by Nia Anderson
Chapter four
Erica met up with Lori and Sabrina as planned that Saturday night. All three friends greeted each other warmly and made their way inside the restaurant they’d chosen to have dinner at: a trendy burger joint that catered to the young and hip. After finishing their meals, the trio chose a healthy dessert to share and sat back to relax.
It was then that Erica made the decision to tell them about how she’d bumped into Griffin.
"Well?” Lori asked once she’d overcome her shock. “What happened?"
Erica looked at both her friends and took a moment to gather her thoughts before filling them in on all the not-so-juicy details of her brief encounter with Griffin. It wasn't until she realized that Lori and Sabrina had guilty looks on their faces that she finally stopped talking.
"What?" Erica inquired with suspicion. She looked back and fourth between the two women and frowned. “Is there something you guys aren't telling me?”
Sabrina nodded. “We, um…we kinda already knew that Griffin had a daughter," Sabrina admitted. "We’ve been going to all her birthday parties since she was born."
Bewildered, Erica looked toward Lori. “Seriously?”
Lori nodded. “Don’t be mad," she pleaded. "We weren’t sure how to tell you, you know, all things considered..."
Obviously regretful to have kept something so crucial from one of her oldest friends, Lori looked down at her half eaten serving of pistachio gelato while Sabrina squirmed in her seat.
Lucky for them, Erica didn't seem too upset. Not outwardly anyway. Quickly recovering from her shock, she grabbed each woman’s hand and forced a smile. "It’s fine,” she assured them. “You guys were just trying to spare my feelings. I get it."
Sabrina expelled the breath she’d been holding in and replied, "Oh thank God! We were so nervous that you’d be upset!”
Lori bobbed her head in agreement and cut in with, "Yeah, you have no idea what keeping this secret was doing to us. We were so happy when you decided to move home. We just…we didn’t want anything to spoil it for you."
Erica nodded to indicate that she understood their reasoning. "Forget about it," she stated with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "Anyway, what do you say we get out of here and hit up Monarch for some real action? I’m in the mood for a cocktail…or ten."
Liking the sound of this, both Lori and Sabrina cheered. After their bill was settled, the trio hit the street and headed toward Monarch nightclub for a night of fun. Lucky for Erica, no one would have guessed just by looking at her that she was hurt by her friends’ decision not to inform her about Griffin’s daughter. She put up a good front the entire night. It wasn’t until she was safely at home nursing a cup of peppermint tea to fight off her impending hangover that she finally allowed herself to break down.
Two weeks later, Erica had all but gotten over her encounter with Griffin, but Griffin himself was at odds. He was currently in the process of trying to sort out a few caveats with his professional life, and it was siphoning a lot of his time and energy as a result – time and energy he normally would have spent reminiscing about Erica.
Though Red Street had wrapped up production and was now on a four-month hiatus, that didn't mean Griffin was off the hook. He still had a wrap party to plan for the cast and crew, and their expectations were always big – especially this year due to the shows phenomenal success. They expected something lavish, but Griffin just couldn't seem to find any excess money in the budget to fulfill their vision. Thus, a compromise was made.
In the midst of planning a party that fit within the constraints of the cast and crews revised expectations, Griffin tried his best to stay on top of his home life. For starters, he took the following Monday off to register Avery for the half-day junior kindergarten class she’d soon be taking at Sherman Elementary. Then, he interviewed a few nannies and eventually hired one to take care of her everyday after school.
Being on top of everything in his life was something Griffin had always struggled with, but when Toni left him, he was forced to grow up. His life now revolved around taking care of Avery and ensuring she had everything she needed. He didn’t need any distractions.
Walking down the grocery isle with Avery inside the cart, Griffin shook his head. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought this was how his life would pan out. Upon returning from Europe, Griffin’s only intention was to get a bachelor pad situated for himself where he could entertain as many women as he pleased. He never thought he’d be one of those father’s who did all their grocery shopping at night.
Thinking of Avery, Griffin looked down to see her clutching a box of Cheerios to her chest and singing ‘Mary had a little lamb’. Bending toward her, Griffin gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned to read the label on a box of cookies. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a woman who he immediately recognized as Erica and felt his heart rate spike a few decibels.
As if sensing Griffin’s presence, Erica turned around just in time to see him looking in her direction. Forcing a smile, she pushed her cart up beside his. "Hi," she said to him, but her eyes were riveted to Avery in the cart.
"Uh, hey," Griffin responded.
Erica dragged her eyes back to Griffin’s face. Taking a moment to soak up his features, she realized that his eyes were different somehow. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but they made him look much older than his age.
"So…shopping tonight?" Erica knew full well that her question was a lame one, but she didn’t know how to converse with Griffin the way that she used to. Lucky for her, Griffin seemed to be having the same problem.
