Chapter 10
GRIFFIN
The stock market went completely haywire the next week, so I wasn’t surprised when Chase and Duncan called a surprise meeting at the office on Friday evening. We were seeing each other later on anyway because Mom invited us to dinner, but we needed to gather with all the senior managers.
Plenty of clients were up in arms. This was always a frustrating development.
Whenever the market was down, people insisted on selling their stocks, and that was the worst possible moment to do so.
Most feared that the price would drop even more.
But what they didn’t understand was that panic selling was creating the spiral downward.
I always told them that if they didn’t absolutely need the money that very second, they should hold on. Some listened, some didn’t.
As I went inside, there was already a lively debate going on. Then again, the meeting started an hour ago. Most of the senior management was here too.
“Listen,” Chase said with that calm demeanor he always had during turbulent times, “there are no signs that this is a systemic problem. I believe there is a correlation with all the tech announcements that took place this week.” Several tech companies fired thousands of people, and that sent shock waves throughout the markets, with people expecting more companies to follow suit.
“Whenever something like this happens, our clients inquire if we’re going to change the structure of our portfolio,” Duncan went on.
“I usually say no, but I’m starting to think that maybe it’s time we invested in green energy more than tech companies,” one of our most senior members of management suggested.
Chase didn’t immediately reply, which meant he was actually considering this. “Then draft up a presentation about what that would entail. I don’t see anything wrong with our current portfolios, but diversification can be good. We could add portfolios focusing on green energy.”
Wyatt looked at me. “Nice of you to finally join us.”
“Sorry I’m late,” I said. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been looking at the market movements intensely, and all the big culprits announced new products to be released later this year.
As far as I see, it’s just about greed and profits.
Letting so many people go will actually boost their profits at the end of the year. The share price will skyrocket.”
There was a murmur of agreement around the table.
Knox cleared his throat. “Finn and I have been thinking we could add another feature to the platform. That way, when people want to sell their stocks in a moment of downturn, we can instantly generate predictions of where we think the stock price will be in a few months.”
“That’s a great idea,” Duncan said.
“Yeah, I like that,” Wyatt agreed. “Just make sure it’s very obvious that it’s just a prediction, and we don’t take any liability for how the market actually turns out.”
I was about to say the same thing, but he’d beaten me to the punch. Wyatt might be a hothead in his personal life, but when it came to business, he was cold and calculated.
“Obviously. We’re not amateurs!” Knox spoke in a tone that implied that if the management team weren’t here, he would have added “dickhead” at the end of the sentence.
Everyone brainstormed with Knox and Finn for another half hour, and then Duncan adjourned the meeting.
Once the team filtered out, Knox rolled his shoulders back and said, “Let it be known that Finn and I were on time, and he was late,” he said, pointing at me.
I rolled my eyes. “Dude, it’s a onetime thing. Being late is more of a problem when it’s repetitive. I was in the middle of a negotiation when I read Chase’s text, and I couldn’t just get rid of my conversation partner.”
“Was it about the dating app?” Duncan asked.
“No, that’s… well, that’s ongoing. Haven’t really made progress, but I’m still in the running.”
“Really? How so?” Knox asked.
I waved my hand. “Never mind.”
“Wait a second. We need details.” That came from Wyatt. Of course he’d picked up that I was trying to avoid the conversation.
I looked around the room and said, “I followed Knox’s advice.”
Knox’s eyes bulged. “My advice? Dude, I was pulling your leg. Holy shit.”
Finn held up a finger. “Wait, what do you mean, you followed it?”
I cleared my throat. “I asked Phoebe to come to dinner with me. We pretended that we were an item.”
There was a long pause, and then Duncan said, “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah, I think I have to agree with him,” Chase said.
I stared at him. “Chase, you set up a fake company to invest in your girlfriend’s business. You’ve lost the right to say anything is wrong or stupid for eternity.”
He nodded. “Fair enough.”
Knox pushed his chest forward a bit theatrically. “I’m proud of you. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Let’s continue the gossip session at Mom’s house,” Finn said. “I do want details, but I also don’t want us to get there late. Last time, Mom said she might starve us if we didn’t show up on time.”
