“One of your brothers also lives here, right?”
“Yes, Chase and Hannah. She inherited the inn from her grandmother, and they live right next to it.”
“That’s so sweet.”
As we turned sideways onto a smaller street, I was oohing and aahing at the homes. Some were bungalow style and clearly a bit older, while others were large and modern.
Griffin stopped in front of a huge gate. He pressed the button, and it opened up, revealing, without a doubt, the most stunning home I’d ever seen. It put everything we’d just passed to shame. I didn’t even think that was possible.
“Griffin,” I said. “This is breathtaking.”
“You haven’t even been inside.” He smiled as he turned off the engine.
“You’ve got all these old trees.”
“It’s why I bought it. A developer built it, and then the couple who commissioned it decided to move elsewhere. They have a lot of kids, apparently. It’s far too big for what I need, but these trees sold me. It feels like I’m alone in a forest.”
All that glass was amazing. And when we stepped inside, I was even more impressed. I couldn’t keep myself from gasping as Griffin showed me around the first floor. The view from inside was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “Most love the ocean, but I’m a forest girl. I like being surrounded by trees.”
“So do I. You’re the first person to ever say that. Half my friends asked why I didn’t buy something that has an ocean view.”
“Pfffft. Someone criticized this beauty? How could they be so heartless?”
Being here, it became clear as day how different Griffin and I were.
No wonder he thought my house was a dump. Until today, I’d never been truly aware of how wealthy he was. He didn’t flaunt it, but it was clear that he’d spared no expense on his home.
Oh, don’t ruin the mood, Phoebe. Who cares that you and Griffin are from totally different circles? You two agreed to have fun together.
And we were going to do just that.
CHAPTER 21
PHOEBE
Griffin went into the kitchen,and I followed him. The stress of the day was simply melting away.
Standing in front of the island, Griffin pressed a button on the stone surface, then put a pot on the stone itself. Seconds later, he poured in oil.
“Wait, where is the actual cooking surface?” I asked, realizing there was no ceramic glass anywhere.
He smiled. “This is it. It uses an induction, so it’s under the stone.”
My jaw hung open. “Wow. I never knew something like this existed.”
“It’s fairly new,” he said, “and expensive.”
That’s why it never popped up in my research for flipping the house.
“I can’t accidentally burn myself, can I?”
“No. The induction doesn’t heat up the stone, just the pot itself.”
“Clever,” I murmured.
Griffin put rice in a special pot and then started taking out ingredients from the fridge. “Is there anything you don’t eat?”
“No. What do you want to cook?”
