You should have told him…
I stepped under the spray. Ache pooled in my chest, heat pricking behind my eyes—not weakness, just wanting.
He was right. This changed everything. Could I do all the things at once: be the woman who kept her promises to a nine-year-old and the woman who protected the tiny promisegrowing inside of her? Play fiancée for his cameras and still decide when and how to tell him the truth?
Saturday morning,I woke to an empty penthouse. Griffin had already left for his meetings, dropping Theo at Mitch’s house to play for the day. Which left me alone with my thoughts, a black card, and a closet full of nothing to wear.
I had one job: find something appropriate for tonight’s cocktail party. I dressed for comfort in a baggy sweatshirt and leggings and headed out. My old, trusty, canvas tennis shoes would get me up and down the streets to shop.
The first boutique was a disaster. Two saleswomen took one look at my scuffed shoes and knockoff purse and directed me toward the clearance rack in the back. No help in figuring out what would pass for appropriate in the life of a temporary fiancée.
The second store was worse. “Everything here starts at three thousand dollars,” the manager said, eyeing me like I’d wandered in off the street by accident. What did I have to do, show them Griffin’s name in gold on the black card to make them believe I was worth waiting on?
By the third store, I’d given up trying to find anything for myself.
Instead, I bought a cashmere sweater for Mom. A leather jacket for my aunt. Sweaters and earrings for Pauli and Charlie. Each purchase went into a growing pile that I had them ship directly to Holly Creek. It seemed selfish, but Griffin had giventhe approval, and seeing their names on those boxes of pretty things made me feel a little less like I’d left them behind.
When the attendant asked if I needed anything for myself, I shook my head and left.
This wasn’t only about tonight. Griffin had a calendar full of events over the next few months—dinners, galas, investor meetings, the West Games Benefit. I needed an entire wardrobe, not one dress. I had no idea where to start.
I stood on a corner of Fifth Avenue, overwhelmed and close to tears, when my phone buzzed.
Relief swept over me seeing Sophie’s name. “Hi. I don’t know if Griffin told you yet, but I’m in the city and I’ll be watching Theo tonight. I thought you and I could meet for coffee?”
“Please. I really need someone to talk to.”
We met at a café tucked between gleaming storefronts. Sophie arrived in jeans with heels. A smart rust-tone pea coat and beret finished her look. So stylish, I envied her. She’d always been able to straddle the line well between city life and small town living. She ordered us lattes and pulled me into a corner booth.
“Okay, spill,” she said, eyes sparkling. “I was so surprised to hear from Griffin that you’re the nanny now. Why didn’t you tell me? How has it been going? Keaton misses you so badly at the Hops.”
In many ways, I missed him and everything in Holly Creek, too.
I hesitated. I couldn’t tell her about the baby. Not about the contract either. But I needed to tell someone something, or I’d explode.
“Sophie, it started as nanny, but now? Griffin and I are... together,” I admitted finally.
Her jaw dropped. “Together? Like, dating?”
I nodded. My hands twisted around the coffee cup.
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but a version of the truth that left out all the messy parts.
Sophie squealed and grabbed my hands. “I knew it! I knew something was going on. Every time he visited Holly Creek, the two of you had this energy. At Archer’s wedding, there were sparks waiting to ignite between you.”
“Well, those sparks ignited that night.”
“What? You and Griffin were together that night and you’re just now telling me?”
“It’s been complicated.” Heat crept up to my cheeks.
“Relationships always are.”
“Being here daily as the nanny definitely has ignited more between us.”
“I’m glad to hear it but be careful, Jess. Griffin’s world is different from ours. The money, the tabloids, the scrutiny. And he’s got a reputation.”
“I know.”
