Chapter 13
PHOEBE
I was putting on a good show, but I was on fire. Luckily, in case my cheeks turned beet red, I could blame it on the sun. Despite covering myself with sunblock, I always managed to get red in the face.
Griffin tilted his head, a smile playing on his lips. “I can see that. And I’m liking it too.”
I practically felt myself melt beneath his intense gaze. I looked toward the captain’s cabin again. Jude was showing Emma how to move the wheel.
Oh goodness, they really weren’t going to come out anytime soon. I hadn’t anticipated being alone with Griffin for so long. I could join them in the captain’s cabin, but I’d be a bit of a third wheel.
I dreamed of having a love like that one day. Seeing those two together, I realized Marshall and I never had that. How could I ever fool myself into thinking otherwise?
To give myself something to do, I went to the buffet. The setup was very professional, with a cooling mechanism to keep things fresh. Plus, it helped that the table was shaded.
I grabbed a plate and put some canapés on it. I had no idea what they were, but everything looked delicious. I’d just added some grapes when I felt Griffin behind me.
“Trying to get away from me already, Phoebe?”
I laughed nervously. “Is it that obvious?”
“Just to me.” His tone was playful. He came even closer and said, “I don’t want to make you nervous.”
I looked at him over my shoulder. “I don’t think you can help it, but it’s not a bad nervous.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
I licked my lips; he inhaled sharply.
Oh wow. My entire body reacted to that. My nipples tightened, and I barely resisted the urge to press my thighs together. I felt as if something had awoken inside me.
I focused on the table again. “To me it does.” I desperately needed to change the subject. “I’ve been trying to think about what to drink.”
“Champagne?” he tempted.
I shook my head. “I don’t want anything with bubbles, but I’ll have some white wine. It feels so decadent to drink at this time of the day.”
He laughed. “It is, but why the hell not? It’s Saturday. I have to give it to Emma and Jude: owning a boat is a brilliant idea. It never even occurred to me, but it gives you a lot of privacy and flexibility.”
“That’s true,” I said. “And being out at sea gives you a sense of freedom.”
“You know what I like most? That no one can see you. If Emma and Jude weren’t here, I would—” He stopped abruptly, and I turned to look at him. His nostrils flared, and his eyes were fixed on me.
What was he about to say? What would he do if Emma and Jude weren’t here? I was pathetically desperate to know. Because if they weren’t here, we wouldn’t even have to pretend we were an item.
I swallowed hard but didn’t have the guts to ask him to finish that thought.
He poured a glass of white wine for himself and also one for me.
We clinked them together and then went down to sit in the shade of an umbrella between the lounge chairs.
I was amazed that it was holding steady despite the strong breeze.
I ate a handful of canapés before taking a sip of wine; otherwise, I’d be drunk as a skunk in no time, and that wouldn’t do. I needed to be on my best behavior.
“This is so relaxing,” I said, keeping the grapes in one hand and my glass in the other. “This is one of the best days I’ve had in a long time.”
“I’m glad, Phoebe. You deserve good things,” Griffin said. He was sitting on the chaise lounge right next to mine.
I smiled, eating another grape. “I am fully confident that good things are coming my way.”
“I love your optimism.”
“I try. That’s what keeps me going. I can’t let the bad things get me down. If I did, I don’t think I’d ever get up.”
“Most people in your position probably wouldn’t have the strength to go on, at least not at the rate that you are,” he said. “I admire you for that—a lot.”
“Thank you.” His words truly touched me.
I was proud of myself for pulling through these past few weeks, but hearing someone else say it was entirely different.
The boat stopped after a while, and I knew Emma and Jude would be joining us soon. Sure enough, a few minutes later, they came over to where we were sitting.
“How are the canapés?” Jude asked. “Which are your favorites?”
Griffin spoke first. “I haven’t even touched them. I went straight for the wine.”
“Attaboy,” Emma said with a wink.
“Oh, I’ve had one of each. The ones with cheese are my favorite, but all of them are delicious. Thank you for setting everything up,” I gushed.
“Of course,” Jude said, sounding distracted. “Emma took care of everything.”
She beamed. I loved how he always praised her. He wasn’t trying to claim credit, nor was he afraid to put the spotlight on his wife.
“Well, when I spoke to the cleaning company in charge of this, I mentioned that we were going out to sea, and they advised that we should always have food on board. They recommended this catering company, and I’m going to keep them in mind.”
“How long are we staying here?” Griffin asked.
