Page 73 of Chase the Storm
For now, I’d simply stare at my flowers in my vase and be grateful I had them.
It wouldn’t ever be enough without him, but I had no choice.
And no matter how much I loved that vase, if I had to give it up to have him back with me permanently, I’d have done it in a heartbeat.
TWENTY
Indy
“Dinner and dessert were lovely tonight, Lori.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed yourself. We loved having you over.”
Feeling grateful for the invite, a smile formed on my face. “I had such a good time. Thanks to both you and Craig for extending the invitation. It really helped to turn things around for me to be able to visit with the two of you.”
Craig and Lori returned the smile, and it was Craig who spoke. “We know how hard it is to not have Griffin around. Those first couple of years when he was there were difficult for us, and we had each other to lean on. After having a conversation or two with Griffin, Lori and I talked about it, and we wanted to make sure you knew you could lean on us whenever you need us.”
After everything he’d done for me and the way he made me feel from the day we met, it was impossible not to fall hard for Griffin. I didn’t think there were many people who would have blamed me for falling like I did for him.
But falling for Griffin’s parents caught me off guard completely. I hadn’t expected they were going to steal my heart, too. Perhaps it happened because they seemed to be able to just know precisely what I needed when I needed it.
I’d come home from work last Friday, which had been three weeks since Griffin left, and I’d felt miserable. The next day, I’d gotten a call from a number I didn’t recognize. But since it had a Blue Spruce area code, I decided to take the call.
It was Lori.
She had gotten my number from Griffin the day before, and he hadn’t mentioned anything to me about it. Craig and Lori had asked me if I’d like to come over for dinner tonight.
Since I didn’t have any plans and was desperate for any connection I could get to Griffin, I didn’t hesitate to accept. I’d arrived not quite two hours ago, and the three of us had a wonderful dinner together.
While the food was delicious, what I loved the most was getting all kinds of stories about Griffin from his parents. And it was getting those stories which led to me getting what Craig had just revealed he and Lori intended for me to get.
“That means a lot to me, Craig,” I started, still feeling a bit strange about calling Griffin’s parents by their first names. I’d attempted to call them Mr. and Mrs. Ross, but they refused such formalities. “I miss Griffin terribly, and while it isn’t quite the same as having him here, being here tonight with the two of you in the home he grew up has really helped me.”
“Then I hope you’ll believe me when I say that the door is always open,” Lori declared.
My eyes shifted to the side and focused on her at the same time my heart squeezed in my chest.
With my attention on her, Lori added, “I mean that, Indy. We’re always here for you, and we hope you won’t remain a stranger.”
Smiling, feeling the warmth move through me, I promised, “Now that I have your number, I’ll be sure to call and set up another time for a visit.”
“That sounds wonderful. We’ll be looking forward to it. Can I get you another cup of coffee?” she asked.
I shook my head and held my hand up. “No, thank you. Honestly, I should probably get going. It’s getting late, and I’ve got a few things to take care of before Griffin calls me tonight.”
There wasn’t an ounce of hurt or disappointment in her tone when she replied, “Of course. Let me just wrap up a piece of dessert for you to take with you, since you loved it so much.”
Normally, I hadn’t been a big fan of it, but Lori had made the most delicious carrot cake I’d ever tasted. I couldn’t stop talking about how wonderful it was, and when I learned it was Griffin’s favorite, it made me love it that much more. For that reason, it was no surprise Lori was ready to send me off with another slice. There wasn’t a chance I was going to turn that down.
“That’s really sweet of you. Thank you.”
As she moved to get a piece of the cake wrapped up for me, Craig stood and said, “I have something I want to give you, too. I’ll be back in a minute.”
I was a little confused and a lot curious about what Craig had wanted to give me, but I didn’t ask any questions. I merely gave him a nod of understanding. I figured the sooner he walked away to get whatever it was, the sooner I’d have my answer.
Lori returned before her husband and asked, “Where’s Craig?”
Before I could respond, he reappeared and said, “I wanted to give this to Indy to take with her.”