Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158872 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 530(@300wpm)
Remy nods.
Griff takes my hand again. “So, Fisher knows you’re just graduating from high school, and that means you won’t have any experience.” He flicks another questioning look at Remy. “Does he want her to come in and interview or what?”
“He wants to talk to her, but I got the impression she has the job.” Remy’s tone softens. “He remembered you right away. Seemed happy that’s what you want to go to school for. I told him your grades are excellent, that you’re more than book smart, and that you’re serious, and a hard worker.”
A ray of hope pokes through all the clouds of doubt in my chest. Remy said all that about me? “Really?”
“Yes,” Remy groans.
I stare at the card in my hands. “Wow. Okay. When should I call him?”
“After school on Monday,” Remy says.
I step out of the bench and hurry to the other side of the table. “Thank you.” I throw my arms around Remy’s shoulders and rest my forehead on the top of his thick, curly mop of black hair. “I’m sorry,” I murmur.
He reaches up and pats my arm. “It’s okay. It’s not like we have lots of responsible role models to help us out with this shit. I’m swimming in the dark here, Molly.”
I hug him tighter. “I know.”
Click.
Remy and I both focus on Griff, who has his phone pointed at us.
“Say, birthday!” Griff flashes a big, cheesy grin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Molly
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” I reach over and rest my hand on Griff’s leg as he guides his car out of the Zips parking lot and onto the road. “We could go to your apartment.”
“We can stop there later if you want.” He flips the blinker on and smoothly turns the steering wheel. The old muscle car rumbles under us like a content jungle cat.
“You think Remy’s still mad at me?” I ask.
“He wasn’t mad at you,” Griff says. “Just frustrated with the situation.”
I fiddle with the fabric of my dress, twisting it between my fingers then releasing it. “I don’t know why the idea of the internship made me so scared.”
“Change is always scary.”
“But I’m not scared about graduating from high school. I can’t wait to do that.” It’s all the stuff I have to figure out afterward that leaves me frozen. “What was going on with Spoons and that weird guy?” I ask to change the subject. “It looked like you were going to kill him for a minute.”
“Nothing.” He answers so smoothly, I know he’s lying. “He needed a lesson in keeping his mouth shut.”
I run my hands over my dress again, pressing out the wrinkles. “Were they making fun of you for dating…me? Because I’m younger than you?”
“What?” He glances over, his face scrunched with concern. “No. Why would you think that?”
Because I thought I overheard them teasing you for calling me Muffin. “I don’t know.”
“No. That wasn’t it. And it wouldn’t matter if they did. They’re both fucking idiots.” He glances over again. “What’d you and Juliet talk about?”
Thank God it’s dark in Griff’s car. I’m blushing from head to toe. “Nothing much.”
“Secret stuff?” he teases.
“I guess.” My voice falters for a second. “She asked how we were doing.”
He chuckles softly and rubs his hand over his chin. “Juliet’s good people.”
He’s not worried or even curious about what specifically she asked? No. Griff has nothing to hide.
“You mind if we stop by the shop?” he asks. “I forgot something when I was there this morning.”
“Sure. It’s not still open, right?”
“No, Jerry closed hours ago.”
A chance for us to be alone. My heart thumps with happy anticipation.
The old gray building with several garage bays lined up on the side is dark as we pull into the parking lot.
Griff stops right in front of the glass front door.
My gaze darts around parts of the dark, empty parking lot where the glow from the security lights doesn’t reach.
“Can I come in with you?” He probably won’t be in there long, but I don’t want to sit in the car all by myself.
“Yeah, of course.” He shuts off the engine and opens his door. “Wait there.”
I dig in my purse for my lip balm and slick it over my lips quickly. My door swings open and Griff holds out his hand to me.
“Thanks.”
He pulls me into his arms and stares at me with so much longing, my heart flutters. I raise up on my toes, tilt my head, and purse my lips.
An engine roars by on the road in front of the shop. The driver honks their horn, startling me out of Griff’s arms.
“Jackasses,” he mutters. Shaking his head, he sifts through the ring of keys in his hand until he finds a short silver one on a red ring. He slides it in the lock and opens the door.