Veronica was grinning from ear to ear. “Griffin, you are one hell of a guy. If you need anyone to vouch for you with your business partner, just let me know. I will gladly give you a reference.”
Griffin started to laugh. “Somehow, I think that would work against me.”
He nodded at us before leaving the table.
The second he was out of earshot, Veronica leaned in. “Do you hate me?”
“No, of course not. But this was a bit weird, even for you.”
“I know, I know. But it was worth it to see that look on Marshall’s face, wasn’t it?”
A huge smile took over my own face as I admitted, “Hell yes.”
CHAPTER 5
GRIFFIN
On Monday morning,I met my brothers in the big meeting room at Sterling Investments as usual. The headquarters was on the corner of 4th Avenue and Market Street. We started the week by holding a strategic meeting, discussing the movements in the stock market from the past week. Once that was over, the team filtered out, leaving just us brothers. This was the fun part. We gave one another advice and also exchanged ideas about other potential markets we could get into. It was the highlight of my day.
“You’re awfully quiet today,” Chase said after we’d finished discussing marketing ideas for the other business we’d started together: a winery in Napa Valley. We’d decided on it after careful research, and I was enjoying setting up a new business with my brothers.
“How did your meeting about the dating app go?” Wyatt asked.
“Not well,” I said. I wasn’t used to admitting defeat. Although, I wasn’t yet considering this a lost cause.
“He wasn’t looking for an investor after all?” Duncan asked. “That sucks.”
“No, he is. He just doesn’t think I’m a good fit.”
“That’s insane,” Wyatt said. I liked his confidence in me. “Did he give you a reason?”
“He feels that I’m not taking his mission statement seriously.”
Wyatt stared at me. “Who takes any of those things seriously?”
“Apparently, he does. His dating platform is for people findingsoulmates,” I said. It truly felt like it was a foreign term for me.
Knox and Finn started to laugh at the same time. Knox stopped first. “Wait, you’re serious.”
I nodded.
Finn cocked a brow. “Dude, you know what? Maybe it’s a good thing, and you dodged a bullet. I mean, you’d have a hard time getting him to push this on a younger generation.”
“Exactly,” I said. “But I’m not giving up. I just need better arguments.”
“Or to start believing that mission statement is really how he feels. Who knows, maybe it’ll help you find a… what was that? Soulmate,” Finn teased.
“Ha ha,” I replied, but I wasn’t amused. I’d stalked Jude’s website some more last night. From the outside, it was impossible to know if people joined it for a hookup or something more serious. But Jude didn’t strike me as a liar. “He also said that he doesn’t like that I’m constantly dating other women.”
Chase groaned. “Man, I told you it would come back to bite you in the ass. You have to be more discreet.”
I leaned back in my chair and shrugged. “I thought I was. I figured you only knew stuff because you’re my brothers. I don’t understand how he knows anything.”
“Well…,” Knox said.
I cocked a brow at him. “What?”
“We don’t live in the Stone Age. There are plenty of pics with you and hotties online. And people talk.”
