Page 64 of Crash
twenty-eight
GRIFFIN
The sound of a rock song blared through the speakers as Griffin finished installing the new alternator in Quynh’s car. He’d also taken the liberty of updating a few other parts that desperately needed replacing. Normally, this job would have taken him no longer than a few hours at best and maybe a day or so at worst, as long as parts arrived on time. At first, when the manufacturer emailed him to notify him of a delay in shipping the parts he’d needed to fix Quynh’s car, he was frustrated. He was already hopelessly behind with current orders and didn’t need to pile on something else. At the rate the auto shop was going, they’d never be able to catch up before the season was over.
It ended up being a blessing in disguise.
The shipping delay meant Quynh had even more of a reason to stick around town. Obviously, the sex was a plus, but having her around the shop was a welcomed presence. He grew to enjoy being around her. The shorttime they spent apart made him feel like a caged animal, restless and irritable until he was reunited with Quynh again.
Griffin was not used to wanting to be around another person for any amount of time. Much less a woman. He successfully avoided any romantic entanglements for years. Being a bachelor suited his lifestyle perfectly fine.
But when Quynh blew into town like a devastating tornado in her beat-up VW Beetle sporting her tear-stained cheeks, expressive eyes, and kiss-me lips, he knew he was a goner.
So, he may have dragged his feet a little while fixing her car. If Julio and Sean suspected what game he was playing, they never said a word. Though the knowing glances and smirks clued him in they knew what he was doing. Those two clowns enjoyed having her around just as much as he did.
Quynh didn’t need to know he could have had her back on the road a week ago. Griffin enjoyed the extra time he got to spend with her on the drives to her father’s mansion.
But after the most recent visit with her father, Griffin was attacked by his conscience. He couldn’t keep her if she didn’t want to stay. She shared her past with him little by little. Knowing how close-lipped she was about her past made his head, chest, and dick swell with pride at being “the one” she trusted.
Yet, here he was, violating her trust. No, he couldn’t keep up the ruse any longer. He had to make up for lost time. Griffin woke up early this morning to fix his mistake. Leaving her alone in his bed was torture, but he had amends to make. When he got to the shop, he’d heard the telltale sounds of scratching coming from upstairs. Griffin let himself into the apartment she’d been staying at and collected the grumpy asshole in his carrier. He had scratch marks all over his arms to show for it, too.
He’d carted the snarling motherfucker across the street. It was a ridiculous notion, having to sneak into his own bedroom, but he didn’t want to wake her. Quynh was feeling guilty about leaving the poor critter alone every night. So, he let the rabid animal loose, knowing Quynh could fend for herself against the fiery furball. Griffin would likely lose an eye if he stuck around for another second.
His good deed accomplished for the month, he’d trotted across the street to get to work, Rover right by his side for the adventure.
When Quynh found him hours later, he could tell something was bothering her by the strain on her face. She also chewed on her lip when she was anxious or overwhelmed. Whatever was bothering her, he hoped she was fine.
Having her car backshould help.
It took most of the morning and well into the afternoon before he had Quynh’s car running like a dream. He also took the clown car to Ricky’s, who also operated the car wash in town. Since Ricky owed him a favor for the prank he pulled with the tow job, Ricky personally detailed the car himself. The bastard only laughed at the sight of Griffin arriving in the clown car.
He’d known Ricky from grade school. He’d always been the class clown, which he clearly never outgrew, constantly playing pranks on everyone. Although Ricky grew up to be a successful businessman, he never outgrew his goofier side. Like when he went out of town and conveniently forgot to notify Griffin he’d left Griffin’s contact information for emergency calls that came through.
Normally, Willowbrook had little in the way of vehicle emergencies, but it must have been his lucky day. Who knew how many times Ricky pulled the same prank before a certain dark-haired beauty became his damsel in distress. Griffin didn’t believe in luck, but he couldn’t deny he was happy it had been him who answered the call instead of Ricky.
Ricky was an attractive guy. Objectively speaking, ofcourse. He was a smooth talker and often had a gaggle of ladies hanging off his every word. Griffin had no doubt that if Ricky was the one to answer Quynh’s distress call, she probably would have met the charming bastard himself.
He wondered if Ricky had not pulled his prank, if he and Quynh would have ever crossed paths.
Griffin didn’t believe in fate, but there’s something to be said about everything happening for a reason. He strongly believed Quynh was brought into his life to shake things up, bringing his life into perspective, even if he had been content with how his life was progressing.
And the too-tight squeezing sensation in his chest whenever thoughts of Quynh crossed his mind. It made him warm and fuzzy inside. He should probably be evaluated by a doctor. There was no way it was normal that another person could stir up so many strange emotions.
But when he thought about how her eyes lit up every time she saw him, it almost brought a smile to his face. Most of the time, he tried to suppress it, but when he was caught off guard, he’d find himself smiling like a lunatic. He probably looked insane standing in the woods behind his house with a smile on his face. Thank goodness he didn’t have any witnesses, though he saw the house next door to his was just sold.
Pretty soon, he’d have new neighbors, and his privacy would be over.
He sensed her presence before he saw her. It was like his life was dull and colorless until she came into the scene, bringing with her all the colors of the rainbow and the heat of the sunshine. And, sure enough, when he turned away from cleaning a spot on the hood of her clown car, there she was.
She wore another sundress today. This one was a light pink paired with a jean jacket and sunglasses. She had a brown bag in her hand from the bookstore, no doubt. The woman was addicted to buying books. He’d have to build her a bookshelf to store all the books she bought.
Griffin shook his head at his wayward thoughts. A bookshelf was probably necessary if she stuck around, but since she still had an apartment in the big city, it wasn’t looking very promising. Not to mention the lack of jobs in town of her pedigree. The local health clinic wasn’t hiring, and the nearest hospital was close to an hour away from town.
Unless she had any interest in sticking around and helping a grumpy mechanic run his auto-body shop, his chances of convincing her to stay were slim to none.
Griffin pretended to be busy with the car, tightening up bolts that were already tight, and wiping away nonexistent stains while he glared at Julio and Sean for taking her attention. He watched as she threw her head back and laughed at whatever Sean said, making the muscles in her neck look both delicate and delicious. It shouldn’t makehim jealous she was giving any other male attention, but he couldn’t control the irrational urge riding him to stomp over to Sean and punch him in the face.
Thankfully, Griffin was aware of how impulsive those urges were, and instead, he unlocked the passenger side door and sat in it while rubbing at the immaculate leather. Ricky did a phenomenal job, bringing the dull Beetle back to life with his waxes and whatnots. The interior smelled clean. Griffin lamented the loss of her sweet vanilla scent when a small hand touched his shoulder.