“I’m sure she meant you two.” I pointed between him and Knox.
Finn laughed. “Well, I can’t argue with that because you’re right.”
After we left the meeting room, Hannah joined us.
She was one of our best employees. We were lucky she was on our team.
I had no idea how she managed to run an inn and hold a full-time job, but I had mad respect for her.
She first started working here because she needed money to repair the inn, and now she was somehow doing both.
“How did it go?” she asked Chase.
“Well, we’ll consider adding more green companies to our portfolios of managed funds. How was your day?”
“Productive. Although, I’ve gotten a few cancellations at the inn for next month.”
We all drove separately to Mom’s house. I got there first, and my brothers arrived as I inspected her garden.
We used to drop by more often, taking turns fixing whatever she needed around the house.
Lately, Dad kept stopping by more often than we did.
As I was about to head to the front door, I heard Mom’s and Dad’s voices filter around from the backyard. They were both laughing.
“Oh, come on. You know the kids will like this,” he said.
They came around the corner, and Dad froze. He had an arm around Mom’s waist that he immediately dropped. I wanted to wash my eyes instantly.
“Hi, Mom.” That was from Chase.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were here already.”
“Clearly,” Duncan said.
I chanced a glance at the other three. Wyatt was looking at me, nodding as if to say, “Yep, you called it.” Knox and Finn were just perplexed.
We were all glad that our parents were getting along.
They hadn’t officially announced that they were back together or dating, but I had a hunch that it wasn’t going to take long.
Still, it had taken us the better part of our adult lives to get used to the fact that they were divorced.
Seeing them back together was… an adjustment.
I figured it was probably weirdest for Knox and Finn.
They’d been very young when our parents split; I wasn’t even sure they remembered them being together.
“Jeremy’s already inside, setting the table. Your dad was helping me with the irrigation system. I always manage to mess up the digital console,” Mom said, but she was blushing.
Shoot me now. That was a lie. Mom wasn’t good with stuff like repairing a sprinkler or something, but she aced digital systems. But we all pretended we believed them as we walked inside the house. As she’d said, Jeremy was already setting the table.
“I figured Riley would be here too,” I said, looking at Duncan.
“Nah, she’s going to join us later.”
I shook my head. “Damn, they’re running her ragged.”
“I know,” he replied. “But it’s her career, and I respect that she wants to climb the ladder.”
Riley was a hardworking woman. She’d been Jeremy’s nanny for a few months in between graduating law school and starting at a law firm. She was working late into the evenings most of the time.
Jeremy looked at each of us as we entered, grinning at Knox and Finn in particular. I had to learn some tricks and tips from my brothers if I ever wanted to get that level of admiration.
“I already set the table the way Riley and I practiced, Dad,” he said.
Duncan went to him, ruffling his hair. I remembered when I found out my brother was going to have a kid.
It seemed like such a strange concept. Over the years, I’d realized I wanted kids of my own, but somehow that had never worked out.
The combination of work and my lifestyle just wasn’t conducive to having kids.
And as with all things in my life, I wanted to do it right.
If I couldn’t be a good parent, I’d rather not have children at all.
“I made a chicken casserole and my famous goat cheese salad,” Mom exclaimed. The salad was already on the table. “I’ll take out the casserole after we eat the salad.”
Mom’s house was rather small. After the divorce, we’d lived with her in a slightly bigger one three blocks away. But as soon as Knox and Finn were in college, she sold that one and downsized.
She insisted on having a big dining area, though, so we could all gather here. We didn’t do it very often, unfortunately, but it was a treat whenever we all came over.
“Was everything okay at work? The stock market’s been making headlines this week, and not good ones,” Dad said.
“We’ve got it under control,” Knox said. “But we have some more interesting news to share, or at least Griffin does.”
I growled at him. What a fucker. Why would he bring this up in front of Mom and Dad?
“We can talk about it later,” I said smoothly.
“No, we cannot,” Finn said. “We cut you slack at the office, but come on now, spill it.”
“What is it, Griffin darling?” Mom asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Really, Mom, it’s nothing bad. Just not something we should discuss at the table,” I said.
