TATUM
PRESENT
I hadn’t expected Dustin to have a conscience or a personality. But over the last few days, we hadbonded. You read that right.We bonded.He was trying his hardest to make things work between us. The man who hated the gym was going with me every day. He complained bitterly after about some aches and pains, but he got up early with me every morning and did whatever I told him to. He even went and bought me groceries after I admitted I was afraid to go into the store.
He took a week off of work just to spend time with little ole me.
Millie, of course, kept finding stupid reasons to come over and see him. That stupid crush she’d had on him in high school was still very much real, even after I told her he liked pizza with anchovies on it, which she hated. She still had heart eyes for him.
He didn’t seem to notice, and I wasn’t about to broadcast the news either. I did not want that relationship to happen. Absolutely hell no.
The following Monday after he arrived, he packed his things and left, promising to call and text more than once a week.He left a nice little check on the kitchen counter, telling me to put it toward a down payment on something nicer, somewhere I could choose to start the next chapter of my life. This place had been chosen by him after Mom died. It wasn’t the nicest in town, certainly better than living in my car, but it wasn’t luxurious.
I’d hugged him for the first time in years.
It felt like a step in the right direction. I latched onto him, and he hesitated before wrapping me in his embrace, giving me a sense of peace and comfort I hadn’t felt in forever.
Yesterday, I had gone for my first spray tan session at the local tanning salon. I wanted to laugh at myself every time I caught my reflection because this did not look natural, but it was required for the swimsuit shoot. I had absolutely no idea why people did this regularly. My eyes and cheekbones were more pronounced. And then I realized why people did this to themselves on a regular basis.
Griffin had been silent since he left a week ago. We hadn’t bumped into each other for a whole week, and despite the fact I hadn’t seen him for years prior to our accidental coffee shop meeting, it felt strange to go so long without seeing his stupid smile and those enchanting gray eyes I loved so much.
I secretly couldn’t wait for tomorrow because I’d get to see him, and that was all I thought about the whole evening. I guess he’d been thinking about me too because his name appeared on my phone just after I finished eating dinner.
“Hey,” I answered, a little breathless after running from the dishwasher to the dining table where my phone was buzzing. I wanted to shoot myself for sounding like I ran for the damn phone.He didn’t need to know that I was eager to hear his voice.
“You at the gym?” His deep voice sent tingles across my skin.
“Just cleaning the condo,” I lied, sinking into a seat at the table.
“How are you?”
“Okay, and you?”
“I mean, since everything happened last week?”
I cringed. I couldn’t handle going to the grocery store, so I was going out of town to get my groceries now that Dustin wasn’t here to do it for me.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. How are you handling the press?”
“It died down after some golfer made an appearance at some golf course drunk, apparently crashed his golf cart into a fake pond.” He chuckled, and I found relief in someone else’s misery because I didn’t want Griffin to lose everything he’d worked so hard for. His dad would never let him hear the end of it.
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped because it was totally insane.
“If that’s all you called for…” I left the sentence hanging, hoping there was more to this conversation because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“No. I, uh…thought we could drive down to Tybee together tomorrow. It’s a four-hour drive from here, but you’re on the way, and I’d hate for you to be on the road all alone.” He hesitated, sounding nervous.
“You think I can’t handle myself?”
“Whoa, kitten. Retract the claws. Just thought it would be fun to talk and catch up on all the time we’ve lost over the years apart.”
“Did they make you get a spray tan too?” I asked, changing the subject, giving myself time to think about his offer. It was tempting. I hated driving long distances, but it also meant I was trapped if something went wrong.
“Unfortunately. Graham and Hunter won’t stop. They keep saying I look like a bagel that was left in the toaster too long.”
“I never really like bagels now that you mention it,” I teased. “You’ll be here at eight in the morning?” They wanted us on setat noon for hair and makeup, as they were going for more of a late afternoon, sunset kind of vibe, and I was all for it.
“Six, sweetheart.”
