“It was never anything serious, but it also feels like it was. I’m not sleeping much. I’m often awake at three a.m., bawling my eyes out, missing something I never had. Missing someone who was never mine.”
Tinsley thought for a moment before wrapping her arm around Kinga’s shoulders. “Would it help you if I reminded you that he’s a bad boy rebel, a Peter Pan, someone who’ll never grown up? He’s done a million stupid things, he’s irresponsible and selfish, and if he messes up at the ball, his career will be over, forever.”
“But that’s the thing, Tins. After our first meeting, I never thought of him in those terms again. He’s never beenthatguy, to me. Sometimes I think he’s better atplayingthe bad boy, thanbeingthe bad boy.”
“Really?”
Kinga shrugged. “I can’t explain why but I know the rebel persona is not who he is, not really.” The real Griff was tough but tender, alpha to his core but considerate, too. A little sweet, a little arrogant, flawed and fabulous. A guy who adored his sister, was obviously in love with his nephew, who kept in constant touch with his family.
And she missed him with every breath she took.
Kinga waved her hands in front of her face, trying to dry the tears in her eyes. “Let’s talk about something else, anything else. Tell me something to distract me, Tins.”
“Okay.” Tinsley leaned back against the arm of her chair, folded her arms and lifted one arched eyebrow. “Let’s see...the parents are still acting weird and if they ask me one more time why the DNA tests have been delayed, I might lose it. And today I heard that Garrett Kaye will be attending our ball.”
Garrett Kaye was the wealthy venture capitalist son of Callum’s personal assistant, Emma. Kinga felt a little of her misery recede at this news. They’d only met him a few times over the years and, while fabulous-looking, he was tight-lipped, introverted and frequently abrasive. But he was one of the richest men in the country and his attending the ball would give it another level of cachet. If Garrett Kaye thought the ball worth attending then it had to be something special...
“That’s great news.”
Tinsley smiled. “He’s not bringing a plus-one, so we’ll put him at the same table with the other singles, like Jules. And Sutton Marchant, Cody and others.”
Sutton Marchant was a mega-wealthy ex–international trader who’d found fame when his debut novel hit the New York bestseller list. Kinga had met him years ago in London and found him bright, fantastically good-looking and quietly charming. Garrett Kaye probably wouldn’t contribute much to the conversation but Sutton and Jules, their best friend and world renowned mixologist, would keep their table entertained when Griff wasn’t performing.
Griff...her thoughts always went back to the man who’d upended her world.