She touched his hand briefly and then pulled away. “Money can’t buy happiness.”
“No, but it makes life easier.”
“I can’t argue that.” A huge yawn forced her mouth open. “Sorry.”
“No. I’m going to leave. Get some sleep.” He paused and smoothed his hand down her hair. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You too.”
He stepped away before he got careless. He wanted to tangle his hands in her hair and kiss her blind, but he had no right. The time for casual had run out and he didn’t know how to be more.
Griffin’s footsteps echoed in the empty foyer. The plans and permits for construction were in place. Work had already commenced. This should’ve been his first stop after arriving in town. Instead he wasted time looking for Indy, only to find her at O’Leary’s.
He flipped on light switches to check the work. Bare bulbs dangled from the high ceiling. Fresh drywall waited to be taped. The fireplace brickwork had been demolished.
The kitchen was gutted. He tried to envision the finished product, but the picture couldn’t form in his mind. The willow outside the window drew his attention. What had Indy said about the tree? Something about a tire swing.
This would be his home. It’s what he’d searched for, but it still felt empty. Retracing his footsteps, he turned off lights and walked back outside. A few flakes fell from the sky and swirled around his head.
He hated winter. He could live anywhere, but he kept coming back here. This was home. The good and bad, these were his roots. Other than a shitty beginning, what did he really have?
His mother was dead and he’d gotten rid of his father. The O’Learys accepted him as one of them. As close to family as he’d ever get. But now he had his foundation and the program to reach kids. He thought of Duane and Marisol and knew the reason for returning to Chicago.
Then there was Indy.
Talking with Ryan earlier had been informative. Indy left out lots of details during their conversation. Sure, she’d moved in with Ryan and Quinn to help out, and prior to that she had been living in Hooperville. She didn’t go back to hang out with Dad, though. She quit at End Zone, and after she returned, the real estate agency asked her to leave. Indy suspected they found out she had found Griffin’s house and they lost their commission.
No job, no apartment, and she hadn’t approached her ex for any money.
Griffin knew he had no claim on Indy, but if he could do something to change the path her life was on, he’d do it. He cared about her more than he wanted to, and he feared she’d turn into his mother.
He hadn’t slept nearly enough. Three cups of coffee forced him awake, and he found himself in front of the O’Leary house. He rang the bell since no one expected him.
Eileen opened the door. She had her purse in one hand and her coat in the other. “Griffin, what are you doing here?”
“I thought you might want a ride to church.”
“Thank you. You look like you could use some sleep.”
That was Eileen. She pulled no punches. He took her coat and held it open.
She slid her arms into the sleeves and locked the door behind her. She patted his arm. “After mass you’ll take me to breakfast and tell me your troubles.”
His smile came easily. “What troubles? I lead a charmed life.”
“Griffin Walker, you know better than to lie to me. You only come around to see me without Ryan when there’s trouble. And today you’re volunteering to go to mass.”
She had him. She’d always known him as well as her own children.
Griffin drove back to Saint Matthews. A few short months ago, he stood in this church and witnessed his best friend getting married. Indy had walked down the aisle like she owned it. Looking back, he realized what a good actress she was. It felt like half a lifetime had passed since.
He sat through the mass, enjoying the routine of it. The words, the gestures, they were constant. It didn’t matter that he was lapsed. Years of Catholic training afforded him the ability to slide into any mass and blend.
After church, Griffin drove Eileen to KD’s for more childhood comfort. They settled into a booth, and a waitress poured them coffee.
“Lily’s not working today?” he asked. He hadn’t seen her since the wedding either. She’d ditched him the moment they’d entered the reception.
“No, she’s off.” The waitress left menus on the table and made her rounds, filling cups.
“The young girl you brought to Ryan’s wedding?” Eileen laid her napkin across her lap.
Griffin nodded. “She wasn’t really my date. She wanted to go to the wedding to see Liam.”
“My Liam?”
“The one and only.”
“Hmm.” Eileen thought briefly and seemed to tuck the information away. Then she prompted, “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Griffin looked into the pale blue of her eyes. “It’s complicated.”
“If it was simple, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.”
Their waitress returned and they fumbled through placing an order.
Alone again, he dove in. “Before the wedding, I dated someone casually. Nothing serious, but we had the start of something special.”
She folded her hands primly on the table. “Having a woman’s never been a problem for you.”
“She’s pregnant and it’s not mine. She got pregnant before we got together.”
“And?” Eileen’s face became stony. Her protective mother streak showed.
“She broke it off right after the wedding. That’s why I stayed away for so long.”
“Maybe she’s gone back to the baby’s father.”
“No. She doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. I’ve seen her. She’s still alone.” He didn’t even know what he expected from Eileen. Guidance? Permission?
Eileen shook her head in disappointment. “Do I know this girl?” she asked suspiciously.
He nodded again and forced the name out. “Indy. Quinn’s sister.”
“What have you gotten yourself into?” The lines on her face seemed to deepen with disapproval.
