Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 281(@200wpm)___ 225(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
I need to get this fire under control. I’m better than this.
“I get it, man. I was really just checking in to make sure it wasn’t anything else.”
He doesn’t know the extent of my life like Callum does, but he knows enough. It means the world to me that the Atwood brothers all care for me like I’m one of them.
I feel the fire fizzling out and I turn to him after dumping the new fries on the plate. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you checking in.”
He grabs my shoulder and smiles. “Always, Griff, you know that.”
I nod as the anger begins to smother. “I’ll apologize to Tripp and Jared and Trudi.”
We both laugh and I shake my head. I really have been out of control.
“You can apologize to Jared and Trudi, but not to Tripp. That little prick thinks he’s a part owner lately. He needs to remember until he’s older, he’s an employee.”
I remember being Tripp’s age. He wants to grab the world by the balls while partying like it doesn’t matter. Only he has a lot of expectations to live up to. It’s got to be hard.
“If you need help with anything, give a shout. I’m going to help Brock clean out the still.”
“Appreciate it,” I shout as he walks out of the kitchen.
I close my eyes briefly and take a cleansing breath. My friendship with the Atwood’s is everything. It’s absurd thinking I let Anya’s dismissal of a relationship get to me when, in fact, she’s right—it’ll never happen
I plate the food for Anya’s party. It’s been a long day, but this moment makes it all worth it.
“Griffin, how's it going?” Anya asks, stepping into the kitchen. Her mere presence does something to me. Makes me almost feral. I need to remember to not be affected by her soft voice, and bright green eyes.
“It’s going great in here. Everything will be ready in time, don’t worry.”
“Oh, I’m not worried. You’re the only one who’s been calm and collected through this entire thing,” she says, tucking her brown hair behind her ears.
I chuckle and stand straight as I wipe my hands on a towel. “Maybe on the outside, but today wasn’t my finest day.”
“What do you mean?”
I lift my shoulders, taking in just how stunning she looks tonight. Her hair is down and curled. Her makeup makes her green eyes pop and shows off her full lips. The white button-down shirt she has on fits her body perfectly and she left the top two buttons undone, showing just enough cleavage to appear classy. The gray pencil skirt she has on makes you take notice of her long sexy legs. She looks professional and sexy, a killer combo.
“I took out my stress on Tripp,” I admit.
She giggles, shaking her head. “He can handle it. He’s the youngest, remember.”
Not wanting to take away from her night, I just nod and move the conversation. “How’s it going out there?”
She bites her lip and looks at the door leading out of the kitchen and back at me. “I don’t want to jinx anything, but oh my God, it’s going better than I ever imagined. Everyone is having a great time.”
I can’t fight the smile that takes over my face. “I knew it would be a success.”
“I even saw Callum smiling,” she says with a small laugh.
“Oh, you’ve crossed into uncharted territory, Anya. You should have a drink now to celebrate.”
We both laugh and I hate that I need to get back to plating. Talking with her is so easy and fun.
Before I can say anything, Callum walks into the kitchen. My eyes lift to his and he looks between Anya and me. “What’s going on?”
My brow dips as I stare at him. “Talking about the party,” I say, slowly.
I feel like he’s accusing me of something and I don’t appreciate that. If he only knew what I’ve been talking myself out of lately, he’d feel like an asshole.
“Shouldn’t you be out there?” he says directly to Anya.
“Shouldn’t you be barking orders at Brock or Tripp? My party is going amazing and I’m allowed to come check in with my chef.”
“Your chef?” Callum asks, raising an eyebrow.
She and I laugh as I get back to plating. “Callum, relax. You know what she means.”
“As much as I’d love to stay, I do need to go check in with my servers,” Anya says, walking out of the kitchen.
“Griff,” Callum says. I turn my head and he crosses his arms. “Everything is good, right?”
I clear my throat and toss my rag on the counter. “You accusing me of something, Cal?”
“No, I’m definitely not.”
“Feels like you are and if you feel the need to do that, maybe you don’t feel the same about our friendship.”
I turn my back on him and get back to work. He has no idea how hurtful his accusation is. Especially after everything I’ve been feeling.