Page 18 of Secrets at Dawn
Griffin winked at him, but otherwise, he let them have their moment.
They started by stretching, then were off on their run. By the end, Toby had gained a new friend in Julia and two regular running partners. He also developed a new appreciation for running slower than Griffin so he could enjoy the view.
As he was leaving, he saw Head Dickwad in a sedan parking in the lot.
Toby hightailed it out of there. He needed to be as far away from Griffin as possible so he wouldn’t become a target.
Chapter Nine
Griffin didn’t mean to stay so late at the bakery. What he thought would take him an hour really took him three times that long. Before he knew it, it was nearly ten o’clock at night, and he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch.
His stomach protested, threatening to eat itself.
As much as he would have rather gotten a burger to go from the diner or something just as quick, Fortune Falls shuts down after nine o’clock in the evening. His best hope was to go home and make himself a quick sandwich. He was pretty sure he had leftover casserole his mother had given him as well.
He was hungry enough to eat just about anything, honestly. What he didn’t want to do was go home to a dark, empty home.
He went into the bathroom. It was a nice, functional space as of three days ago, ready for the grand opening even when everything else wasn’t. He washed the drywall mud off his hands so he wouldn’t get it in his truck. It was bad enough that his clothing had white splotches all over it, but it couldn’t be helped. He hadn’t planned to mud the drywall. It was just the next step. He hadn’t thought about the amount of work when he'd started.
It was as he was cleaning up that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He was still inside the main bakery, unplugging any power tools and cleaning up the scrapers he’d used, when he realized he was being watched.
He went about his business, pounding down the lid on the bucket of mud, but he felt as though he was an animal in a zoo.
He’d locked all the doors, including the front entrance. With the unrest of the pack and helping to keep the peace at meetings, he’d stopped taking chances with his safety. But he checked the lock on the front door to make sure it was flipped.
He shook his head. Fortune Falls hadn’t been the same sleepy small town lately. He hoped they would come out of all the mess better. He honestly thought the pack would recover, but it would be a long road before they did. Being the sheriff’s kid put him in the middle of something that shouldn’t have been his problem, but he wouldn’t change anything. Riley was happy for the first time in his life. And his dad hadn’t smiled as much as he did since mating with Marric.
Griffin wondered if he’d be as happy with his little wolf shifter.
Toby had walked away after the run with just a wave. Griffin couldn’t help but take that as a sign of rejection.
Maybe his destiny didn’t include happiness with his mate. Maybe Toby would reject him after all.
Griffin finished securing the lid and then pulled his phone out of his back pocket.
He called his dad, who answered on the first ring. “I think I’m being watched.”
His dad didn’t question him or make him feel as though he were crazy. He valued his own intuition too much not to take Griffin seriously. He’d taught Griffin how to tap into his. “Where are you?”
“At the bakery.” Griffin winced.
Dad would, however, have a few things to say about Griffin working so late and skipping dinner.
“You’re still working. Griffin. It’s after ten.” Griffin could hear an engine start up, so he knew his dad was on the way.
“I got caught up in something and lost track of time.” It hadn’t been the first time he’d lost himself in his work. He wasn’t behind schedule, but he might be if he had to spend the day drywalling tomorrow. Since Toby hadn’t shown up for work that afternoon like he was supposed to, Griffin would have to work on his day off.
“Did you eat?”
“Like I said, I lost track of time.”
“Do you want to come back to the house?” His dad’s love language was feeding people. Griffin bet he would message Marric and ask him to cook.
“Sure.” Griffin wouldn’t turn down a home-cooked meal. If he went home, he’d make himself a sandwich and go to bed. He needed the downtime and to get Toby out of his head.
“I’m pulling up.” His dad cursed. Griffin wasn’t sure why until Dad came to the door, knocking.
Griffin could see him through the glass. Dad had a key, but he waited for Griffin to unlock the door.
