8. Griffin

Chapter Eight

Griffin

When I stopped at McKenna's office, she was tied up on a conference call. Haven was deep into design planning.

A moment later, I walked into the suite where Rhys's office was. I knew instantly he wasn't there because his door was closed and there was no light shining underneath the door. There was no sign of Tish either.

My brain catalogued details, assessing she must be somewhere nearby because a jacket was hanging on the back of her chair with a purse sitting on her desk. Just as I was contemplating that it would definitely be ridiculous if I lingered here, I heard footsteps in the hallway.

A few seconds later, Tish walked through the doorway. She had a box in her arms, and I reflexively stepped toward her. "Do you need help with that?"

She shook her head and stopped beside the chair in the waiting area to set the box down. "Thank you though," she replied as she straightened.

For a moment, it was as if her mind went completely blank. Her gaze became unfocused.

"Tish?" I took a step closer.

When she didn't reply and swayed a little on her feet, I eased her into the chair beside her, waiting a few moments. As before when I met her on the side of the highway, it wasn't long before her eyes blinked open.

Her gaze focused on me and she let out an annoyed huff. "Ugh." Her voice sounded tired. "Could you bring me my purse?"

I hurried over to fetch it and return it to her. Her hands were shaking a little when she tried to unzip it.

"Do you want me to get that for you?" I asked, sensing she was frustrated that I was even there.

The sound of her swallowing was audible inside the quiet room. "I've got it." She yanked the zipper open and pulled out a bottle of medication.

I glanced around before walking over to the small water cooler and getting her some water from it. A few minutes later, she had taken the medication and drained the small paper cup of water that I had handed her.

I finally asked the obvious. "Do these happen often?"

Tish lifted her eyes to mine. "Not really. I'm fine," she insisted. "Like I told you before, I have these syncope episodes. For me, all they know is I experience a rapid drop in blood pressure. That medication I just took helps with that."

A powerful wave of protectiveness crashed through me. I didn't like thinking about Tish handling these by herself. I didn't want to imagine what could've happened. My mind skipped back to the day she'd fallen in the harbor.

My jaw tightened. I forced myself to breathe in slowly, to shackle the urge to wrap her in my arms, to do everything necessary to keep her safe. I had to remind myself we were sitting in an office and she was perfectly safe.

"Are you okay now?" I finally asked.

She cleared her throat and nodded. Her face was pale and her eyes looked wary.

"Are you finishing up for the day?" I asked.

She gestured to the box in the chair beside her. "I wanted to bring that in before tomorrow morning. I'm scanning in some old files so we can get rid of the paper files."

I eyed the box. "Do you need me to put that somewhere then? Maybe on the floor by your desk?"

The color was returning to her skin. Her lips curled in a small smile. "I can handle it, Griffin, but thank you."

I smiled back at her. "I'm sure you can, but humor me. Just tell me where to put it."

I could tell she was still tired when she gestured toward the floor beside her desk. "Just over there against the wall. I'm doing a box a day. More than that, and I'll lose my mind."

I chuckled. "I can't even imagine scanning papers all day."

"That's why I do a box a day, so it's not all day."

I set the box where she directed me. She was standing when I turned around. I walked to her side quickly. "Take it easy…"

"I am taking it easy," Tish protested. "I just let you carry that box over there."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Can I walk you home?"

Tish studied me for several beats. The air around us felt as if it was shimmering with sparks. I had to contain myself, to resist the urge to step closer and run my hands over her, making sure she was safe. Of course, she was safe. It was just this feeling of wanting to take care of her was unfamiliar to me.

She let out a breath, tipping her head to the side. "You're going to insist, aren't you? Well, maybe not that, but you'll worry if I don't let you."

When she smiled a little, I felt my own lips curling in response. "Yes. You just fainted."

"I'm fine now."

"What if you'd fallen in the harbor and no one was around?" I pointed out.

"Oh, my God," she muttered under her breath. "You can walk with me. If you insist. Let me get my jacket."

