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On my way out, I pass Philip’s office. He’s nibbling on a scone, but when his eyes meet mine over his glasses, they narrow in disapproval. I try to not let Emma’s dad’s clear dislike for me bother me. If Emma and I were really together, then I’d be concerned, but I’m only here for a few weeks. Ten minutes later, I stumble on a coffee shop with a reading area. I order a coffee, then work to push my thoughts of Emma’s dad and my escalating attraction to Emma aside so I can enjoy my time in the city.
CHAPTER17
Emma
By Thursday, my search for Griffin’s flaws has stalled out. But, with yesterday morning’s discovery that he possesses superior baking skills and looks adorable covered in flour, I’m confident there is something lurking beneath the shadows. No man can look like he does, act like he does,andmake a mean blueberry scone. It’s not possible.
Griffin doesn’t have to look hard to find one of my flaws. Currently, they’re piled up in the corner of my parents’ living room. When I told Griffin about registering for wedding gifts even though I wasn’t engaged and I admitted that the idea of a wedding had more of my attention than my relationship with Alec, he didn’t judge me. Ugh. Why didn’t he judge me? If he had, that would have been a good one to add to my list.
With my parents out of town, Griffin and I have spent the last few evenings ordering in food and preparing for tomorrow night’s party. It’s our first test as a couple since the impromptu wedding shower my parents threw us Monday evening and it’ll be the first time Griffin meets my friends.
Everyone has been voicing their excitement to meet Griffin. I know we need to make an appearance, to put our efforts these past few days to the test, but part of me wants to stay in this bubble with Griffin, hide in the safety of my parents’ apartment with take-out and Yahtzee!
“How was your day?” I ask, dropping a spoonful of rice on my plate.
“It was good. I’ve never had this kind of free time before. I went to a coffee shop this morning and read. Then I filled out paperwork for my job at McGregor & Lange.”
“That’s Terrence’s firm?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
The vision of Griffin in a suit looking ridiculously sexy behind a desk as he discusses contract stipulations is easy to conjure.
“Did you always plan to work there once you graduated?” I ask.
Griffin chews a bite of beef lo-mein with his mouth closed before answering. He also doesn’t snore, leave wet towels on the floor or forget to close the toilet seat. His obnoxiousness knows no bounds.
“I owe Terrence a lot. He’s been in my corner from day one, him and Rita, pushing me to apply to college, then law school. It was a dream I let go of those first few years after my mom died and I was working any job I could find to support us. So yeah, it’s always been part of the plan.”
“For the sake of our story, you’ll need to express interest in finding work here. Or maybe you can work remotely? I don’t know the logistics, so we’ll leave that question open-ended.”
Griffin’s phone starts ringing. He reaches across the counter to check it.
“It’s Sophie. I can call her back.”
“You should answer it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
He stands with his phone and walks across the room. I can’t hear their conversation, but I can see his face.
Add loves his sister and prioritizes his family to the list.
The evidence is piling up and none of it is helpful in my quest to not develop a crush on my husband.
After dinner, we play Yahtzee!
I do my best to ignore the way my skin tingles every time our fingers touch when we pass the dice cup back and forth. And when I win and do my hilariously awkward but completely necessary celebration dance, I don’t analyze the reason why Griffin’s eyes linger on my bare legs. At bedtime, I pull out my tablet and studiously work on the preliminary sketch for one of my new bridal clients and disregard how sexy he looks in his glasses as he reads in the chair across the room.
Behind closed doors, we seem to have found our groove. But tomorrow night, our relationship will be put to the test by my friends. We’ll need to touch. As I drift off to sleep, I wrestle with the fact that I’m way more excited at the thought of Griffin putting his hands on me than I should be.
* * *
The irony of tonight’s party, a lavish affair hosted by Premier Real Estate, the largest real estate development firm in Manhattan, is that instead of using one of its many luxury building locations throughout the city, it’s being held on a boat. A fifty-foot yacht, so it’s nothing to turn your nose up at.
Hunter Cartwright, CEO of Premier Real Estate, knows how to throw a fabulous party. He’s a good friend of Barrett’s and his party tonight will be the perfect place for Griffin and me to put all of our practice into action. Except there are certain things we haven’t practiced.
