It’s an ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The only thing that would make it better is if I had some understanding of where Griffin went and whether there’s a chance for anything between the two of us in the future.
***
“Ribs and potato salad?” Jo peeks into the plastic containers that Bridget filled for me before I left her place. “This is a feast, Piper. You’re going to join me, aren’t you?”
I pat my stomach. “I already ate. My boss packed that up for me to give to you.”
Bridget told me to give the food to Griffin because she’s optimistic that he’ll show up at my place within the next day. I know better, so instead of letting the food go to waste, I brought it over to Jo’s.
“I’ll eat half now and you can take the rest for lunch tomorrow.” She moves toward the cupboard above her sink to retrieve a plate. “I haven’t had ribs in a long time.”
I settle in on a chair next to her kitchen table. “They’re delicious. Dane, my boss’s husband, grilled those.”
“You were over at their place today?” She forks two ribs out of the container along with a heaping serving of the oil and vinaigrette-dressed potato salad.
“Bridget, my boss, has a staff party at her place every couple of months.” I watch as she snaps the lids back on the containers. “It’s a potluck. I brought cupcakes. I would have saved one for you, but those disappeared in a flash.”
She picks up a rib and takes a bite. “That boy knows how to cook. These are delicious.”
They are. I ate until I couldn’t fit another bite of food in my stomach. I relaxed as soon as Beck arrived with his wife, Zoe, and their son, Vane.
Zoe’s a lawyer, but she’s nothing at all like Griffin. She’s laid back and it’s easy to tell that her number one priority is her husband and child. We spent most of the afternoon talking about being transplanted New Yorkers since she’s originally from Philadelphia.
“Did your friend go with you?”
My head snaps up at that comment. “My friend?”
“Griffin,” she clarifies with a wink. “Lana’s friend. I guess he’s technically more than a friend to you. He was leaving your place the other morning at the same time I was heading out.”
I bow my head. “I don’t know what he is.”
“Handsome.” She laughs. “You can’t deny that.”
I look up and smile. “He’s very handsome. He’s also confusing. I have no idea what’s going on with him.”
She drops a rib bone on her plate before she starts on the potato salad. She eyes me up as she chews. “I’m great at decoding men. I’ve been married three times.”
My brows shoot up. “Three times?”
I don’t see how that qualifies her as a male decoder since it obviously hasn’t worked out for her with the men she’s chosen to devote her life to.
“The first two died.” She sighs heavily. “One from cancer, the other in an accident at work.”
“I’m sorry,” I offer sincerely.
“The third was the love of my life.” She trails the fork through the salad on her plate. “Someone else was the love of his life. He didn’t figure that out until he put a ring on my finger.”
I want to offer words of comfort, but I don’t have any. Her past explains the sadness that I always see in her eyes.
“That’s water under the bridge.” She rolls the fork in the air. “Let’s get back to you. What’s going on with you and Griffin?”
I shrug as I move to get a glass of water. “We had a great night together. Then we made a plan to meet for coffee, but he stood me up. I went to his office to get an explanation.”
“What did he say?” She glances over her shoulder to where I’m standing near the kitchen sink.
I sigh as I run the tap to cool the water. “He wasn’t there. The partner at his law firm said he had to take care of something personal.”
“That’s it? Griffin didn’t call you to explain why he was a no show?”