most of his work remotely, and so far he’s proven he’ll get it done. That kid’s a way more reliable employee than I thought he’d be.”
“He’s not a kid anymore, Griff,” I remind him. “Wait, so he’s not coming back tonight?”
“Nope, and Brie took tomorrow off too. She said there’s a little party going on now that Zora finally told her friends.”
I stop the treadmill. “When did she tell them?”
“Today, I think? I don’t know. Brie was heading to Summerside when I pulled in after work. Told me she’d be back tomorrow morning but I gave her the day off. She’s been working too hard.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think Griff was too easy on his friends as employees, but I do know better. All of us are grateful to have jobs in the industry we love, and we’re loyal to him. We want this to succeed, we’re invested, and no one’s slacking off. But being friends also means there’s trust on both ends. If the work is getting done, there’s no need to keep strict regular hours.
“Weird, I haven’t heard from Jordan. I’ll give her a call.”
“You think she’s mad at you for not telling her about Zora and Brie?” Griff asks as I scroll to Jordan’s contact.
I shake my head. “I think she’ll understand. Wouldn’t have kept it a secret from her if I thought otherwise.”
She doesn’t answer when I call though, and I start to wonder if I misjudged. I shoot her a text, letting her know I heard she might not have a ride here after all and if I should come to her. But I’m already off the treadmill.
“I’ll just go there.”
“You sure she’s not on her way here already?”
“No, she’d answer if she was. I guess she could have borrowed Zora’s car or something,” I realize. Then I shake my head. “Nah, she’d text me first.”
“We need to get that girl her own ride, don’t we?” he asks as he gets off the bike.
I shoot Griff a glare. “You don’t need to, man, but there’s no way she’ll be down with me buying her a car. Should’ve given her my old Jeep. Maybe I’ll get another Jeep as a second car and let her use it.”
“Or I could give her a bonus in the form of a car if she podiums at the X Games or something. I get you’re the boyfriend, don’t worry, man. But I’m her sponsor and a friend.”
“I see where you’re going with that. We’ll talk. But I’m out for the night.”
Griff laughs and slaps a hand on my back. “Nice workout, Beck. What was it? Six minutes on the treadmill total?”
“Hey, I’m not thinking about my dad or Vienna anymore, so it did the trick. Thanks for the therapy session, man.”
“Anytime.”
It’s been a while since I’ve second-guessed myself with Jordan, but as I toss some overnight clothes in a bag, I’m checking my phone every few minutes. Why hasn’t she called? Does she think we’ve been spending too much time together? If Taylor and Brie are there, that means this party or whatever isn’t just a roommate thing. I’ve gotten so damn comfortable with her and our relationship, it hasn’t occurred to me that maybe she’s not on the same page. She’s got to be though. Everything about the way she is with me and when we’re together says so. Sometimes I forget she’s way younger, and maybe not quite as eager to get a place together for just the two of us, or isn’t counting the days until it’s acceptable to start planning our wedding.
My phone rings as I hit the highway toward Summerside and when I see it’s Jordan all my dumb thoughts fly away. “Hey Hotshot.”
“Beck!” She calls my name, and I can hear music blaring behind her. “How was the meeting?” she asks, her voice still too loud.
Meeting? What meeting? Oh, right. “Fine. I’ll tell you about it later. Hey, I figured I’d drive up to you since it sounds like you won’t be able to come to Jay Beach tonight.”
“You sure? I feel bad you’ve been working all day.”
“Of course I’m sure. I miss you.”
“Okay, it’s just I have to do a heart to heart with the girls tomorrow morning.”
Right. “That’s fine. I just want to see you. Are you girls drinking?”
“Yeah, how can you tell?”
“I don’t know, you sound a little different.”
“Sorry, I think I might be a little drunk.”
I’ve yet to witness a drunk Jordan, and I press the gas a