"Go right ahead." I gestured toward her desk chair.

She was wearing a fitted skirt with a blouse. I could tell she was feeling mostly back to herself as she strode with purpose past me and around her desk. I tried to ignore the way her blouse pulled tight across her breasts as she pushed her arms back to slide into her jacket in one motion before shrugging it up over her shoulders. She quickly zipped her jacket up, and I ignored the way disappointment shafted through me. She checked to make sure her purse was zipped before looping it over her shoulder and rounding her desk again.

She stopped beside me. "Shall we?"

As I looked down at her, my mind catalogued the way she had a single loose strand of hair falling down along her cheek. I wanted to brush it back and kiss her. Competing with that was the urge to hook my finger through the elastic holding her ponytail in place and slide it loose to watch her hair fall around her shoulders.

I did none of those things. "Yes."

Our footsteps were quiet in the carpeted hallway. She jogged down the stairs quickly, and I checked the urge to ask her if she was feeling okay again. I held the entrance door as she slipped past me. When it fell shut, she glanced back, making sure it closed fully.

"Do we need to do anything else?" I asked.

Although I knew the combination to get in and out of the building, I didn't actually know if there were special guidelines for closing up after hours.

Tish shook her head. "Nope. It's automated. I just always make sure the main door completely closes. Maybe I don't need to, but…" She shrugged.

"Good habit to have. I would do the same thing."

The air was cooler than it had been earlier. With it being fall, the temperatures could drop quickly. Tish tipped her face up toward the sky, taking a deep breath as we began walking.

"I love the air here," she said. "I swear it's fresher, crisper maybe."

I slid my gaze to hers. "I think it is. Certainly fresher than Seattle or any city. Do you like it here?" I asked as we continued to walk down the sidewalk.

Tish was moving briskly, but it was easy for me to keep pace.

"I love it. Alaska is beautiful. And honestly, more than I expected."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew it would be rural, but a plane ride to Juneau is only twenty minutes and that's an actual city. Since Fireweed Harbor is a tourist destination, there's a lot here with plenty of restaurants, some good shopping, and a good grocery store. All of that with an absolutely amazing view and a quieter life even during the busy times of the year."

"Yup. A lot of people don't realize how even the smaller towns have lots to offer here."

It was only a few minutes before we reached her apartment building. She stopped on the sidewalk in front of the entrance. "You don't need to walk me upstairs," she said.

"Tish, you just fainted a few minutes ago. Let me walk you in. Please."

Tish pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes. "Okay."

"Thank you for humoring me." I held the door as she walked inside.

Moments later, she closed her apartment door. She gestured in a circle. "See, I'm inside and I'm completely fine." Her lips twitched.

"I see that," I said lightly. "I hope you can understand why I might've been worried."

She shrugged, but looked away.

"You fainted. Again," I pointed out.

"I have a syncope disorder. It's part of my life. They don't happen too often."

"How long have you had these?"

"Since I was a teenager. I have these occasional clusters. It's nothing dramatic."

"I don't like it," I stated.

Tish rested her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes. "I don't precisely like it either. It's just my life."

It was obvious that she was completely okay now. Her eyes were shooting sparks, and her cheeks were flushed. Once again, I was startled at my body's reaction to her. I wasn't thinking when I took a step closer.

I mirrored her, resting my hands on my hips loosely and narrowing my eyes. I felt my lips curl into a slight smile as we stared each other down. For a few beats, her eyes widened before she burst out laughing and her hands dropped from her hips.

Her laugh was low and raspy. Heat whipped through me, need sinking its claws in deeper.

"What's so funny?" I chuckled as my own hands dropped from my hips.

"I guess we're having a stare-down."

Her laugh petered out. Her gaze was bemused when she leveled her eyes with mine again.

We were maybe two feet apart. I could feel the echoing beat of my heart down to the soles of my feet. I took another step closer. "Tell me something," I heard myself saying.

"What?"

"If I told you I wanted to kiss you, would you want me to?"