Chapter 7
PHOEBE
Griffin stepped inside and carefully closed the door. Then he inspected the handle as well as the hinges, almost as if he was afraid that it might crumble. For all I knew, it was possible.
He looked around the place slowly before focusing on me, and I instantly became very self-conscious about the house. I’d gotten used to the fact that it was a dump. But this was the first time I was having someone over besides Veronica.
“Where do you want me to wait for you until you finish getting ready?”
I fiddled with my thumbs, biting the inside of my cheek. “We’ll talk while I’m applying my makeup in front of the huge-ass mirror here. You can sit on the couch. If you wait for me to get ready first, we might not have too much time for anything.”
Nodding, he glanced around the room again.
Why was he making a concerted effort to look anywhere but at me? My heart rate accelerated. I didn’t have any makeup on, but I felt fresh-faced and didn’t think I looked that bad.
“I’ll be right back.”
I hurried to the bathroom, grabbing my mascara, eyeshadow, and foundation, then dashed back to the living room, putting them on the small round table next to the mirror. Griffin was sitting on the couch. I could see his reflection while I applied my mascara.
“Griffin, can you tell me a bit about tonight so I know what to expect? Maybe a bit about Jude’s business.”
He looked straight at my reflection. Our eye contact through the mirror made me shudder—in a good way. Then my entire body felt hot.
Oh boy.
“Sure. It’s a dating platform,” he answered.
“Is it worth it?” I asked, then muttered to myself, “I might have to join, the way things are going.”
“It’s surprisingly successful,” Griffin said, “and now he’s looking to expand. I want to be an investor.”
I added mascara to my other lashes. “I don’t understand what the problem is.”
“He and I have different views of what a dating platform is and the type of audience it should attract.”
I frowned. “But it’s his platform, right? So what he says goes.”
Griffin laughed. “It’s not that easy. When you take on an outside investor, you give them decision power as well.”
“Hmm,” I said, now applying my foundation. I felt oddly at ease doing this in front of Griffin. In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t see him again after tonight, so what did it matter?
“He says that his platform is for people ‘looking to find soulmates.’” Griffin uttered the last word with complete disbelief, as if he were talking about mythical creatures.
“Damn, then I really have to join.”
“He insists that because I’m not a relationship type of guy, I can’t possibly understand his customers.” Again, he had that look of disdain, but it disappeared quickly. “Now, what exactly do you want to know about me?”
“Everything. What do you do on a daily basis? What do you like? Where do you live? Would I have met your family by now?”
He grinned, lacing his fingers together and putting them on top of his head as he relaxed back on the couch. He looked very out of place in this shithole with his cuff links and tailored shirt. I was certain he had his initials embroidered somewhere. He obviously had money.
“Trust me, if I’ve been dating you for six months, my family would be all over you.”
“You see them often?” I asked.
“Hell yeah. Very often.”
“Tell me a bit about them.”
“I have five brothers.”
“That must be epic.” I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it had to be like to grow up with five siblings.
I sighed. I used to want three kids, but who knew if that would happen now?
“So, my older brothers are Chase and Duncan.”
“Are they married?” I asked.
“They’re both engaged. Duncan also has a son.”
“How old is he? I love babies and toddlers.”
“No, my nephew’s older. He’s ten.”
“Your brother is much older than you, then?”
“No, he had Jeremy when he was young.”
“And you’re close to your nephew?”
His grin grew even wider, and my heart somersaulted in my chest. I could tell the boy was important to him.
“Yeah, though Knox and Finn are his favorite uncles, probably because they’re the youngest in the family.
And then there’s also Wyatt. I’d say that he’s in the same spot on the scale as I am when it comes to Jeremy’s favorites.
Although now that I’ve bought a new house, I have to have him over more often. ”
“Oh my God, you’ve got a new house? See, that’s something a girlfriend would know.”
Griffin frowned. “True! It slipped my mind.”
