‘Seven o’clock. I’ll pick you up.’
Their eyes met, and she knew she wasn’t the only one remembering their night together. She’d given up trying to convince herself that pursuing this madness with Griff was well, mad. Lyndsey couldn’t be her usual sensible, pragmatic self around him, so she might as well admit it.
* * *
An aggressive couple of hours spent hoeing his vegetable garden sweated out a good deal of Griff’s frustration. Thankfully his hand was pretty much back to full strength now, but if he’d tried to work with glass instead of weeds, his moodiness would’ve made it an unmitigated disaster. Lyndsey was right to be shaken by Theo’s escapade, and Griff was childish to hanker for a little more of her attention. He didn’t consider himself a needy man; in fact, more than one girlfriend had complained about his lack of possessiveness and the correlation between the depth of his feelings.
He pulled up a couple of cucumbers and red peppers to add to the handful of green beans he’d picked earlier and strolled back into the house, dropping the vegetables on the kitchen counter. Griff’s stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten today. He wasn’t in the mood to cook, but if he drove over to give Buddy an update on Theo, he could get a meal there. But he’d need a shower and clean clothes first, because even his old friend wouldn’t let him in looking and smelling this bad.
On the way out, he threw Deke’s house a longing glance.
* * *
Although it wasn’t open mic night, the place was still busy. Friday’s draw, which pulled in customers for miles around, was fried catfish, bought in direct from the Mississippi coast and cooked to Buddy’s secret recipe. Griff’s mouth watered thinking about the light, thin breading and tender fish. As a nod to Lyndsey’s healthier-eating mantra, he’d order a side of green beans too, although as they were simmered the traditional Southern way with chunks of pork added for flavor, he doubted she’d approve.
Griff made his way to the restaurant at the back, heading straight for the bar, where Buddy was busy serving. His old friend spotted him and came out around.
‘Good news, I hope?’
‘Yeah. I would’ve called earlier but things were a bit tetchy.’ He ran through what happened.
‘Little devil.’ Buddy tapped the side of his head. ‘Pretty damn smart, though. You’ve got to hand it to him for thinkin’ outside the box. Bet it worried his poor folks half to death, though.’
‘You’re not wrong there.’ Griff had been too fast to condemn Lyndsey when she read Theo the riot act. They were her family. She and Becca had their ups and downs, but despite that, always maintained some sort of relationship — not like he and Jase. Even after all these years his parents still didn’t know the full story behind their sons’ estrangement, and at this point, he was resigned to letting it stay that way. ‘Anyway, you’re busy and I’m about to fall apart, so is there any chance of some food?’
Buddy’s piercing stare bored through Griff. The old guy missed nothing, and knew something else was bugging him.
‘Sure. Go see Fran and she’ll fix you a plate. I need to bring more beer in.’ He turned to leave, but stopped. ‘Don’t be a stranger, you hear me?’
Griff flushed and nodded. His appetite had disappeared, but if he didn’t at least appear to enjoy his meal, Buddy would only hassle him more. He perched at the bar to eat, rather than at one of the empty tables. Being forced into unwanted conversation today wasn’t on his agenda. Luckily, Fran was too busy with other customers to pay much attention when he left half his food, along with enough money to cover his bill and a generous tip.
Outside, the muggy air settled around him like a wet blanket. He thought wistfully about Lyndsey’s tempting description of the year-round fresh salt tang in the air where she grew up in Cornwall, a stone’s throw from the sea. He’d only ever been to the coast one time, when his family made a never-to-be repeated trip to Florida. They’d combined a couple of days enjoying the glorious white sand beaches with a visit to Disney World. Saving up for that trip meant his parents had to cut corners in other areas of their limited budget. Later, when Griff’s career was soaring and finances were no longer an issue, he rarely took time off, always too afraid of someone even more driven and committed usurping his hard-won position while he was away.
The drive home was too short to clear his head, so he detoured to his workshop.He’d lose himself in work and try to finish the mosaic panel he’d been forced to abandon when he cut his hand.If he couldn’t be with Lyndsey tonight, this would serve as the next best thing.
Chapter Fifteen
Lyndsey clicked the button to end the Zoom call and flopped back on the sofa. Nicola had been unusually vocal, making her unhappiness crystal clear when she admitted she hadn’t booked her return flight. Helping Becca remained her number-one priority, which meant staying another six weeks until Deke came back. Thankfully, her parents didn’t have a problem with her staying longer — far from it. They were thrilled she and Becca were getting along better, and her dad’s health was the best it’d been in years, so she had no need to rush back for their sakes.
But the responsible gene that ran through her like a vein of rock wouldn’t let her sit back and allow the business she’d worked so hard on to fail. The problem was that juggling so many balls made her dizzy, so something had to give.
The thought of putting a stop to her deepening relationship with Griff punched a hole in her heart so big Lyndsey was amazed it kept beating. There simply weren’t enough hours in the day, so she’d have to make their date tonight the last one. There would be no dishonesty of the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ variety. He would get the whole unvarnished truth, and that would be it.
Really? You think you can walk away that easily?
Not easily, never that. But her sister was relying on her and so were Deke, Theo, Nora and The Right Place.
What ifthisis the right place for you, and Griff the right person?
Lyndsey clapped her hands over her ears in a desperate effort to blot out the conflicting opinions battling for space in her head. She yanked off her clothes, threw them on the floor and headed for the shower. By the time she’d stood far too long under the pounding hot water, shampooed her hair, shaved her legs and dried off, slathering her skin with the fragrant gardenia-scented lotion Griff loved, a curious sense of resignation wrapped around her.
She’d make the most of this last night together, despite only one of them knowing that’s what it was. His pertinent question about the way she dressed had driven her to go shopping. No black, gray or white tonight. First, she wriggled into her new coral underwear, a plunging bra and barely-there panties, and then added a figure-hugging silk shift dress in the same shade of coral, splashed with bright turquoise tropical flowers. The contrast with her dark skin brought out a sensuousness only Griff had ever seen in her. She kept her make-up to a minimum, putting the emphasis on her long, dark lashes and smoky eyelids. Hot tears stung her eyes as she stroked on a slick of coral lip gloss while imagining Griff kissing it away.
‘Your date’s arrived,’ Becca yelled up the stairs. ‘If you don’t hurry up, I’ll take your place. He’s looking extremely yummy.’
Despite the ache in her heart, she could easily picture Griff’s embarrassment. ‘I’m coming.’ Lyndsey rarely wore heels, so dared not hurry in her gold stilettos. She sucked in a deep breath at the sight of Griff hovering at the bottom of the stairs, staring up with his mouth curved into a blatantly sexy smile. Becca’s ‘yummy’ description was spot on. He’d promised they’d be going somewhere fancier than the Adamsville Grocery, and his immaculate silver-gray suit, white shirt and sapphire blue tie reflected that. Lyndsey took his outstretched hand as she reached the bottom step and the tease of his expensive citrusy cologne cut another chink in her resolve.
She turned to Becca. ‘Are you sure you—?’
