Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Piper
“It’s good to meet you, Piper.” Dane Beckett hands me a glass filled with lemonade. “My wife can’t stop talking about you.”
I look over to where Bridget is pushing one of her boys on a tire swing.
She lives in a quaint house in Queens with Dane and her two sons, Seth and Shayne. It was an easy ride on the subway here.
“She’s been really supportive,” I offer back. “She’s a wonderful person.”
“She’s the best,” he agrees with a nod of his chin. “She said you were bringing someone with you. Are they on their way?”
I wish. Bridget didn’t ask about Griffin when I first arrived. She didn’t need to. I had sent her a text early this morning telling her that I’d be arriving solo. She replied with a sad face emoji. It was appropriate because it was exactly how I felt at that moment.
I finally got a text from Griffin on Friday afternoon. It was to the point.
Griffin: Sorry about the café. I’ll be in touch next week.
I didn’t bother to reply.
“He can’t make it.” I don’t elaborate before I change the subject. “Bridget says you’re a fireman. That has to be an intense job.”
He studies my face with his deep brown eyes. “Some days I love it. Other days I swear I’m ready to quit, but it’s in my blood. I can’t walk away from it.”
I can sense that about him. Bridget has told me how loyal he is to the people he loves. It’s the same with his job.
“Did you get a chance to meet everyone?” He motions to a small patio area set up near the swing set.
I glance over to where my co-workers have all gathered.
I spoke to them briefly before I excused myself to use the washroom.
They were all introducing me to their significant others.
I needed a break so I sought out the place I knew I could be alone.
After I adjusted the belt on my pink sundress, I came back out here to find Dane waiting for me.
“I did.” I wave to Bridget when she lifts her hand toward us motioning for Dane and me to leave the deck to join her. “Callan seems like a blast.”
Callan Kincaid leads a beginner sculpture class on Saturday afternoons.
He’s older than I am with a passion for art that rivals my own.
After he told me who he was, he launched into a longwinded account of his journey from a small boy who used modeling clay to create animal figures to an award-winning sculptor.
Kristy Molten and Carol Rempel, the other two teachers here, rolled their eyes behind his back, as he waxed poetic about his accomplishments.
“He’s full of himself,” Dane whispers before he takes a drink from his glass of lemonade. “There’s no mistaking his talent, but he’s been a handful for Bridget. He thinks he’s cruising at the same speed as Beck. It wouldn’t hurt if someone knocked him down a notch or two.”
I laugh, enjoying how easy it is to talk to Dane. “My very first art teacher told me that there’s greatness in humility.”
“That person was a genius.” He starts to move toward the three wooden steps that lead down to the yard. “Let’s go join the party. Beck and his family will be here soon and then I’ll grill some burgers and ribs.”
It’s an ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The only thing that would make it better is if I had some understanding of where Griffin went and whether there’s a chance for anything between the two of us in the future.
“Ribs and potato salad?” Jo peeks into the plastic containers that Bridget filled for me before I left her place. “This is a feast, Piper. You’re going to join me, aren’t you?”
I pat my stomach. “I already ate. My boss packed that up for me to give to you.”
Bridget told me to give the food to Griffin because she’s optimistic that he’ll show up at my place within the next day. I know better, so instead of letting the food go to waste, I brought it over to Jo’s.
“I’ll eat half now and you can take the rest for lunch tomorrow.” She moves toward the cupboard above her sink to retrieve a plate. “I haven’t had ribs in a long time.”
I settle in on a chair next to her kitchen table. “They’re delicious. Dane, my boss’s husband, grilled those.”
“You were over at their place today?” She forks two ribs out of the container along with a heaping serving of the oil and vinaigrette-dressed potato salad.
“Bridget, my boss, has a staff party at her place every couple of months.” I watch as she snaps the lids back on the containers. “It’s a potluck. I brought cupcakes. I would have saved one for you, but those disappeared in a flash.”
She picks up a rib and takes a bite. “That boy knows how to cook. These are delicious.”
They are. I ate until I couldn’t fit another bite of food in my stomach. I relaxed as soon as Beck arrived with his wife, Zoe, and their son, Vane.
Zoe’s a lawyer, but she’s nothing at all like Griffin. She’s laid back and it’s easy to tell that her number one priority is her husband and child. We spent most of the afternoon talking about being transplanted New Yorkers since she’s originally from Philadelphia.
“Did your friend go with you?”
My head snaps up at that comment. “My friend?”
“Griffin,” she clarifies with a wink. “Lana’s friend. I guess he’s technically more than a friend to you. He was leaving your place the other morning at the same time I was heading out.”
I bow my head. “I don’t know what he is.”
“Handsome.” She laughs. “You can’t deny that.”
I look up and smile. “He’s very handsome. He’s also confusing. I have no idea what’s going on with him.”
She drops a rib bone on her plate before she starts on the potato salad. She eyes me up as she chews. “I’m great at decoding men. I’ve been married three times.”
My brows shoot up. “Three times?”
I don’t see how that qualifies her as a male decoder since it obviously hasn’t worked out for her with the men she’s chosen to devote her life to.
“The first two died.” She sighs heavily. “One from cancer, the other in an accident at work.”
“I’m sorry,” I offer sincerely.
“The third was the love of my life.” She trails the fork through the salad on her plate. “Someone else was the love of his life. He didn’t figure that out until he put a ring on my finger.”
I want to offer words of comfort, but I don’t have any. Her past explains the sadness that I always see in her eyes.
“That’s water under the bridge.” She rolls the fork in the air. “Let’s get back to you. What’s going on with you and Griffin?”
I shrug as I move to get a glass of water. “We had a great night together. Then we made a plan to meet for coffee, but he stood me up. I went to his office to get an explanation.”
“What did he say?” She glances over her shoulder to where I’m standing near the kitchen sink.
I sigh as I run the tap to cool the water. “He wasn’t there. The partner at his law firm said he had to take care of something personal.”
“That’s it? Griffin didn’t call you to explain why he was a no show?”
“He sent me a text.” I shake my head. “All it said was that he was sorry and he’d be in touch. I didn’t respond.”
“Good girl.” She turns back to her food. “Don’t chase any man, Piper. Let him fight for you. I learned that lesson the hardest way possible.”
I don’t expand on the conversation. I won’t. It’s digging up painful skeletons of her past.
Jo’s a reminder of what can happen when you invest your heart in someone too fully. I started falling too hard and too fast for Griffin Kent. I have to forget about him since it’s obvious that I’m way more invested in this than he is.