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Chapter 1
“Congratulations on your new property.” Michael Flanagan shook Griff Deant’s hand. “I don’t understand why you want to live up there in the middle of nowhere, but I’m happy for you, man. You deserve a little peace.”
Griff grinned like he was supposed to and said some words of appreciation to his longtime friend and buddy.
They’d grown up together, Michael and he, although Griff had taken a few detours before he’d gotten to where Michael had gone straight as an arrow.
After he’d gotten there, Griff had realized that the white-collar life wasn’t for him.
That didn’t keep him from working hard, and most people would say he had gotten lucky.
He would have said that God smiled on him.
Regardless, he’d gotten himself out of the rat race as quickly as he could, although he hadn’t planned on settling down in Strawberry Sands.
“I’ve never owned a beach house before. So it’s a first.”
“I think that’s the thing with successful lawyers in Chicago. We all have beach houses.”
“Well, I’m no longer a successful lawyer in Chicago, so maybe I’m a little late to the party, but I got here.”
“Being late to the party seems to be the story of your life. I’ve never seen anyone take so much garbage and turn it into gold the way you have. Usually drug addiction sinks a man faster than a stone.” Michael shook his head, slapped Griff on the back, and they exited the big conference room together. It wasn’t like they needed all that area. There had been stacks and reams of paper to sign, but it’d only been Flanagan and himself in the room.
What would Chi say?
He found himself asking that question in his mind over and over again since he started working at her diner several years ago.
He didn’t know why, since Chi didn’t seem to give a flip what he thought, even though he couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. It was the first time in his life where he truly understood the meaning of unrequited love. Unfortunately, most of the town of Strawberry Sands knew exactly how he felt. Even worse, they knew exactly how Chi felt.
At least it was a small town.
“How about lunch?” Michael said as they walked to the reception area together.
“I’ll pass. I’ve got a couple-hour drive up to Strawberry Sands yet, and now that I have the key to my property, I think I’d like to get settled in. We’ve got that winter storm coming.”
Michael slapped him on the back once more, understanding that it wasn’t a personal thing for him to turn the dinner invitation down.
Griff had always done better by himself anyway. Because of the things he’d experienced, he just wasn’t like everyone else. Strawberry Sands suited him much better than Chicago. Maybe even being a short-order cook matched his personality better than being a corporate lawyer.
None of it was very satisfying. Possibly because there was still something in his soul that just wasn’t filled.
Not that Jesus wasn’t enough. He was. There was just...a disquiet he couldn’t seem to shake.
Maybe that was the way everyone felt and no one ever talked about it.
He considered that on his way north toward his new hometown.
He’d been living in an apartment over the diner since he arrived in Strawberry Sands, and he was content there. But it wasn’t every day that a man had the opportunity to purchase a beach house a ten-minute walk from where he worked.
The only thing that kept Griff from jumping on it to begin with was the fact that he didn’t want to purchase it alone. He wanted Chi beside him. And if she didn’t like it, they’d look until they found one that she did.
The one he just purchased was a little pretentious, definitely bigger than he would ever need as a single man. But he could dream. Maybe it would be filled up with children at some point. And a wife. He definitely wanted a wife. Although not just anyone. Maybe some men could go around and find any pretty face that would do, but he wasn’t really interested in pretty faces. He...could only seem to get himself interested in Chi.
Of course, the second property he’d just bought held a lot more hope that Chi would be excited about it.
In fact, he could barely wait to tell her about it.
Maybe he drove just a little faster than he should have on his way north, because of the excitement of that second property. It was much less expensive than the first, much smaller, and not nearly as nice, but it was the one he knew would make Chi smile.
