Chapter 13
GRIFFIN
I knew this was a bad idea the minute I saw her slipping on those ridiculous boots.
But I didn’t consider how today’s Saturday—the busiest day of the week at Betsey’s Cafe.
When I open the door, the little bell is like a clarion call for every single patron in there to turn and stare.
Dozens of eyeballs land on us at once. A few people call out my name and wave, while several others murmur among themselves.
It makes sense—it’s not like I’ve ever shown up anywhere with a woman.
Especially not one who looks like Sasha.
It only gets worse when I see a man with a blond bun on the top of his head stand up and say, “What the—”
I just about grab Sasha by the waist and haul her right out of there, but it’s too late. Sasha’s laughing and crossing the floor at a run toward my brother Jude while he looks back and forth between me and Sasha as if his head is exploding.
She throws her arms around him. I feel ill seeing her throw her beautiful self against my admittedly beautiful brother. The whole restaurant is staring like this is some kind of attractive person reunion.
“How—what—” Jude sputters. Thankfully he’s head over heels in love with Sasha’s best friend back in London. Though I don’t know why I’m thankful about this or why I even care.
My nephew Cap pops up from where he was hidden behind the back of his bench. “Uncle Griff!”
“Thank Christ,” I mutter. At least I’ll have someone to hang out with.
But Sasha’s not done. “Oh my God—Cap!” She runs over to the booth, picking the boy up and swinging him around in a hug.
She sets him down. “Oh my gosh, you’re huge! I didn’t know they made nine-year-olds this big!”
He looks embarrassed, smoothing down his hair, but he grins all the same. “I’m the second tallest in my class.”
“This couldn’t have gone any worse,” I grumble.
“Nice to see you, too,” Jude says, clapping me on the back.
I throw a glare at him, but he’s looking at Sasha. Now I am, too. She’s chatting with Cap, asking him about school and skateboarding and admiring his cool new jean jacket.
Everything could be a lot worse, all things considered.
And she was right, of course—as much as I would have felt better keeping her at home, the risk of her being out in Quince Valley is low.
We talked on the way over about how she shouldn’t use her last name when introducing herself to anyone, even though not a lot of people here pay attention to big city politics.
I should be able to relax, but I can’t stop thinking about my conversation with Lionel and the rock and the very hard place he’s put me between.
But when Cap looks up at me, saying something about us sitting with them, I force myself to come back to the present. I have a couple of days to figure this out, and for now, Sasha’s safe with me.
I can tell Jude’s dying to ask me what the hell I’m doing with his girlfriend’s friend—a woman he caught me staring at back at our brother’s wedding, I remember now.
“So we were just leaving,” he begins.
I eye the bill on the table, a credit card lying on top of it. “Great.” I look to my nephew. “No offense, Cap. Just want a little alone time.”
“Alone time?” Cap asks. “Like to—”
“Happy to take your table,” I tell his dad before he can finish his thought.
“Actually, now that you’re here, I think Cap could probably go for a milkshake.”
“Sounds good to me!” Cap says enthusiastically.
I narrow my eyes at my nephew.
He shrugs sheepishly. “Uncle Griff,” he whispers, “Betsey’s isn’t exactly the best place to come for alone time.”
He’s right. Plus, I can’t fault a growing kid for tossing loyalty aside to snag a milkshake.
“Have a seat,” Jude says.
Nothing much I can do now that Sasha slides into the booth, saying, “This is such a nice surprise!”
Is it? I clench my jaw and sit next to Cap. But as soon as I’m seated, I offer him a below-the-table fist bump. We both look straight ahead as he returns it. Sneaky fist bumps are our cool uncle-nephew thing we try not to share with anyone.
But that jealousy I never asked for comes back hot when I look up to see my brother—who still graces billboards from time to time thanks to his stint in pro tennis—whisper something in Sasha’s ear. She laughs heartily, throwing her head back.
I lean down to my nephew. “Don’t suppose you’d take twenty bucks to not have a milkshake?”
“Twenty bucks?”
“That not enough? Forty? That’d keep you in milkshakes for a few weeks.”
Cap rubs his jaw thoughtfully.
Meanwhile my brother folds his arms. “Are you trying to buy us off?”
My brother could work on my surveillance team, he’s got such sharp hearing.
Jude shakes his head. “No dice. Cap, you’re getting a milkshake. And Griff, you’re telling me what you’re doing with my girlfriend’s best friend, who, as far as I know, lives in New York City?”
Sasha opens her mouth, then closes it again.
I feel like an idiot, which is not a familiar feeling for me.
But we didn’t cover this scenario on the drive over.
I was too distracted by her sitting next to me in my truck, which we took instead of the bike so we can pick up groceries on the way back.
I could barely concentrate on the road having her in there, her delicate, pretty form filling a spot that would usually be empty.
I open my mouth, ready to divert the question with another question—a favorite technique of mine when answering won’t benefit me—when Sasha speaks up.
“Actually, I ran into Griff at a restaurant in Midtown a few weeks ago.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jude looks incredulous. “Griff? In a restaurant in Manhattan? I’m going to have to organize my questions.”
Sasha holds up a hand. “Can I try to guess them?” She wiggles her fingers.
Jude laughs. “Please.”
Sasha folds one of her perfect digits down. “I was at the restaurant and just happened to spot Griff out the window. We ended up chatting outside on the sidewalk. It was funny that I recognized him really, having only seen him at the wedding and that time at Nora’s film release back in London.”
So she does remember the movie theatre.
Sasha smiles, her perfectly beautiful lashes fluttering, and folds down a second finger. “One thing led to another and…well, we’re hanging out.” She smiles demurely.
