Page 94 of Tangled Kisses
I can’t fall in love with you.Trust me, beautiful, you can and you will.
“Change is good, Griffin.” Lauren’s voice cuts into my internal monologue, jerking me back to the din of the bar. “Speaking of change, I won’t waste your time. It’s late, and I know you’ve got plenty of friends here who’d love a moment with you. But I need to tell you this straight.”
My stomach knots. Here it comes.
“I spoke with my accountant.”
Of course, she did. No surprise there. A woman of Lauren’s status and net worth has to run things by her team.
“He thinks your plan is sound. Solid. But he doesn’t believe Tangled Vines is viable as a headquarters. Too small. Too limited.”
Any trace of a smile falls from my lips.
“Wait.” She squeezes my forearm, gentle. “Let me finish. He thinks you’d thrive in Portland. There’s wealth there. Established clients. Real growth potential.”
I tilt my head back, fixing my eyes on the beams crisscrossing the ceiling. “My life is here.”
“For now,” she murmurs. “But you could have a new one in Portland.”
I wish I could claim surprise, but her accountant’s voice in her mouth—the cold math of it all—is exactly what I expected.
Lauren sighs. “If I’m being honest, he thinks it’s a poor investment. Not because you can’t succeed, but because if you stay here, I’ll never see the money again.”
Her words hit like a hammer to the chest, driving a nail deeper into my heart.
“But that’s not my concern.” She fixes her gaze on me, folding her arms on the table. “Griffin, I care about you. I want to help. But I need something in return.”
I take a long pull from my beer. And here comes the counteroffer.
“I wasn’t kidding when I mentioned marriage.” Her voice is steady, almost tender. “I’m lonely. I enjoy your company. I think you enjoy mine. I’m tired of attending events alone. Dining alone. Throwing money at strangers. I’d rather help a friend. And I’d like to have him near me.”
“Yeah.” It’s as good an answer as I can muster right now.
Her eyes seek mine. “I’d like you to seriously consider it. Because then we both win.”
But that’s a lie. Because her proposition means I lose Reese. The woman who won’t fall for me but wants to. The woman I built a future with in my mind from the first moment she stepped into my world.
The booth feels too small, too close, like the air’s being siphoned out. My gaze drifts to the door—where Reese disappeared.
“Griffin.” Lauren tilts her head, studying me. “Are you listening?”
“Yeah. I’m just… distracted.”
Her wineglass hovers halfway to her lips, her gaze sharp and knowing. “Your mind is very far away tonight.”
Beneath the table, my knee jiggles out a fast-paced rhythm. “Yeah. Guess it is.”
“That’s three yeahs in two minutes. I came all this way to talk about your proposal, and you won’t even look at me.”
I brace my elbows on the table, burying my face in my hands. “What do you want me to say, Lauren? You just told me that unless I pack up my life and marry you, my business is dead in the water. Which means my only other options are busting my ass eighty hours a week or fucking women for money. Forgive me, but none of those is the choice I want.”
Her nails drum the table, ire flaring. “Not for nothing, Griffin, but I’m offering to fully back your business. I’ll cover your bills. You’d live in the lap of luxury in Portland, with access to my other homes. All I’m asking for is your companionship and dedication to me, the same way I’d dedicate myself to you.”
“It’s not enough,” I say, voice low. “Not if it costs me what I want most.”
She bangs the table—so unlike her it startles me. “Then whatdoyou want?”
“Her.” I choke out the word as emotion clogs my throat.
