Chapter 32
PHOEBE
Living with Griffin was even dreamier than I could have imagined.
Over the next two weeks, I got so used to pampering my man in that huge house that I wasn’t even sure how I’d deal with moving out.
Since public transportation wasn’t great around here, I went to work on my bike every day.
It was quite the workout, but I loved it.
I tried not to dwell on my life before Griffin because what good would that do?
Though it was hard not to, as I realized this was all happening so quickly.
But when you knew things were right, they just were.
Just because our relationship was moving at lightning speed, that didn’t mean it was wrong or that it wouldn’t work.
In fact, having dated Marshall for six years showed me what I didn’t want in a relationship, so I was even more certain that what Griffin and I had was right.
When D-Day came around, I walked toward the realtor’s office with my head held high. I’d splurged on an Uber to get here, and I was meeting Griffin after, and he was dropping me off at the office. I was happy to put all this behind me.
Just before I entered the building, my phone beeped with a message. I took it out, certain it was from Mom. I’d called her on the way, but she didn’t pick up. She knew my meeting was starting now.
Mom: Good luck today. We’re so happy you’re finally selling the house and beginning a new, better chapter in your life.
Phoebe: Thanks, Mom. So am I.
Mom: Can’t wait to see you. And meet Griffin. And Hannah.
When I’d told my parents that I was temporarily staying with Griffin, they were a bit surprised. But they got used to the idea faster than I thought. Then they insisted that they couldn’t possibly stay with us, so I told them about Hannah’s offer. Mom was ecstatic.
Mom: Want to call us?
Phoebe: I can’t, I’m about to go into the realtor’s. Love you, Mom.
Mom: Love you too.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside. Beth was waiting for me at the reception desk. “Phoebe, welcome. Let’s head straight inside the meeting room. Everyone’s here already.”
“Oh,” I said, surprised by that. “I’m not late, am I?”
“No, but I think everyone was very eager.”
“Right.”
I followed her down the narrow corridor. I’d never been here before. The agency’s office seemed a bit claustrophobic. The reception area was small, and there were four or five other doors in the adjacent corridor.
I sucked in a breath when we stepped into the meeting room. There was a young couple on one side of the table, and Marshall was on the other one. He didn’t even acknowledge me, and I did the same, moving forward and focusing on the couple.
“Hi,” I said. “Congratulations are in order.”
She beamed at me. “You’re so kind. Thank you. I’m Sylvie.”
He nodded. “And I’m Felton. We’re so excited to buy the house.”
“We have so many plans to restore it,” she said.
“It’s got a lot of potential,” I said, because it was true.
“Right. Well, everything is settled. This meeting is mostly ceremonial,” Beth chimed in, pulling out the documents. She showed each of us where to sign.
Marshall was still not acknowledging me, but I realized one thing: I was completely at peace. I was relieved to get this chapter over with. In the past, I was a mess around him. But sitting here, I simply felt nothing. He didn’t have the power to hurt me anymore, and it was amazing. I was free.
“All right. Now, here are the last sets of keys,” I said after signing, taking them out of my bag.
“Do you need to take anything else from the house?” Sylvie asked.
I shook my head. “No. I’m good.”
Then she turned to Marshall. “And you?” Perhaps she didn’t know our bitter history, but that was for the better. I appreciated that Beth had been discreet.
“No, I don’t have anything there,” Marshall said.
Beth rose to her feet. “All right, then. We’re done. Congratulations on your new house, Felton and Sylvie.”
She shook their hands. Marshall and I did the same.
Even though I was indifferent to him, I was eager to get out of here. Without rose-colored glasses on any longer, I realized that Marshall wasn’t someone I wanted to be around. In the past, I’d made excuses for him. But I knew better now—he wasn’t a good person.
As we exited the meeting room, Felton and Sylvie walked in front of me down the narrow corridor.
She was giddy with laughter. I had a flashback of when Marshall and I first got the house and how I’d felt the exact same way.
I’d been in love with all the possibilities it held.
Was it their starter home, or did they just want to flip it?
It didn’t matter. It wasn’t my business.
I was just ecstatic that this had gone off without a hitch.
