you promise to share a room with me,” he cracks.
“I wouldn’t say no,” Roxie replies.
“What about me?” I ask.
Grant grimaces and shakes his head. “I don’t think Griffin would like that too much. I don’t wanna piss that guy off.”
Warmth vines through me. He’s not wrong. And the more I drink, the more I wish Griffin would come out with what’s happening between us.
“They’re just friends,” Sara says, drawing out the “just friends” part.
We chill along the pool wall, enjoying the hot sun and the cold drinks.
Soon, Griffin and Branson enter the water, though they keep to the far end.
I manage to share a sweet smile with Griffin, and I do a good job at making sure I don’t turn into a grinning fool afterward. I can be casual. I can be normal.
I am the epitome of a friend with benefits.
Until Will shows up again. He has shed his polo and shorts and joined the pool population.
He beelines toward us, ignoring all the girls except me.
He crowds my space, towering over me again as he talks about the tech industry and asking me questions about my job, my salary, my history.
I can’t tell if he’s trying to flirt or trying to recruit me.
Either way, it’s super annoying. Roxie goes off to find us bottles of water while Sara and Julie float away to chat with another friend.
I’m trying to be polite to this guy, but I could not care less about what he’s saying.
“So what are your prospects back in Chicago?” he asks. “Do you need help transitioning to tech?”
“Oh boy.” I’m not sure where to begin with this one. “I’m not really interested in tech so—” My sentence gets cut off with a splash of water. My jaw drops as I search out the offender. Griffin is grinning devilishly from a distance away.
“Jeez! Drive-by splashing. So, yeah, I’m not looking to change industries. If anything, I’m looking to get into the book space—”
“Publishing doesn’t have the same opportunity as tech,” Will says, which is only the fifth or sixth thing he’s said so far that has irked and ruffled me.
“We should get together sometime and talk about options. And life in general.” He laughs and floats a bit closer.
Now I wonder if this has been flirtation the entire time.
“Uh,” I begin, but another wave of water hits me in the face. Griff’s deep laugh is all I can hear as I grapple with the face full of water.
“What the hell?” I sputter, smoothing my hair back. I remove my sunglasses to fling the water droplets off. Griffin is floating away, eyes locked on me, like daring me to come after him. Or maybe daring Will to say something.
“Anyway,” I say, replacing my sunglasses, “I’m pretty set on my job prospects. And my life prospects.”
Will doesn’t take a hint. I need to be more direct, but he launches into another dissertation on why tech is the way to go and I need to be smart and follow his advice. My lord this guy is a downer. Each time I try to gracefully excuse myself, he doubles down.
Just as he’s about to launch another justification for why he’s the smartest man in the pool, a beach ball bonks me on the head.
A laugh escapes me. And then I see Griffin nearby, laughing too.
Will twists to follow my gaze. “Is that guy your boyfriend…?”
I see my out. I take it without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yes,” I say.