"Yup," was all he said.
Rolling her eyes, Erica prepared to leave, but she stopped when she heard Avery yell out an excited, "Hey! I remember you!"
Erica smiled and extended a hand to brush away the hair that was in the child’s eyes. Catching herself, she pulled back and cleared her throat. "Hi Avery,” she said rather softly. “How are you?"
"Fine. I’m shopping with daddy. I’m getting this!" Lifting her hands high above her head, Avery proudly showed off her box of cereal.
"That’s nice," Erica said. "I love Cheerios as well."
"My daddy and I are going to the beach tomorrow. Are you coming too?" Avery asked Erica very seriously.
Still smiling, Erica shook her head and said, "I’m afraid not, sweetheart. Maybe next time."
Erica looked up to see Griffin staring at her with puzzled eyes. Suddenly self-conscious, she cleared her throat and asked, "What?"
Griffin shrugged. "Nothing, it’s just…you’re pretty good with her."
Erica looked visibly flattered by the compliment, and yet, all she could think to say was, "Oh…thanks.” Griffin kept staring at her long after she spoke. Feeling uncomfortable, she frowned and asked, "Was that all?"
As if angered by his thoughts, Griffin sighed heavily. "No,” he whispered. Clearing his throat, he admitted, “You’re even more beautiful now than when we were in high school."
Chapter five
Wandering through the many aisles of her favorite bookstore was one of the things Erica enjoyed most at the end of a long day. Rounding a corner in search of a cookbook she’d spotted on her way in, she ran into a giggling child and was momentarily taken off guard.
Sure enough, it was Avery. No matter what Erica did, she just couldn’t seem to escape the child – or her father, for that matter.
Erica looked down just in time to see Avery dart between her legs and head for a cluster of tables where a group of patrons were seated flipping through books. Acting on instinct, she started to follow the child, but she didn't have a chance to before she was shoved aside by her father.
"Sorry," mumbled a frazzled Griffin. He quickly executed a double take as recognition set in. Saying an absentminded ‘hi’ to Erica over his shoulder, he darted off in search of Avery.
Shrugging, Erica decided to follow Griffin and his wayward daughter. She caught up with the pair at a group of tables near the bac
k of the room, and she watched as Griffin lifted Avery from under a chair. She was laughing very loudly to his obvious distress, and none of the other patrons around them looked very impressed.
Squirming to escape her father’s tight grip, Avery started to fret. "Daddy, I wanna go home!” the child wailed.
Griffin was more than a little embarrassed at this point and preceded to hustle Avery out of the store.
Forgetting about the book she wanted, Erica followed them out to the parking lot. There, she noticed that Griffin was having a hard time quieting Avery as he buckled her into her car seat. As Erica approached, she could hear him trying to comfort the obviously distraught little girl.
Wasn’t she just laughing like, not even two seconds ago? Erica wondered. That’s some rebound rate…
"What’s wrong with her?" Erica asked Griffin cautiously.
Turning at the sound of her voice, Griffin looked at Erica and replied, "She’s just tired. We’ve been out and about since about eight this morning and she missed her nap."
"Oh," was all Erica could think to say. Looking down at Avery once more, she noted that Griffin was right, as the child wouldn’t stop raking her hands across her droopy eyelids. It was obvious that she was exhausted.
Straightening, Griffin closed the car door and turned to look at Erica. "Don't worry – she’ll be asleep by the time I start the car."
Erica laughed. "It’s weird,” she stated, "I mean, she was running around happy one minute, and the next, she’s crying..."
Griffin smiled at Erica’s obvious ignorance over the whirlwind emotions of his child. “Kids, right?”
Nodding, Erica glanced at the now nearly-sleeping Avery inside the car. Smiling at the child, she looked up just in time to catch Griffin staring at her.
"What?" she asked him.
As if searching for the right words, Griffin hesitated before answering. "I just…I wanted to apologize for the other night. I didn’t mean to make you feel weird. I was only stating what I felt, but I guess it came out wrong..."
"It’s fine,” Erica said as she remembered. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she looked down at her hands. "But it was kind of like you were upset at me for being attractive – in your eyes, that is,” she admitted.
"I wasn’t – I mean…I’m not.” Griffin reached out to touch Erica’s face without even thinking. When she looked up at him, he continued, “It’s just…never mind.”
With that, Griffin averted his gaze from hers and took a step back. At this, Erica straightened up and shook her head. Griffin would never change. He still couldn’t express himself worth a damn.
“I have to go,” she mumbled as she casted one final look at Avery. “You two have a good night.”
Without waiting for Griffin’s reply, Erica took off in the other direction. Unfortunately for her, she barely made it a block before Griffin pulled up beside her and slowed to a stop near the curb. After lowering the passenger side window, he asked, "Erica, look, do you want a ride home or something?"
