Page 41 of You and Me, For Real
“You’re fine. Come in.” He walks further into the house toward the kitchen, and places the basket on a black leather barstool in front of a gigantic, white marble kitchen island. He turns around, probably assuming I followed him. His face lights with humor. “It’s just flooring, not hot lava. You can walk on it.”
“I don’t want to get it dirty. What if I get footprints on your floor? Here, I’ll take my shoes off.” I bend to remove my sandals.
He laughs. “Seriously, stop it. I’ll be offended if you take off your shoes.”
I straighten. Teddy’s paws are probably filthy. “We should just go to your backyard.” Mom never allowed street shoes to be worn in the house. She’d have died if I let a dog inside. Memories of all the furniture I wasn’t allowed to use or rooms I couldn’t walk in as a child come unbidden. Everything had to be in perfect condition for filming. Heaven forbid our house actually looked like we lived in it.
Griffin steps closer. “I’m serious. It’s fine.” He bends and unhooks Teddy’s leash from his harness. “Go nuts, boy.”
Teddy stays right next to my side, just as he’s trained to do.
Griffin laughs. “You guys are killing me. It’s just a house.”
A near-perfect house. One of my nightmares. People say it’s just stuff until it isn’t. Mom once gave me a half-hour lecture, at the age of six, after I accidentally broke her favorite vase—one I was merely dusting to surprise her.
I gulp, frozen in my discomfort.
Griffin eyes me with a head tilt. “Don’t make me pick you up and carry you. It’s not normally how I like to sweep a woman off her feet, but I’m willing to change it up.” He smirks.
“Ha-ha,” is the only response I can manage because my brain short-circuits on such a visual.
He starts walking backward. “Seriously, make yourself at home. I’m going to run to the guesthouse and let Luke know you’re here. I fully expect to see footprints all over the house when I come back. Feel free to call out for Roxy. I believe she’s hiding in her favorite spot.”
Griffin’s mentioned in our texts that despite warming to her dog bed, Roxy still prefers the seclusion under his. My guess is it’s because she enjoys his scent, but is still fearful of getting too close.
My palms start to sweat. “I’ll just wait till you get back.” Entering his bedroom seems way too personal for a client meeting.
He calls over his shoulder. “Suit yourself. But if you change your mind, my bedroom is to your left. Door’s open.”
“Right. Okay. Tha?—”
But he’s gone.
I internally count to five and decide to find Roxy. The last thing I want is for Griffin to return and find me standing here like an awkward ninny because of my qualms about being in his empty bedroom.
“Teddy, stay.” His tail wags, thumping against the rug, but he stays put.
I tiptoe into Griffin’s bedroom. It’s sleek and modern, just like the rest of the house. The king-size bed has a simple black metal frame and white down comforter, with matching nightstands on either side. I crawl on my hands and knees and peek under the bed. Curled in the upper corner is Roxy, looking quite content.
Lying on my stomach, I talk to her. “Hey girl, how are you? Still not settling in? Well, I’m here to work on that today.” Wrinkles appear on her forehead between her eyes as her head tilts.
“Any luck?”
I thump my head underneath the bed frame, Griffin’s voice surprising me. I sit up and rub the back of my head.
He kneels by my side. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I figured you could hear my footsteps coming down the hall.”
My cheeks heat from being so clumsy yet again. “Nope. Must be your super stealthy houseshoes.”
He smiles. “Must be. Any luck with Roxy? Sometimes, I find her in my closet in the mornings. The girl is like a raccoon. I never have any idea she’s moved.”
I stand, not wanting to be closer to Griffin than is professional. “Have you been opening your patio doors in the mornings?”
“Yup. Works every time, too. She loves spending the majority of the day outside. I put food and water both inside and out. She tends to prefer her distance, lounging around in the sun.”
“Well, let’s see if we can do some more practice adjusting to being close to you and following commands. Let’s start outside where she’s most comfortable.”
He stands next to me. “Sounds good. Do you want to get Teddy?”
