15. Cora

Sophie grins as I get in her car. She makes a point of looking up at Griffin's house and whistling. "It seems like you're moving up in the world, Cora. When were you going to tell me that moving in with your boss is the real reason you wouldn't move in with me?"

"You can't breathe a word of this to Jake." I flip down the mirror and make sure my lipstick isn't smudged from the kiss Griffin gave me as I walked out the door. "He'll lose his mind if he thinks anything is going on between me and Griffin."

Sophie takes off down the driveway and onto the main road, heading for our favorite Mexican restaurant.

"And is there something going on with Griffin? Something more than just getting your fill of a fine man?" Sophie teases.

My cheeks are on fire as I roll my eyes. "Soph, do you have to say it like that?"

Sophie wiggles her eyebrows at me as we come to a red light. "Oh, but I absolutely have to. If I knew you would start a relationship with your boss, I would've bothered you for daily work updates."

"It"s not happening." I flip the mirror back up and lean back in the seat. "The less people know about what's going on, the better. Being in a relationship with my boss reminds me of what Victor did…"

Sophie scoffs and takes the twisting road that leads to the restaurant. "You're far better than that piece of human filth. He cheated on you."

"With his manager, who was already married," I say softly.

Neon lights blur on either side of the road as we enter downtown. Sophie circles the block until she finds a parking spot near the restaurant.

Sophie glances over at me as she parks the car. "How is he cheating on you with his manager in any way similar to you dating Griffin?"

She's right, and we both know she is. I don't know why I'm punishing myself unnecessarily when I see the situation with Griffin is entirely different.

Maybe because I know I can't tell my brother about Griffin and me… and it's making me feel guilty.

I get out of the car when she does, waiting for her to lock up. "I know it's different. There's just a little voice in the back of my mind that can be a real bitch sometimes."

"Yeah, I understand that." Sophie links her arm through mine and tows me into the restaurant. "I think you just need to learn to let go of everything that happened before, Cora. Griffin and Victor are two very different men."

"You're right. Griff's worst is Victor's best."

The host leads us to a table in the back beneath a warm white light. Sophie and I slide into the booth, picking up the drink menus and browsing through them.

Sophie puts down the menu and clasps her hands together. "You know, I think this will be good for you."

"You think what will be good for me?"

The waiter comes by and takes our drink orders, placing Sophie's analysis of my life on a brief hold.

The moment the waiter is gone, a wide smile spreads across her face. "I think being with a man who has his life together will be good for you."

My cheeks warm again, and I'm sure the blush is spreading down my neck. "I'm sure it will be, too, but there are many other things to consider."

Sophie rolls her eyes as our drinks appear in front of us. "Oh, Cora. I think you spend too much time worrying about things. Victor's made you think that you're the problem, hasn't he? Is that why you doubt your feelings all the time? He's also made it difficult for you to trust people after what he put you through."

I stir my drink with my straw before taking a sip. "I guess I do have trust issues. I'm aware of that. It's hard not to when the person you thought you'd marry puts you on the line for thousands of dollars. He called me the other day, too."

Sophie's eyes nearly bulge out of her head as her hands smack down onto the bright red table. "Excuse me? He called you?"

"He did. Not last Monday but the one before it." I take another sip of my drink and pick up the food menu. My stomach growls as I look down the list of tacos.

Sophie shakes her head. "There's no way he's trying to crawl back into your life, right?"

"Nope. He wanted the insurance information for the policy on the house." I can't keep the smile off my face as I look up at her. "That was one of the policies I canceled when I left. He would"ve known if he had bothered to read the note I left him."

Sophie sips her drink, a smirk forming around her straw. "I've never been convinced that man could read."

I burst out laughing as the waiter comes back to take our food order. After we request way too many tacos, the server disappears with our order.

Sophie leans back in her seat, humming along with the song that plays. "Alright, so, Griffin Blake. The big-shot lawyer and CEO. Is he good in bed or just counting on his job title and bank balance to do all the heavy lifting?"

I sputter, nearly spitting out the margarita I just sipped. I swallow hard before coughing a burn in my chest. "I cannot believe you just asked me that."

Sophie tilts her head back and laughs. "And yet I'm still waiting for an answer. Good in bed or not?"

My cheeks are on fire as I press my hands to them. "Let's just say I'm not complaining."

Sophie squeals and bounces in her seat. She props her elbows on the table and holds her hands close to a foot apart. Her hands start to move closer together.

"Tell me when I'm getting close to the right size."