I turned around slowly because this question required direct eye contact, not eye-to-mirror-to-eye. “Griffin, have you ever had a long-term relationship?”
He shook his head. “No. I date often—too often, as Jude pointed out. But I haven’t had a relationship since starting Sterling Investments. Relationships need time, and that’s a luxury I don’t have.”
I was fighting to keep my face neutral. I mean, the man was smoking hot. If he wanted to be a serial dater—a term I much preferred to womanizer—then why not?
He rose to his feet, walking toward me with a wry smile. “You’re judging me.”
I cleared my throat. “I’m trying very hard not to.”
“But you are.” A smile played on his lips.
“And you’re not mad about it.”
“I don’t care what people think about me. It’s what got me into this situation in the first place. My brothers kept advising me to be more discreet. I told them it was no one’s business what I did with my private life.”
He cast a hot-as-hell glance at me. I couldn’t maintain eye contact when he was this close. He seemed even larger than life than back at the bar.
I turned around, focusing on the mirror. He stood behind me. His presence was dominating the space, and it unnerved me.
“So, tell me about your house.”
“It’s in Point Loma. It’s a very modern construction. Wait, I have some pictures.” He took his phone out of his pocket, swiped a few times, then held it so I could see.
“Oh, wow. Griffin, this is wonderful.” His house was like something out of a magazine.
Our worlds were on separate levels entirely. If it weren’t for this freak coincidence of going to The Loft at the same time, we would never have met, I was sure of it. But all that didn’t matter now. This was a favor. After tonight, I’d never see him again.
“I’ll say that I’ve been to your house a few times. Oh, right, where did you live before? Not sure it’ll come up, but it’ll look bad if Jude asks and I don’t know.”
“I had a bachelor’s pad in the Gaslamp Quarter.”
“I love the Quarter,” I said.
Griffin nodded. “So do I, but I wanted more space. I was a bit crammed in there.”
I listened intently as I finished applying my foundation.
“So, what exactly do you do for a living? Would you talk about work with a real girlfriend?”
Griffin tilted his head as if considering my words. “If she was interested, why not? I’d share everything with her. So, I do several things. The first thing you have to know about me, what most people know, is that I founded Sterling Investments with my brothers.”
“You mentioned that on the phone, but I don’t know much about it. Is it a bank?”
He looked incredulous. “I think you’re one of the first people I’ve met who doesn’t know Sterling Investments.”
I winced. “The financial world isn’t really my scene.”
“It’s not a criticism.” He put a hand on my arm. Goose bumps broke out on my skin, and it turned hot at the point of contact as he brushed his thumb up and down. “It’s refreshing, honestly.”
He removed his hand, pushing it into his pocket.
“We have a platform where people make transactions on the stock market. For bigger investors, we make investments for them. Chase and Duncan are co-CEOs. The rest of my brothers and I own shares and are involved in strategic decisions but don’t do day-to-day operations anymore.
Each of us has a few companies we manage by ourselves.
I, for one, invest a lot in all sorts of digital companies.
I’m on their boards as an adviser, investor, and co-owner. ”
“That sounds very interesting. I bet you never get bored.”
“Never,” he said without missing a beat. “I love what I do.”
“All right,” I said. “I’ll just go change into my dress, and then we can chat more.” I looked around, then groaned. “Oh my God, I didn’t offer you anything to drink.”
He flashed me a charming smile. “Don’t worry about it. Go change.”
I hurried to the bathroom, taking off my camisole and putting on my golden dress, carefully tucking my hair so I didn’t mess it up.
I didn’t want to get dressed before applying makeup, mainly because I often ended up making a mess.
After zipping and checking myself in the mirror, I sauntered to the living room, where I found Griffin pacing.
“This is my outfit. What do you think?”
He was completely silent as I twirled. When I stopped, he still said nothing. I chanced a glance at him. His eyes had darkened a bit, and he was pinning me with his gaze.
