by Lea Coll
“I hope you’re right. Sometimes I think it was a mistake to think I could run Kids Speak without an investor. I never realized how stressful and time-consuming raising money is for a nonprofit.” Hadley’s brow furrowed as she took a sip of her wine.
We’d only worked together a short time, but I respected Hadley. I didn’t want her to give up. “Maybe this one will sustain us for a while.”
“Are there any local wealthy business owners who might be interested in helping us?” Dylan picked up her phone as if to search for possibilities.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.” Hadley’s nose wrinkled.
I sympathized with Hadley’s reluctance to approach investors. I preferred people come to us, but we might not have a choice.
Dylan glanced up at Hadley. “Not everyone is your dad. Surely, someone has money to burn who thinks this is a good cause.”
“What are you searching for?” I leaned over to get a better look at her screen.
“Wealthy businessmen in the Annapolis area. Bonus if they had speech issues growing up, but it’s unlikely that would be posted online.” Dylan’s head bowed over her phone as she bit her lip in concentration.
“Thank you so much for planning the fundraiser,” Hadley said to me.
“Of course. I love organizing things.” I was happy to support Hadley in her cause. As long as I was behind the scenes and didn’t have to attend the event or speak to the media, I’d be fine.
“You’re coming, right?” Hadley’s enthusiasm was infectious, but dread spread through my stomach at her question.
I didn’t want to disappoint Hadley, but I didn’t want to go if I could avoid it. “I hadn’t planned on it. If you want me there as an organizer, I can make sure things run smoothly.”
“No. I’d like all three of us there together. Like it or not, our firm and our faces will become Kids Speak in Annapolis. It’s no longer my baby, it’s ours.” Hadley gestured at us.
A warm tingly sensation skidded over my skin, goose bumps popped up in its wake. Asked to be part of something was rare for me. I was used to being on the outskirts of things. “That’s amazing, Hadley. I thought we were more backseat contributors, not the face.”
Dylan shrugged. “The firm’s name is already associated with Kids Speak. It’s inevitable people will expect the three of us at events.”
In social situations, my heart raced, my palms were sweaty, I felt like everyone was looking at me and judging. “I think you two would be better at the public relations thing.”
“You’ll be great.” Hadley waved me off.
“No. You don’t understand. Parties aren’t my thing.” Hadley spoke at every gala Kids Speak ever had. If it made her nervous, it didn’t show. Dylan was naturally outgoing. She frequently spoke with the media to garner support for Kids Speak and Hadley’s boyfriend, Cade’s, charity Morrison Rebuilds.
“You won’t have to speak. You just have to be there,” Hadley said.
They were so confident in front of people. How could I explain to them my fear of falling, saying something wrong, or the all-encompassing I wasn’t in the right skin sensation I got. I was so uncomfortable the whole time, counting down the seconds until I could leave. Hours later, I’d analyze anything I said or did, berating myself for saying or doing something embarrassing or stupid.
I let it go, not wanting to make a big deal of it, hoping they’d forget about it or I’d get sick so I wouldn’t have to attend.
“Huh,” Dylan said.
“What?”
“Did you know that Griffin Locke started an antivirus company with his roommate in college? They developed software with firewalls to prevent ransomware attacks. It was so successful they sold it a few months ago for millions.”
I tipped my head to the side, my mind racing, unable to process what she’d said. Griffin didn’t seem like a man who was wealthy. Prior to his brother dying, he lived in the small apartment on the second floor.
“Why did he argue with us over that mistake in our lease, a difference in a few hundred dollars?” Hadley’s eyes tightened.
“He’s a good businessman, unable to reconcile the mistake he’d made. What’s he doing now?”
“It says he moved home to be near his family, his brother, Julian Locke and his nephew, Declan. His parents retired to Florida a few years ago. Then there’s a link to the article about Julian’s accident.”
Hearing the last few months of his life read from an article contrasted with the pain and vulnerability I sensed when I talked to Griffin.
Hadley shifted closer to me. “Avery, you’re working with him now. Maybe you could talk to him about Kids Speak, see if he’d be interested in attending the fundraiser or supporting us as a silent investor?”
A few words into her request, I was shaking my head. “Nope. I’m not asking anyone for money. That’s not my thing. You know that.”
Dylan moved her focus from her phone to me. “Remember when I said it was all about connections. You seem to have some rapport with Griffin. He asked to see you.”
“We don’t get along.” Except for those few minutes in the conference room. It was the only time we hadn’t argued.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Well, it didn’t help that you called him insufferable. Have you heard from him since?”
“No. I need to follow up with the insurance company first.” It had been two weeks since he’d walked into the office. My mouth usually got me into trouble. I’d say something without thinking, or I would try and say something and it would come out all wrong, offending the other person. Then I’d be frozen in place, unable to speak or even apologize.
Dylan leaned toward me. “It might be a good idea to apologize for saying he was insufferable when you call him.”
I winced, knowing I should have already done that. “I’ve been meaning to do that.”
