“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
“One more kiss before I leave you alone?”
“No, because you make me lose my head every time.”
I smiled at him, but my stomach turned unpleasantly. Yeah, I was the only one who made him lose his head. But I couldn’t help thinking that I was the one who’d caused him to lose the deal too.
I walked toward the staircase, then stopped midway.
“Griffin?” I asked.
He was already sitting on the couch, eyes trained on the screen of his phone.
“Yeah?”
“You’re not mad at me for the deal falling through, are you?”
“What? No, of course not. Don’t worry about it.”
I did, though, because he didn’t meet my eyes as he said it.
That night, I stayed awake later than usual, hoping to hug Griffin when he came to bed. But I was still alone when I fell asleep.
When I woke up the next morning, Griffin’s side was untouched.
He didn’t sleep at all?
I jumped out of bed, heading to the living room. He wasn’t there, and his car wasn’t either. Frowning, I went to check Jeremy’s room and froze. The bed was made, but the sheets and the pillow had wrinkles that indicated Griffin had slept here.
Oh God. Why didn’t he come to bed?
A million thoughts raced through my mind, but I didn’t have time to procrastinate.
I hurried through my morning routine, not wanting to be late for work. We had a very strict in-office policy.
When I arrived at the office, I finally checked my messages. Mom usually texted me the day before she came, asking about the weather and whether I wanted her to bring me anything. But I didn’t have any messages from her. Instead, I had one from Griffin.
Griffin: Hey, babe. You were sound asleep when I left. Hope I didn’t wake you up.
I hesitated, wondering if I should ask him why he slept in a different bedroom, then decided not to.
Phoebe: I didn’t hear you at all. Hope you have a great day.
I liked my job, but I wasn’t able to focus today. I kept waiting to hear from Griffin. When was he meeting Jude? What was his game plan?
I checked my phone during every break, but I didn’t have any other messages from Griffin. I didn’t want to pry, but I really wanted to know how things were going.
When five o’clock rolled around, I couldn’t help myself anymore and texted him.
Phoebe: How did it go with Jude?
Griffin: I’m only heading now to meet him.
Phoebe: Good luck.
Takinga deep breath, I added something else.
Phoebe: I’m really sorry that he found out like that. I feel very guilty about it.
