Earlier, while getting ready, Griffin had sent over large diamond stud earrings. They were gorgeous and caught the light with my every movement. A statement to wear in my ears far better than the cheap diamond chips from the Malmart. He said they were on loan from a jewelry store, so I tried not to get any ideas about these being a gift.
I forced myself to breathe. If I’d survived mean girls in high school, worked double shifts at the Hops, raised two teenagers while caring for my injured mother, I could handle one cocktail party.
Under crystal chandeliers with a string trio playing in the corner, underscoring the din of conversation, I searched for Griffin. At last I found him near the bar, deep in conversation with a few people. His gaze locked on mine, traveling slowly from my face down to my heels and back up, lingering on every curve.
How handsome he appeared in a charcoal suit, his hair slightly tousled like he’d been running his hands through it. He excused himself and crossed the room in long strides. With each step he drew closer, my heart beat faster.
“Jessa.” His voice was low, intimate, meant only for me. “You look...”
“Like I belong here?” I asked, arching a brow.
“Like you own the place.” He offered his arm. “I’ll introduce you.”
Ready or not, I was in this now. The first person we met was Sam Whiting—Griffin’s legal counsel and the man behind that horrific set of rules. Would a copy of my rewrites have been shared with him?
Opposite Griffin, Sam was short and stout, silver-haired, with a crooked smile that left me uneasy. His wife, Tina, beside him couldn’t appear any more plastic, but I’m sure was lovely. She at least greeted me warmly.
“So this is the mysterious Jessa,” Sam said, shaking my hand a little too long and laughing. “Griffin has told me absolutely nothing about you.”
He’d tried to replace me with Sabine just days ago. The jerk.
“I hope I can win you over,” I said sweetly. Killing with kindness had always been a good place to start. And if that didn’t work, I’d figure something else out.
Another gentleman stopped to shake Griffin’s hand, taking him momentarily a step away, leaving me with Sam.
I stood uncomfortably caught in his gaze raking over me, assessing. Then he leaned in. “You’re not what I expected. Not his usual type.”
He couldn’t have used deadlier words on me. I coldly responded, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Everything okay?” Griffin’s hand wound around my back. “Is Sam on his best behavior?”
He forced a laugh. “Just making conversation.”
I decided right then that I didn’t like him. Thankfully, Griffin moved us past him.
Next came Gary, the CFO, and his wife Brenda—a friendly woman who immediately pulled me into conversation about her daughters. They were about the same age as my sisters, so we had that in common to talk about, all the young female angst. When she asked where I was from, and I said Holly Creek, she lit up.
“Oh, I love that place! I try to attend the holiday festival there each year.”
“It has its charm,” I agreed.
More introductions followed. The VP of Operations. The head of marketing. A board member and her husband. Each one greeted me with curiosity, and I met them with honesty.
I would not put on airs and pretend to be something I wasn’t. If I was going to survive the next few months, I had to do it as myself. Surprisingly, it worked.
People laughed and understood my attempts at humor. Asked me questions. Treated me as if I belonged. Griffin stayed close the whole time, his hand never leaving the small of my back. Whenever someone asked how we met, he’d smile and say, “She served me the best whiskey and microbrews in upstate New York and stole my heart in the process.”
The evening should have felt like a lie, but the way he looked at me when he said it made me stand taller.
Hors d’oeuvres were served—food I couldn’t even pronounce, each bite more delicious than the last. I kept my place beside Griffin, and for a couple of hours, I forgot this was all pretend, so natural we were together among everyone here.
Then Griffin tapped his glass with a fork, the crystal chime silencing the room.
“I want to thank all of you for being here tonight,” he began, his voice steady and commanding. “We’ve reached a major milestone in preparing for the IPO, and none of it would be possible without this team. You’ve worked tirelessly, and I’m grateful. Of course, we still have a ways to go, but now and then I think it’s important to stop and celebrate the milestones. So cheers to you all.”
Applause rippled through the room.
His gaze found mine, and my heart stopped at the whimsical look in his eyes. He continued. “Tonight isn’t just about business. This is also about someone who’s changed my life in ways I never expected.”
