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Willow’s obvious amusement returned as she watched me sift through the new stock. “I’ve been around him often thanks to Rowan, and I don’t think he’s that terrible.”
“Try living beside him.”
“That is a fair point,” she conceded, crossing her arms over her chest. A sly smirk moved across her lips. “I think Griffin just needs a bubbly woman like yourself to realize his current living situation isn’t so bad.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, and I knew they were glowing pink. I gawked at her, in complete disbelief of what she said. “Me? I couldn’t. I can’t even stand him.”
I hoped my dismissal was smooth enough to sound convincing, but Willow’s persistent smile told me otherwise.
“Perhaps for now, but it’s not like you. You practically love everyone in Rose Valley. What makes him so different?”
The way she said it made the situation sound completely absurd—which I couldn’t deny, it did. While I felt ridiculous for even being bothered by him and his ignorance, I had a good reason to be annoyed with him. He never exactly tried to be civilized with me in the first place.
“It’s just him,” I mumbled. “There’s no cordial bone in his body. Trust me, I wanted to be at least on a friendly talking basis rather than a bickering one.”
“Were you maybe hopeful for something beyond a friendly basis?” She asked, cocking a brow at me.
Another rush of embarrassment coursed through my system. “Of course not! I’ve been rather comfortable being single. It’s less restrictive, I don’t have to worry about anyone falling out of love with me, and I get to take care of myself.”
Willow dropped her light-hearted teasing and gave me a small smile. “I guess that means you really have been doing better since the breakup.”
“Better than I used to be. I used to hate the idea of being single, but it doesn’t sound so bad anymore. It’s less of a hassle,” I reasoned, finishing up the last of the box.
“Just remember to not completely shut out the chance of finding someone. You never know what will happen in the near future,” Willow reminded me gently. “Besides, Kai and Rowan are putting on a skills competition for not just the shifters but everyone in Rose Valley next month. I’m sure there will be no shortage of eye candy for you to try your luck with.”
The two of us laughed at the idea since it surely would be the perfect opportunity for anyone to get their fill of the ridiculously shredded shifters who often wander around town.
“It might be tempting, but I swear I’m not looking for anything right now,” I said, rearranging the contents of the now-empty box on the shelves around me.
Willow’s suggestive expression lingered as she made her way across the shop and busied herself by unlocking the door and flipping the sign on the door to ‘open’. She seemed to doubt my unwillingness to get myself entangled with someone else.
Even if the thought of being with someone and finding a life partner sounded nice, I didn’t need a boyfriend to feel complete. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and once the pain of the breakup subsided, I genuinely enjoyed the last few months I spent finding myself again.
Ever since Ryan and I were through, I had put the idea of fated mates to rest, even if it seemed like all my friends had managed to find theirs. I wasn’t ready for my time of self-exploration to be over yet.
Chapter 4 - Griffin
Rose Valley was bustling as usual, which was a given since the sun was out, and the nice weather had followed. Despite its warmth, there was still a spring chill in the air, and while I was fine in my flannel, my mom was bundled up in her jacket.
While it was a beautiful day, she was a bit of a damper in comparison with her incessant nagging.
“Mom, I’ve already been over this with you,” I said, feeling like I had reverted to my teenage self.
“I know, Griff,” she murmured with her motherly tone. The one that said, ‘I heard you, but I still have a point to make’. “But I met this wonderful young lady and I think she’d catch your eye if you gave her the chance.”
I let go of a sigh. “You can’t keep spending your days searching for anyone to send on a date with me. Where’d you find this one—the dentist's office?”
She gave me an unamused expression, then shook her head. “No, the post office, actually.”
Joy.
“Mom, please, I’m begging—”
“You’ll love her, I promise!” She said, growing more excited at the thought. “I should give her a call later today and ask what time works for her. She seemed pretty eager to get shacked up too.”
With an exasperated huff, I tried to remind myself that she meant well and that she just wanted me to find my person too.
“Although, I am still disappointed you didn’t give Vanessa enough of a chance. She was such a promising woman. I can’t believe you didn’t like her,” Mom rambled on as she held her fingers out to detail exactly what made her so promising. “She had a great career, she was so charismatic, and beautiful!”
