Page 72 of Crash
She couldn’t forget the way he’d begrudgingly showered Pickles with affection when he thought Quynh wasn’t looking. Griffin often complained about the cat, but the way he cared for Pickles was in opposition to hisgrousing. Beneath his gruff exterior was a heart so big it would swallow her whole if she wasn’t careful.
The thought terrified her.
Can I trust another person with my heart?
Everyone in her life had left her. Her past relationships proved it. Even her aunt and mother left her behind. And her father was close to leaving her behind, too.
Ruth was a different story. Things seemed irredeemable with her, but with time, she hoped there would be a relationship between them. Even if it were a fragile thread holding them together at the moment. She was probably a fool for hoping to be able to nurture a relationship with the prickly woman.
And what about my career?
She had still done nothing to salvage it. The prospect of returning to a job that was so soul-sucking did not make her happy. The thought of wasting all those years of school, training, and mountains of student debt overwhelmed her. It seemed foolish to throw all of it away just because it didn’t make her happy.
When did life become so messy?
Am I better off where I’m headed? Back to the city where I was alone, but life was predictable?
Quynh knew the answer, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge it.
The sting of Griffin’s betrayal was too fresh. Theharsh words Ruth threw at her were just salt to the wound. It was all too much for one person to handle.
She’d turned all of her notifications off so she wouldn’t be distracted while making the eight-hour drive. Quynh needed to be alone. She needed to figure out what she wanted.
It was now or never.
thirty-four
GRIFFIN
TWO WEEKS LATER
Quynh had been gone for two weeks. He’d tried to call her after he realized she had left town, but didn’t leave a message when her voicemail picked up. Hearing the sound of her voice sent a fresh stab of pain through his chest. His stomach has been in knots ever since she left town. He’d typed up a hundred messages but never sent them.
Words were inadequate.
Life continued on in the shop as if she were never there, but her absence was like a missing limb. Julio and Sean asked him where Quynh was, but they didn’t press for answers when all he managed to do was growl at them in response. He didn’t have it in him to go into the office and see how she took care of his business. Everything she touched was better for it. He knew the office was spotless and well-organized. He possessed half a mind to go in there and make a mess so he wouldn’t be reminded of her in thereanymore. Griffin didn’t even bother answering the phones at the risk of biting off the heads of anyone on the other line.
Even his bed felt empty without her and that mangy cat of hers warming it. His sheets still smelled like her sweet vanilla scent. Griffin stopped sleeping in his bed for fear her scent would disappear completely. He couldn’t handle knowing all traces of her were gone.
It was pathetic how he was moping over a woman. Someone he barely even knew, no less. But he was man enough to admit when he missed her. He missed waking up next to her. Her face being the first thing he saw when he woke up was something he took for granted. If he ever got a second chance, he’d never take any moment spent with her for granted ever again.
Griffin was banging around under the hood of a Ford Escalade when he lost his grip on the wrench. Letting out a growl of frustration, he backed up and kicked the tire. If not for his steel-toed boots, he’d break his foot for sure.
“Whoa, there, buddy. You okay?” The sound of Sean’s worried voice made him whip his head around with a snarl.
“I’m fine,” he spat out between clenched teeth.
“You seem fine…” Sean replied, though he was obviously being sarcastic.
The urge to tell Sean to fuck off was strong, but Griffin resisted. Barely.
“Listen,uh, I know it’s been slow around here, so if you need to take off for a couple days or anything, you know Julio and I can handle the shop while you’re away, don’tcha?”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just saying if you wanted to go chase after that city girl of yours, she left her address on her invoice.”
Her address on the invoice?
