Page 7 of Griffin (Stone Brothers #5)

SEVEN

GRIFFIN

I hadn't seen much of Shay all week, but I happened to look up from my work to see her on foot hurrying up the gravel drive to the site this morning.

She'd looked upset. I'd purposely kept myself from visiting her in the trailer.

I was having a hard fucking time getting her out of my head, which told me I needed to keep clear.

She was married, and Dad was pleased with his new hire, so he'd have my head if I messed it up.

The whistle blew for morning break. Lately, a Mexican food truck had been showing up for break time.

There was a literal stampede through the worksite for their breakfast burritos.

Shay stepped out into the sun as the dust from the stampede settled.

She sat at one of the picnic tables to sip her coffee.

I'd been a fucking saint for almost three days, but I couldn't stop my feet from walking that direction.

She was wearing a white sweater and jeans, and her short hair ruffled in the breeze.

A smile as white as her sweater appeared when she spotted me walking toward her.

"You're not in line at the truck? I really took you as a breakfast burrito kind of guy," she said. Her smile stayed, and it was incredible.

I threw my leg over and sat down on the bench across from her. "I love a good, spicy breakfast burrito as much as the next guy, but the only thing I crave after downing one of those monsters is a nap."

Colt walked past us. "No breakfast burrito, Fin?"

"Don't see you carrying one either."

"No way." Colt shook his head as he headed to the trailer.

"Better take some of those old man tummy pills," Griffin called to him.

Colt gave him the finger and disappeared inside.

"Did your car break down?" I asked. "Noticed you walked onto the site this morning."

"Oh that. Yes, it was a hectic morning. My husband got home, and he needed the car. I took the bus."

"Well, if you need a ride home—" The offer came out before I could give it a good once over. I was silently trying to convince myself the offer was just out of politeness and not an opportunity for me to spend more time with her.

"No, thanks," she said quickly. The offer flustered her, and I wanted to kick myself. "I'm fine. I enjoy riding the bus. I meet interesting people on buses."

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to—well, just if you needed it, that's all.

" Shit, the last time I felt nervous talking to a girl was back when I'd worked up the courage to ask Rebecca Johnson to the sixth-grade dance.

She'd accepted, but her dad put an end to the whole plan.

"You're not going out with a Stone" were the words Rebecca wrote in the letter she stuck in my backpack.

"Thanks again, but I'll be fine. This morning I met the most wonderful woman named Annie. She was on her way to visit her daughter, and she told me so many fun stories about her childhood." Shay tilted her head at me. "I'll bet you've got a few good ones yourself."

"Like the time when he got caught behind the high school gym making out with the school librarian.

" Theo's voice rolled over my shoulder. He plopped down hard next to me and added to his annoyance with a hearty slap on my back.

I gave him a look that assured him he'd be paying for the slap later, and he forced a smile and dropped his hand.

Theo reached across the table. "I'm Theo.

I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Fin's cousin. "

"Oh right. I've seen you out here on site. I'm Shay."

Theo nudged me with an elbow. "She noticed me."

Shay laughed. "Well, like your cousin here, you are quite noticeable."

"Glad to hear it." Theo bowed his head. He was always a fucking idiot when it came to beautiful women. And they never seemed to mind. In fact, they drank up the idiot-ness with thirsty adoration.

Shay rested her forearms on the table and held her coffee cup between her long fingers.

"Now that the intros are done, I absolutely have to hear about the make out session with the librarian, but let me preface it by saying our school library was run by a lady named Henrietta, and she'd been a marine, and well, let's just say we all trembled in our bedazzled sneakers whenever she looked our way in the library. "

"I knew you were the bedazzled sneaker type," I said.

Theo laughed. "Nice try on the topic switch, Fin.

Jolie, that was the librarian's name, was no marine, and I admit, she was hot and very young and our boy, Fin, here, really poured on the charm.

He also spent more time in the library that year than he'd spent in one his whole damn life.

Pretended to be reading but he was really just watching Jolie. "

I looked over at Theo and gave him another look that matched the one after the slap on my back. "You done with your nonsense?"

"Hey, she asked."

Shay laughed. "I did, and I'm glad you didn't have a Henrietta like us because I just couldn't picture—" Shay lifted her dark brown eyes and then her whole body trembled briefly.

"Nope, don't even want to try and picture it.

I've got to get back to my desk. It was nice meeting you, Theo, and Fin, thanks for the visit. "

We both watched her walk back to the trailer. Theo sighed loudly. "Holy shit. She looked hot from a distance, but up close—wow. But Cody was telling me she's married. Big fucking bummer."

"Yeah," I said to myself after Theo walked away. "Big fucking bummer."

* * *

I stayed late to finish some framing that got fucked up the first time it was done. We'd hired a few new guys over the summer, and their skills were still questionable.

Theo slammed shut his locker. "Crusoe and Cormac are coming to pick me up. We're going to get something to eat at Lazy Daze and then head out to that 'Friday Eve' party at Noah's place. Sure you don't want to come?"

