by Rayne, Piper
I cut my finger across my throat at Griffin when I enter the family room.
“Phoenix doesn’t have a lot of emotions,” Kingston says.
I slap his head as I walk by. “That’s rich coming from the guy who runs away.”
“So do you,” Kingston counters.
I instinctively glance at Griffin, who only seems to enjoy our banter.
“Okay, we should go.” Grandma Dori stands.
“Kingston, how about you come over tomorrow night?” Griffin asks.
Kingston looks at me. “Sure. I start shift in a couple hours, so I can come here before I crash for the night.”
“Perfect.”
I set down my tea, and Griffin stands to walk them to the front door. After hugs and kisses on the cheek, Grandma Dori backs out of the driveway. We watch her retreat and don’t miss her taking out Griffin’s mailbox.
“Sorry,” I say as she drives away without even knowing she did it. Either that or she’s ignoring it.
He laughs. “It’s okay. That can be my next project after the sink.” He shuts the front door and cages me against it. “We have a bit before you have to pick up Maverick. What should we do with our time?”
I bite my lip, doing my best to push Juno’s words out of my mind. It’s not as if Griffin has confessed his love to me or divulged all his deepest dark secrets. He hasn’t told me anything about his ex-wife or whether the rumors are true about her and his partner.
Why does it feel as though I’d be betraying him if I sleep with him?
I put my hand on his chest. “We can’t.” I duck under his arm and free myself, heading to the kitchen. “Not until you know something.”
My stomach twists because I could be ruining everything by telling him the whole truth. Where is this conscience coming from? It’s highly inconvenient.
“You do know this isn’t a ‘let’s start a relationship’ thing, right? You don’t have to tell me anything other than if you’re on the pill and if you’ve been tested.” He follows me into the kitchen.
Damn Juno. Why did she have to show up and give me her little speech?
“I know, but…”
He laughs and climbs onto the breakfast stool. “We’re adults. You don’t need anyone’s permission.”
I wonder if he noticed Juno’s and my somewhat heated conversation.
Is it kind of sad that I thought more of Griffin Thorne? That maybe he wasn’t a douche who slept with people to get them out of his system? Am I going to be forgotten tomorrow or replaced by someone else he’d like to sleep with? I thought I knew the man, but maybe I was wrong.
“You should know that I went to LA after I graduated high school. I tried to make it for two years and returned home when I couldn’t. I knew who you were when we met, and I knew you were looking for a nanny. Those kids in the bakery are my nieces and nephew. I’ve never been a nanny before, and I lied to you that night. I did hope that you would discover me.”
The flirtatious gleam that was sparkling in his eyes fades, and his gaze turns cold as though he’s been doused by an ice bucket. He stands. Somehow, I didn’t realize until right now the height difference between us.
When he heads over to me, I have no idea if he’s going to tell me to get out or kiss me. I have to grip the countertop when he leans into me.
“Pack up your stuff and leave.” Then he walks out of the room. A door slams shut seconds later.
Damn it, I knew not to listen to Juno.
Eighteen
Griffin
On my way to pick up Maverick, I retrace how things went from normal to awesome to shitty, back to awesome and eventually landed in the shitter. I can’t believe she lied to me. After I asked her point-blank. You’d think she was from LA to be able to look me in the eye like that and lie.
Now I have to tell Maverick that Phoenix is no longer his nanny.
I park in the pick-up line and spot Principal Nutters walking down the sidewalk with Maverick at his side. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Maverick opens the back door.
I roll down the window on the passenger side. “What now?”
“I thought it would be Phoenix picking him up.” Principal Nutters peers into the truck as though she’s hiding and ready to pop out and surprise him.
“Not today.”
“Well, I just wanted to tell her she was right. I talked with a few other kids who were also paying Chad Billings. No worries about Maverick taking the fall. Chad has been suspended for five days. The teacher and lunch aides are now aware of what was going on and will keep a close eye on the situation when he returns to school.”
“Thank you, Principal—”
“Kevin, please.”
“Thank you, Kevin.” I reach my hand out and lean across to the passenger side, and we shake hands.
“Thank Phoenix for me. If she hadn’t told me, I’m not sure how long Chad would have gotten away with this.”
“Sure thing.” No need for the principal to know that Phoenix is no longer involved in our lives.
“See you tomorrow, Maverick.” He smiles into the back seat, and Maverick tightly smiles back at him but thankfully doesn’t say anything. Principal Nutters looks through the window. “Looks like the line is moving.”
I follow his vision. “I better go before I get honked at.”
He backs away from the truck, and I roll up the window while driving around the circular drive.
“Where’s Phoenix?” Maverick asks.
I figure this is a conversation best had over ice cream. I look at him through the rearview mirror. “How about we go get a snack?”
“Sure. Will Phoenix be there?”
“We’ll talk about that after we get a snack.”
“Why? You’re not mad because she went and told Principal Nutters, are you? Or because she kept my secret?” His nervousness of the unknown shines through.