“Uh, Griffin? I’m going to need a reaction here. Is it too much, not enough? Should I change?”
“You look fucking perfect,” he said. “Like a million bucks.”
That filled me with pride. “Thank you,” I murmured.
Why was I so nervous around him? Why did I care so much if he liked my appearance?
This isn’t a real date, Phoebe. Somehow, I was starting to forget that, and I wasn’t sure why.
“About the drinks. I can give you a glass of white wine. I opened a bottle yesterday. Or we can open a bottle of red.”
“Just some water, please.”
“Okay.” I lifted the hem of my dress to keep from stepping on it because it was far too long without heels.
While I poured water into two glasses, I felt Griffin move behind me.
“Tell me about your parents,” I said. “You’ve spoken a lot about your brothers, but are your parents around? Would I know them?”
“That’s also a hell yes,” Griffin said as I handed him one of the glasses. He narrowed his eyes. “My parents have an interesting story.”
“I’m all ears,” I said, taking a swig of water. I should have put even more ice in it. I was burning inside and needed to cool down.
We walked back to the couch. He sat at one end, and I ended up sitting on the other.
“They divorced when we were kids. And now they’re actually getting along.”
“That’s great. And not something that happens often.”
“The birth of my nephew started bringing them closer. And now… I’ve heard them flirting a few times. My brothers don’t believe me, but I actually think my parents might be dating.”
“I was not expecting that.”
He laughed, undoing one cuff link and then the other, then pushing his sleeves to the elbows rather than rolling them. The rumpled appearance fit Griffin well.
“Mom has a pottery and yoga studio. And my father runs a fishing store in the same building.”
I widened my eyes at that. “They are truly friendly, then.”
“That’s a complicated story in itself. They used to own the store back when we were kids. They had to sell it in the divorce. Then some time ago, my brother Chase bought it back and gifted it to them.”
I was starting to understand that the Sterling brothers were something special.
“I think that covered everything. Your turn. Are your parents in San Diego?” he asked.
“No. I was born and raised here. And my parents lived here for years along with my grandparents.” I smiled, remembering those happy days.
“They had a house next to ours, and they often watched over me. But my grandparents now live in Montana. They moved there when they retired. And now that my parents have retired, they moved there as well, mainly to look after my grandparents. Old age isn’t being very kind to them.
I always hoped that I’d have kids really soon, and we’d get to do one of those cute pictures with four generations and—” I pressed my lips together.
“I’m not sure why I said that. That’s not something you need to know. ”
Griffin’s gaze was soft. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out with your ex.”
I looked at the glass I was resting on my lap. “Maybe it was for the best. That’s what I’m trying to tell myself, anyway, so I don’t wallow too much.”
“You still care about him?” he asked.
I blinked, glancing up at him. “We were together for a long time,” I replied. “That might sound strange, but I’m not used to just being on my own, you know? But he hurt me so damn much that I don’t want to feel anything for him.”
“But you do?” His voice was tight. “If he wanted to get back with you—”
“No!” I said categorically. “I’d never get back with him.” I smiled, feeling relieved, and put a hand on my chest. “See, that’s a good, spontaneous response. I think that means that I don’t love him anymore.”
“Well, you shouldn’t. He sure as fuck doesn’t deserve you. Right? So, it’s obviously best to avoid the topic of him.”
“Unless…,” I began.
“Unless?” Griffin questioned.
“Well, we don’t have to act as if he doesn’t exist. But in case anyone asks, I can just say that all this happened six months ago, before you and I met.”
His entire face lit up. “You’re really good at this.”
“Ha. I find out something new about myself every day. I wasn’t even aware that I was good at improv, but you’ve brought out that side in me,” I said playfully.
“My pleasure.”
Oh my. Those two words sounded way more sensual than they had the right to. But I was certain he hadn’t meant it that way. My mind was just playing tricks on me.
Wasn’t it?