Discussion filtered back to the number of new clients we brought in this week, the increase in education cases. Relieved, the conversation shifted from Griffin. I thought about what I would say when I finally spoke to him. Would he accept an apology, or would he be antagonistic? I couldn’t blame him for being upset, but I liked the way we were in the conference room. I didn’t want to return to the way we used to be.
After our meeting, I went to my office to pack up for the day. I’d had two glasses of wine with dinner. I felt more relaxed. Should I call Griffin and apologize when I wouldn’t feel so awkward? It was Friday night. Did I want him to answer or would voicemail be preferable? Normally, I’d want voicemail, but I longed to hear his voice. I dialed his number before I could second-guess myself.
He answered after three rings, sounding distracted. “Griffin Locke.”
Ugh. That voice combined with the alcohol in my system went straight to my core. “Hi Griffin. It’s Avery.” I closed my eyes at my professional greeting. Clearing my throat, I continued, “Avery Arrington. I wanted to apologize for the other day.”
“Dec, I’ll be right there.” His voice sounded far away as if he’d moved the phone away from his mouth.
I’d made another mistake interrupting his family time, adding to the list of reasons why he didn’t like me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt” —I glanced at the clock, seven p.m.— “dinner or family time. I wanted to apologize—”
“You mean when you called me an insufferable ass?” His tone was patronizing, as if he had the upper hand.
The familiar irritation I experienced when we spoke over the phone shot through me, gaining force as it flowed through my limbs. “I didn’t say you were an ass. I said you were insufferable.”
“I think it was implied. You have an interesting way of apologizing.” He sounded amused.
Was it my predictable reaction to him or something else? I wanted to scream in frustration. I couldn’t even apologize to this man. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. “I’m sorry I said you were insufferable. I was referring to our lease disagreement.”
“I know what yo
u were referring to.” His tone was steady and even.
I got the impression he was goading me, and I’d reacted how he expected. Frustrated I’d fallen into our old pattern of interacting, I noticed the background was quiet now. It seemed intimate, just me and Griffin on the phone, his focus one hundred percent on me. “You make it difficult to apologize.”
He barked out a laugh. “Am I supposed to make it easy?”
I smiled despite wanting to throttle him because it was the first time I’d heard him laugh. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I called to apologize. You’re my client and I was unprofessional.”
“To be fair, you didn’t know I was there.”
“That doesn’t make it right. I truly am sorry. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth sometimes. Can we move past it?”
“I should apologize too. I was an ass when we were having that dispute over your lease.” Griffin’s voice was softer, sincere.
I was stunned for a few seconds, unable to respond. He was apologizing to me?
“Were you serious about helping me with my brother’s estate and his guardianship issues?”
I licked my lips, thoughts tumbling around in my brain about more time with Griffin. “Of course.”
“I’ll take whatever help I can get.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll draft an attorney-client agreement and prepare an estimate for you.”
“Let’s set up a time to go over the will. I want to hand this off to you sooner rather than later.”
My nerves tingled at the thought of seeing him again so soon. I glanced at my calendar. “How about first thing Monday morning?”
“That works. Listen, I’ve got to finish this chess game with Declan. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure. Have a great weekend.”
He hung up without responding. He was playing chess with Declan. He’d moved into Julian’s home despite questioning his capabilities as guardian. He wanted to protect Declan. Despite my initial impression of Griffin, he seemed like a good guy when it came to his family. I felt bad for judging him by our initial phone conversations.
I searched for his name on my phone to find the article Dylan was quoting earlier. I quickly scanned it to see the date of Julian’s death. I closed my eyes, sympathy filling me. That was right before we signed the lease for the building. Is that why he’d used a proxy instead of handling it himself? He was distracted dealing with his brother’s death.
I felt horrible for judging him when I didn’t know all the facts. It was understandable he’d be a little on edge. I read through everything I could find on his start-up. When I read several articles saying the same thing, I went to close the browser when a headline caught my attention. Start-up partners split among rumors of an affair.
There was a picture of Griffin and Lorelai at some gala. Griffin’s lips curled into a slight smile as if the photo was something he tolerated, not enjoyed. His hair was longer then, slicked back with some kind of gel, his shoulders broad in his tux. Lorelai’s blonde hair was swept into an updo, diamonds hung from her earlobes, glittered along her collarbone, the shiny dress wrapped around her curves. One hand curled around Griffin’s elbow, the other his hip, leg visible through the high slit in the skirt. She was model-gorgeous.
I knew it was unfair, but I couldn’t help thinking she was probably the same kind of girl who bullied me in high school, preying on the weak and awkward, then grew up to screw others over, never thinking about the destruction they left behind. Or maybe I was jealous that she was the type of woman he was attracted to.
I closed my eyes against the memories. I didn’t know anything about this woman except she’d cheated on Griffin with his friend and business partner. That was all I needed to know. Griffin deserved better than that.
Chapter Four
Griffin
I stepped inside Avery’s office, noticing for the first time freshly painted walls, the words Arrington, Gannon, & Winters hung in gold script above the empty receptionist’s desk. I looked down at my feet, if I wasn’t mistaken it wasn’t the industrial carpet left over from the accounting firm who’d been the prior tenant.