And as a plus, I was going to see Griffin in about ten minutes. The coffee shop where he met Jude was less than a block away.
The second we stepped out of the realtor’s building, Marshall said, “I hope you’re happy!” His tone was laced with accusation and hate.
I cocked a brow at him. “Meaning?”
“You’ve got your unfair share of the profit.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake, he’s still going on with this.
“We sold at the agreed-upon price, and I am more than entitled to half of the profit.”
“Keep telling yourself that. I never took you for a vindictive person.”
I blinked. “So, giving me what’s mine by right means I’m trying to take something away from you?”
“You’re not like this. You never asked for one thing in all those years.”
That hurt. He’d relied on me being passive when we’d dated. Why was I so insecure with him and yet the total opposite with Griffin? Whatever, it didn’t matter anymore.
“That was my mistake. I put up with whatever crumbs you wanted to throw my way, and you got used to that. But I’m not the same person anymore, Marshall. You did me a favor by not proposing.”
“Yeah, right.” He burst out laughing. “Like you would have said no.”
“That’s the problem. I would have said yes.
And then I would have been unhappy with you for the rest of my life.
I probably wouldn’t even know what real happiness is.
But now I know what it means to be loved and respected.
To be someone’s priority. And all that was possible because we broke up, so thank you for being a huge ass. ”
Marshall shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re on about, but that guy isn’t going to stick around. He’s a fucking gazillionaire. He can have any woman he wants. And he usually chooses models, judging by the pictures I found online. Don’t fool yourself. He’s way out of your league.”
I rolled my shoulders back, stepping closer to him. “Griffin is a real man, but that’s not something I can explain to you. You just wouldn’t understand because you’re not even close to being one.”
“That’s it, start insulting me.”
“Not my intention.” I shrugged. “So, from the bottom of my heart, I wish for you to find as much happiness as I did.”
Marshall didn’t reply—he just snorted.
I am so done with this asshole.
Without another word, I turned around and headed in the direction of the coffee shop.
The more distance I put between me and Marshall, the more my mood improved.
I was free. I was meeting my amazing man and seeing Jude again.
I’d put this chapter behind me, and it felt even more glorious than I thought it could.
I texted Mom quickly because she’d asked me to give her an update as soon as I could.
Phoebe: All done. Everything went well.
She’d been so great throughout all of this.
Then again, my mom had always been amazing.
I always felt like she was in my corner even when she feared that I wasn’t making the right decision—such as working in Marshall’s office for a pittance and not pursuing my own career.
She was gentle about it, though, never outright criticizing me or making me feel bad about myself.
I still remember that day I told her. She’d asked, “Darling, are you certain about this? You might not be able to use everything you’ve learned in your degree, and I know you like to be intellectually stimulated.”
“It’s what I want to do,” I’d told her, and she didn’t push further.
I guess some things you don’t learn unless you experience them yourself.
She responded right away.
Mom: I’m so happy for you, honey. Dad and I send you lots of love, and Nana and Granddad as well.
She then sent me a picture of the four of them, and I put a hand on my chest. Oh, that was cute. Nana looked exactly the same as she had when they moved away from here ten years ago. The only thing that betrayed my grandparents’ age was the fact that they moved much slower these days.
I had to pay them a visit soon. I’d been so busy trying to keep afloat over these past few months that I couldn’t even contemplate leaving. But now things were starting to look up.
I toyed with the idea of asking Mom and Dad to bring my grandparents as well on their visit, but that wasn’t fair. Traveling was exhausting for them.
I couldn’t wait for my parents to meet Griffin. I was sure they’d love him.
It was official—time to move on. At one time, I didn’t want to rush things and jump into another relationship, fearing it wouldn’t work or that it would be a rebound relationship and fall apart. But what Griffin and I had didn’t feel that way at all.
I arrived at the coffee shop only a few minutes later. It was truly just one block away from the realtor’s office. I still couldn’t believe that Griffin had chosen his meeting’s location specifically to be close by to me. He was amazing.
It was a lovely place. They had a garden outside with huge white umbrellas. A fence made out of greenery separated the perimeter of the coffee shop from its surroundings.
I spotted Griffin and Jude at a table for four, right in the center of the garden. The place was relatively empty.