I haven’t seen this side of him since Maggie and I split. The repercussions of having divorced parents. Phoenix was a part of his life, and now she’s abruptly left—just like Maggie did. I’m a shitty father for not realizing this.
“No. I’m not mad at her for that.”
“Then where is she?”
I pull alongside the road and park the truck, turning to look at him. “She’s not going to be your nanny anymore.”
“Why?” His eyes widen and he crosses his arms.
“We had a disagreement, and I think it’s better this way.”
He stares out the window. “I liked her. She stuck up for me today! She made things fun. We had dance parties after school. And she was going to take me to the park today.”
The park? I didn’t even know he enjoyed the park still.
“I’ll take you to the park,” I say.
“And what? You’ll just sit there.”
“Watch it. I know you’re upset, but I’m still your father.”
“You take everything good away from me! What kind of father does that? You took me from LA. My school. My friends. My mom. Phoenix is all I had here. And now you took her from me too!” He looks out the window.
It’s clear that he’s closed himself off for now, so I face forward and put the truck in gear. I’d tell him the truth, but I’m not sure he’d care. She didn’t lie to him. She lied to me, and I was too blind to see through the lie.
What kind of woman with talent like Phoenix wants to live in a small town, working as a nanny? I was the dumbass from the beginning.
* * *
We pull into our driveway after Maverick refused to get out of the truck to get ice cream. I tried the park and he wouldn’t do that either. The truck is barely in park before Maverick opens the door, gets out, then slams it shut before running into the house.
I remain in the driver’s seat, unsure what my next move will be, until a loud engine causes me to glance in my rearview mirror. Denver’s truck is roaring up the driveway.
I squeeze my eyes shut for a second. Fuck. Somehow, the thought
that Denver might find out about all this slipped my mind. I told him I’d stay away from his sister. That he could trust me. But at some point, my dick took over and I pushed away all thoughts of my promise. There’s no way he knows that though. He’s probably here because I fired her. I guess I have to decide now whether I want to tell him all the rest.
I climb out of my truck and Denver leaves his. We stand silent for a moment, staring each other down. I’ve never seen Denver pissed off, but it’s clear he is right now.
“What the hell, Griffin?”
I walk out of my garage. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you fucking my sister?”
“No. No.” Shit, I thought for sure he was here because I fired her. How does he know I even entertained thoughts of having his sister? She doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who would tell him, but then again, I fired her.
“Juno told me she saw you guys kissing.” His hands fist at his sides.
I sit on the rear bumper of my truck. “I know you don’t owe me anything, but can you keep it down? Maverick is home.”
“Explain.” He lowers his voice, which I hope means he doesn’t want this to be the demise of our friendship.
“There’s no explanation. I shouldn’t have kissed her. I shouldn’t have touched her. I never thought… I never meant to…”
“Struggling for words?” He crosses his arms and widens his stance. Denver’s probably used to intimidating people.
“All I can say is I’m sorry. I really am. But you don’t have to worry about anything else happening because I let her go this afternoon.” I concentrate on my hands instead of on Denver because I feel like a total asshole at the moment.
“Let me get this straight. You kissed her… and then you fired her? Please don’t tell me it’s because she wouldn’t sleep with you.”
My head flies up. “What? Are you insane? Do you not know me at all?”
I know Denver and I haven’t known each other our whole lives and we haven’t shared a ton of shit, but I like to think we know enough of what to expect of one another.
“Well, you told me you wouldn’t touch my sister, and you did.”
Okay, he’s got me there. Shit. Maybe I should just move back to LA where it takes more than only a few hours before everyone knows your business.
“I know and I’m sorry.” I run my hand through my hair. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“You were thinking, just with the wrong head.” Denver makes his way to the front porch and takes a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs. I follow his lead and take the other chair. “Truth is, I worried this would happen. Phoenix is…”
I wait for him to fill the quiet space. I never understood why Denver didn’t want Phoenix to be my nanny. Why, if she was so qualified, he didn’t suggest her to me himself. Now that Phoenix has confessed her lie to me, I realize that it was because he knew the truth.
“She’s persistent. She’s headstrong. When she gets something in that head of hers…”
“You knew why she wanted to be Maverick’s nanny.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement.
He looks at me, sorrow in his eyes. With one solid nod, he looks away. “I told her not to, but she’s been begging me for years to introduce you two. She found out you needed a nanny, and I’m not sure what she expected to accomplish, but she would’ve done just about anything to have you hear her sing.”
He stands and paces in front of me. I see that day we had the conversation about Phoenix being Maverick’s nanny in a new light. How pissed he was. It wasn’t at me or even that he worried I might have sex with her. It was because he knew she wasn’t qualified to watch Maverick. He knew she was doing it for all the wrong reasons.
I want to be pissed off, but he had to choose between his loyalty to me and his sister. How could he choose? I’m not sure I would’ve done anything differently than he did.
“Why me? She’s got the voice to make it. Surely she could try to go on one of those reality television shows and be heard?”
