Chapter 41
forty-one
QUYNH
A fter a day of sightseeing, they stopped at the local grocery store so Griffin could pick up some items for dinner. He had told her he wanted to cook dinner for her tonight, but when the cart started filling up, she became suspicious of his motives.
She kept throwing questioning glances his way as he continued to throw things into the cart.
When he went to check out, she tried to ask him why he needed so many things for tonight, but he just gave her a flat look before rolling past her to check out.
When she offered to pay, he balked at her, which made her stifle a smile.
Now, she admired the view as he bent halfway into the fridge to put away the cold items. He bought enough food to stock her refrigerator.
Quynh tried not to read too much into the gesture, though it was much too late for her heart, which was melting at his thoughtfulness.
When he straightened up, Quynh pretended to be busy cleaning the countertop .
They moved around each other in her small kitchen like a synchronized dance, predicting the other’s next move.
Every time their bodies touched, lightning bolts shot straight through her, making her nerve endings tingle with awareness.
She made her way to the small table in the corner and set the table.
Whatever Griffin was cooking smelled delicious.
The smells and sounds of Griffin expertly cooking filled the air, making her stomach rumble with hunger.
Her mouth watered at the prospect. It had been weeks since her last home-cooked meal.
She loved Griffin’s meals. He was a natural in the kitchen.
Quynh wondered absently if he would have been a chef in another life had he not fallen into the role of being a mechanic.
When it was time to plate the food, Griffin frowned at her when she tried to help him. Griffin looked pointedly at her seat. She bit back a smile and sat down obediently. She missed this side of him. Griffin seemed to enjoy taking care of her.
Who am I to deny him the pleasure?
She tried not to drool as he served the delicious meal he whipped up in her small kitchen. Shrimp scampi. Her favorite meal. She never had it home-cooked before. She waited patiently while he served himself and then sat down before digging in.
“Oh my god, this is so good!” When the flavors hit her tongue, she moaned in appreciation.
She twirled the pasta around her fork and brought it to her open mouth for a bite.
Pausing with the fork halfway to her mouth, she realized Griffin was quiet.
She looked up to see he was staring at her mouth with a hungry expression.
She blushed as she figured out where his wayward thoughts had gone. It didn’t help that she was moaning with appreciation over his food. She put the fork down gently and crossed her hands on top of each other on the table.
“Griffin. Eat before your food gets cold,” she admonished, though she knew he wouldn’t take her tone seriously.
Griffin merely grunted before reaching for his fork.
She remained still and watched him as he ate.
She watched as the muscles in his forearms flexed when he brought the fork to his mouth.
And how his biceps bulged in his white t-shirt.
Griffin made eating a sensual experience.
From the way he moved effortlessly in the kitchen to the almost erotic way he prepared the meals, down to the way he ate.
She struggled to not squirm in her seat when she watched the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. Quynh picked her fork back up and resumed eating, trying to not make any more noises. She really didn’t want the meal to go to waste. She knew their self-control was barely there.
After a tense moment of eating, Griffin cleared his throat. Quynh tried not to tense as she looked up beneath her lashes to meet his expectant gaze.
“We should probably talk about us.”
“Us?”
“Yes. What do you want to do about us?”
She paused, grabbed her cup of water, and took a small sip while she mulled over her answer. She didn’t know how this was going to go.
“I’m not sure…” she started saying but stopped at his crestfallen expression.
“I don’t know how it would work with me being in the city and you in Willowbrook. I’ve never been in a long-distance relationship before.”
“Long distance?”
“Yeah…?” The word came out as a question. She watched as Griffin chewed on a shrimp as he gathered his thoughts.
“Would you consider moving to Willowbrook?”
She tilted her head in consideration. The idea of moving to Willowbrook didn’t terrify her like she thought it would.
She’d briefly entertained the idea before she fled town to be closer to her father and sister.
If anything, she missed the small town with its friendly neighbors and the walkable streets.
She would love nothing more than to go back.
But what of my career ?
There was no job for her in Willowbrook. At least, none she could find.
What would I do with my time?
“I think…it is a good option. I would love to move back…at some point.” She paused.
She knew her next words might hurt him, but they needed to be able to talk to each other.
About their worries and fears. About their dreams and their future.
If they didn’t learn how to communicate with each other, they were bound to fail.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to leave the city or my job yet. There’s no clinic in Willowbrook that I could work at. What would I do there?”
“You could work for me like you have been until you figure it out.” His answer came quick, as if he’d been thinking about this for a long time.
“That’s true. You do need help around the shop.” Her joke fell flat between them.
“What would you have done if you didn’t become a nurse?” he asked, the question coming out of nowhere.
“I guess I’ve never really thought about it,” she admitted reluctantly. She finished the rest of her dinner, deep in thought, taking the time to consider what her future would have looked like if she hadn’t decided to be practical and become a nurse. Job security was important to her at the time.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about my parents,” she started.
“ I used to want to be a writer when I was younger, but it didn’t seem like a realistic dream, so I went with the practical one.
I love what I do. I love helping people, but…
the time and dedication it takes to do my job has taken a toll on me,” she finally said.
“If I had the time, I guess I’d want to write a book about my parents.
Only…I’d like to give them the ending that they should have had. Before…cancer took her.”
Tears blurred her vision at the memory of her late mother and her ailing father. She couldn’t believe she’d left him behind without even saying a word about her departure.
What kind of daughter leaves their dying parent behind?
