“Okay,” I say. “No hint on what it is?”
“Just trust me. I’ll see you soon.”
He hangs up the phone, and I have a stone in my gut.
What can he possibly need me to come into the office for? I bite my lip and stare out the window. He sounded stressed, though he was trying to mask that with optimism. I’m surprised that I even notice it, to be honest, but I guess I’m starting to know him better than I realized.
In the other room, I hear Lacey starting to stir. I take a deep breath to calm myself then head over to take care of her.
I haven’t been in too many extremely nice offices in my life. I just haven’t had many opportunities. I went from boarding school to college, and my father never bothered to invite me to any of his offices.
Which is why I’m so surprised when I show up at Griffin’s office. It’s beautiful and modern, and takes up two entire floors in one of the largest and nicest buildings in the city. Everything is sleek and modern and the people are professional. As soon as I walk in the door, the secretary instantly recognizes me and very kindly walks me through the winding halls toward Griffin’s office.
“He likes to be hidden,” the secretary says. She’s in her late thirties, pretty in a simple way. “I mostly work the front desk so I don’t see him too often.”
“Why’s that?” I ask.
“His office is all the way back here. I think because he likes privacy.”
“I’m not surprised.” Lacey fusses in her carrier.
“She’s so cute,” the secretary says with a smile. “What’s her name?”
“Lacey,” I say.
She hesitates. “That’s his daughter, isn’t it?”
I laugh and nod. “Has she been here before?”
The secretary looks down at Lacey a little reverently. “Not really,” she says. “I mean, I’ve never met her before. Oh god, she’s so cute. Isn’t he amazing, raising her on his own?”
I laugh and nod my head. “He’s pretty impressive.”
“Seriously impressive. He’s really well-liked here, you know. Everyone has nothing but respect and admiration for Griffin.”
“That’s really nice to hear,” I say, smiling despite myself. Part of me expected to feel really uncomfortable coming to his office, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. I feel nothing but welcome, and clearly Griffin is very loved by his staff, which is so important. It just means that he really is a good man.
“Here we are.” The secretary stops in front of an office door. It’s large and has Griffin’s name on a plaque in the front, but otherwise it’s just like every other office door in the place. “Do you need anything else?”
I shake my head. “No, thank you.”
“Okay. Griffin’s secretary is named Maureen, she’ll take care of you if you need anything.” She points over to a woman sitting in a nearby desk. “Have a good day.”
“Thank you,” I say, realizing that I never got her name, but it’s too late to ask.
I turn to the door, knock twice, and then turn the knob.
Griffin looks up from his desk and smiles. “There you are,” he says.
His office is big, much bigger than I expected. His desk is in front of the large windows at the far end with two big chairs. There’s another sitting area, shelves with books and folders and binders, and paintings hung on the walls. All in all, it’s a large and gorgeous office, pretty much what I expected from him.
He walks around his desk and kisses me quickly. He takes Lacey’s carrier and brings her over to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“Hey there, little girl,” he says to her. “Remember Daddy’s office?”
“The secretary out front nearly lost it when she realized that’s your daughter,” I say to him.
He laughs. “I don’t bring Lacey around much.”
“She seems to really like you, you know.”
“That’s good to hear. We try to treat everyone really well. Better for morale when people are happy.”
I sit down in the free chair as he fusses with Lacey a little bit. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye and I catch him looking at me. I frown at him, remembering what we’re doing here.
“Let’s talk,” he says, going back around his desk.
“You’re freaking me out.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He sits and clears his throat. “Something came up that I need to talk to you about.”
“Can you just spit it out, Griffin?” I ask him. Lacey squirms and I take her out of the carrier. She sits on my lap and plays with a paper weight from Griffin’s desk.