Returning Home: A Second Chance Homecoming (Return To Me Book 4)

by Parks, AL

  She liked Griff. She just wasn’t sure what to do with what she was feeling. It was probably best just to leave it alone and not further complicate an already complicated situation. But a part of her soul was screaming at her to throw caution to the wind. Let go of her fears, and let Griff in.

  There was no way that was happening. No. Way. In. Hell. Not ever again.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Griff was having a conversation with his head mechanic in the large garage area. He had his back to the door, and turned when he heard it open and someone enter. Clarissa walked in, loaded down with camera bags and equipment. He half expected her to come in hungover and looking worn and ragged. Instead, she was wearing well worn jeans, a v-neck white t-shirt and black Converse tennis shoes. Average on a girl that was anything but average, and it sent a wild rush of heat coursing through his veins. He was getting a little pissed at his body’s reaction to this woman when he really wanted to maintain a business relationship only with her.

  “Didn’t expect to see you here so early.” His tone was gruff and laced with contempt.

  Clarissa walked towards him, stopping when she got close. “That’s because you have the uncanny ability to underestimate me at every turn.” A smirk crossed her face as her eyes met his. She turned toward his mechanic who was chuckling quietly, and stuck out her hand. “Hi, Clarissa Beckett.”

  “Neal Bastion.” He took her hand. Neal was in his mid-forties, long salt and pepper beard, tattoos covered nearly every visible part of his body except for his face.

  “Neal is the guy that brings to life all the crazy ideas customers have for a bike.” Griff rocked back on his heels, shoving his hands in his pockets. Whatever the hell perfume she wore attacked every single nerve in his body, making him crave things from her that he couldn’t afford to have.

  “Yeah,” Neal piped in, “and there are some crazy motherfuckers with a shit ton of money to blow, that’s for sure.” Griff stilled, waiting for Clarissa’s defensive indignation.

  “I can only imagine,” she answered, and smiled at Neal.

  Griff pulled his hands from his pockets and took a step away from her. Being that close was driving him insane. Learning about her life, telling her about his, seemed to have shifted their relationship. They were friends, sort of, at least friendly. The desire rushing through his veins whenever he was near her, though, were a step beyond friendly. They moved him away from strictly business and into benefits and pleasures. Someone way smarter than him had said that mixing business and pleasure was a bad idea. Excellent advice.

  “Are you ready to get started?” Griff motioned towards the showroom where one of his best bikes sat on display. He had moved it in there this morning, and spent a good hour rubbing out ever smudge he found.

  “Provided you have coffee made and I can grab a cup, I’m all set to go.” Clarissa smiled at Neal. “It was great meeting you, Neal.”

  “And you, Clarissa.” Neal eyed her as she walked past him, checking out every inch of her backside. When he was satisfied, he turned to Griff nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Griff shot him a dirty look and the bird.

  Coffee in hand, he held the door to the showroom open for Clarissa and then followed her through it. The bike sat in the center of the room, and Griff couldn’t help but smile when he looked at it. This was his baby. His very own creation. It would never be sold, but was the showpiece of the shop.

  It was metallic red from the gas tank to the undercarriage back to the rear tire. The engine was all chrome, along with the rims. The handlebars were long, pushing the front tire away from the rest of the bike. The black seat was covered in the most expensive piece of leather he had ever purchased, but it was worth every penny.

  “Wow, that is beautiful!” Clarissa walked slowly around the bike,her mouth gaping. Every once in a while she would stop, tilt her head to the side and then move on. When she had made a complete circle, she stopped next to Griff. “This is going to be the most amazing ad. Ever.”

  “Well, I’m glad you approve. This is the first bike I ever made on my own. Took me forever. I was so particular about everything that went into it. I thought Neal was going to have a fit. Drove him crazy.”

  Clarissa laughed softly. She set her bag on the floor, and started pulling out cameras and other equipment. Griff wanted to hang around, but there was a pile of paperwork on his desk that he needed to go through.

  “I guess I will leave you to it, then. I’ll be in the office if you need anything.”

  Clarissa glanced up at him and smiled. He turned and walked out the door, blowing a huge breath out through his mouth. He needed to stay away from Clarissa. Too many thoughts ran through his mind, convincing him that he could have the best of both worlds - a partner in business and in bed.

  ***

  Clarissa had no idea how long she had been taking pictures of the bike, but had managed to go through two sixty-four gigabyte memory cards. She was kneeling before the front tire, getting a close-up of the elaborate rims. She didn’t know much about motorcycles, but she knew this bike had to be a masterpiece. It was gorgeous. She had more fun than she had expected taking shots of it. She never realized how many smooth angles there were to these two-wheeled pieces of art.