“She’s a good person. She’s smart and beautiful.” He sighed. “There’s something just under the surface. A fragile vulnerability.” Where had that come from?
Eileen raised her eyebrows and her mouth smoothed.
The waitress delivered their food.
“You’re in love with her.” It wasn’t a question.
“I don’t know.”
Eileen shook her head. “You’ve never brought a woman to me. You’ve never talked about your feelings for one. If she’s what you want, God help me, fight for her.”
She spread orange marmalade generously on her toast. The sticky sweetness turned his stomach.
Fight for Indy? Fight for what? “I don’t know what I’d be fighting for. We weren’t serious. We were playing it by ear. No expectations.”
“And you’d both be lying to yourselves. Everyone has expectations. You say you don’t, but you don’t mean it.”
He lowered his voice. “She’s pregnant with another man’s child.”
Eileen dropped her toast. “Are you telling me, Griffin, you couldn’t love someone else’s child?”
She spoke rapidly and her brogue lashed out in anger. “Patrick loved you as one of his own boys. It never mattered who gave you life or your name. You were his.” She reached out and grasped his hand. “You’re mine, and blood has nothing to do with it.”
She shamed him with her words. He hadn’t thought about fatherhood. At least no further than to know he wasn’t cut out for it. Could he look at another man’s child and not think of Indy being with another man? What if he could and then things didn’t work between him and Indy? Then he’d lose a lover and a child.
A late-morning breakfast should’ve been relaxing, easygoing. He couldn’t make life-altering decisions over scrambled eggs and bacon. He boxed it up to think about later. “How’s Maggie doing? I didn’t get
to speak to her much at the wedding.”
“So I guess that’s the end of the conversation. Maggie’s been having the time of her life traveling through Europe. She’s meeting people and making friends. I haven’t seen her this happy since before.”
Griffin knew Eileen wouldn’t talk about Maggie’s rape more than three years ago. The crime had crushed the family, and they’d had a hard time moving past it. Now it looked like they’d made progress.
They finished their breakfast talking of the mundane. His mind, however, remained on Indy.
Griffin waited in the foyer as Indy parked her car. When she got out, she assessed the property. He wondered what her thoughts were. She pushed away from her car, her smile warm, even as the wind whipped her hair around her head.
When she walked up the steps, she paused to look at the new porch. “I’m glad you kept the same style. It looks good.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the doorway. The excitement of having her in his house overwhelmed him. Her fingers were warm despite the bitter cold outside. Desire coursed through him, and he wanted to taste her cold lips to see if he could detect a difference with the passing of months and seasons.
Her hand squeezed his to draw his attention. “So why am I here?”
“I wanted to show you my house. We’ve made a lot of progress.” He needed to slow down so she could envision what he did.
“Oh. Okay.”
“Something wrong?”
“You made it seem important, not a tour of a construction site.”
“We’ll get to the important part later. You need the tour first.”
He started on the main floor since it still had the most work to be done. They’d nearly finished the upstairs, so he wanted to end there.
That’s where her work would begin.
The kitchen, living room, and dining room were only partially drywalled, so Indy was quickly bored. He rounded back to the stairs and started up, but Indy didn’t follow.
The lab grabbed her attention and he lost her.
“Indy?”
“You skipped this room.”
He followed her into the expansive room. An entire crew of men spread out across the space, installing trim and running wire to accommodate the electronics.
“What the heck is this room for?”
“A workroom.”
“For what? Your entire office?”
“The kids.”
As she spoke, work in the room slowed. Eyes followed her, as they did whenever she entered a room. No one approached her, but they ogled. Griffin grabbed her elbow. “The upstairs is almost done. That’s what I wanted you to see.” He circled her back around to the stairs. “Wait until you see it.”
“Okay,” she answered, sounding unsure.
At the top of the stairs, he released her elbow and she walked away to explore the five bedrooms and media room. He followed silently, waiting for her comments.
She said nothing.
She walked through each room, occasionally running a finger across a piece of trim. Finally she stopped and leaned against a wall near a huge bay window. “Why am I here, Griffin?”
“I wanted you to see the house because I’d like to hire you.” He stayed near the doorway, saws buzzing and drills whining behind him.
Confusion stared back at him. “For what?”
“To decorate, of course. I know you said you wanted to specialize in houses on the market—”
“Please don’t throw money at me out of pity. I thought we were past that.”
His hands flexed into fists of frustration. “I need my house ready to move into by spring.”
“Remember when I painted Quinn and Ryan’s? You said you’d hate for someone to redecorate.”
“No, I’d hate for someone to do it without my knowledge. I expect you to draw up a full proposal for my approval before you start.”
She moved away from the window and paced, no, stalked toward him. “Why me? Your money can buy the best.”
“I like what you did at Ryan’s. I know you and can trust you not to leak information about my home to the press.”
It must’ve been the right answer, because a smile brightened her face. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
The giddiness rose up in Indy’s chest until she felt like she’d explode. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you. You won’t regret this.”
