A Convenient Proposal(24)
Arden smiled widely, as if she wasn’t terrified. “I will, too, Dr. Campbell. Griff’s told me how much he admires you.”
Griff didn’t remember saying anything like that. But it sounded good.
Then his dad looked at him. “With the holiday over, office hours are back to normal, but I’ll give you tomorrow and Tuesday off. We’ll expect to see you bright and early Wednesday morning.”
“Yes, sir.” If not for the weight of his dad’s hand on his shoulder and the brief squeeze from those strong fingers, the words would have sounded like punishment. Reading between the lines, though, Griff knew Jake was glad to have him back.
“’Night, Mom.” He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for the terrific dinner. Best food I’ve had in, oh, about six months.”
“Yes, well.” She gave him a hug, then stepped back. “Arden, I’ll be back in my classroom at seven-thirty tomorrow morning, but I’ll leave some breakfast at the house for whenever you’re hungry. There is a coffeepot with supplies in the cottage, and a few snacks if you should get hungry tonight.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Campbell. I’m so glad to be here.”
Griff expected his mother to invite Arden to call her by her first name. But as the pause lengthened, he realized she wasn’t going to do that.
“Let’s go rescue that dog of yours,” he told Arden. “’Night, everybody,” he called to the room at large.
Then, finally, they were outside in the cool, crisp night, with Igor sniffing his way through the rye grass his dad always put down to keep the lawn green through the winter.
“The fresh air smells good,” Griff said. “That was a long time to be closed up inside the house. After eight hours inside the car.”
Beside him, Arden nodded. “Island life is different, isn’t it?”
He nodded in turn. “There’s always a breeze.”
“And clouds scudding across the sky, night or day.”
“The splash of waves on sand and birdsongs in the trees.”
“True.” She drew an audible breath, then blew it out in a cloud of white. “Still, your family is happy to get you back. They’ll be glad to support you through the ordeal of the wedding. I don’t think you really need me here at all.”
“Oh, but I do.” He moved ahead of her onto the small porch of the guest cottage, pulled the screen door back and then pushed the front door open. His mother had left a lamp on the hall table switched on, so they didn’t have to step into darkness. “I couldn’t face my family, let alone the rest of the town, if you weren’t here.”
Arden had shut the door behind her, and now leaned back against it. “But why, Griff? Your family knows how badly you were hurt when Zelda canceled the wedding. You don’t have to camouflage your feelings.”
As Igor disappeared down the dark hallway on a sniffing expedition, Griff walked through the front of the house, turning on lights. “Living room, dining area, kitchen. I don’t want them feeling sorry for me.”
She had followed him into the hallway. “Sympathy isn’t pity.”
“I don’t want sympathy, either. This is the bedroom.” The lamplight showed pink and peach where he’d been expecting green. “Mom’s redecorated since I was here. That’s her stress reliever—wallpaper and paint. There’s a full bathroom attached.” He walked over to open the door.
Arden stayed by the doorway into the hall. “She said she was very worried when you left. That you didn’t call or email.”
Griff thrust his hands in his pockets. “What was I going to say? ‘Having a miserable time, glad you aren’t here’?”
Shaking his head, he joined her in the doorway. “Tonight, because of you, I wasn’t the prodigal son, coming home to be forgiven and taken care of.” He set his hands on her shoulders. “Instead, I came home proud, bringing with me a lovely woman who, as far as they know, is crazy about me. We’re deeply in love and planning a perfect life together. I may have left town a failure, but I came back a winner.”
She wrapped her fingers around his wrists. “They’re not completely convinced, you know. Your sisters, your mother and dad—they’re still suspicious.”
“So we’ll convince them.” Griff bent his head to breathe in the citrus scent of Arden’s hair, then lingered to kiss her smooth forehead. “If I stay here for a while, that should help.” He brushed his mouth over her temple, her cheekbone and the curve of her jaw. “How would you like to spend the time?”