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I smiled. Maybe losing a friend wouldn’t be so bad if Griff treated me like this all the time. No, Jay was more than just a friend. He was the brother I never had.
“Are you going to explain about the bags?”
“I’m going to do even better and show you. Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
A few minutes later, I was strapped down in my car with Griff behind the wheel. I sat next to him, my mind racing with a thousand questions about where he was taking me. I didn’t have to think for too long. After a brief ride, Griff pulled up in front of a condo.
He parked the car and turned to me, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “We’re here,” he said, his voice a mix of excitement and nerves.
I unbuckled my seat belt. “What is this building?” I asked, unable to keep the curiosity from my voice.
“My new place.” He got out of the car, and I followed suit, my feet carrying me almost against my will.
“Your new place? I thought you were drunk last night. How did you find a new place?”
Especially one that looked like this. We walked into a well-lit lobby with a sitting area with a coffee table and magazines. Griff couldn’t afford a place like this, but he had a key to enter the building, so it had to be true.
“Griff, are you going to explain?” I asked as we rode the elevator to the top floor. “When did this happen?”
“Remember I told you I stayed at a friend’s last night? He wasn’t just a friend, but my boss.”
“Oh.” So much for clearing that up. I was more confused than ever. Was he moving in with his boss?
The elevator doors opened on the top floor. I followed Griff down a hallway until he stopped in front of a door. Griff set down his suitcases and unlocked the door.
I hesitated. A gentle nudge on the back propelled me inside. “Go on in.”
The open-concept layout of the modest condo seamlessly blended the dining area, kitchen, and living room into a cohesive space. Natural light flooded through large windows, illuminating the clean lines of the rooms. Wood and copper tones gave the room a warm feel. The small, cute mantel, the bookcase, the side tables, and the curved sectional all contributed to the cozy yet upscale vibe of a bachelor pad.
“What do you think?” Griff asked. “At first, I thought it was too much, but it looks like we both need a place to live, so I made the right decision.”
“We?” I blinked several times. Had I heard him right?
“Yeah, Scottie. We.” Griff took my hands. “I’m the reason you lost your home. I want you to move in with me. Here.”
The word yes was on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back. “You’re asking me because you think you’re the reason I need to find a new place to live?” The gesture was nice, but not what I wanted—no, needed—from Griff.
“Right now? Yes, but I always planned to ask you to move in with me, Scottie. I just thought it would take some time to convince you.”
Still unsure about his true reason for asking me, I chewed on my bottom lip. I’d moved in with the wrong man once before. Making the same mistake twice wasn’t something I could afford.
“Why do you think I’ve been looking for a new place to live?” Griff placed his hands on my arms. “I know you’re not comfortable with us at my friend’s apartment, especially when he’s there. I did this for us. Now, will you get out of your head and listen to your heart? Move in with me.”
“But how can you afford this place?”
“My boss used to live here until he bought the condo across the hall, which is much bigger. He said he hadn’t decided what to do with this one, so he offered it to me to live in indefinitely, but I talked him into allowing me to pay him rent, even though I know it’s a lot more expensive than the amount he agreed on.”
“Your boss did all this?”
“Yeah, I was a little shocked too, but I think he genuinely wants to help.”
“So tell me how all this happened again?”
He groaned. “I have to go through it all before you say yes?”
