Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Sometimes, Mel, sometimes friendships can’t be salvaged. Unfortunately, there’s too much of a history with us and a lot of trauma and damage as well. I’ll remain cordial. Griff and Jack deserve that much. I may not like that we’re linking in such a way, especially with the way things are progressing with Griff, but I’ll do it for him.” And I will. Griff would never make me either; he’s selfless like that.
“I understand. Thank you for talking with me. I’ll, uh, see you around.” She stands up first to leave.
“See you around,” I respond, staying in my seat and watching her leave. Overall, today was another great day, and it’s about to get a lot better. I stand up, take my phone out again, and shoot Griff a text.
Me: Heading home. See you soon.
Griff must have been on pins and needles waiting for my text or a call because he’s already responding. The bubble appears, and then so does his message.
Griff: We’re here waiting for you. Everything go okay?
Me: Yeah, it did, actually. I’ll tell you about it when I get home.
Griff: Drive safe.
Me: Always.
I keep my phone in my hand, pull my keys out of my pocket, and head to my car. I’ve got a man and our dog waiting for me at home, and I can’t wait to have Griff’s arms wrapped around me. That’s the one thing that will make this day even better.
30
GRIFFIN
I’m waiting in the kitchen, wondering how Stormy is dealing. Will she come home in tears, pissed at the world, or will she pretend to be alright until she isn’t? One thing I know for sure, we’re going to talk it out, get the hard shit out of the way and focus on the good.
“I hear ya, boy. She’ll be here in in a couple of minutes.” I don’t tell him we’ll be on the beach soon enough. He’d go crazy, bark, wiggle his ass while his grinch-like toes dance on the tile. “You need an appointment with the groomers.” Finn groans, his least favorite part of being a dog. The boy has it made. He doesn’t even leave the house. A van pulls up in the driveway, she grooms him, and within an hour, he’s back to either hitting the beach or sleeping on the couch.
The whir of the garage door is heard in the quiet house. I chose to turn the TV off after her text talking about meeting with Mel. I was half tempted to call Jack. Maybe he could put a damn leash on that daughter of his. I head to the fridge, grab a bottle of beer for myself, open the freezer, and get the bottle of tequila Stormy prefers. Even if she doesn’t need a drink to help decompress, tonight is one to celebrate. A few more ingredients, a flavored seltzer water, a lime, some ice cubes later, and then I get to work on her drink. Stormy doesn’t mind drinking tequila on the rocks. That’s not happening today. She’ll be completely coherent when I tell her how much she means to me.
“Hey, Finn.” I look to the side while squeezing the rest of the lime before dropping it into her glass with the rest of the ingredients. Stormy is on her knees, bag dropped to the side, giving the big lug a hug while she dodges his tongue from licking her face. I’d tell him to relax, but Stormy would counteract my demand and say he’s fine. I let them have their time together. “Were you a good boy today?”
“If you mean coming home to a pile of fur, legs up, dog flat on his back, tail wagging, and in our bed good, then yeah, he had a great day.” Before Stormy, my bedroom door would stay shut during the day to keep him off the bed. When I was gone for those few days, Stormy changed a lot, including my way of thinking. Finn is now king of the house more than ever. She doesn’t seem to care that we now have two vacuums going in the middle of the day to help with the dog hair. She also doesn’t mind that our bed needs to be lint rolled or a blanket put over the comforter and pillows anytime we leave. I told her to shut the bedroom door one time, and she gave me an earful. I laughed and conceded in order not to make a big deal out of something she enjoys.
“Still salty about that, are we?” I take a step back from the counter, the neck of the beer wrapped in my knuckles, and her glass in my hand.
“It creates more work for you, so yeah, I am.” Once I’m in front of her, I offer my free hand to help her up. The sling is as needed these days. The damn thing is a nuisance. One that Stormy made sure I wore non-stop until the doctor cleared me yesterday, a week earlier than I thought he would.