Chapter 29
twenty-nine
QUYNH
Q uynh jolted awake, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. A chilling sense of foreboding washed over her as the vestiges of her nightmares faded away. The details of her night terrors escaped her, though the uneasiness the visions provoked still gripped her.
Try as she might, she couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling clinging to her like a menacing phantom.
She tried to stay busy in the office, but the pit in her stomach persisted.
It didn’t help she had trouble falling asleep despite Griffin tiring her out with his insatiable appetite.
Her mind whirled for hours while she grappled with Ruth’s hostility until she fell into a fitful slumber.
After Griffin fixed her car yesterday, they celebrated with him down on his knees while he spread her out across the dinner table.
Her toes curled in her flats at thoughts of how voracious Griffin’s appetite had been.
Only when Griffin was satisfied that he brought her to climax properly did he reward her with another home-cooked meal.
If she wasn’t careful, she’d get used to being spoiled. On top of probably gaining much-needed weight with how much he loved to cook for her. Her days of eating ramen seemed so far away now.
When taking Rover for a walk around the lake, they ran into their new neighbors, Ben and Emily, who were surveying the property to prepare for the move.
They seemed like a lovely couple, and it was nice to see another Asian woman in town.
They revealed they were moving for their growing family.
Pretty soon, their quiet neighborhood will be filled with the sounds of a small child.
The thought made her smile, and thinking about how Griffin’s mood darkened at the prospect of noisy mornings made her chuckle to herself in the otherwise quiet office.
The day passed by in a blur. She pushed thoughts of her encounter with Ruth into a box and sealed it up tightly. There was no time to examine how she felt about her stepsister right now.
Before she knew it, it was already lunchtime. The bell chimed, announcing the entrance of a customer. The guys only used the side door, which didn’t have a bell, but it was pretty obvious when it was opened because of the noise filtering into the office before it was shut.
Quynh emerged from the office with a practiced smile as she greeted the newcomer. She placed the files she was sorting through on the front desk as she sat down in her chair.
“How can I help you?”
A stunning younger woman stood in the lobby, hands clenching bags with what smelled like food.
Quynh furrowed her brow in confusion. She hadn’t heard the guys mention ordering lunch.
Usually, Quynh took care of making sure the guys all took their lunch breaks.
Sometimes, they’d order food from the local deli or pizzeria.
“I brought lunch for the boys. They usually eat around this time. I’ll just bring it back to them.”
The woman made to move around the desk when Quynh stood up to stop her. She didn’t know who the woman was, but she couldn’t just prance back there.
“Do they know you’re coming?”
“Who the hell are you?”
Taken aback by her rude tone, Quynh inspected the blonde bombshell in front of her. She was taller than Quynh by a couple of inches, even without the stiletto heels adorning her feet, hips wrapped in a tight miniskirt with a low-cut form-fitting top which revealed more than it covered.
“Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll grab Griffin.”
Quynh gestured to the open seats in the lobby and watched as she stomped off, heels clacking loudly against the tiles.
It was a marvel to her how anyone could walk in heels that high without falling.
Didn’t seem comfortable. She’d probably break her damn ankles if she tried on a pair, much less try to walk in them.
Once the sour-faced blonde plopped in a chair, Quynh made sure the computers were password-locked before entering the garage bay.
Griffin was bent over the hood of a Mustang when he spotted her. His contemplative eyes seemed to brighten when they landed on her before the corners pinched together in a frown.
“What is it, Quynh?”
She tried not to flinch at his harsh tone. He’d been grumpy all morning.
“Um…there’s a woman here asking to see you.”
She wasn’t sure it was possible for his frown to deepen, but somehow, he pulled it off.
A hundred questions ran through her mind, but she ignored them.
Instead, she backed away when Griffin approached.
She could have sworn he growled before stopping before her.
He grabbed a rag and wiped his dirty hands on it, wiping them free of the grease coating his fingers.
She bit her tongue so she wouldn’t drool and focused on the pain.
The sight of his forearm muscles flexing as he completed a mundane task was causing her libido to go wild.
Get yourself together, Quynh! Stop drooling over the man!
S he was probably making a fool of herself by staring at him. When she looked at his face, a knowing smirk replaced his frown.
Oops.
So what if he caught me checking him out? He shouldn’t be so damn handsome.
