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My thumbs hovered over the screen as the plane was readying for takeoff. I wanted to tell her I loved her, but I didn’t.
My thoughts spun to Graham’s observation about love. I thought maybe he understood more than I did about this.
* * *
Me: I’ll miss you.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Tish
I re-read Griffin’s text a few times over the following days. I missed him. A lot. I was startled at how quickly I had become accustomed to his presence in my life.
Allie and Madison invited me over for dinner one evening. When I arrived, Allie gestured to a row of nail polish bottles on the table. “We’re doing nails tonight,” she offered with a grin.
“Really?” I looked at my neglected nails and laughed softly as I sat down at the kitchen table. “I could definitely use something to make mine look better.”
“Madison taught me how to do nails better,” Allie explained. “She also helps me with my hair, but I don’t dye it myself anymore.”
Madison set a casserole pan in the middle of the table. “Let’s eat first. Do you want something to drink?”
“Just water,” I replied. I had nursed Teddy before I came over and he was down for the count in his car seat. I loved how handy car seats were. Maisie had suggested I keep a car seat in the house because they made easy portable nap spots, so I carried him in his seat often.
With Allie checking on Teddy, we ate and chatted. I was bursting to ask how Madison handled Graham being a hotshot firefighter, but I held back. Once we finished eating and settled in to take care of our nails, Madison’s eyes lifted to mine. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Used to what?” I hedged.
“Being with someone who flies out to the middle of nowhere to fight fires. Allie’s dealt with it for years because Graham’s been a firefighter since she was little.”
“Did he always fly out?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Allie was carefully painting my nails for me. She glanced up as she shook her head. “When I was little, he worked on the town crew. When I started high school, he switched to the hotshot crew. My grandparents are here in town, so I used to stay with them when he went out for fires. That was before he met Madison.” Her smile was warm when she looked up quickly at Madison.
I was curious about Allie’s mom, but I didn’t feel like it was my place to ask. As if she could read my thoughts, she added, “My bio mom’s never been around much. I was an unplanned high school pregnancy. She bolted after I was born. She visits once in a while, but hardly ever.” Allie shrugged, but her gaze was somber.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly.
Pain flickered in her gaze before she glanced toward Madison. “It’s okay. My dad’s awesome when he’s not driving me crazy and I’ve got Madison.” Her eyes softened. “She’s pretty great.”
Madison smiled warmly. “I try.”
As I contemplated if I should say anything else, Allie shifted the track of our conversation. “I hope Griffin is good to you.”
Heat flared in my cheeks. “He is so far.”
Madison looked from Allie to me, her lips curling in a bemused smile. “Allie demanded that Graham warn Griffin that he’d better treat you well. I don’t know if Griffin mentioned that to you.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh. “Seriously?”
Allie finished one hand in the rich, maroon color she’d selected before switching to the other hand. “Griffin seems nice, but you deserve somebody to treat you well and so does Teddy. Griffin can’t just be—” She waved a hand in the air before her cheeks went pink. “I don’t know, casual.”
I smiled, feeling my heart tighten in my chest. “That’s really sweet that you want to make sure he’s good to me. I appreciate it.”
Allie studied me for a moment. “Do you like Griffin a lot?”
My heartbeat picked up its pace. I finally nodded. “I think I do. He’s definitely not someone I was expecting. Teddy sure likes him.”
“Is he good with Teddy?” Allie prompted as she focused on my nails again.