  Standing up, she stretched her back muscles and tried to get circulation moving in her legs. Griff was leaning against the wall next to her camera bag. His eyes were trained on her, and she watched as his finger ran along the edge of his bottom lip. His hair had that controlled chaos, messy-yet-totally-sexy vibe to it. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans, that is to say, they were void of any oil stains or holes. His t-shirt was white, but still had the small shop logo on the front left breast, with the larger version across the back.

  “When did you come in?” she asked, making her way towards her equipment bags.

  “Just a couple of minutes ago. I thought you heard me, with as much noise as the door makes when it closes.” He pushed himself off the wall and thrust his hands in his pockets.

  “Nope,” she chuckled. “Didn’t hear a thing. I get tunnel vision when I’m shooting, and don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around me.”

  “Good to know.” He muttered.

  “Whatever.” She tried to smother the heat that was raging through her as visions of what he might do to her floated through her mind. His hands on her. His lips on hers. She took a breath and calmed her out-of-control hormones.

  “Here, make yourself useful.” She handed him one of the cameras, as she knelt down and placed the other in it’s padded compartment in the bag. She rummaged through the front pocket and found a new memory card and stood. Taking the camera from him, she replaced the memory card, placing the full one in her front pocket.

  “So, are you about done?” Griff asked.

  “I have a few more shots I want to get, then I should be able to wrap it up. Why? Do you need me to leave?” She placed her hand on her hip and stared at him. God, he had the most gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. She had noticed the other day at her father’s that they were dark and brooding, but today they were softer, lighter, and damn sexy.

  “No, I do. One of our customer’s just called and asked if I could deliver his bike to him today instead of coming here to get it. So, Neal and I are going to run it out to him. Will you be okay here, or would you prefer we wait until you’re done?” He rocked back on his heels, his hands returned to his front pockets.

  “I’m good here on my own, if you’re good with it.”

  “We’ll lock you in, so you should be fine. Let me give you my cell, in case you need to get ahold of me for any reason.”

  Clarissa pulled her phone from her back pocket, and saved the number to her contacts. Then she sent him a text message so he would have hers, as well. After a brief lesson on how the doors lock, and where to find an extra key to the side door, he turned and walked away. The door closed behind him loudly, and Clarissa wondered how she had not heard him come in, as well.

  She managed to get a
few more close-ups of the tailpipe and handle bars before calling it done. She grabbed up her equipment, and headed into Griff’s office. Pulling open drawers, she located the ring with the extra shop key. The phone started ringing on the desk. Clarissa glanced at the caller ID. Maxine, Griff’s grandmother.

  “East Coast Custom Bikes,” she said into the receiver.

  “Yes, is Robbie there?”

  “No, I’m sorry, he just left to deliver a bike. He’ll be gone for another hour or so.” Clarissa glanced at the clock on the wall just above the door. It was nearly one o’clock in the afternoon.

  “Oh, dear, well I guess I’ll just wait outside until the workmen leave,” the woman muttered under her breath.

  “Is there anything I can do to help? Would you like for me to call and find out how much longer Gri - your grandson is going to be?”

  “Who am I speaking to, please?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m Clarissa Beckett, Griff’s partner.”

  “Oh, Clarissa, I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Any of it good?” she snorted.

  “Some of it.” Well, the woman is honest, I’ll give her that. “I’m not sure what you can do to help me. The workmen are here to clean out my furnace and vents, and I have to leave the house or stop breathing for the afternoon. I must’ve written it on the calendar wrong, because I thought they were supposed to come tomorrow.”

  “Well, I can come and get you, if you give me the address.”

  “No, I’m sure you have better things to do. I can sit on the porch until Robbie is able to come and get me.”

  “Really, it’s no problem. I don’t have anything else to do this afternoon.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” she responded.

  Clarissa wrote down Maxine’s address, ended the call, and headed out the door, making sure to lock the side door when she left. It was a short drive to Maxine’s house, and within ten minutes, Clarissa was pulling the SUV she had inherited from her father into the driveway. The elderly woman sat on the front porch, and waved to Clarissa as she got out of the vehicle.

  After some quick introductions, Clarissa helped the woman navigate into the passengers seat and closed the door. After getting back behind the steering wheel, she turned slightly toward the woman.

