Page 72 of Holding Out

“Nah,” Griff said, clapping CJ on the back.“Just being a good wingman.”

34

Jed’s here.

She stared at Griff’s text for a long time before tapping back,So?

I thought you might want to come in and talk to him.

She thought she’d made herself clear the last time they’d talked—she’d given it a try, but now she was done.Nope,she texted back.

Her phone rang.

“Griff, don’t,” she said, before he could say anything else.

“You have unfinished business with him.”He was whispering, so she knew he was in the big tutoring room and that Jed was in there, too.

“I really don’t.”

“C’mon, Becca, give it one more try.”

She pushed a stack of insurance claims forward on the desk, then pulled them back toward her.“Did he ask for me?”

There was a long silence.That would be ano, then.

“Did he ask for help at all?”

“He—no.”Griff’s last word came out on an exhale, almost a sigh.

“He doesn’t want my help.He made that abundantly clear.And one of the things I like about New Becca is that she knows who she is, and she’s happy with that version of herself.She doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, especially if it means banging her head against a wall.”

On the other end of the phone, Griff took a deep breath.“Hang on a sec.”His voice moved further away.“JoJo, I’m going outside for a minute, can you handle that on your own?”

“Yeah.I got this.”JoJo’s voice drifted to Becca.

There was the sound of shuffling and then Griff’s voice, closer to her ear than before.“You can do this Becca.Not to prove anything.Not because I say you should.But because Jed wants your help, and I know you know what it’s like to be a kid who’s finally fessed up that he’s vulnerable.”

She wrinkled her nose.“Griff.Are you trying to emotionally manipulate me into helping Jed?”

He blew out a short snort of a laugh.“Ha!No.”There was a pause, and then he said, “Why, is it working?”

She laughed.“No.Nope.I cannot be emotionally manipulated.And you cannot use those Jedi mind tricks on me.”

“Dang,” he said.“Because if there’s a way to get you naked on my bed using Jedi mind tricks—”

“Mmm,” she said.“Suddenly I find myself drawn toward my car ...”

“Keep going,” he teased.“Turn the key in the ignition ...”

“I think that’s your job,” she murmured.

He blew out another breath, one that was halfway to a groan.“I should probably get back upstairs.”

I know you know what it’s like to be a kid who’s finally fessed up that he’s vulnerable.

She loved that he knew her like that.She really did.Even if she didn’t know what it meant that she loved it, or how this was all going to play out.

“Okay,” she said, finally.“Okay.I’m coming over there.Don’t tell Jed, though.Promise.”

---