All He Really Needs(30)

“You don’t have to apologize,” he assured her. “You’re allowed to eat.”

The nurse, a pretty woman in her mid-twenties with curves and twinkling eyes, giggled a little. “Thank goodness,” she said with a smile.

Instead of hurrying back to her food, she lingered. There was something coy in her posture and expression that let him know that she’d stay and chat if he wanted her to. It’d be easy enough. He could ask how her lunch was, tease her about being away from her station, listen sympathetically about her grueling hours. There’d been a time he would have chatted her up, gotten her number and a few days later probably taken her to bed. There’d even been a time when he would have thought that the break he and Sydney were on meant he was free to do just that. Today, he wasn’t the least bit interested.

Instead of flirting with the girl, he just asked, “His condition is still stable?”

Her expression faltered, but she quickly rallied, nodding professionally and saying, “Yes, sir. One of us will contact you if there’s the slightest change.”

Which answered the question at the back of his mind. She knew exactly who he was—the heir to the fortune. The man with his hands wrapped around a golden ticket.

That was always the problem with women who knew about the money. And, somehow, they always knew about the money. Except with Sydney. Sydney had never seemed remotely interested in that.

He nodded politely to the nurse. “Thanks.”

Then he made his way down the hall toward the back of the house, only to see Cooper leaning in the doorway to the kitchen, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans and a smug grin on his face.

“Boy, you’re slipping.” Cooper liked nothing more than to get a rise out of him or Dalton.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Griffin said.

Cooper nodded in the direction of the hall down which the nurse had disappeared. “Come on, a prime piece of ass like that? Normally you’d be all over that.”

“I think I have a little more restraint.” He couldn’t resist adding a subtle dig. “And a little more class.”

Cooper pushed away from the door. He flashed a toothy, humorless grin. “Which is your way, I suppose, of saying I have none.”

“Hey, that’s not what I was saying. But the fact that you heard that is a bit of a Rorschach test of your insecurities, doncha think?”

Cooper had the long and lean build of an Olympic snowboarder, which is precisely what he had been before he started his own company designing and manufacturing snowboards. He was the kind of athlete who was as good in front of the camera as he was on his board. All in all, Cooper was an expert at playing the game, whatever the game was.

Which was one of the reasons why Griffin couldn’t get a read on Cooper’s mood, not until Cooper was close enough to give Griffin a friendly slap on the arm and say, “So how’ve you been?”

“Fine.” Griffin resisted the urge to rub at the spot on his arm. “So what’re you doing here?”

“I just came by to have lunch with the old man.”

“He’s asleep,” Griffin observed.

“He was tired after eating.”

Griffin held up a hand palm out. “Hey, I’m not criticizing, I’m just surprised. I would have thought you’d be headed back to Colorado by now. It’s been, what, a couple of weeks since Dad’s big announcement?”

“I was busy doing…” Cooper’s voice trailed off as he apparently fished around for the right word. “Stuff.”

“Business stuff?” he asked, even though it was none of his concern. If Cooper could give him a hard time, then he damn well better be willing to take it, too. Besides, if Cooper was also searching for the missing heiress, Griffin wanted to know about it.

“No,” Cooper said simply. Then his mouth spread into a wide grin.

“Any chance you’re still in town because you’re looking for the heiress yourself?”

Cooper’s smile broadened without necessarily softening any. “Do you really think I’d tell you if I was?”

No, he didn’t. They’d never been close, so why would Cooper share information, even if he had it?

“Are you leaving soon, though?” Griffin asked as Cooper headed for the front door.

“My flight leaves tomorrow morning.” Cooper pulled his hand out of his pocket, extracting his keys. He sent a last look back through the door to the kitchen, which he’d just walked through a few minutes ago. “But I’m considering changing my plans. Extending my stay a little longer.”

Cooper had almost made it out the front door when Griffin said, “Hey, if you’re going to be in town, we should get together.” Cooper turned to stare at him, his mouth slightly agape, his surprise so obvious, Griffin felt obliged to add, “You know, hang out or whatever.”