Page 24 of Griffin
"Fin did confess to me that he had a thing for ballerinas," I said. "I thought he was just teasing."
Jules shook her head. "Nope. He'd come with my mom to watch rehearsal. I mean seriously, can you imagine him sitting through ballet rehearsal because of his interest in classical music and dance?"
"That is so cute," Bridget said.
"It was funny as heck. Anyway, my ballet career was shortened by a complete and utter lack of talent. I half expected Fin to pull on a pair of tights and sign up for class himself."
"I heard my name," Griffin said as he stepped into the kitchen. He glanced at all of us, me the longest. "What did I miss?"
"Jules was just telling Gidge and Shay about your embarrassing crush on Miss Pearl, the ballet teacher, and how you pulled on tights and joined the class," Jaxon said.
Jules picked up a marshmallow from the counter and threw it at Jaxon. "I did say almost. You always add your own Jax spin to shit to make it sound worse," Jules said.
Griffin shook his head at all of them and took my hand. "Want to get out of here?"
I hesitated for only a second. "Sure. It was nice meeting all of you," I said as Griffin hurried me out.
"You too and good luck with your ballet," Bridget called to me.
"Where are we going?" I asked him as he pulled me through the crowd gathered in the front room.
"The Shack and, trust me, it's way worse than it sounds, but I've got a box of microwave popcorn in the cupboard, and while the house is mostly a crumbling pile of wood, the television is top quality. Thought we could binge-watch something stupid and meaningless and revisit that whole kiss thing."
I held his hand tightly. "No girl would turn down that offer. Buttered popcorn, right?"
"Of course, what kind of a heathen do you take me for?"
FIFTEEN
GRIFFIN
We reached the Shack, and suddenly, I was more embarrassed than usual about its overall shabbiness. I was sure the left side of the house had started tilting, and the way the old house creaked and groaned with every step made me think it wouldn't be long before the whole damn thing collapsed. But for now, Theo and Crusoe were still out for the night, and I had the house to myself. I'd take that as a win, sinking foundation and all.
Shay's car drove up behind the truck. I waved her around, and she parked and got out. She stood in the weed-choked front yard and stared up at the house. "Are there ghosts?" she asked and turned to me. "I'm going to be disappointed if you say no because a house like this really has earned one or two ghosts."
"Crusoe is sure he keeps seeing this woman with wild black hair and a hollow-eyed stare standing at the top of the stairs, but then my cousin likes to party … a lot, so I don't take him too seriously."
I took her hand. It was amazing how quickly we'd attached ourselves together tonight. I found myself wanting to know everything about her. Her ballet talent was a huge surprise. She'd been living this shadowed life under an angry tyrant, but it seemed she'd decided to find a way out from under his control. I wanted to be on the other side to help her find that freedom.
"Let's see if we can drum up some ghosts. Maybe the buttered popcorn will wake them from their restless sleep." I took her hand and led her to the front steps. Even the steps were starting to lean to the left. "We could always watch a horror flick to make up for the absence of ghosts."
"Oh hell no. Horror movies scare the shit out of me."
I smiled at her. "So, horror movies scare you, but seeing an actual ghost intrigues you. Watch the second step," I warned, and she hopped easily over it.
"Seeing an actual ghost would be a big deal, and we could take photos and post them and become internet sensations and get millions of followers," she reasoned.
"And then people would accuse us of faking the photos. AI is going to make it impossible for anyone to ever prove they've seen a real ghost." We stepped inside, and the house greeted us with a loud groan.
Shay grabbed my arm. "I take it back. I don't want to see a real ghost. Just stay in your cubby or corner or attic, please."
"Are you into following all the influencers like Jules? My sister graduated first in her class in high school, but she can get pulled into social media drama very easily. Like this Bandana Banana woman who apparently lives in a van."
Shay laughed. "I think it's Banana Bandana, and I assure you the van is a nice prop. With the money she makes, she probably owns a mansion on each coast. Never held any interest for me. My hus—" She cleared her throat as if saying the word was painful. "Tate has a social media obsession, but only if it includes beautiful women. I keep hoping he'll find someone else, but I think other women are smarter than me. They can see through the slightly rugged good looks to the asshole in the center."
I tugged her hand to pull her around to face me. "You are smart and beautiful and you can fly without wings, and he's a fucking pile of dog shit. Remember that."
Shay wrapped her arms around my neck, and I pulled her against me. Her body pressed hungrily against mine, and my cock reacted instantly. She smiled sweetly as she felt my erection. "I can't believe I'm here right now," she said quietly.