“I’m not sure. It wasn’t easy for her to convince our brother to allow her to abandon college to pursue a career in singing. It took a lot for her to come back from LA. I think she’s hesitant to put herself out there now. As shitty as this will sound to you, as much as I wanted to keep her away from you, I also hoped you’d get her connected to the right people. She pisses me off, but she’s my sister and I want her to be happy. It always felt like a double-edged sword.”
“And being a star would make her happy?”
He huffs. “My dad used to say she was meant for the spotlight. If you ever met Sedona, you’d see how opposite identical twins can be. She’s the extrovert and Sedona the introvert.”
The mention of his parents brings to mind what I learned from Phoenix about their past. “I’m sorry about your parents. You never said anything.”
He shrugs. “Not much to tell. They died. It sucks.”
I’m not going to dive into that conversation right now, since he clearly doesn’t want to.
“So you fired her after you found out she had her sights set on you?” he asks.
I lean farther back into the chair. “Basically.”
He blows out a long breath. “If it means anything, when I confronted her, she told me she respected that you were out of the music industry, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity for the money you were going to pay her. She planned to turn in her notice after the summer and use the money to go back to LA.” He crosses his leg and rests his ankle on his knee. “It doesn’t mean much, but she’s not a bad person. She’s just persistent as hell. Phoenix doesn’t mean to hurt people, but she can have tunnel vision when she has a goal in mind.” His phone dings in his pocket, and he pulls it out.
While he’s dealing with whoever is on the phone, I contemplate the past few weeks. Phoenix was good to Maverick and good to me. I have no doubt that if Denver had thought Phoenix couldn’t handle an eight-year-old, he would have told me the truth. And it was purely coincidence that I heard her sing, and I’m the one who pushed to work with her.
Denver says she’s going back to LA to pursue a singing career no matter what. I have the connections to help her avoid all the sleazy people who would take advantage of her. My own path toward success travels through my mind. I don’t want that for Phoenix, even if she did piss me off. I remember what it was like to be that desperate. Can I really fault her? If I was twenty-two again, and in her position, wouldn’t I have done the same thing?
Shit. Did I overreact?
If I can do anything for Denver as a repayment for kissing his sister when I said I wouldn’t, I can do this. Van and Trey could be huge for Phoenix.
“No, I’m not doing it,” Denver says into the phone, then he’s quiet for a second. “Because I can’t fucking sing! When is he gonna be back?” He pulls the phone away from his face for a second. “Kingston got called out to a wildfire.”
There are only two days left before the Founder’s Day Parade.
I pull out my phone and text Phoenix.
Me: Can we talk?
Denver hangs up and pockets his phone. “Hopefully, he’s back in time. That would suck.”
“Listen, man, I’m sorry. Truth is, I’m really attracted to your sister, but I’ll table that. I have two industry friends coming to town this weekend, and I’ll make sure they hear Phoenix sing. I’ll help her in any way I can, because she’s got the voice, she just needs the connections to get her where she should be.”
He stares at me for so long, I dodge his gaze.
“Do you only want to sleep with her? Be straight with me.”
I didn’t really think about what I wanted when it was all happening—other than her under me—which wasn’t fair to either of us. I thought we were on the same page, but maybe we weren’t. It’s easy to forget that I have eleven years on Phoenix. Hearing everything Denver has said, I feel like the slimeball who took advantage of her.
“In the moment, I did, but I think maybe there
’s something more there. I just didn’t realize it. But it doesn’t matter. My rule will be in place if I’m working with her. I don’t sleep with the artists. Makes shit complicated.”
He nods. “You’re a good guy. My sister is young, but she’s an adult—as hard as that is for me to see sometimes. Maybe I’m sentimental because of Cleo, but I don’t want to be the reason two people aren’t together, so if there’s something more, you don’t need my permission. Just remember that if you fuck her over, you can expect a late-night visit from me for an ass-kicking.”
I laugh. “Noted.”
“Then it’s settled. I gotta go tell Cleo I’m not being arrested for assault and battery.” He chuckles and stands, then puts out his hand.
I rise up from the chair and shake his hand. “Thanks for understanding.”
He turns around and stalks back to his truck. “I’m the king of fuckups, Grif, so I get it. If you’re looking for her, she’s at Juno’s.”
A smirk is splashed on his face as he starts his truck and backs out of my driveway.
Once he’s gone, I pull out my phone. Nothing from Phoenix yet.
Maybe that’s good, because it gives me time to process my feelings toward her. Was it really only her looks that made me want to sleep with her, or was it something more? I should have an answer to that before we move on. I need to be sure, because if it’s the latter, nothing can happen between us. But if it’s the former, then you bet your ass I’m gonna make sure something happens.
Nineteen
Phoenix
“Kingston,” I plead.
“Sorry, Phoenix. I might have to fly into the bush today or tomorrow. I hate to miss Founder’s Day, but I think the people of Granger would prefer me doing everything I can to save their town rather than singing in a parade.”
“I have to stand out there on the float by myself now.”
“I’ll let you know if it changes, but you’ll need a miracle for me to be there.”
