Chapter 15 #2
“Did you tell him that?” she asked, a little coolly.
“Deep down, he knows that.” I started to laugh, but my stomach somersaulted when I realized what I’d just said.
I love him.
Three seconds ago, I told Ellie I loved Henry.
How did she interpret that? I wondered. Like I loved Henry casually? Or not so casually?
Wait… My heart suddenly skipped. Was it casual? Or not so casual?
“It’s funny,” Ellie said as I tried to decipher it. “I really always pictured you with Griff.”
I gave her a look. “You did?”
“Yeah, you guys look like you have so much fun when you hang out.” She reached for another brownie. “I know you said your crush kind of stalled, but I was surprised it fizzled… especially after that water volleyball game. You were all over each other!”
I don’t not have a crush on Griff, I thought, pulse quickening. Right?
I mean, lately I’d felt like my mind was happily occupied with Henry, but I still had a thing for Griff. I still imagined him picking me up and spinning me around, the two of us laughing until our ribs hurt. He still hadn’t stopped by with our promised milkshakes, though, which bummed me out.
“He asked Kenzie to prom after school today,” Ellie added. “You saw it on his Instagram story, right?”
My stomach dropped. “Oh, yeah,” I lied. I hadn’t been on social media much today; everything faded away when I blew glass.
Ellie laughed. “I hope he asked her parents if it was okay to shoot an arrow at their front door.”
I didn’t need to check out Instagram to see the footage; I could just picture it. Griff, square-shouldered and chestnut hair shining in the sunlight, walking down Kenzie’s front path with a bow and a prom? note dangling from Cupid’s arrow.
“What about Chase?” I asked, half to change the subject and half because I wanted to know. “Is he coming back for prom?”
Ellie nodded. “He says he wouldn’t miss it.” She glanced away before looking back at me and smiling, her eyes strained.
“You know he doesn’t deserve you, right?” I asked, because what was the harm? “You’re too good for him.”
Ellie blushed. “Maybe,” she said quietly.
I gave her a smile, waiting and wishing for her to add something about breaking up with Chase. Hopefully this was a start.
IT WAS MY IDEA TO PUT ON MUSIC WHILE WE finished up cleaning Fair Winds, and I laughed when Ellie put down the Swiffer to show me a few of today’s popular middle school dance moves. “Don’t tell her I told you, but Tate is almost as tragic a dancer as our dad!”
“Her talents lie elsewhere,” I rephrased, pointing to my hair.
“Indeed!”
I felt a twinge. Henry and I’d talked about being only children—neither of us had ever particularly wished for siblings, but there were fleeting moments when we did.
Usually when Ellie spoke about her brother and sister.
No one loves their siblings more than Pinks, Henry long ago remarked.
She sometimes wants to kill them, but mostly wants to kill for them…
There were more than enough brownies left for Ellie’s family, so I sent her home with the bakery box once the guesthouse looked straight out of a Serena I could barely hear my thoughts over diners’ conversations.
My pizza waited expectantly behind the bar, near the brick oven with its blue, green, and white tile mosaic.
“This one’s on me!” I swear I heard someone shout just as I was about to hand over my credit card.
I flinched when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see a chipped-tooth smile. “Griff, hey,” I said, but the words came out like I’d swallowed a bug. A sort of cough. “What’s up?”
“Let me treat you to dinner,” he said. “I’m sorry I never showed up to help you clean. I told you I’d be there, and I wasn’t.”
Yeah, I thought. Why?
“You owe me a milkshake,” I quipped when he didn’t explain. “Not a pizza.”
Griff shrugged, and I didn’t protest when he handed over his debit card.
“Thanks, Keeler,” I said. “I’ll think of you while I’m devouring this in twenty minutes.”
“I’m flattered,” Griff chuckled, then nodded outside. “I’ll walk you to Brigitta.”
“What about your family?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m not with my family,” he said. “Just Jason.” He winked as he held open the door for me. “We’re talking strategy about his promposal to Cristina.”
“Got it,” I said, then mustered up some enthusiasm. “Congratulations on asking Kenzie!”
“You don’t sound thrilled.” For once, Griff was quick on the uptake, noticing my lack of cheer. “Are you good?”
Who cares if I’m not thrilled? I thought. I don’t need to be thrilled. It’s not my promposal.
“You’re going with Chen, right?” Griff asked when I stayed silent. “I mean, since you’re together?”
“Yeah, of course.” I shrugged and then, embarrassingly, started laughing. “I’m sorry, Griff,” I said. “I’m so tired today. Running a short-term rental is not for the faint of heart.”
“No worries, Audrey.” Griff gave me a lopsided smile and clapped my shoulder, almost knocking the pizza box from my arms. “You’re doing awesome.”
“Tell that to my bank account,” I muttered as my phone chimed in my sweatshirt pocket.
“No, no, come on.” Griff shook his head. “That review?”
I rolled my eyes. “It was one review, Griff.”
He smirked. “Oh, so you haven’t seen it.”
“Seen what?”
“The second review.”
There was a second review? My pulse jumped, but before I could shove my dinner at him and check Here-to-Stay myself, Griff pulled it up on his phone.
No way. I blinked upon seeing the screen. Five stars from Brian and Leslie?
You deserve it, I could hear Henry say. Plus, it’s an olive branch to avoid a lawsuit…
I skimmed. They called Fair Winds cute, clean, and cozy, and the highlight of their trip was their sunrise and sunset walks on the Sound.
It made Leslie’s blood pressure drop “in the best way.” They would’ve stayed longer if they could, calling me the consummate professional: extremely organized, considerate, and discreet.
And to sweeten the pot even more, Sandy had added an additional review: If you love Beach Cottage Chronicles, Fair Winds is perfect for you!
“I told you,” Griff said when I finished reading. “You’re killing it.” He grinned. “You’ve got someone lined up for this weekend, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I said, straightening my shoulders. Because he was right! Look at me! In my entrepreneur era! “She’s arriving tomorrow…” I balanced the pizza box in one hand so I could unlock my phone, but once I tapped on the Here-to-Stay app, I trailed off…
They’d unfrozen my money.
My new-host delay had been lifted.
I could officially pay out and transfer five nights’ worth of rent to my bank account.
“Fuck yeah!” Griff cheered when I showed him. “Let’s pay the hell out!”
And then, without any warning, he picked me up and spun me around twice. A small zing went up my spine, but I just smiled and held on to my pizza for dear life.