“I know, but I worked hard to get these meetings. I went to the gym this morning to make sure I looked perfect.”
“Have you ever heard of a rest day? Oh, wait no, that wouldn’t fit into your schedule.” She always teased me about never taking a day off from the gym, but honestly, I just didn’t know what to do with myself when I didn’t stick to a routine. It gave me time, time to think about the past and my mom, and it wasn’t something I even wanted to consider.
“I’ll rest when I don’t have to worry about money anymore.”
“Right. Anyway, I have to go. The next class is walking in. Don’t forget to pencil me into your busy schedule to model the new line. Good luck, bestie!” She hung up, not giving me a chance to say goodbye, but giving me forty minutes to think about Griffin Silver.
I arrived fifteen minutes early for my first meeting, which luckily gave me time to find coffee. Luck was on my side with a coffee shop right next door to the jewelry store in the strip mall I’d been directed to.
Parking my car in between both stores, I quickly entered the coffee shop, amazed at what hid behind the tinted glass door: brick walls, cozy lighting, and tables and chairs scattered about. The rich aroma of coffee floated through the air, and everyone inside seemed overly happy. It was my kind of place. I waited in line, gazing over the enormous menu, and settled on a latte with a beef empanada.
While waiting, I scrolled through Instagram, checking the comments on my last post. I replied to a few people who had questions about the routine and which active clothing brand I loved most, ignored the guy who rated how hot my ass was, and completely missed the silence that fell over the coffee shop.
“That thing can’t be real, tell me your secret, what are youhiding?” a deep voice mused over my shoulder, and I jumped. Desire and dread pooled in my stomach at the sound of that overly confident familiar voice.This was not happening.
Looking over my shoulder and clutching my phone to my chest like I could hide the pictures and comments, I glared up at Griffin Silver.
“What are you doing here?” I exclaimed in outrage. I was just trying to get a cup of coffee, not fraternize with old bullies.
He looked around, his eyes glancing at the coffee counter and then falling on me, a cocky little smirk tilting his gorgeous lips. “Well, you see, Grace, this happens to be a coffee shop, and I happen to like coffee in the mornings. What are you doing here?” he teased, and I rolled my eyes at his know-it-all answer.
“No, Griffin. What are you doing here, in this town, at this coffee shop, in my space?”
“I didn’t know you owned the coffee shop. Shouldn’t you be behind the counter?”
“What on earth are you even saying? Of course I shouldn’t. I’m just here for a damn latte, not this bullshit.”
“You know, Grace, you look really good. You shouldn’t have to deal with comments like that,” he said softly, his gray eyes hypnotizing as they locked on mine. Those same eyes that I used to tell all my secrets to.
“It’s part of the job. You learn to ignore them,” I told him as I stepped up to the counter and ordered my latte.
“You know him?” The young girl behind the counter asked, batting her long fake lashes at Griffin.
“Something like that,” I answered, tapping my card to the reader.
“So…he’s available then?” She didn’t even look my way when she asked, solely focused on the man behind me.
“All yours,” I answered when someone else handed me my coffee and empanada.
Moving away from the counter, I went to the corner of the room where I added my sugar and then exited the store, not bothering to cast Griffin another glance. He was even more beautiful in person. The magazines, TMZ articles, and news reports had never been able to capture the raw beauty of Griffin, and if I stayed any longer and looked into those eyes for another second, I’d be a goner.
CHAPTER 8
GRIFFIN
PRESENT
Millie’s studio had been a bust. She wouldn’t release any information about her best friend other than that she was hot, single, and totally out of my league. Millie had confirmed that Tatum hadn’t left our small town, and that was enough information to fuel my morning. If I didn’t have a meeting in the city for some new luxury jewelry campaign my agent wanted me to do, I would have stayed and pressed her for more information, but punctuality was important when you had a name to grow and protect.
I had spent the night at my parents’ house, sleeping in the same bed I had as a kid. Mom had left my room just like it was the day I left for college. The same posters still hung on the blue walls and pictures of Graham, Hunter, and me at every game we won, and even one of Tate and me at her eighth birthday party.The day I gave her my bike.
That picture had been on my mind all night, and finally, at the crack of dawn, I slipped out of the house and waited outside Millie’s studio, hoping to pry the information I needed out of her. I had too many regrets, and I needed to make amends. I hadpromised that eight-year-old girl that I wouldn’t leave. I promised not to be like her brother and father, and instead, I had turned into something far worse.
Pulling onto the highway, I maneuvered my M3 into the express lane and turned the volume up as my daily motivational podcast played. I had made fun of my peers for listening to this crap, and now I lived by it. Thoughts of Tatum left my mind as I listened as a stranger screamed at me to do and be better. The strong, demanding voice took over my speaker system telling me about how valuable life is, about how life isn’t about what you can buy or who you can impress, rather the value you can bring from doing the right things. I felt so misled and too egotistical I almost didn’t even know who I was or what I wanted anymore. The cost of fame was more than I ever thought it would be.
Parking at Devereaux & Co., the jewelry store my agent had arranged the campaign with, I walked over to the coffee shop next door and braced myself for the morning crowd to get excited when I entered. I was wearing a black hat and dark shades to cover my face, concealing myself from the public as if every person wanted a piece of me. My motions were flawless, stride strong and demanded respect. The air felt light as I cut through it with my head held high, but the second I stepped inside, and I scanned the small space, my eyes landed on Tatum Grace.
The girl who had been haunting my dreams and every waking moment. I took my shades off, slipping them onto the collar of my shirt as I made the short walk to the counter where she was in line, staring down at her phone like it was the most important thing in the world.