Seeing no way out of the situation, Erica nodded and reluctantly got inside the car beside Griffin. The brief ride to her place was silent, as there was a lot of tension in the air between the two.
"Thanks for the ride,” Erica said when Griffin pulled to a stop in front of her house. “I usually walk everywhere but to work…so…thanks." She was reaching for the door handle when Griffin replied.
"No problem. Um, are you going to Lori’s launch party?"
Lori had been promoted to editor of the magazine she worked for, and the company was throwing a party on her behalf.
"Yeah, it should be fun. It’s Friday night, right?" Erica asked even though she already knew.
Griffin nodded as he stared at her. Reluctantly dragging her eyes from his, Erica hopped out of the car. Bending down, she spoke to Griffin through the open door. “Well, um…I guess I’ll see you then?”
"Sure thing,” Griffin replied with a tense smile.
"Great. Thanks again for the ride.” With that, Erica shut the car door and headed up her driveway. Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, she walked quickly into her home. For some strange reason she felt awkward around Griffin, but she didn’t exactly know why. Their relationship was weird in that they weren’t exactly friends or enemies.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Erica pushed Griffin out of her mind and decided a nice tall glass of red wine was in order.
The rest of the week was normal for Erica, and it flew by relatively quickly. She demolished all her projects at work, got together with a few friends for dinner midweek, and mainly – she fought hard not to think of Griffin.
On Friday night, Erica met up with Sabrina at her place, and two women made the drive to the extravagant nightclub where Lori’s launch party was being held. There, they mingled with Lori and some of her co-workers and distracted themselves until the festivities began.
As the party became increasingly more lively, Erica’s eyes scanned the room for Griffin a number of times. After about the fourth look, she shrugged and decided that he was either late or not coming.
Glass of wine in hand, Erica turned to converse with Griffin’s best friend.
"So, Evan, tell me about your date." Erica was inquiring about the cute redhead Evan had introduced her to earlier. Her name was Julie, but Erica didn't know much about her aside from that.
Smirking, Evan replied, “I met her at the gym a few months ago. She’s really sweet. She works as a human resources manager at…" Evan trailed off as he spotted Julie making her way back from the ladies’ room.
Curious, Erica looked from Julie to Evan and noted that their eyes were glued to each other.
"Excuse me,” Evan absently said to Erica as he walked across the room to meet his date halfway.
Erica watched as Evan pulled Julie into a tight embrace and kissed her gently on the cheek. The two started to talk, but Erica couldn’t hear the conversation as they were out of earshot. They look happy, she thought, good for Evan.
Sighing in contentment, Erica took another sip of her wine and looked around the room. She spotted Sabrina in a corner flirting with one of Lori’s co-workers and smiled before moving her gaze away from the couple and resting it on Lori herself, who was engaged in a heated conversation with a few people from her company. Erica was pleased for her friend. Lori worked hard. She deserved this promotion.
All of a sudden realizing that she was alone in a room full of people, Erica felt self-conscious. Smoothing a hand down her straightened hair, she made her way into the buildings lobby. Once there, she made a beeline for the front door with thoughts of fresh air in mind and ran smack-dab into Griffin.
"Erica? You okay?" Griffin grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling over.
"Sorry. I’m fine, thank you. I was just going out to get some fresh air."
"Oh. How’s the party?" Griffin inquired.
"Great! Everyone’s having a great time."
"And you? Are you having a good time?"
"Of course, Griffin,” exclaimed an exasperated Erica. "I just needed some air is all."
"Ok, well I guess I’ll you leave you to it then..." Griffin said as he moved aside to let Erica pass him.
Hesitating, Erica made a spur of the moment decision. "I changed my mind. Are you going in?" she asked Griffin.
Griffin nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to apologize to Lori for being late. My sitter was running a little behind tonight."
At that, Erica nodded, and the two walked into the hall together.
Once inside, Griffin and Erica moved as one unit as they chatted with their friends and some of Lori’s associates. At twelve a.m. on the dot, Lori and her co-workers made plans to head to another nightclub uptown.
Lori, excited and flushed from all the attention bestowed upon her, raced to the table where her friends sat. “Guys, we’re all going to The Cellar. Anyone interested?" she asked with a huge grin on her face and excitement shining in her eyes.
Sabrina was the fi
rst to answer. "Will Matt be there?" she asked of the man she’d been flirting with all night.
"Yeah, he’s coming. You in?" Lori asked Sabrina.
"Hell yes I’m in!” Sabrina shouted as she stood up.
Everyone at the table laughed at Sabrina’s enthusiasm.
Next, Lori looked over at Evan and Julie inquiringly.
"What do you think babe?" Evan asked Julie gently.
