Page 54 of Cakewalk
“Holy crap…” Courtney and James exchanged a look, then she snapped her eyes back to Griffin. “Your own dad made you go to jail?”
Griffin nodded solemnly. “You were right in your assessment of him. I can tell you that much. But I’m not my father, and I’m going to do what I can to reverse the damage he’s done.”
“That is rough. I didn’t know. God, I really have been a…” Courtney glanced in the nursery’s direction. “Well, I can’t cuss anymore for my daughter’s sake, but you know what.”
Griffin smiled and waved it off. “Not at all. It’s understandable to be uneasy with your trust, what with the paper mill, then the council. But I won’t screw this town, and I’m staying here for good.”
“Well, then,” Courtney said, and she stood and held her hand out over the table. “You have my support. Unless you break my sister’s heart, in which case, I’m coming after you, buddy.”
Griffin stood and said, “I’ll shake on that.”
* * *
The dinner had servedas a good test run for the town hall meeting the next day. Many of the same questions were asked, and most residents were surprised to learn just how deep the clutches of the council went. Suffice it to say, Griffin had their blessings to go through with the deal by the end of the Q&A session.
Afterwards, the parking lot outside of town hall acted as an unofficial get-together, where Griffin had to wade through a throng of curious Calhoonians who wanted to know more details about his plans for the town. Even Betty from the general store came up and asked what happened with Patches, and lit up after Griffin told her he had adopted the little guy.
“You bring sweet little Patches by my store sometime, you hear?” Betty said as she and the rest of the crowd started to clear out to their cars.
Griffin mumbled to me, “I guess that went well, huh?”
“I knew they’d come around eventually, even if I had to drag ‘em around by the scruff of their necks.”
I then noticed Courtney and James a little ways off, with my parents beside them, Avery in my mom’s arms. I hadn’t realized the entire family came, and hadn’t planned for a “meet the parents” situation tonight. When my eyes met Courtney’s, I knew there’d be no backing out. I just had to hope my parents were impressed.
I nudged Griffin and whispered, “You ready to meet the parents?”
He blinked at me, then followed my gaze, landing on my two kindly, pudgy old folks. “Oh, uh, sure.”
We walked across the parking lot, and my mom gasped when she saw Griffin approach. She immediately handed Avery off to Courtney, then spread her arms wide. “Griffin! I can’t believe Jade’s been hiding you from us this whole time.”
Griffin awkwardly leaned down for a hug, seeming to hesitate at first, and I couldn’t blame him with his cold and neglectful parents. My mom squeezed him and he laughed, pulling back. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hayes.”
My father held out a hand, and Griffin gave him a firm handshake. “Son, I like your plan for the place. I’m going to hold you to it, though.”
“I’d hope you would.”
“First, the paper mill owning the town, then the council… It really would change things around here if we could buy and own our properties.”
“That’s the plan.”
Dad’s expression grew serious. “And what’s your plan with my little girl?”
Griffin laughed nervously and stuttered a bit before my dad gave him a hard pat on the back. “I’m only kidding! I know Jade can take care of herself, and if she thinks you’re good people, then so do I.”
Avery started fussing, so Courtney rocked her back and forth as she started toward her truck with James. “Nice seeing you two again. Griffin, you’re allowed to stop by the shop for cupcakes again. I know you love them.”
“That’s a relief,” he said, and waved Courtney and James goodbye. My parents took that as their sign to leave too, both of them giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to their car.
I looked over at Griffin and smiled widely. “That went well.”
He wiped his brow. “I can only assume your parents didn’t see the newspaper article, because otherwise I would have expected a much less warm welcome, perhaps involving a shotgun.”
“They stopped subscribing to the paper as soon as Thomas started working there.”
“I like their loyalty.”
Seeing that the parking lot was empty now, I faced Griffin and gave him a quick kiss. “You doing okay?”
