Page 23 of How to Date a Younger Man
When it comes to my turn, his smile turns devilish. “Sonoma chicken sandwich, hold the tomatoes, with an extra side of poppy seed dressing. And don’t forget your salt-and-vinegar chips,” he adds, his turquoise eyes dancing with delight.
“How did you—”
“I only remembered because of how ridiculously detailed your order was.” He hands me my food with a wink, breezing past me and taking a seat next to his sister at the dining table.
As I sit there with the three of them, eating my favorite sandwich from my favorite deli in all of LA, watching him chat so easily with my mom, I’m not sure this kind of attention is something I should get used to.
Especially with Cora in the picture. She seems good for him, and for as weird as he’s been acting about her today, I think he really likes her.
No matter how much I’ve come to genuinely appreciate Griffin’s friendship, it would be good for him to be in a relationship, and surely that means our close friendship will probably need some breathing room. I can’t imagine his serious girlfriend being okay with him spending so much free time with another woman—even if it is strictly platonic.
I wouldn’t want to do anything that would stand in the way of him becoming the man he’s supposed to be. And based on what I’ve seen of him today, I’m excited to meet that man.
8
* * *
GRIFFIN
After dropping off the moving truck and picking up my car, I drive back over to the new house to find Layne’s mom and Kristen preparing to leave. The boxes have all been put in the right rooms and the furniture is assembled and in its place.
I’m genuinely happy for Layne that she finally has her dream house. She’s always working so hard to make other people happy; it’s nice to see her do something big for herself.
I climb out of my car and walk over to where the ladies are saying good-bye.
“Always a pleasure to see you, Griffin,” Layne’s mom says with a smile. “It’s nice to know there’s at least one helpful young man left in LA.”
“Okay, Mom, time to go,” Layne says, urging her toward her car as Kristen snorts out a laugh.
“I do what I can,” I say with a wink at her mom. I always get a kick out of older women hitting on me, and it’s even better that it’s Layne’s mom.
“See you at home, Griff,” Kristen says, fake punching me on the arm.
I stand in the driveway, waving as they climb into their cars and pull out. It’s almost six in the evening, and my entire body feels beat. I hit the gym regularly, but moving furniture all day was a full-body workout. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to show off my strength, just a little.
Once the cars have faded into the distance, Layne moves toward the porch and collapses into one of her Adirondack chairs.
“So, how does it feel knowing that you’re going to be sleeping in your very own house tonight?” I ask, following her lead and sliding into a chair. I made sure her bedroom was all set up before we called it quits.
A cool breeze blows by and I breathe it in, staring out at the sun that’s quickly sinking.
“It feels pretty damn amazing,” she says, turning to look up at the house. “Maybe not exactly how I pictured moving into my dream house, but I’m excited for this next chapter.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, frowning. All I’ve heard for weeks is how excited Layne is to move into this place. I’m surprised to hear there’s something she’s unhappy about.
“Oh no, everything’s great,” she says quickly. “It’s just . . . I don’t know. I shouldn’t complain. I have a great life, you know?”
“Layne, you know you can tell me anything, right? I would never judge you,” I say, turning toward her.
She looks down, not quite meeting my eyes. “Well, I guess I just assumed when I moved into a home, it would be with—you know, a family.” She sighs and bites her lip before looking up at me. “Does that make me sound totally pathetic?”
“No, it doesn’t,” I tell her honestly. “I know you want a family, but it’s not like you can’t still have all that. You’re just doing it in a different order than you thought.”
She nods, but it’s clear she’s lost in her own thoughts. Finally, she says, “I guess I just feel like what’s the point of working hard and having all this money if there’s no one to enjoy it with?”
I reach over, taking her hand in mine. “Believe me, you’ll have someone to share it with. You’re amazing, but these things take time but one day you’ll get everything you want”.
Layne smiles, then shakes her head. “You’re right. I think I’m just tired.”
