Big Upgrade, Bigger Attitude
Ryder
For a guy whose accommodations were about to be upgraded, Griff looked aggressively ticked.
As we faced off inside the suite, I pointed at the thing in his hand. "What the hell is that?"
Griff glowered. "I'm guessing it's your idea of a joke."
"An orange thermos?" I frowned. "If it's a joke, I'm not getting it."
He lifted the thermos higher. "Bullshit. You think it's funny?"
"What, the thermos?" I gave it a quick once-over. "I guess it's alittlefunny. I mean…orange is funnier than black."
But I didn't feel like laughing.
It could've been a rubber chicken, and I still wouldn't have smiled.
Griff's tone grew sarcastic. "Lemme guess…you stuffed it full of cranberries. Sofuckingfunny."
"Dude," I said. "If you open that thing and find cranberries, I'll eat my hat."
His fingers flexed on the thermos, like he was deciding whether to throw it or swing it. "You're notwearinga hat."
"Fine. I'll eatyourhat." I gestured toward the baseball cap, pulled low over his face. "So, you're what? In disguise or something?"
In reply, he ripped off the hat and flung it at the wall.
I scoffed. "That'll show me." Honestly, I was getting a little pissed. Sure, I was the one who'd ended it with Tessa, but thatdidn't mean I wasn't hurting. Everywhere I looked, I saw her face, heard her voice, and felt the empty space she'd left behind.
I couldn't wait to get the hell out of here.
Still, I listened with more patience than I felt as Griff bitched and moaned about me moving him out of the boathouse.
I lifted a finger – and not the one I wanted. "First of all, it wasn't yourhome.It was a dump. You know this. I know this." I lifted a second finger. "Second of all, that thermos? I never saw it before in my life."
"Fuck the thermos. I had eight days left."
As if I needed the reminder."Yeah, I know." I summoned up something between a grimace and a grin. "But you'll be staying here instead."
He frowned. "What do you meanhere?"
"In the suite. I'm heading out." I pointed toward the far corner, where I'd left his black duffel, filled with all his things. "I packed your stuff. So…you're welcome."
"I'm notthankingyou."
"Yeah, well, you should," I grumbled, thinking of how I'd given Tessa the brushoff to retrieve Griff's belongings.
As Griff and I went back and forth – him complaining and me mocking – I recalled the look on Tessa's face when I'd told her I was moving someone else into the suite.
She'd thought it was another girl.
That look in her eyes had been nearly enough to break me. And now I was running out of patience with Griff. The guy was in serious denial, especially when it came to Maisie.
Finally, I'd had enough. "You're thinking she'll come back? Knock on your door? Kiss and make up? All that other crap?" I shook my head. "Yeah, well…these Michigan girls, that's not the way they roll."
Griff's eyes narrowed. "Who are you talking about? And don't say just Maisie, because you said 'girls' as in plural."
