you were having girl talk.” Griff shrugged. “I’ll go sit out on the deck.”
“Sit here,” Autumn said, patting the empty seat next to her. “You might be able to give us some insight.”
“Into what?”
“Into Jackson, of course.”
Griff’s eyes widened. He held his hands up as though to ward them off. “Hell, no. That kind of talk will only end in tears. Probably mine.”
“I’m not asking you to betray any confidences,” Autumn said, shaking her head at his mock-horror. “Just give us a male point of view.”
He sighed, but sat down. “Okay, hit me with it.”
“Why do guys blow so hot and cold? One minute they’re all over you, the next they don’t want to know you.” Autumn glanced at Lydia from the corners of her eyes.
“So we’re talking hypothetically and not about Jackson, right?” Griff lifted a brow.
Autumn sniggered. “Yup.”
Blowing out a mouthful of air, Griff raked his hands through his thick hair. “Well, let’s say this hypothetical guy had some heartbreak with women before. He got dicked over by the woman he loved, after he saw his dad go through exactly the same thing when he was a kid. And he’s learned that the only way not to feel hurt is to wear some armor over his heart. To protect himself. So every time he gets close, there’s this little warning bell that goes off in his head. Telling him there’s danger everywhere. He retreats and armors his heart all over again, because he’s too afraid to do anything else.”
When he’d finished, both Lydia and Autumn were staring at him, their mouths open.
“What?” he asked.
“I’ve never heard you speak for that long before,” Lydia said, biting down a smile.
“Wow,” Autumn agreed. “You really know this stuff, don’t you?”
His lip quirked up. “Yeah, well it wasn’t so long ago that I was living it, too. Remember how I tried to keep things between us casual?” he asked Autumn.
“I remember.” Her eyes were soft. “We both thought we were so clever. Pretending we were friends when there was so much more going on. I swear all of Angel Sands knew we were in love before we did.”
“It’s hard to gauge the strength of the storm when you’re in the eye of it,” Griff told them. “And since we’re still talking hypothetically about this guy who doesn’t exist, he’s tried everything. He’s been a player, he’s sworn off relationships, and then this woman comes along who knocks his socks off. In another world, she’d be perfect for him. But she’s leaving and he knows it, and the only way he can deal with it is to brazen it out.”
Autumn wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “This is so sad. They’re like star crossed lovers.”
Griff caught Lydia’s gaze. “Go easy on him,” he urged gently. “I know I was against you two being together, but that’s when I thought he wasn’t invested. When I spoke to him the other day, I could see how he felt. He looked exactly like I did when I fell for Autumn. Shell shocked and so damn happy.”
“Are we still talking hypothetically?” Lydia asked.
Griff shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”
She wasn’t sure what floated it. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Did he really care? And did it matter? One thing was for sure – very soon, she’d be stepping on a plane and leaving them all behind.
And maybe she’d be leaving her heart behind, too.
Skyler let out a loud wail from the nursery, and Griff immediately stood. “Saved by the scream.” He glanced at Autumn. “I’ll settle her down and head back to the garage. Let you two finish your wine.”
“You sure you don’t want some?” Lydia asked. “I can grab another glass.”
“Nah. You two look like you need some sister time.” He kissed Autumn’s cheek as Skyler wailed again. “I’ll see you both in a while.”
Jackson reached down to stroke Eddie, who growled softly and wagged his tail. “You okay, boy?”
Eddie lifted open an eyelid. “It’s okay,” Jackson told him. “You can go back to sleep.” Brooke had been right, Eddie’s recovery was fast. He wasn’t himself yet, but he’d eaten more boiled rice for dinner, and had walked for ten minutes on his leash that evening. He was like a different dog to the one who’d woken them up this morning deep in the throes of food poisoning.
Taking off his glasses, Jackson ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Eddie might be feeling better, but he was still feeling bad. He had been ever since Brooke told him that Eddie’s owners might have been found.