“Mr. Locke, I’m so glad you could make it.”
I hadn’t heard her enter the room. My gaze moved from the carpet to her practical black pumps, her bare legs, to the black suit she wore buttoned over a silky-looking white button-down shirt. Her thick dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. Her blue eyes flashed to mine as she licked her lips. She was nervous.
Was it my presence or was it the changes she’d made?
“Did you change the carpet?” I purposely let my gaze travel around the room, pausing at the firm’s sign. “And the paint?”
Wanting to see her reaction, I turned my attention to her.
She swallowed, shifting on her heels. “We did. We wanted to look professional. I know you said we needed your approval but—”
“Did you make any other changes?”
“We mounted shelves in the offices, but they can be removed, the holes patched.”
I was silent for a few seconds, a strategy I used to unsettle people. I wasn’t sure why I was doing it to her, other than, I’d always enjoyed hearing her fiery temper over the phone, and I was hoping to experience it in person.
She cocked her head, placing a hand on her hip. “You know, everything we did was an improvement. We couldn’t host clients how it was before.” Her eyes flashed, her cheeks flushed. “If you try to sue us for breach of contract, you won’t have any damages to prove. We took before and after photographs. Any judge would—”
“Of course you can paint the office to make it look professional.”
Her mouth dropped open as if she didn’t know what to make of my comment. “Why were you so difficult when I asked originally?”
“Honestly, I was pissed about the lease. I screwed up.”
She shook her head, dropping her shoulders. “I’m not a confrontational person, but you seem to bring it out in me.”
“Really?” I tucked that information away for later.
She shook her head, brushing past me in a dismissing gesture. “Let’s go to the conference room.”
Her fragrance, something flowery, tickled my nose. I wanted to reach out, to touch her wrist, to confirm her pulse was as erratic as mine, but I didn’t.
I needed to focus on closing out my brother’s estate, wrapping things up. If I wanted to move Declan to Florida, I could do it without any loose ends, the biggest of which was his mother, Erin. I didn’t know if she’d show up one day wanting to be involved, requesting visitation, upsetting the delicate balance I’d established with Declan.
Avery led me into the same conference room we’d convened in last week. A file was spread over the table with a legal pad and pen.
She gestured to the seat across from hers. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks for handling this for me. I had attorneys in California, but I don’t trust anyone from my old life.”
Avery’s gaze stuck and held on my face as if she wanted to ask more, but she didn’t. “You’re welcome. Did you bring the estate paperwork?”
“I did.”
She held her hand out to me. “I’ll make copies and be right back.”
“Don’t you have a receptionist who can do that?” I was curious why I hadn’t seen anyone answering the phones, making copies.
“No. We haven’t hired anyone yet.”
“That’s smart. Save money while you build the firm.”
“We can afford to hire someone, but there’s no rush. Not when we can do the work.”
“Eventually you’ll be too busy to deal with every phone call.” I remembered those days. Damon and I started out in my dorm room, then moved to a shared apartment. Back then everything was new and exciting, we were filled with hope that we could make a difference.
“I certainly hope so.” She turned, my paperwork gripped in her hands, my gaze followed her backside as she walked out the door.
&nbs
p; She was an intriguing mix of shy and feisty. I liked it. She was amusing, but I wouldn’t let my mind wander to anything else. I’d dated Lorelai for years, proposing before I discovered her fucking my friend and partner. For some reason, her betrayal paled in comparison to his.
He’d been my friend since we were assigned to be roommates freshman year. When we were juniors some of the university’s research was stolen, the information held hostage by some ransomware company, probably offshore, untraceable. We were shocked when the university paid to get the research back.
That situation stuck in my brain. I discovered that hospitals, any business with valuable data, were at risk. With no expectation of ever getting the information back, the companies paid the ransom.
I wondered if I could come up with something that would prevent it from happening. I was a computer science major with a knack for developing programs. We worked for two years before one was ready, with ideas already forming to develop other software if the ransomware companies got past our firewalls. We offered it for free to big companies until one tried it, referred our name to other businesses, then we took off. I didn’t intend to sell the business until my partner, Damon, betrayed me.
I wanted nothing to do with it at that point. I couldn’t continue working with my former friend, especially while he was dating my ex-fiancée.
I stood, wanting to clear my mind. My gaze locked on the framed photographs hanging on the walls. There was a newspaper article about a New Orleans nonprofit, Kids Speak, and various photographs of a gala-type event. I scanned the article, pausing when it said Hadley Winters was the head of the organization, and her father, Aiden Winters, was the main investor. I’d just reached the part where Aiden Winters withdrew his support for the organization, when Avery returned.
“Here’s your copy.” Avery handed me the paperwork, her gaze caught on the framed newspaper clipping.
“That’s Hadley’s baby, it’s a speech therapy program she started in New Orleans’ schools. This was the night she announced her intention to expand into Annapolis.”