Good God. First Chester calls us lovebirds, then Sasha basically implies the two of us are having some kind of romantic relationship.
Before Jude can comment, another finger goes down. “Griff wanted to show me Quince Valley—and I’m sorry, I would have let you know, but the trip was a bit of a whirlwind, and I know Nora’s still in London, so…” She trails off.
Jude gapes, a goofy-ass grin spreading across his goofy-ass handsome face. “Holy shit. I thought Griffin was allergic to relationships. Like I know he’s broken a few hearts here—Ow!”
I slide my boot back to my side of the booth. He’s about as subtle as fireworks. “Could you not?”
“Holy shit, my brother is blushing.” He turns to his son. “Sorry for swearing, Cap.”
“I am not fu—” I glance over at Cap—I’m as bad as his dad. “I’m not blushing. I don’t blush.”
“Then why are your cheeks all pink?” Cap asks.
Jude howls with laughter.
“Also, I swear all the time at school, Dad,” Cap says. “FYI.”
“You what?” Jude asks his son, sobering.
Now Sasha’s falling over herself laughing. The whole thing is extremely chaotic, and I want to storm out of here with Sasha over my shoulder. But that would put her ass very close to my face and—shit. I grab a menu, holding it in front of my face.
“Hey, doll!” A sing-song voice rescues me from this torture a moment later.
I want badly to wipe the sweat off my brow. Instead, I turn my full attention on our server, relaxing as I see one of my favorites.
“Hey, darlin’,” I say. “How are you?”
Darlin’? Since when do I say darlin’?
Luckily Amanda eats it up. “Well, I’m just fine, honey. You’re looking mighty handsome today. Almost holding a candle to pretty boy over here.” She winks at Jude. “Though no one’s a match for Mr. Cap.”
Cap blushes furiously.
I like Amanda. We all do. Jude grins widely. “You’re looking gorgeous, Amanda. That a new haircut?”
She giggles but turns to me when she says, “I was waiting for you to notice.”
I once helped her deal with a tricky ex-boyfriend situation, and ever since, she always brings me a slice of apple pie when I come in, even if I’m eating scrambled eggs. Once she told me I was her favorite Kelly brother, and I wonder if now’s the time to bring that up to Jude.
“How’s Tina?” I ask as Amanda pours our coffee.
“Oh you know, teenage girl drama is at an all-time high.”
“Does she still babysit?” Cap asks. He’s got his arm over the back of the bench, clearly trying to sound and look casual, but the bench is too high for his arm, and his cheeks are still a fading pink.
“Yes, honey. You two had fun together that one time, didn’t you?”
Cap shrugs, but his cheeks flame a second time.
I lean in and whisper, “Now whose cheeks are pink?”
Cap clears his throat, elbowing me hard. Now it’s his turn to pick up a menu and stare intently at the salad list.
After we order—a peanut butter milkshake for Cap, a full plate of waffles with sausage and bacon for Sasha, with crispy bacon, please, and waffles soft with a crispy edge, if possible, a basic bacon and egg breakfast for me, and a fruit plate for Jude, because of course—Amanda leaves, and fortunately, we settle into a new topic of conversation.
Mostly we talk about Nora and how she’s coming home for good in December when she graduates.
“Now, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got big plans over Christmas,” Jude says, his grin spreading from ear to ear.
“He’s going to ask Nora to marry him!” Cap says, mirroring his dad’s expression.
The cockles of my ice-cold heart warm up at this news, but I don’t show any of them that as I sip my coffee.
Sasha, meanwhile, gasps, her hands at her mouth, tears filling her eyes. “Oh my God, that’s the best news I’ve ever heard!”
While they gush, I find myself examining Sasha’s reaction.
Does she dream about getting married? Of course she does, looking like that.
Coming from the family she’s in. She’ll probably have a big society wedding in one of those giant halls, with a huge dress that drags on the ground like a princess.
I picture her like that now, on some steps, looking over her shoulder and smiling at me.
Then I picture watching her walk down the aisle, and my stomach does a little flip.
The fuck why, I don’t know. She’s going to marry some Yaley asshole named Cedric or Percy or some shit, whose family has an estate. Multiple estates.
I watch her now, laughing, her hair thrown over her shoulder, the soft skin of her neck exposed, her hand with its long fingers wrapped around the big, chunky coffee mug.
Then I remember the way Vincent Creelman gripped that perfect hand. How he held her so tight I saw the bruises beginning outside on the sidewalk, while her body still shook with adrenaline. She looked so small, her eyes so big.
And even though she basically told me to fuck off, I left her alone just like her family had. I put her in danger.
My chest goes so tight I have to rub a hand there. Just a subtle touch that I hide with a scratch.
Sasha laughs again, playing some game with Cap involving a quarter on the table. Jude and Cap are always playing, like life’s some kind of game. Sometimes, like right now, I wish I could be carefree like that. But there’s just too much in this world for me to fix to be carefree.
I look at Jude, who picks up his buzzing phone from the tabletop. I know it’s Nora, because he’s got that dreamy fucking look on his face whenever he talks about her.
He’s going to marry her.
I think about Lionel denying me the protection the company could offer her.
Then of all things, Chester, having Sasha fire Louise for a shotgun wedding.
Then it hits me, like a ton of bricks.
Maintaining the reputation of McCrae & Associates is imperative—our credibility is the cornerstone of our success.
Those were Lionel’s own words back at that meeting.
Amanda comes back with the plates of food, setting our dishes on the table. “So, what are y’all up to after this?”
I look at Sasha. “We’re getting married.”