“He’s asked a woman to pretend to be his girlfriend so he can secure a business deal because his potential business partner was worried about his manwhore reputation.”
Hannah’s eyes bulged. Mom gasped. Dad put down the forkful of salad he’d been about to eat. Then he looked at Jeremy, who was frowning, and glanced at Duncan. Duncan was furious with Knox. Good! At least I wasn’t the only one, even though everyone else was beyond amused.
“Griffin, you didn’t!” Mom exclaimed.
“Son, that is really beneath you,” Dad added. “Disrespectful to this woman too.”
“Let it be known that I suggested it,” Knox said. “I didn’t actually think he’d do it, though, but kudos for having the—” He stopped abruptly, like he’d suddenly read the room and realized not everyone was cool with this.
“Well, however it happened,” Mom said, “it’s not fair to deceive others.”
“I know,” I said. Way to make me feel like crap. Of course I knew that, but because of Phoebe, it seemed okay.
“We taught you better.” Dad’s voice was uncharacteristically harsh.
I looked at Knox. “You truly are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
He grinned. “A lot.”
“So am I,” Finn said. “We’re at the top of everyone’s shit list all the time. Now, for once, you’re behaving worse than we are.”
I looked around the table once, especially at Jeremy. For fuck’s sake, what kind of example was I setting for him?
“This wasn’t one of my brightest ideas,” I admitted. “It’s not how I usually do things, but I won’t move forward with the charade.”
I was supposed to reach out to Jude this week and cancel the plans, but I didn’t. I’d have to take care of that as soon as possible.
“Good,” Mom said. “It’s not fair, you know, to your business partners or that poor girl.”
“She knows what’s going on,” I pointed out. “But I’ll make things right. This was a bad idea from all angles.”
Mom sighed. “Regardless, it’s not a good situation overall.”
“I agree,” I said.
My brothers were relentless the rest of the evening. But then again, if any of them were in my shoes, I’d do the exact same thing. The more I talked about the situation, the more insane it seemed.
At eight o’clock, Duncan left with Jeremy because my nephew had a strict bedtime routine. Riley didn’t make it to dinner after all; they took leftover casserole with them for her.
The rest of us filtered out soon after that. The only one who stayed behind was Dad.
I got in my car and intended to head home, but instead, I texted Phoebe. I hadn’t gotten to talk to her this week, but I didn’t want to postpone it any longer.
Griffin: Are you free for a call?
Phoebe: :)
Phoebe: Yes, you don’t have to check before calling.
I pushed her number right away, then put the call on speakerphone.
“It’s a force of habit,” I said when she answered. “In business, most people just won’t pick up if you don’t give them a heads-up about a call.”
She laughed. “Well, this isn’t business, and my calendar is not nearly full enough to warrant scheduling a call.”
She sounded out of breath.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“I just finished a Zumba routine. It feels so good. I haven’t done one in a while. I’ve been so worked up, and it was good to get rid of some of that energy.”
Her words traveled straight below my belt. Fucking hell. She hadn’t even meant it in a sexual way. Or perhaps she had. She didn’t specify what kind of pent-up energy she had, and I decided not to ask.
“Now I was thinking about ordering something for dinner,” she continued.
“What do you want? I’ll buy it and bring it to you.”
“Why would you do that?”
Because I want to please you was the honest answer. I had no idea why, but that was how I felt.
“Why not?” I replied.
“Because you’re probably busy and would like to relax in that amazing house of yours.”
“I can relax with you,” I assured her. “Besides, I was MIA the whole week. I kind of owe you.”
“No, you don’t. Really, Griffin, you don’t owe me anything.”
“We’ll debate that some more once I bring dinner,” I said.
I could swear she was smiling when she said, “I see. Well, there is a place with delicious bowls near the beach. I’ll text you the exact address. It’s going to be easier than explaining.”
“Sure.”
“Then I’ll call and order so you just have to pick it up.”
“Deal.”
She texted me before we’d even finished speaking.
After checking the address, I said, “I’m not far at all. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Thanks. I only have white or red wine.”
“I’m good.”
I didn’t really care if I drank anything or not. I just wanted to spend time with her, I realized, without having to pretend for Jude’s sake or for that ass of an ex of hers.