Page 19 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)

NINETEEN

Noah

Hopping in my truck, I give myself a minute to rest my head on the headrest and take a breath. Today was a crazy day, and I swear I got more calls today than I have in weeks. I was nervous I would be late for tonight.

Opening my eyes, I check the time and start the engine. I have twenty minutes to pick up Jess from her tutoring session with Cassidy at the school.

I will forever be thankful that Cassidy offered to tutor her and arranged it to be at the school to help Jess acclimate to a school-type environment. I also believe that Jess is thriving because of this and is catching on faster than any of us could imagine.

Which is amazing, but some of the things she’s working on make me question how much I know.

Cassidy has also taken into consideration that sitting still all day will be a challenge for Jess, who is used to working in some capacity like she did in The Family.

With that in mind, Cassidy not only helps her with the long days of sitting at a desk to learn but also breaks those days up by doing some of the class work outside when possible.

Pulling out of the parking lot to head to the school, I call Sam since he’s the one watching Jess tonight.

He answers on the second ring. “Hey, man. Are you guys on your way?”

“Nah. I’m just leaving work. I was just checking in to see what you had planned for the evening.”

“We’re going to have the best time. I went to the store and got all kinds of cool things like coloring books and board games. I got snacks, and we’ll probably play Mario Kart .”

I don’t say anything as I look down at my screen to make sure I called the right person.

“Hey, you there? Did I lose you?” he asks.

“No, I’m here. I don’t know what I expected when I called you, but this conversation was not it.” I admit.

“Fuck off. I don’t know why no one believes that I love kids and that kids love me. I’m the funcle and can plan age-appropriate fun. I was my little neighborhood’s babysitter back home.”

“Color me impressed. I was expecting to have to remind you that she’s like ten and can’t be your wingwoman. What snacks do you have? We haven’t introduced her to a lot of processed foods yet, so if you try something, you’ll have to watch her to see if she has any kind of reaction.”

I hear grocery bags in the background before he says, “I know. I got popcorn as the junk food to try. The rest is stuff to make baked chicken along with some fruits, veggies, and cheese to make little snack plates.”

“Well then, I guess we’ll see you in less than an hour.”

“Do you have everything set up for tonight?” he asks.

“Yeah, I think so. I’m just excited to hang out, the two of us. I love having Jess around, but I finally get to spend time with just Luna.”

“No glove, no love, my friend. Don’t forget it,” he says as he laughs.

A laugh bursts from my chest. “Fuck off. I’m pulling up to the school to grab Jess. We’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll have a box of condoms here for you to take with you.”

I hang up instead of giving him a reaction as I pull into the school parking lot.

After parking, I leave the truck running as I run in to grab her.

“Hey, Jess, are you ready to head out?”

“Noah! I didn’t see you come in. Mrs. Cassidy! Noah is here for me early!”

“I see that, sweetheart! Why don’t you grab your bag?” Cassidy tells her as Jess takes off running to the other side of the class.

“How did it go today?” I ask her.

“Great! She’s so smart. She’s getting better and better at sitting for longer periods. I have no doubt she’ll be fine once school officially starts.?Education-wise, she’s catching up faster than I could imagine,” she tells me with a smile.

Pride fills my chest. “Yeah, she’s a smart cookie.”

“We added some harder worksheets for reading and math this week. So let me know if you think she’s struggling and where.”

I nod as Jess runs up to us. “I’m ready to go see Sam,” she says and smiles, then looks at Cassidy. “Thank you for helping me today! I enjoyed looking for bugs outside.”

“You are so welcome! I can’t wait to hear all about your time with Sam,” Cassidy tells her with a laugh. “See you both next week!”

“Thanks, Cass. See you next week.”

We walk to the truck, and Jess talks about her day and what she learned.

My mind wanders as I think about how excited I am for tonight.

But I’m nervous that maybe what I have planned isn’t good enough.

It’s been years since I planned a date, and if I couldn’t keep my wife happy enough to stick around, how am I supposed to show someone else I’m worth a shot?

She wanted low-key and just the two of us, and the drive-in idea was the first thing that came to mind. But maybe it’s not romantic enough for a first date…

I shake that thought from my head. If it seems like she doesn’t like it, we can find something else to do. I don’t care what we do as long as we spend time together, getting to know each other better.