  “So, anywhere in particular that you want, or need, to go?”

  “No, I don’t think so. You can just drop me at the bike shop, and I can wait for Robbie to get back. I don’t want to burden you.” Maxine adjusted her purse in her lap and smiled at Clarissa.

  “You’re not burdening me, at all. I was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my day when you called.” Clarissa thought for a moment. “Oh, wait, I know what we can do. I’m staying at the Clifton, and they apparently have the best afternoon tea. I’ve been dying to try it, but didn’t think I should eat all that food by myself. Would you like to join me?”

  “Oh, no. I’m not dressed for any place like the Clifton. That’s a fancy place from what I understand.” Maxine fidgeted in her seat, fussing with her cardigan.

  “Not at all. We can have it delivered to my room. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is get all dressed up to drink tea and eat finger sandwiches. We can just sit on the veranda and hang out until Griff gets back. How does that sound?”

  “Well, if you’re sure this isn’t putting a crimp in your day…”

  Clarissa turned the key in the ignition, and placed the car in reverse. “Not at all. My day is completely open, and I would love to share this with you.”

  They spent the remainder of the ride talking about the various places they passed, businesses that had changed, some that stayed the same. It was easy and the most relaxed Clarissa had felt since she had returned to Newport almost a week earlier.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Clarissa replaced the handset into the cradle on the small round table in her room. “All set,” she called to Maxine, who sat on the veranda gazing out over the ocean. Clarissa grabbed her cell phone and sent Griff a quick text.

  **Have kidnapped your grandmother. Text when you’re done, and I will let you know what the ransom is to get her back.**

  **What? Why do you have Gram?**

  **Some mix-up with furnace guys & they came today. I picked her up & brought her to my place. All is well, so chill out**

  **Fine. Where are you staying?**

  **Clifton Inn. Villa 2**

  **Be there in a couple of hours**

  She shook her head and walked out to join Maxine, taking the seat opposite her at the square teakwood table. “It should be about five-ten minutes. I texted Griff also, and let him know where you are.”

  “What a wonderful view you have. I’m not sure you will ever get me to leave this chair.” Maxine never took her eyes from the view but the corners of her mouth were tipped up. It made Clarissa’s heart swell. She was in this town that she hated, but had managed to find something and someone she cared about. Yes, she had only just met Maxine, but already the woman amazed Clarissa. She had managed to pull Griff from the hell of drugs and alcohol, set him straight, and give him a purpose and reason to succeed. And by all accounts, he was already a success.

  “Yeah, this was probably a colossal waste of money - staying here, but this view makes it worth every misspent penny. And I am really happy you could share it with me. I feel so selfish keeping this all to myself.”

  “You don’t have any family in the area?”

  “No, my mother and sister moved to Colorado, and well, my dad is somewhere between here and Nantucket Sound. So, it’s just me.”

  There was a knock at the door. Clarissa answered it, and showed the waiter through the room and out onto the veranda. He uncovered the three-tiered serving tray, and explained the various sandwiches, cakes and cookies. He also set a large pot of tea on the table between the two women, along with plates and utensils.

  He turned to Clarissa. “Just call room service when you’re done and we’ll send someone to retrieve the cart.”

  “Thank you,” Clarissa said, and walked him to the front door, slipping a tip into his hand as he left.

  “Well, let’s dig in,” she said when she sat back down.

  “Where do we start? I have never had afternoon tea before.” Maxine’s eyes were wide and round as they travelled over the different levels of food.

  “We start with the sandwiches, and then make our way down the tiers. By the end, if we’ve done it correctly, we’ll have drained the tea pot, and cleared the plates. Then we will then sit back and groan, disbelieving we have actually eaten that much food, but so happy we did.” Clarissa giggled, remembering how her mother would start every afternoon tea they had shared. She filled both of their teacups and then grabbed for the first sandwich off the top plate.

  Maxine followed her lead, filling her small plate with one of each type of sandwich. “Do you do this often?” she asked Clarissa.

  “Well, it used to be a tradition with my mom and sister. We did it twice a year - when school started, and before the second semester after the new year. But it’s been a couple of years since we’ve done it. My sister was in boarding school, I was traipsing around Europe. My mom had a busy career as a judge here in Newport before she moved to Colorado at the beginning of the year. So, we haven’t been together to do it in a while.” She shrugged her shoulders, trying to act as if it didn’t really bother her. The truth was, she missed it. Missed the times she shared with her mother and sister. She needed to see her mom, feel her love, and know that everything was going to be okay.