“Fuck yes.”
“But…”
“You’re hesitating. Tell me why.”
“This doesn’t exactly sound… casual.”
“One thing doesn’t have anything to do with the other. Whenever you need me, just say the word.”
I nodded. “Well, I do need you tonight.”
His expression slowly morphed into a smile. God, I’d missed him.
“All right, then let’s hop in the car.”
Once we were both inside, he leaned in slightly, like he was sharing a secret. “I’m planning to cook for you tonight at my place.”
“You mean serious business,” I teased.
He growled. “You can say that twice.”
“How was Napa Valley?”
“Productive. I was actually talking to my brothers about renting a house in the area year-round. Then we could take turns going there. But maybe it’s best to rent something on anas-needed basis. I’ll calculate it. There’s no point being wasteful.”
I liked that Griffin was conscious with his money even though I was sure he had plenty.
“How was your course?” he asked.
“Very insightful. I’m grateful that the company is paying for me to do it even though I’m just a part-time employee. It’s going to help me do my job better.”
“I like your enthusiasm.”
“I like what I’m doing. Though between the two of us, even if I didn’t like it, I’d probably still do it. But I’m glad that I’m enjoying it.” I smiled. “Aaaand I’ve told my boss that I’d love to be full-time with them. He said he’ll consider it, whatever that means.”
“I’m proud of you for taking the initiative.” He leaned over, kissing my shoulder.
“Hey, eyes on the road.”
He smiled as he focused his gaze forward. “You’re a fighter. I like that about you. I think it’s one of the things that attracted me from the beginning.”
I turned to look at him. “What do you mean? I thought you were just playing the knight in shining armor because Veronica asked you.”
“I heard you talking before that. I liked the fire you had.”
“Well, I was talking Veronica’s ear off about what an asshole Marshall was—actually, let’s not talk about him anymore.”
Griffin cleared his throat. “It’s fine if you need to.”
“And ruin this perfect evening? Nah. I just want to put everything behind me. I’m not naive enough to think that I’m rid of him, but I refuse to let him overshadow everything. I, for one, am looking forward to this. Can you believe I’ve never been to Point Loma?”
Griffin stared at me. “That’s impossible.”
I started to laugh. “I’m not even sure how that happened. I guess I just never ventured here. It’s possible that my parentsmight have brought me here when I was a kid, but I just can’t remember.”
“I like it. It’s very laid-back.”
It looked upscale to me. We passed a few houses that were downright mansions.
