Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,28

here, you’re always welcome at our house. I’m so glad you came.”

“So am I.” Autumn smiled into her eyes. “Thank you for being so welcoming.”

“It’s what we do in Angel Sands. Once you move here, you’re part of the community. And even if you do go back to New York, you’ll still own the pier. That means something here.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’m glad Griff brought you.”

“He’s a good guy.” Autumn took another sip of champagne.

“He really is.” Deenie nodded. “He’s like another son for me. All of Lucas’s friends are, of course. But Griff’s the one who had a horrible childhood. It broke my heart to always see him so alone.”

Autumn blinked. “He had a hard childhood?” She glanced at Griff from the corner of her eyes. The man-mountain was holding little Arthur, his expression soft as he stared down at the baby’s laughing face. Autumn swallowed hard, feeling her stomach twist at how gentle he looked. He was so at ease holding a baby. As though he was born to do it.

“He didn’t have the best upbringing,” Deenie said softly, her lips curling into a sad smile. “But that’s history now.” She looked at him holding Arthur. “He’ll make a good father, though he’d never admit to that. Sometimes having bad experiences make us more determined to do things differently in our own lives. Griff’s parents were always too busy with each other to pay him much attention.”

Autumn thought of her own parents. She could hardly remember her mom, but she knew from photos that she’d loved her and Lydia very much. Then, when her mom died, her dad stepped into the hole she’d left behind.

As a teenager, his helicopter parenting drove her crazy. But it was better than the alternative.

“Am I being a nosey old lady if I ask you whether you and Griff are dating?” Deenie asked.

Autumn pulled her eyes away from Griff. He hadn’t noticed her staring, thank god. “No,” she said. “We’re just friends.”

“Oh. That’s a shame.”

It was on the tip of Autumn’s tongue to agree. She swallowed the idea down with a mouthful of champagne. “I’m recently divorced.”

Deenie gave her a half-smile. “That doesn’t sound insurmountable.”

Maybe it wasn’t. Autumn frowned, trying to work through the confusion in her mind.

“Don’t listen to me,” Deenie said, topping up Autumn’s glass. “I’m an old romantic at heart. Blame it on all the books I read at work.”

It wasn’t books that were the problem. It was the way Autumn’s stomach did a loop-de-loop every time Griff looked this way. She liked him, but it was crazy. Too soon after her divorce and way too close to her business.

“Ember told me you own a book store,” Autumn said, thankful for the change in subject. “Tell me all about it. I can’t wait to come and visit.”

10

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Griff whispered in Autumn’s ear. They’d been at the party for a couple of hours. The evening sun was disappearing behind the rooftops, and the paper lanterns were glowing, along with pillar candles whose flames flickered on every table. Somebody had turned the music up, the deep beats pulsing through the warm twilight air. Ember and Harper had taken their babies inside to sleep, the tots’ eyes drooping as everybody blew them a kiss good night.

“I am.” She tried not to shiver at the way his warm breath tickled her skin. Turning her head, she looked up at him. He was standing behind her, his eyes fixed on hers, the setting sun making his skin glow.

He was so damn masculine. If she could bottle it, she’d be a millionaire in weeks. It wasn’t only the strong lines of his face, or the way he towered over everybody here. It was more than skin and muscles, no matter how glorious they were.

It was in everything he did. He had this way about him that made you feel safe. As though nothing could hurt him. She had no doubt that he’d throw himself in front of a car to save a stranger.

There were good people in New York, she knew that. But most of the people she met on a daily basis cared more about themselves than anybody else. They were drawn to Manhattan because they wanted to make money, or make something of themselves. And she’d bought into that, too.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

The music slowed down, and Deenie and Wallace began to dance on the grass in the space they’d cleared by moving some tables. Ember