I laugh and shake my head. "Stop it, Soph. You may be my best friend, but there are some things that I better now share with you."

Sophie pouts before reaching for her drink. "I just need a little something to get me through my dry spell. I'm living through you right now."

"Sounds like you're living a nightmare then." I give the waiter a quick smile as the platter of tacos is placed between us.

Sophie grabs one of the barbacoa tacos and takes a large bite. "I doubt that I'm the one living a nightmare. You"re having a tough time right now, but I promise it won't be that way forever. You have a well-paying job that will set you up for a bright future."

I take a shrimp taco and squeeze a lime wedge on top. "I know. It will take some time, but I haven"t given up on opening that media company and traveling the world. It will take longer to get there than I thought."

Sophie holds her taco up and bumps it against mine. "That's the spirit. You should be happy. You have Griffin now. Even though I don't fully understand why you're living with him. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you're out of that crappy apartment, but staying with him seems impulsive for you."

"I don't have to pay rent with him," I sigh and finish off my first taco, reaching for another, "which is a couple hundred dollars more a month I can shove toward the debt."

"Cora, that hardly sounds like the real reason why you moved in with him. I didn't think you'd ever agree to move in with him."

"I didn't think I would either, but… he argued with me until I agreed. He wasn't taking no for an answer."

"Good. I think you need someone like him as your partner. As far as I can tell, he's doing a fantastic job so far."

"You're right about that. He is nice to me now. Surprise, surprise."

I try to maintain a casual tone but can't help being fond of Griffin. I've spent enough time with him to know that he genuinely wants me to succeed.

Knowing that he wants to support me as much as I want success for myself is a strange feeling.

When I was with my ex, all he wanted was our names tied together.

He leeched off everything I did and claimed it as his own. He was sure we could make it—as long as our business was built on my hard work.

It took many years to see that, but now that I do, I have to accept that I learned the hard lesson.

Being with Griffin might scare the hell out of me at times, but it's only because he makes me feel like nobody else has.

My high heels dangle from my finger as I walk into the house well after midnight. Warm lighting blankets the entire house.

Griffin looks up from his book about leadership and business strategy as I walk into the kitchen.

He sets the book to the side. "Hey, have a good time with Sophie?"

I grin and drop my heels as he turns to face me. I stand between his legs, my arms looping around his shoulders.

"We might've had to call a cab to come and get us," I say.

Griffin chuckles as his arms wrap around my waist. "Glad you had a good time. I pushed the couch together into a big bed. Are you up for a movie night?"

I kiss his jaw before looking at the bowl of popcorn sitting on the counter. "A movie night sounds like a great idea."

I pull away from him and walk into the living room. The couch pieces are pushed together in a big bed, and the pit in the middle is loaded with blankets and pillows.

As Griffin fetches the popcorn, I go to his room long enough to steal one of his university shirts from his drawer.

I shimmy out of my dress and pull on the shirt, tying my hair back.

When I return to the living room, he is sprawled in the middle of the pit, with a blanket draped over his lap and the remote in his hand.

He looks up with a smile as I sit on the back of the couch before rolling down into the bed.

Griffin laughs and loops his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. "Does Sophie know that you live here?"

"Yeah." I grab a fistful of popcorn from the bowl and pop a few pieces into my mouth. "I needed to tell the truth to somebody, and she won't say anything to Jake."

Griffin twirls the end of my ponytail around his finger. "That's good. I still have no clue how we"ll tell him about us."

"I don't know either." I sigh and put my head on his shoulder as he picks a movie. "I want to enjoy living in our bubble for a little longer. Once everyone knows what's going on between us, they"ll all have their own opinions, and I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

Griffin leans back into the pillows and nods. "I know. I don't want to do anything that could ruin your career, either. We'll take our time and figure this out as we go."

I nestle deeper into his side as the movie begins.

This is a life that I could get used to, but the cruel voice in the back of my mind insists that this moment is nothing but a fantasy that will come crashing down around me sooner rather than later.

Why am I so scared?

At that very moment, I realize how much I've fallen for Griffin. He's somehow crept into my life bit by bit.

With each passing day, my walls had crumbled, my defenses worn down by this man I can't imagine my days without.

Now, as we sit here, I realize maybe it's okay to let him in. Maybe I can trust him with my heart… because I've fallen for him completely and irrevocably.

Griffin pulls the thick blanket over us. He kisses my temple, and I close my eyes.

Even if this is a fantasy, I'm going to make the most of it while I can.