She pulled her shoulders back and stood taller, as tall as her 4’11” frame could get, before walking back into the main lobby. Griffin was hot on her heels. Shivers racked up and down her spine at his body heat.
Quynh took her place behind the computer and pretended to go back to work. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked past the desk to the main lobby.
The squeal of delight almost shattered her eardrums.
“Griffin, baby! I missed you!”
Quynh shrank in her seat in embarrassment.
Baby? Oh my god, was that his girlfriend?
He told her he wasn’t seeing anyone.
Did he lie to me?
She watched in horror as the woman launched herself into Griffin’s arms. Her stomach churned at the thought of another woman in his arms.
I’m going to be sick.
Clutching her stomach, she murmured a quiet ‘excuse me’ as she made a hasty retreat into the hallway. This was all too much. First Ruth, now this woman.
Why can’t I catch a break, for once ?
Her ragged breathing sounded loud in her ears as she raced to the back. She needed to get out of there before she passed out from hyperventilating. The walls were closing in on her. Once she was in the stairwell, she ran up the flight of stairs, quickly locking the door behind her.
I am such an idiot.
She slammed her head against the door a few times and groaned, her heart still pounding in her chest.
She was about to walk away from the door when she heard stomping steps echoing from the hallway. Only one guess who it might be. Quickly, she fumbled to deadbolt the door and backed away just as a hard fist pounded at the door.
“Quynh! Open up!”
She jumped at his angry tone. She wasn’t scared of him hurting her. She just didn’t want to talk to him right now. It was humiliating enough being the other woman. She didn’t need to listen to any excuses or lies from his filthy mouth. Not when she needed to sort through her own thoughts first.
She owed it to herself to at least figure out what she wanted. It wasn’t like they were dating or exclusive. While she asked him if he was seeing other women, it never crossed her mind he would lie to her face.
It stung more than the betrayal. She didn’t think he’d been physical with any other women in the short time they’d been together .
What do I even know?
Griffin pounded at the door again.
“Goddammit, Quynh. Let me in. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Go away!”
Her voice was thick with tears, catching her by surprise.
“Sunshine, please.”
There was a soft thud at the door.
What was he doing out there?
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” Her voice came out strong, unwavering in her conviction. This was a boundary she wasn’t ready to relent. She needed to be clear-headed and not let his eyes or body sway her from seeing the truth.
Despite being a mostly rational person, she was not immune to Griffin’s charms.
“This isn’t over, Quynh.”
She heard him swearing under his breath, having her ear pressed against the door when he’d stopped pounding on it.
When his footsteps retreated, and she heard the door close downstairs, she let out a breath.
“Yes, it is.”
Finally alone, she let the tears fall. Griffin could deal with taking care of his business without her for one afternoon while she hid and licked her wounds. She’d barely processed what her encounter with Ruth meant for her, and then this happened. It was all too much. She needed to be alone.
Wincing, she was attacked by her conscience.
She was planning to drive the newly revived Shelly to her father’s place later this afternoon for a visit, but there was no way she was fit for company.
The time she spent with her father was mostly her talking.
It was almost like a therapy session she hadn’t meant to sign up for.
Sorting through her mother’s memories and wading through the emotional implications of her father’s guilt was…
a lot. Sometimes, it left her emotionally raw, and she just wasn’t up to it today.
Tomorrow, though, she’d suck it up and be a big girl. She would pick herself up by her bootstraps and soldier on. Just like she had always done her entire life.
She didn’t need a man to make her happy.
Even if Griffin was the first man in a long time to truly see her.
Or the first man to take care of her. She hadn’t known how lonely she was until he started showering her with his attention.
He was the desperate thunderstorm during a drought, providing the life-giving hydration to a wilted flower like her.
That’s what she was. A wilted flower that lacked the water or sunshine necessary to flourish.
She needed to deal with reality. It had been weeks since she thought about her apartment and what waited for her there. She needed time and space, and going home was exactly what she needed to do.
Except, when she thought about home, it wasn’t her empty apartment that came to mind but the gruff mechanic who stomped all over her heart.
Regardless of the possible misunderstanding, she needed to take care of business. Quynh had avoided her responsibilities long enough. Though it hurt, she needed to leave town.
The sooner, the better.