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Chapter 15
“Thanks for coming to get me. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that someone cared about me so much that they would drive the whole way to Chicago to save me from myself basically.”
Chi didn’t know what else to say. How could she find the words to tell Griff that she enjoyed working with him? That she had a great time for the past two days? That she really didn’t want to be dropped off at her house and have him leave her?
They’d spent a lot of time making plans for their new diner. Figuring out how much time it would take to redo the interior of the new building that he purchased. She had insisted on him writing everything down. She didn’t want to be the person who took everything and never gave. She’d pay her way.
He had been reluctant to put figures down and even more reluctant to hear her lay out a plan for her to pay him back.
She had some savings of her own, and she insisted that all the numbers be kept track of.
It amazed her that Griff was willing to put all the money into it.
It also surprised her when he walked her to the door of the diner but didn’t step in. They had agreed that they would keep the diner closed for one more day. People were getting out and about, but no one expected them to be open after a storm like that.
“Aren’t you coming up to your apartment?”
He lived across the hall from her. Both of them had a one-room apartment above the diner.
“Well, that’s something else that I did when I purchased the diner.”
“What?”
He looked a little ashamed. What in the world could he have done? He didn’t trash his apartment, did he? As soon as she thought that, she knew it wasn’t possible. Griff would never.
“I bought a house.”
“You did?”
She...wasn’t super excited about that. She’d kind of gotten used to having him above the diner with her. It was nice to have a neighbor. She didn’t mind being alone, enjoyed it most of the time, but it was nice to know that he was right beside her if she ever needed anything. That was selfish. She had determined to herself that she would not be selfish with such a good friend anymore. She would be happy for him when things went well.
“Where is it?”
“It’s the house on the bluffs that was for sale. The one just down from the old schoolhouse.”
Her mouth was in an “O,” but she couldn’t get any words to come out. That was a nice house. A very nice house. “Wow. That house must have quite a view.”
“Maybe... Maybe you’d come for supper sometime? I’ll show it to you.”
He sounded so adorably insecure. And Chi had had such an amazing time within the last two days and had...thought about him so much. She was thrilled that maybe a little bit of what they had at the cabin would carry over. He had said he was attracted to her, but he hadn’t said anything about wanting a relationship or wanting to do anything about the attraction. It was like he threw it out there but had zero plans of doing anything about it.
She had had a hard time thinking about anything since he’d said that. When she compared him to James, Griff was better in every way. She found herself realizing that she admired him quite a bit. And she definitely liked him. She had spent more than a little time thinking about kissing him.
“I would really like that,” she said, realizing she sounded a little breathless.
“All right then. You settle in today, and we’re opening the diner first thing tomorrow morning?”
“That’s right.”
They’d agreed that they’d keep the old diner open through Christmas while they made plans for the new diner, then they’d take the month of January to do all the improvements that needed to be done and plan on opening it by Valentine’s Day at the latest.
That seemed like a good plan to her, and Griff had been on board with it too.
“I’ll see what I can do about lining subcontractors up. If I get anything in the works, I might text you to meet me there.”
