Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Okay, thanks for letting me know,” he said abruptly. “I... I have to go.”
He hung up the phone and instantly, his expression changed. He returned to being the stoic and immoveable boss that I’d come to know and love. I was beginning to get really frustrated with how Griff seemed to be able to shut down completely and not express anything that was going on for him in spite of me trying so hard to crack open his shell. This time, I thought I’d push my luck. After all, Griff and I were going to be over soon either way. What could it hurt?
The rest of the cab journey was spent in silence. After all, I knew trying to speak to Griff about something personal in public wouldn’t get me anywhere. So, when we arrived back at the hotel rather quickly compared to our journey out, I climbed out of the car and walked toward the door on Griff’s side, intending to place a comforting hand on his shoulder or ask him if he was okay. He had other plans, however. Griff breezed past me and was already storming inside toward the elevator. I hurried along behind him, my heels clacking on the tiled floor, and I managed to squeeze into the elevator just before the doors closed.
“Geez, you’re in a hurry,” I commented with a sigh.
Griff just grunted. His face looked worried and I knew extreme measures were needed, so once we entered the hotel room, I began to hatch my plan.
“Griff?”
“Yeah,” he replied from where he was pulling off his suit jacket and hanging it back up in the closet.
“Come lay down with me for a bit,” I requested with wide, inviting eyes as I approached the bed and stretched out across the sheets.
“Really?” He looked over at me with dubious eyes and I shrugged.
“I want to see if having a rest makes me feel better, but I don’t want to be alone,” I said in an attempt to lure him closer.
It worked.
Griff came and laid down beside me in a stiff and closed position. I felt a little bad for lying to him. After all, I wasn’t really sick or anything, unless feeling heartbroken counted as a sickness, but I didn’t think it did. I just wanted to give him the opportunity to lie with me and feel more comfortable. Then maybe he’d feel better about opening up to me.
It didn’t take long for me to find a comfortable position to lie in. I rolled onto my side, facing Griff and placed one arm under my pillow. Griff, however, seemed to struggle. He was wriggling for a long time like he wasn’t used to relaxing or taking a break. I could see that being true. After all, he never really seemed to take a proper break at work. I wondered when the last time was that Griff truly let his guard down. I didn’t have an answer, of course, but I hoped the next time might be right here and now.
“What was that phone call about?” I asked, breaking the silence between us after a few minutes.
Griff stayed quiet for a moment and I thought he might just not answer me at all, but eventually, he cleared his throat and spoke. “It was my mother,” he confessed quietly. “She was just... sharing a bit of family information with me.”
Even though he was still holding a lot back, I was glad he could at least be a little bit honest with me. It felt like the most I had ever gotten out of him before and a part of me was unbelievably happy while the other part was worried about the grim expression on Griff’s face.
“Is everything okay with your family?” I questioned.
Griff let out a bitter laugh. “Actually, it’s quite the opposite,” he revealed with a pained expression on his face. “My father... He’s dying.”
My jaw dropped and I couldn’t breathe for a moment. Out of all of the things I’d expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. “Oh, Griff, I’m so sorry,” I told him sincerely.
“No, it’s not...” he trailed off and reached a hand up to rub over his face. “Me and my father are... estranged. We haven’t seen each other in years and if I had it my way, I’m not sure I’d ever see him again, but...” He paused and took a deep breath. “My mom told me that he wants to make amends with me before he passes away, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.”
“Oh,” was all I could manage. I couldn’t imagine for a moment feeling surprised. “I had no idea you had issues like that in your family, Griff. I’m so sorry. It sounds awful.”
“Yeah, well... It is what it is,” he admitted with a shrug.