Chapter 2
two
GRIFFIN
T he sounds of the shop closing for the evening were like music to his ears.
Griffin watched as Julio and Sean left for the evening.
It was just past five in the evening, and the sun was setting beyond the horizon.
The daylight hours were getting shorter as summer slowly came to an end.
He was not looking forward to the impending days when the sunlight disappeared even earlier.
He didn’t enjoy working in the dark. The cold weather didn’t bother him too much, but the dark days were rough.
There were a few things that still needed to be done around the office before he could retire for the evening.
Griffin stifled a groan at the work waiting for him.
He was looking forward to putting his feet up and relaxing with a cold beer.
It had been another long week. He missed the days when he didn’t have to do the bullshit paperwork, but since he’d fired Delilah a couple of months ago, the paperwork just kept piling up.
Thankfully, Julio and Sean were both competent mechanics, able to keep the shop running smoothly and complete orders on time so he could handle the administrative tasks, but, dammit, he missed the hands-on work.
Griffin wasn’t cut out for office work. He’d known from the start.
Firing Delilah had been a long time coming, though.
Griffin first hired her when he was desperate for some help around the office.
She had been young and enthusiastic and came with a great recommendation from his long-term client, Henderson.
And, begrudgingly, she was good at her job for a while.
Unfortunately, Delilah got it into her head he was interested in her romantically and wanted to pursue a more intimate relationship than one he was comfortable with.
At first, the flirting was irritating, but when it didn’t seem to work, she doubled her efforts by dressing provocatively at work.
The guys all noticed—of course they did.
They’d even given him a hard time about it, too.
They made jokes about an illicit office affair between him and his secretary. None of which was true.
Despite his efforts to set clear professional boundaries as her boss, Delilah was frustratingly persistent.
A couple of months ago, he let Julio and Sean leave work early.
It had been a slow week for them, and he could finish the rest of the job by himself.
He thought he’d heard Delilah leaving earlier, but the rhythmic thump of his wrench against the underside of the car and the music blaring through the radio masked what he’d thought was her departure.
Imagine his surprise when someone climbed onto his lap. He’d barely resisted the urge to bolt upright and bang his head against the car.
Fingers crawled up his abdomen as Griffin quickly rolled himself out from under the car.
He’d known who it was before seeing her face.
He could barely suppress the rage at her audacity.
He should have fired her a long time ago, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt. He could no longer ignore her advances.
“Delilah. What do you think you’re doing?” he’d bit out through a clenched jaw, forcibly removing her from his lap.
She’d pouted when he plopped her unceremoniously onto the dirty cement floor.
“I thought you sent the guys home so we could be alone together.”
Brows furrowed in confusion, he’d noticed she’d changed from what she’d been wearing earlier. Instead of the low-cut shirt and skirt she’d often wear around the office, she was now wearing a shirt so sheer that he could see the red lace of her bra.
He stood up to put some distance between them.
“You thought wrong.” Heat crawled up his neck with his repressed fury .
She scrambled to stand up, straightening her outfit and fixing her hair. He’d never once let his eyes stray. Griffin was man enough to admit she was an attractive woman, but he’d never been interested in Delilah sexually.
He’d been patient with her, hoping she’d get the clue he would never sleep with her.
“Delilah, this has gone too far. You’re fired.” The harsh words left his mouth and hung in the air between them.
Griffin had watched, unmoved, as tears filled her blue eyes.
“You-you’re f-firing me?” Her tears spilled over as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t do that!”
Griffin tried not to flinch at her shrill voice. Hands braced on his hips, he stepped away from her. He knew exactly where the security cameras were in the garage. In the event things went south, he needed irrefutable proof that he was not the aggressor.
“I’ll leave so you can pack up your things in peace.” Giving her a curt nod, he’d turned and exited through the open garage bay doors.
That was the last time he’d seen Delilah.
The paperwork could wait until tomorrow. Decision made, he turned off the computer and hoisted himself out of the chair with a groan.
Griffin made his way to the back lot. He pursed his lips, let out a sharp whistle, and waited impatiently for the sound of Rover’s giant paws on the packed dirt as he bounded from the woods.
When Rover was not by his side in the shop, he liked to go into the woods to hunt for bunnies and squirrels.
Hunting was probably a strong word for what he really did with the forest animals.
More like rolling in the grass and frolicking like the big buffoon he was.
“Come on, buddy, let’s go home.”
They walked side-by-side across the street to the two-story house he’d built across from the auto body shop about five years ago.
His property bordered Crystal Hollow Lake, a large lake that offered him stunning sunrises and sunsets daily.
He’d loved watching the boats coming back to the dock in the evenings as Rover ran around the backyard.
For years, he lived in the apartment above the shop, and when the opportunity came for him to buy the lakefront property across the street, he’d pounced on it. It had taken over a year before he could move into his home, but it was well worth the wait to have his own sanctuary.
Opening the front door, he stripped out of his coveralls in the hallway. He normally kept it at the shop, but he did not want to stick around for another minute with Delilah there. The last thing he needed was to be caught in a precarious situation with him being partially undressed.
Griffin dragged his feet into the shower after hanging up his coveralls in the hallway closet.
His home was small, but it had everything he needed.
Normally, he’d cook dinner for himself and Rover, but tonight, he just wanted to relax.
Hair damp from the shower, Griffin trekked to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers in the microwave.
While he waited for his food to get nuked, he grabbed an IPA out of the fridge.
The beer made a satisfying fizz when he cracked it open with the bottle opener attached to his fridge.
The bitter taste exploded across his taste buds.
He let out a sigh as his tensed muscles loosened.
Rover was already waiting for him in the living room for their evening routine, which consisted of watching the news before bedtime.
The microwave chimed. He carried his dinner and beer to the living room. He’d just turned on the TV and put his feet up before he heard the unmistakable sound of his phone ringing.
“Fucking Christ, can’t a guy catch a damn break?” A rhetorical question as Rover glanced up from his spot with furrowed brows.
He didn’t look at who was calling him before barking into the offending object in his hand.
“Hello?” The sound of static filled his ears as he waited for whoever dared to interrupt his evening to answer. After a moment of silence, the static cleared as a woman’s soft voice came on the line.
“Oh. Hi! I didn’t expect anyone to answer so quickly. The service out here is terrible.”
“What do you want?” Griffin winced at his harsh words.
“Oh, um, I need help.” Her voice seemed to crack on the last word. “My car broke down, and I’m about ten miles from town.”
Griffin bit back a curse. He dragged in a deep, calming breath before he said anything else he’d regret later. He couldn’t let her be stranded on the side of the road. Besides, he knew Ricky was out of town for the weekend and wouldn’t be back for a few more days.
“Yeah, alright. Give me a few minutes.” His heavy sigh hung between them.
“Oh, thank—” Her phone cut off before she could finish her statement.
Groaning, Griffin took his beer back to the kitchen and watched as it went down the drain. It was his favorite IPA, but there were plenty in the fridge.
Maybe tomorrow he’d have better luck on a relaxing evening, but now, he needed to rescue a damsel in distress.
Griffin scoffed at the idea of being someone's knight in shining armor.