She needed to go back and spend whatever time she still had left with him before it was too late. Screw Ruth and her implications. She didn’t want money from her father. All she wanted was time. Time was running out the longer she stayed away.
“I need to see my father.”
“You can stay at the apartment or at my place. I know Rover has missed you a lot.” Griffin rubbed the back of his neck as if he were embarrassed.
“Rover has missed me, huh?” She smiled brightly.
“Yeah. The big oaf hasn’t been able to sleep at night without you warming his bed at night.”
“Oh, so now I’m warming his bed?” She chuckled.
He stifled a smile and hid it behind his hand. Rubbing his bristly jaw. He shaved it earlier in the day. She mourned the loss of his bristles. She rather liked the feel of them between her thighs.
“I’ll think about it. How…How is my father doing?”
“I checked on him before I left. He’s hanging in there. He asked when you were coming back. He probably blames me for you leaving.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“I need to call him or FaceTime him or something.” She worried her lower lip. “Have you seen Ruth?”
“She’s been in and out around the town. Did something happen between you two?”
Quynh realized with dismay she still hadn’t told Griffin about her encounter with Ruth.
“I need to tell you something…”
A frown marred his handsome expression as he gestured for her to continue.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she launched into the story of how she met with Ruth at the cafe.
How the encounter left her reeling as she grappled with her emotions.
One of the catalysts that prompted her departure from Willowbrook.
“I really need to call him…” her voice trailed off. There was a churning in her gut at how she had abandoned her last remaining family. Even if Ruth had been awful to her, she was still family. She was ashamed to admit she was no better than her past.
Why do I always run away from my problems?
“I think he’d like that,” he agreed softly. “We’ll deal with Ruth later.” The grim determination was set in his features. She was grateful to have someone in her corner.
She stood up from the table and grabbed their empty plates. She started doing the dishes and shushed Griffin when he protested.
“You cooked, I’ll do the dishes,” she stated matter-of-factly. “That’s the deal. Got it?”
Griffin smirked at her before grabbing the finger she pointed at his chest in his large hand. He pulled her in close and kissed her on the nose. “You got it, boss.”
She smacked his chest. He backed away, moving back into the living room. She heard the sounds of the television turning on. It was getting late. She was exhausted, but the normalcy of the evening made her feel at peace.
While she soaped up the dishes and rinsed them, she ran over their conversation through her mind. They were good together. Fire and ice. Sunshine and her thundercloud. She could spend the rest of her life at Griffin’s side and be happy.
So, what do I have to worry about?
Everything else they could figure out together. People changed careers all the time. She didn’t need to stay in a career that made her miserable.
She knew it was fear holding her back from making the leap of faith. Fear of failure.
She spent so much money putting herself through school and had all the student loans to show for it. If she changed careers now, all the time and money spent would be wasted.
But what did it matter if I was miserable at the end of the day?
She could throw caution to the wind and move to a small town to be with a man she hardly knew. Wait for a job at the health clinic to open up.
The prospect of returning to work at a soulless health corporation made her break out in a sweat.
She washed the dishes a little too roughly and stacked them in the dish rack to dry.
Over her shoulder, she caught sight of Griffin reclining on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table.
Pickles disappeared back into the bedroom after she left his wet food for him but now was lying on Griffin’s lap.
She smiled at the sight of the two of them together. Griffin was absentmindedly petting Pickles as they watched Netflix.
She could have this if she wanted it.
Suddenly, she realized what she wanted. No, what she needed more than anything.
She needed Griffin.
It didn’t mean she needed to move to Willowbrook right away. They’d still have to talk about the details.
There was still the matter of wrapping things up at the apartment. Her lease isn’t up for a couple of months. But the lease was already paid for. It didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
She still needed to go back to the office to grab her belongings since everything was considered evidence.
The last time she went to the police station to give her statement, she was informed that they would need to go through everything before she could take them home.
She received a call earlier in the week to let her know the contents of her office were cleared to be picked up.
She delayed going down to the police station.
The thought made her nervous. The last time she was there, she was in complete shock.
She gave a statement about what little she knew about her boss.
It made her more aware of how she barely knew the man at all.
She heard little news about the case, but since she wasn’t a suspect, they didn’t bother to keep her updated.
Aside from a few loose ends, there really wasn’t anything else keeping her in the city.
The noise and the smells of the city no longer appealed to her, having experienced peace, quiet, and fresh air.
She missed seeing the sun rise over the lake every morning.
She missed the quiet of the countryside and taking Rover for walks around the lake.
When she was in Willowbrook, she was relaxed for the first time.
It was like being able to take a deep breath after holding it in for years.
She felt refreshed and content. Upon her return to the city, she noticed how tensely she held herself in her rigid posture.
Almost as if the stress of her environment seeped into her bones.
The muscles in her neck and shoulders were more sore recently from constantly being on edge.
The sounds of the streets were jarring after weeks spent in the countryside.
She missed small-town living.
Quynh wiped her hands on the dish towel and whirled around. Decision made, she marched up to Griffin, who glanced up when she approached.
“What’s up, sunshine?” Griffin asked.
“Is the offer still on the table?”
“What offer?”
“For me to move back to Willowbrook. I can stay at the apartment or…” She yelped as Griffin grabbed her around the waist and yanked her onto his lap, Pickles getting dislodged with a grumble.
“Yes.” Griffin planted a firm kiss on her lips before she could reply. She melted into his arms as he deepened the kiss, gripping the back of her head and tilting her so he could delve deeper.
The kiss was a promise for the future. For the first time, Quynh was excited about what was to come.