Page 6 of One Hot Summer

I shrugged as I took a sip of my drink. I didn’t know very much about wine, but I enjoyed this particular one. It had a crisp and refreshing taste. “Only once, but it wasn’t really my fault that the Pop-Tart got stuck in the toaster, so I don’t think it counts.”

I risked a glance at him and found him watching me, a little smile on his lips. “You’re better at this than you let on.”

I flushed, which only made him grin wider. “Well, I’m trying to make a good impression. You can be a little intimidating, you know.”

“Me?” He raised an eyebrow. “How?”

I shrugged, trying to seem casual. “You always seem so put together, like you know exactly what you’re doing in any situation.”

He let out a sharp laugh, then reached for the olive oil. “That’s just what I want people to think. Honestly, there are many things I can’t do myself, but I make sure to know someone who can.”

I finished putting the salad together while he sliced mushrooms to go on the steaks, moving in sync as we reached for utensils and ingredients.

Sometimes we’d brush shoulders, or our hands would bump as we both grabbed for something, and every time it happened, a jolt went through me. I wondered if he noticed.

By the time we had everything ready, I was more relaxed than I’d been in months.

There was something about cooking together, making light conversation that let me see a new side of Griffin Price.

He was more than just a wealthy businessman in a suit; he was also warm and funny and surprisingly down to earth.

“Want to join me?” he asked, picking up the platter of steaks.

“Yeah,” I said, following him out. I watched him rearrange the foil wrapped potatoes. The steaks sizzled as he placed them on the hot grill, filling the air with a tantalizing aroma of smoking meat.

“Now, the key is patience,” he said, closing the lid. “You don’t want to keep flipping it or pressing down on steak. Just let it do its thing.”

I nodded, absorbing the information. “How long do we wait?”

“About four minutes on each side for medium-rare,” he replied. “But we’ll check it to make sure.”

As we waited, Griffin leaned against the railing, looking out at the view. The setting sun cast a warm glow across his face, highlighting the strong line of his jaw. I found myself staring, mesmerized by the play of light and shadow.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I’d almost forgotten how stunning the view is up here,” he said softly.

I nodded as I moved in beside him. “It really is. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He turned his head. “Is this your first time staying in the mountains?”

“It’s my first time anywhere,” I admitted. He shot me a questioning look, and I hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Yeah, I grew up in the foster system. Never really had the chance to travel or go on vacation. This is actually my first time staying anywhere outside of New York City.”

Griffin’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s okay,” I assured him quickly. “I don’t mind talking about it. It’s just part of who I am, you know?”

He nodded, his eyes warm with understanding. “Well, I’m glad you’re getting to experience this now. There’s something special about being up here, away from everything and everybody.”

We stood in companionable silence for a few moments, watching the sun sink lower behind the mountains. The timer beeped, startling us both. “Alright, time to flip these bad boys,” he said, moving back to the grill.

I watched as he expertly flipped the steaks. “So, tell me more about your studies,” he said as he closed the grill lid. “What made you choose computer science?”

I leaned my back against the railing, considering. “I’ve always been fascinated by technology, even as a kid. And I like the challenge of solving complex problems. With coding, there’s always a new puzzle to figure out.”

He nodded, looking impressed. “That’s a great perspective. Do you have any specific goals after graduation?”

“I’d love to work for one of the big tech companies, maybe Google or Apple,” I admitted. “But really, I just want to be part of projects that make a difference, you know? Use technology to solve real-world problems.”

Griffin nodded thoughtfully. “That’s admirable. The world needs more people with that kind of vision.”

His words made me feel warm inside. “What about you?” I asked. “Did you always know you wanted to go into marketing?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Not at all. I actually wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a kid. But life had other plans.”

I wanted to ask more, but the timer beeped again. Griffin opened the grill, expertly checking the steaks.

“Perfect,” he declared. “Let’s eat.”

We agreed that it was too nice of an evening to be inside, so we set the outdoor table for dinner and began carrying everything out to the deck. The food smelled amazing, and by the time we finally sat down, my stomach was growling like I hadn’t eaten in a week.

The steaks were delicious, and we were quiet at first as we dug into our food. “I was thinking about going for a hike tomorrow,” he said after several minutes. “Care to join me or do you have too much work to do? I don’t want to take you away from your studies.”

I looked at him and felt the first real surge of excitement since I’d gotten here. “I’m actually way ahead of schedule, so yes, I’d love to join you. But are you sure? Didn’t you come here to be alone?”

“Trust me, I get enough alone time at home.” He laughed softly, but the laughter never quite reached his eyes. Staring at him, I felt a hollowness in my chest. For some reason, the thought of him being alone made my heart ache. I wanted to reach out and comfort him somehow, but I held back.

“Well, I’d love to go hiking with you,” I said instead. “I’ve never really done it before though, so you might have to be patient with me.”

He smiled, a genuine one this time that lit up his whole face. “Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you. We’ll start with one of the shorter trails.”

As we finished our meal, the conversation flowed easily between us.

Griffin told me stories about his college days, and I shared some of my experiences at NYU.

It felt surreal, sitting here chatting with him like he was an old friend instead of my best friend’s dad.

After dinner, we cleared the table together.

I tried to steal glances at him when I thought he wasn’t looking, but I wasn’t subtle, and he definitely noticed.

At one point, our hands touched in the sink, and neither of us moved away for a beat too long.

He dried his hands and leaned back against the counter, casually tossing the hand towel over one shoulder. “Good meal.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Thanks for cooking with me. It was fun.”

He looked at me, something unreadable in his eyes. “It was fun for me too.”

We stood there, a foot apart, not quite sure what to do next. I wanted to say something, but my brain was short-circuiting. He broke the silence first. “Well, I think I’m going to turn in early. I’m a bit tired from traveling.”

“Yeah, I think I will too.” We said goodnight in the hallway, and when I went up to my room, I just lay on the bed, arms crossed behind my head, staring at the ceiling as I went over the events of the day.

I had a problem. Not just a crush, but an honest-to-God, full-body longing for my best friend’s father.

A man nearly twice my age. A man who’d never look at me that way.

Except, sometimes… I thought maybe he did.

Maybe he saw me as something more than a houseguest, more than his son’s awkward friend.

I thought about the way he watched me when I laughed.

The look on his face when my shirt had risen up.

The way he hadn’t pulled his hand away when it touched mine in the sink.

I thought about what it would feel like if he did pull me in, if he kissed me like he meant it.

I shut that thought down so hard it gave me a headache.

Instead, I told myself I was just grateful for the company.

For the laughs, and the food, and the fact that—for a little while—I got to feel like I belonged somewhere.