Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“I am.” I shake hands with her, my face hot. I don't know what to do other than smile, because I'm holding back the question of how she knew that.
I get my answer when I peek over at Griffin, and he's blushing.
My temperature rises again, all through my body. It's a good thing opening the door let in some fresh air, because I might be glowing with sweat by now, and nobody needs that.
It's more complicated than me having a crush on Griffin. He has a crush on me, too, or at least I’ve always thought that he did. The blushing in front of his mom is proof. I'm not the only one dealing with feelings every shift, no matter how hard I try not to let it affect my work.
I've caught Griffin looking at me more than once, which makes me feel those butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I try not to feel his eyes on me when I'm working. It's never in a way I don't want, and always makes this push and pull seem almost romantic and magical.
Neither of us has made a move, which is the right thing to do given our circumstances and everything going on in my personal life.
Besides being the right thing, it's just something I'm grateful for. Some days I'm so grateful for it that I get choked up.
The truth is that I need this job more than I've needed almost any job in my lifetime. After everything that happened, I'm behind on my bills, and that means working twice as hard to get caught up and in a stable place again. My goal this year is to trust only myself and get back on my own two feet. That's my only goal. It's not to fall in love with my boss or act on my crush and get myself into another situation where I'm behind.
I can't afford to have things at this job go sour.
“How do you like it at Iron Brewery, Renee?” Griffin's mom asks with the same proud expression.
“Oh, I love it here.” I keep my eyes away from Griffin when I say it. “It's nice to work in a place that means something to people.”
“I've always said that the people make the place.” Griffin's mom puts her hand on Griffin's arm, and he gets redder. I struggle to keep my smile from widening.
“Mom,” he says. “It's not just me. Everyone who works here is a part of it.”
“I can see that,” Griffin's mom says knowingly, and I wonder just how much he's talked about me—about all of us—to his mom. From the way she seemed thrilled to meet Patty, it's probably a lot.
It's easy to see where Griffin's excitement and kindness come from. A good man from a good family.
“So, what's on tap for the afternoon?” Patty bustles out from behind the bar and joins us with a knowing look on her face. Her eyes sparkle like she's just as excited about Griffin's mom visiting as he is. It makes sense, because she's just as proud of Iron Brewery as Griffin is and puts more heart into the bar than almost anybody else. If I wasn't around when Brody and Griffin put the place together, I'd think she was around here even longer. “Are you taking your mom for the full tour of the town? You really should, you know. We've got a great place here.”
“We do,” I agree, and maybe that's why Griffin's eyes settle on me. They drop down to my lips and come back up to my eyes. This one time, I let myself look back at him. He's just so attractive that it's almost impossible to look away, and it would be weird if I looked down at my shoes.
A smile crosses Griffin's face. “Yeah, we do.”
I didn't think I could blush any harder, but I'm pretty sure it's happening. With Patty and Griffin's mom standing here with us, I just have to look at his handsome face and keep my smile still, because if I say another word, they'll both know I'm into him, and then I'll never live it down.
So I smile and smile, falling deeper into his eyes every second.
Griffin shakes himself, like he was falling too, and puts his hand on the back of his neck to rub at the skin there. “But now's not the right time for a town tour.”
Patty raises her eyebrows, but she's still smiling a little, which makes me think she knows more than she's letting on. “It isn't? The weather isn't bad, and there's still enough daylight to see everything.”
“Not yet.” Griffin drops his hand. He still hasn't stopped looking at me. “I thought we'd stay here for a while and have lunch.”
Griffin
My mom settles back into her seat across from me in my favorite booth. There’s a good view of the bar from this corner seat, plus I can watch the front doors.