“Whatever!” he huffed.
I was fighting tears, trying to keep my composure, but I held my chin high, not breaking eye contact. He was the one who looked away first, turning around and heading out of the establishment.
“Are you okay?” I asked Griffin.
“Yeah, don’t worry about me. You?”
I nodded, nervously looking at Jude.
Griffin straightened up, turning to him, too, as if he’d just remembered that Jude had witnessed everything.
He was staring at both of us with a serious expression.
“Jude, I’m sorry you witnessed that,” Griffin said. “The guy is a complete asshole.”
“Normally, I’d say that this is none of my business,” Jude said in a measured tone. “But something he said bothered me. When we went to dinner, you two told me and Emma that you’d been going out for about six months. Or did I have that wrong?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, glancing at Griffin. My mind was racing at a million miles an hour.
Should we make up something quick?He was kind of giving us the option, but honestly, I didn’t have the energy.
As if reading my mind, Griffin took in a deep breath, then grabbed my hand under the table, squeezing it lightly.
“There’s something Phoebe and I wanted to share with you.”
I knew from the tone of his voice that he wanted to fess up, so I squeezed his hand right back under the table. I was shaking slightly from the encounter with Marshall.
I should have known this morning went too well.
“We didn’t exactly tell you the truth from the beginning,” Griffin continued.
“I just put that together,” Jude said smoothly. His voice wasn’t overly harsh, but it missed the usual warmth. “Why?”
Griffin looked at me briefly before going on. “When you and I met, you implied that you didn’t like my reputation. And then, as luck would have it, I ran into Phoebe.”
“And we started to pretend that we were dating,” I finished for Griffin.
“So, you’ve been lying to me and to Emma all this time,” Jude said. Now his voicewasharsh, and I didn’t blame him.
“I can explain,” Griffin said, but Jude got up from his chair.
“There’s no need. I don’t want to know any details, but I don’t do business with liars.”
“We really—” I began, but he waved his hand, and I stayed silent.
“No, no. I’ve heard more than I need to know.” He shook his head before getting up from the table. “I’m shocked that you tricked me and Emma. This is unbelievable.”
I couldn’t find my words—or any words at all—as Jude walked away. I felt horrible that we’d disappointed him. And I hated that Emma would no doubt feel the same as her husband.
I nudged Griffin. “Go after him. I’m sure you can calm him down, explain it all.”
Griffin turned to me, cupping my face with one hand. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re shaking, and I’d rather be here with you.”
“Well, then, I can talk to Jude.”
“Forget about Jude. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”
“I think I’m fine, Griffin. I just need to process this for a bit. But I don’t want you to lose this deal.”
