Page 57 of No Going Back
As soon as he figured out how in the hell to do it.
Griffin watched Dianna disappear into the bathroom, taking in the full curve of her ass until it was completely out of sight before ducking into the kitchen and staring down her coffee maker. Luckily it was a pretty basic model, so he easily managed to fill it with grounds and water, setting it to run with no problem.
Coffee, done.
Next, he turned to the refrigerator, pulling it open to stare down the contents. There were plenty of options to choose from. There was still bacon left from their breakfast yesterday. A pack of sausage. Plenty of eggs, and a whole stack of butter. Surely he should be able to accomplish something with all that.
Griffin grabbed the sausage, skipping over the bacon in the hopes the ground pork would be less temperamental. He slid the sausage onto the counter, adding the eggs and a couple slices of American cheese before turning to the collection. A sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich couldn’t be that difficult to manage. Especially since he’d seen Dianna make most of the parts yesterday.
He fished around the cabinet, finally finding a pan that looked familiar. He set it on top of the stove and went to work patting out two thin slabs of sausage. He laid them across one side of the large pan before washing his hands and moving on to the bread. He sliced off four thick pieces as the meat started to sizzle, taking a break between each cut to make sure nothing was starting to burn. Luckily, his hunch was right, and sausage was more forgiving than its sliced counterpart.
He had the bread in the toaster and was cracking eggs into the pan when Dianna walked in, looking fucking beautiful and maybe a little impressed.
“You don’t give up easily, do you?” She moved closer but didn’t make any attempt to correct what he was doing.
“I like figuring shit out.” Griffin didn’t take his eyes off the eggs and sausage. “And I’m pretty sure I can figure out how to make a breakfast sandwich.”
Dianna smiled at him. “Considering everything I’ve seen you’re capable of, I’m positive you can handle a breakfast sandwich.”
She hadn’t said a whole lot about all the work he’d done on his house—probably because she didn’t actually realize how much went into plumbing and electrical work. But the fact that she did understood he’d been working his ass off made his chest puff up a little bit. “I’m not against any advice you have, though.”
Dianna beamed at him. “Good, because if you put a lid on that you won’t have to mess with flipping those eggs over at all.”
Griffin studied the delicate whites as they started to firm up. “I was wondering how in the hell I was going to manage that.”
Dianna laughed as she reached into the cabinet and pulled out a lid, settling it on the skillet. “What do you have planned for the day?”
Griffin grabbed a cup, pouring in some coffee before adding the cream and sugar he knew Dianna liked, and held it out to her. “I need to work on finishing the upstairs bathroom. I’d like to have it fully-functioning before winter.”
He’d been making do with a water hose and the toilet in the half bath on the main floor, but he needed a real bathroom. Especially if Dianna was going to spend more nights in his bed.
Which he hoped she was.
Dianna sipped her coffee, relaxing against the counter like this was a normal way for them to spend the morning. “Are you close to being done?”
“Close enough that if I buckle down I should have it finished by the end of the week.” Griffin poured out some coffee of his own, drinking down a mouthful as he peeked at their sausage and eggs. “What about you? Anything exciting on your schedule?”
“I do pretty much the same thing every single day.” Dianna grabbed one of the packaged cheese product slices from the counter and went to work unwrapping it. “But, now that I have Janie to help in the afternoons, I have extra time in the evenings.” She lifted the lid to slide the cheese onto one of the eggs. “So maybe I can help you with your bathroom when I get home.”
The offer was what should have captured his full attention, but Griffin was still tripping over something else she said. “Janie?”
Dianna nodded, going to work on the next slice of cheese. “She’s the girl I hired. She’s awesome and so freaking sweet.” She added the cheese to the other egg. “One of the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met.”
The clench in his stomach relaxed a little. “That’s good. I’m glad to hear she’s working out and you two are getting along so well.” He studied her a second longer. “I don’t see you doing well with someone who’s high strung and demanding.”
Dianna shook her head. “Definitely not, so I am thrilled I found Janie.”
Griffin fought not to wince as she said the name yet again. “Me too.”
The story of a Janie he once knew sat on the tip of his tongue, heavy and hard. But it was the kind of story that would make Dianna see him differently. See just how lacking he really was. So he kept it to himself. Focusing instead on showing her he could be better.
Showing himself he could be better.
He lifted the lid off the pan and carefully slid a sausage patty onto two of the toast slices, topping each with an egg before stacking on the final piece of toast. He turned to Dianna, holding out the proof that he could learn. Proof that he could be worthy. “I didn’t even set the smoke alarm off this time.”
TWENTY-ONE
DIANNA
