With barely a glance in my direction, she headed straight toward the balcony, yanked open the door, and stepped outside, leavingthatdoor open, too.
Well, if nothing else, we'd be getting a nice cross-breeze.
But that was a cold comfort as I shut the bathroom door behind me and yanked on my clothes.
I emerged less than a minute later, ready to hear whatever Maisie had to say. It was a decent plan – exceptherplan seemed just the opposite, because the way it looked, she expectedmeto do most of the talking.
For some reason, I didn't like it.
And judging from Maisie's expression, she wasn't liking much of this either.
If things continued on their current path, one of us would be saying something we couldn't take back.
And I had a sinking feeling it wouldn't be me.
69
Small Town Girl, Big City Lies
Maisie
The balcony was small – barely big enough for two. But I made up for it by squeezing myself against the far railing as I gave Griff one heck of a glare. "Well?"
He frowned. "I wouldn't be doing that if I were you."
I crossed my arms. "Doing what?"
He pointed. "That railing – you shouldn't trust it."
Now that was hilarious, so I did the only thing I could. I laughed, long and hard. In the night breeze, it sounded too harsh, too fake, and too much like somebody else. But I did it, anyway, even as Griff eyed me like I'd just lost my mind.
Had I?
Probably.
When my laughter faded, he asked, "You wanna share the joke?"
"Sure, why not?" I gave another bark of laughter. "The railing. You told me not to trust it."
"And that's funny?"
"Sure, because it's not likeyou'rean expert."
He eyed the railing like it was about to collapse. "I don't need to be an expert to know it's not safe."
"Forget the railing." I gave him a tight smile. "I meant an expert on trust. How wouldyouknow anything about it?"
His shoulders stiffened. "If you've got something to say, just say it."
"Maybeyoushould say it."
He looked genuinely confused. "Say what?"
"For starters, how about the truth?"
"What, you mean about my name?" He said this like it was nothing. And then, as if to prove it, he added, "I go by Griff. Ask anyone. It's not a big deal."
He still wasn't getting it.I made a sound of frustration. "It is, too."