"Not in the mood," I said.

"Still grumpy because you can't have that sweetie pie in the office? Those damn wedding rings are a bitch. But that ring is probably the thing that makes her extra intriguing. You know, impossible to get. That's not something Fin Stone deals with often."

"Are you done rambling on like a moron? I think I heard Mac's noise mobile out front."

"Yeah?" He opened the door and looked out. "Be right there!"

"Fuck, do you know how loud that sounded in this trailer, you fucking foghorn?"

Theo grabbed his backpack. "Sure you don't want to go tonight?"

"I'm sure. I'd tell you to have a good time but then I've never known you not to have one, so fuck off and don't drink too much."

"Mac's driving, so no promises on that. Besides, tomorrow's Friday."

Dad texted while I hung up my hard hat and got my things from the locker.

"Stop by the office real quick."

"Yeah, I'll be over in a second." I was glad to have any excuse to see and talk to Shay.

After meeting her, Theo kept rubbing it in that she was married because as he put it, he sensed there was an "attachment" coming from my side of the picnic table.

For such a rock head, he was pretty fucking dialed in.

Maybe he was right. Maybe it was just the ring, the forbidden fruit thing and all that.

I walked across to the trailer. Shay's long fingers were plunking away on her keyboard. She glanced up briefly to give me a smile. Nah, it wasn't the fucking ring. She was something else.

Dad waved a paper in the air to get my attention. "Hey, Mom's making lasagna tonight if you're interested. Or maybe you'd prefer stale cereal and toast for dinner."

"Cru actually went grocery shopping. We've got bread and cheese and ham and all sorts of other things that the civilized world eats. But Mom's lasagna? Fuck yeah, I'll be there."

"I don't blame you," Shay said. "Lasagna sounds delicious."

Dad backed up his chair and turned her direction. "You're invited too, if you'd like."

"That's so nice of you, but no, I've got to go home and make dinner for Tate. It's his first night home in a few weeks." She said the last part almost as if it left a bad taste in her mouth, even though she wore a smile.

The trailer door opened abruptly, and a tall stranger with a scowl stood in the doorway. The site had been cleared, and there was nothing friendly about the man. Dad stood up, and we joined together in the middle of the trailer.

"Can I help you?" Dad asked.

"He's here for me," Shay said meekly. I detected a tremor in her voice. "Tate, I was going to take the bus." I looked back at her. She was frantically cleaning up her desk. The pink that had stained her cheeks just seconds ago had faded.

Every muscle in my body tensed with adrenaline, and I sensed the same waves of tension from my dad.

"Hurry it up, Shay," he said brusquely.

"I'm Colt Stone." Dad stuck out his hand, but the whole politeness thing was forced. I was sure my dad was thinking the same thing as me. This fucking asshole needed to learn a lesson in civility, and there was no way in hell he deserved the sweet woman behind us.

He reluctantly shook Dad's hand. "Tate Kennedy. Twenty-five bucks is a garbage wage."

"Tate, please," Shay pleaded as she hurried faster to gather her things.

"It's what I pay for someone who is just starting," Dad said plainly.

Tate had a mean, slitted stare, like a fucking snake. He looked like the kind of guy who'd bite the head off a puppy.

"I'm ready. Let's go." Shay couldn't look at us as she swept past holding her purse and water bottle. "Please, I'm ready." Her entire demeanor had changed in her husband's presence. Her posture was tense, and she looked as if she might crumple into a sobbing mess at any moment.

Tate gave each of us a hard glare before turning around. He didn't even hold the door for Shay. She hurried out behind him. Dad and I walked to the small front window to watch them leave. They got into Shay's small car and left a long trail of dust as he punched the gas.

Dad and I stood silently for a moment, both of us in fucking shock about the last few minutes. Dad turned to look at me. "Is it just me, or do you also have an urge to throw your fist at something right now?"

"Not just you, Dad. Definitely, not just you. What the fuck? How could Shay be with someone like that?"

Dad shook his head. "Brings back some bad memories," he muttered to himself.

I knew that mom had gone through some stuff before she met Dad.

He'd saved her life and nearly died in the process, but neither of them ever wanted to give out any details, and that was probably good for Jules and me. Some things were better left untold.

Dad went back to his desk to clean up for the night.

His jaw was clenched tightly, and my teeth were packed pretty close together too.

"Dad? When—you know—when you and Mom met—did you get this feeling that you were going to do anything, even kill someone, just to keep her safe cuz that's how I'm feeling right now about Shay.

I know she's not mine, and she's married to that asshole, but if he hurts her?—"

Dad just nodded. "Like I said—that whole scene brought back some bad memories.

But you're right, Fin. She's not yours. Still, Stones don't look the other way when something isn't right, and something was definitely not right there.

I just hope she can keep her job. Seemed like he was looking for a reason for her to quit.

I'm about ready to get out of here and dive into that plate of lasagna. How about you?"

I nodded, but lasagna was the last thing on my mind.