His arms wrapped around her and held her close. Being in the strength of his arms, pressed against his solid mass, was the most comfortable she’d been in months. She wanted to rest her cheek against his chest; instead she gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled away.
Blinking her misty eyes, she asked, “When do you want to start?”
“What’s wrong?” He reached out for her arm, but she busied her hands tying her hair back.
“Nothing.” She flashed a toothy smile. “I’m excited. This is a huge opportunity.” She dabbed at her eyes. “This is pregnancy hormones.”
“I want to start immediately.”
“Okay.” Her mind raced to what she’d need to start: photos, floor plan, sketch pad. She’d need to talk to Griffin about what he wanted. “Should I call your secretary to set up an appointment to talk about what style you’re going for?”
“My secretary? Call me.” Anger shaded his puzzlement. “Business or not, you can always call me.”
Her stomach fluttered. She didn’t want to read anything into his words. They were just words. “I didn’t want to assume I’d get preferential treatment because . . .” We slept together, had a rockin’ good time, started to fall in love. “. . . of our past.”
“You get preferential treatment because I care about you.”
“Thanks.”
“I think you know me well enough to understand my tastes. I’d like to stick with the original feel of the house, but updated.”
Did she know him well enough? “I’ll need to come back with my camera.” Which she hadn’t bought yet.
“What kind of down payment do you need?”
She thought of the money he’d given her as a commission. “None. I’ll do my proposal and then we’ll talk price.”
She extended her hand to shake, to close the deal on her first client.
“You’re starting your own business. You need capital.”
Dropping her hand, she said, “I’m fine. I have most of the money from my commission on this house and I’ve been working at the bar.”
He reached out and pulled her hair loose from the ponytail. Running his fingers through it, he sighed. “Let me help you.”
“You’re giving me a huge break by hiring me.” She tried to ignore the calming gesture of his hands in her hair.
“You shouldn’t have to work at the bar.”
“I like O’Leary’s. I have to do everything I can now. I’m apartment hunting, so every penny counts.”
He turned away from her. Frustration tensed his shoulders. “That’s what I’m talking about. Trying to do everything on your own.”
She laughed, and he faced her again. “I have help. Quinn and Ryan have been great, but it’s time for me to take care of myself and do it responsibly.” Indy touched his forearm. “Give me until the end of the week and I should have some ideas for the bedrooms.”
She walked down the stairs and took her coat from the post where she’d left it before the tour. Before leaving, she went to the back of the house to peek once again at the enormous workroom. It looked big enough to house a basketball court. He’d removed at least one wall to create this space.
He hadn’t said anything about the room other than to say it was for the kids. Shaking her head, she left the house to go shopping. She’d return tomorrow to take measurements and photos. Her mind catalogued everything this job entailed, and her heart beat faster. How could she handle this huge job—her first—while taking classes? Maybe she should drop one of the classes. But if she didn’t take them now, she might never g
et back to them.
Indy thought of her mother, who always thought she’d go back to school. She hadn’t gotten past taking a couple of courses at the community college. Indy already followed in her mother’s footsteps more than she liked.
The following day, Griffin brushed drywall dust off his hands on his way out of the kitchen. He wanted to check on the progress in the computer lab. Kendra had said he wouldn’t be able to bring kids here until they finished the house, but he might be able to convince her otherwise if the workspace, bathroom, and kitchen were done.
He got to the hall and heard it. Over the sound of tools, the laugh shot through his system. Indy’s here. He turned the corner and saw her smiling up at Kevin, his foreman and project manager. They both held identical cups of coffee.
Jealousy heated his blood. He glared at the carpenters and electricians who slowed their pace with similar cups of coffee and the chance to stare at Indy. When he reached Kevin and Indy, productivity picked up throughout the room.
He touched Indy’s arm, leaving a white smudge of dust. “Hey, can I talk to you?”
Kevin took the hint and went to supervise his men.
Indy eyed him up and down, stopping at the toolbelt slung on his hips. “You weren’t kidding about working on this house.”
“Nope.” He turned and left the room, expecting her to follow. She did.
“What’s up?”
“You were supposed to call me when you were coming back.”
“No, I’m supposed to call you when I have ideas to discuss. I needed to get measurements and photos. I knew I could get in, so I had no need to call you.” Her hazel eyes widened, waiting for an explanation of the problem.
“You can’t come into a job site to have coffee and flirt. I need to stay on schedule.” His muscles tensed.
“I’m not flirting. I brought Kevin a cup of coffee because he answered questions I had about the blueprint. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have pictures to take.” She brushed past him to grab a notebook off the table. She looked around the room and called, “Thanks for the help, Kevin.”
Griffin wanted to hit something. She had no right to dismiss him. He took a slow breath. With his jaw clenched, he stepped into her path before she could escape up the stairs. “Don’t walk away from me when we’re talking.”
A Good Time Page 20