Page 125 of On The Rocks

It had been so straightforward before the orchard.

Before Griffin.

This was where I was supposed to go. To create a place that mattered to me.

“Hey, you’re up.”

I opened my eyes to find him in the doorway to our room. He wore low-slung jeans and nothing else. He held a mug in his hand and his hair was wild from sleep and the wind.

“I texted Richard. I need to meet him in two hours.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” He straightened. “I ordered some room service. Come on out.”

I nodded and stood.

Breakfast wasn’t quite as awkward as last night, but it was filled with small talk. The kind of conversations we’d never had between us before.

I escaped to get ready, the pancakes like lead in my stomach.

He followed me in and caught me before I went into the bathroom. He slung his arm around my waist as he lowered his mouth to my ear. “Lennon.”

I smoothed my hand along his arm. “I have to get ready.”

He let me go and I immediately wanted to turn around and throw myself into his arms.

But I didn’t.

I closed the door and rested my forehead on it, my eyes burning. It didn’t have to be either or. Part of me knew that, but I knew if I was going to make this club a success, it needed to be my sole focus.

Griffin wouldn’t be a half measure. Even if he said he could be, I knew it wasn’t him. He threw himself into the orchard, into getting to know Kain, into...me.

There was no halfway Griffin.

I let a few tears fall in the shower, hiding them from even myself under the spray. Then, resolute, I finished washing up and wrangled my hair into a crown braid against the humidity.

Work mode.

I got dressed and left the bedroom. Griffin was back on the balcony. He’d put on his sunglasses against the cloudless sky and the sun was already blasting off the water.

He glanced over at me. I couldn’t see his eyes to know what he was thinking. He looked back out on the water for a few seconds before coming back in. “I’ll be ready in ten.”

I nodded.

The lump in my throat didn’t go away, even with a cup of coffee.

It was still there, when he came out with another pair of linen pants on in deference to the heat. He wore a black shirt that was tight across his shoulders and chest and loose around his middle. The shades were back that made him look dangerously pissed off with his sharp features and tight beard.

Evidently, we were both a pair today.

Because of me.

But it was better to figure this out now.

Maybe I didn’t even have to work through the summer with him.

Maybe that would be best for all of us.

Out front, the convertible was waiting for us. The growling engine suited our mood. His driving was controlled but fast as we took the interchanges to the heart of Miami Beach. The area was mid-revival with old buildings wrapped in coming soon signs for eateries, bars, and shopping.

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