Page 42 of You and Me, For Real
Right. My dog is here too.
I walk toward his bedroom door. “Teddy, come.”
He does as commanded, and we all three walk outside through Griffin’s bedroom patio doors.
The sliding glass doors occupy almost the entire back wall. Beyond, it is a perfectly manicured lawn, lined with more palm trees and an infinity pool with a hot tub, complemented by a waterfall between the two. Beyond that are the sprawling hills of Hollywood.
Once outside, I give the command for Teddy to roam free. He immediately takes off running.
I walk toward the expansive patio, lined with billowing, cream-colored linen curtains wrapped around large wooden beams and comfy patio furniture. I sit on one of the couches with matching cream cushions. Griffin follows suit, sitting on the couch across from me.
He pulls his leg up over his knee and leans back with his arm resting on top of the couch. “It usually takes her a couple of minutes before she comes out.”
“Okay, that’s fine. She’s still learning to trust the new routine. Once she comes out, we’ll give her some freedom for a while before calling her over to work.”
My eyes burn from the lack of blinking as I wait for Roxy’s appearance. I avoid Griffin’s face like the plague, too nervous to make small talk.
“How have you been?”
“Good.” I dart a glance in his direction. He’s studying me intently in that intimate way he does.
“That’s good. I’m good, too, by the way.”
I look at him now.
He’s smiling, and his posture is completely relaxed and comfortable. I envy his ease. He drops his leg and leans forward. “I’m teasing. I just thought we’d get to know one another more while we wait.”
It’s one thing to text one another; it’s another to talk face-to-face. “What do you want to know?”
“Aside from training, taking care of animals, and working to start a nonprofit rescue, what else do you do with your time? Something just for you? Something for fun?”
I huff a laugh. “Sleep?”
His smile widens. “I like sleep, too.”
Oh my lanta, my face lights on fire. I could have said reading, writing for my blog, taking walks in parks, baking, watching movies. Anything else, for crying out loud!
“I rarely get enough sleep when I’m working. It’s been nice having some time off to relax.” He sips his coffee.
“And what do you do for fun?” There ya go. Shift it back to him.
“Fun, huh? I’m not sure I know what that is anymore.”
His self-deprecating laugh makes me want to question him further, but Roxy appears at the patio doors.
“There she is.” Griffin sounds so proud that it softens my heart.
Roxy walks slowly outside, but once she catches sight of Teddy running on the backside of the property, she takes off toward him.
Griffin laughs. “Looks like she recognizes her friend.”
I stand and cup my hand over my eyes to block the sun. Watching the two of them greet one another gives me a swell of pleasure. “She sure does.”
Griffin stands next to me. His quiet, steady presence releases some of my tension, and I blurt, “I like reading, watching movies, and baking.”
His shoulder nearly touches mine. “Kind of a homebody?”
“Sometimes I get out to take walks.”