“Not long,” Jude said. “Emma and I just wanted to grab a bite because we didn’t have breakfast. Afterward, I’ll keep driving for another hour and a half or so, and then we’ll reach our destination.”
“This day is shaping up to be lovely,” Emma said. “We’re so happy you could join us.”
“So am I,” I said truthfully.
Jude and Emma lingered for about an hour before they went back up to the captain’s cabin to continue our journey. The conversation we had was lighthearted and fun. Too bad I’d never see them after this weekend.
After they left, Griffin and I relaxed on the lounge chairs. I closed my eyes and had almost drifted off when a phone beeped.
Opening my eyes, I looked around, searching for my bag, when Griffin said, “Oh, that’s mine. My nephew responded to me.” He checked the message and then barked out a laugh. “Ha, I knew it.”
“What?” I was genuinely curious to know.
He turned the phone to me. There was a bit of glare from the sun, so I tilted closer.
Griffin: Buddy, do you think you’d like to go out on a boat at sea?
Jeremy: Yes! You are the best, Uncle Griffin. I’ve never been out at sea.
Griffin had a triumphant smile.
“Why do you look so full of yourself?” I asked.
“Because I’m finally getting the hang of how to convince my nephew to spend some time with me.”
I barely bit back a laugh. “By bribing him?”
“No.” He looked affronted. “I’m not saying I’m above that, but I’m simply choosing to expose him to new experiences.”
I started laughing at that. Then several things happened at the same time.
First, I realized that, despite the canapés, perhaps drinking alcohol in this heat wasn’t my best idea.
My balance wasn’t as good as I’d assumed.
I’d been leaning in too far to read the text message when I lost my balance.
I attempted to catch myself, but somehow my hand slid from the edge of the chair and I went forward, headfirst into Griffin.
I landed with my cheek on his abs, near his navel.
He immediately put a hand on my torso, two fingers grazing the fabric of my bikini top.
My nipples turned rock hard, which shocked me. From that mere touch? Damn. I’d never been so responsive before. I blamed it on the alcohol and the hot-as-hell man next to me.
I finally straightened up, and Griffin looked at me carefully, immediately pulling his hand away.
“Are you okay?”
“Yep. Sorry. No more wine for me. I lost my balance.”
“Yeah, I figured,” he replied. “You sure you didn’t hurt yourself? I heard something crack.”
I twisted my neck to the left and the right, grinning. “That’s my neck. It makes creepy sounds.”
I lay back on my lounger and made a mental note not to lean over again too soon. I closed my eyes once more, and this time I actually did fall asleep. I only woke up when Griffin gently said, “We’re here.”
“Oh my God. You’re all dressed,” I exclaimed, jumping up from the chair. “I’m going to put on my dress.”
Griffin nodded. “Don’t stress out. Jude said we still have ten minutes or so.”
I glanced at the captain’s cabin. Both Jude and Emma were still there. I went inside, heading to the corner where I’d left my dress. I wasn’t in the mood to take off my bikini, so I simply slid it back on over my suit. Then I went to the small bathroom to freshen up.
Ten minutes later, we headed off the boat.
Griffin rolled my suitcase, putting his gym bag over his shoulder. Jude was rolling two small carry-on suitcases. Emma and I were walking in front of the guys. We’d docked right in front of their place.
Once again, I was taken by complete surprise. Emma and Jude’s weekend home was truly small. For some reason, I’d expected a huge mansion or something.
“This was where we lived before I managed to make money,” Jude explained.
“Oh, that’s so lovely,” I said. “I like that you kept the house.”
Emma sighed. “It’s where our kids grew up. Jude tried to convince me to tear it down and build something bigger, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“It’s not big, but it’s got all the comforts.”
Looking over my shoulder, I noticed Griffin was frowning, but I couldn’t understand why.
Once we entered the house, I completely forgot about him.
Emma started explaining what was where. Seeing everything, I couldn’t help thinking that this was exactly how I imagined my home would look one day.
The kitchen and living room were one big space.
The island wasn’t very big, but I could picture little kids sitting around it, baking with Emma or just generally flouncing around her.
The cabinets were painted white, and the countertops were a dark granite.
The dining area was right next to it. The couch and the armchairs were at the far end of the room.
“All right,” Emma said. “So, one bedroom is upstairs, and the other one is downstairs. When our boys were little, they bunked upstairs, and we kept the downstairs room.”
It took several seconds for her words to register. Oh my God. One bedroom.
I glanced at Griffin, realizing why he’d frowned upon seeing the house. He could probably tell even before we’d stepped inside that there wouldn’t be an extra bedroom.