Why did it have to be that no one stayed?
***
The announcement to the employees went well on Monday morning. Caught up in the excitement of another King daughter’s marriage, they fed on the fairy-tale romance aspect. The department managers speculated it would bring in curious customers and additional sales since it had when Charlie and Francie wed their husbands months ago. And Griff did notice some of the more standoffish managers and employees now seemed ready to accept him. They really had little choice. They assumed he was there for the long haul.
“That went better than I expected,” Priscilla murmured, as yet another employee took their picture on their cell phone.
“Too much for you?” Griff asked, holding her tightly against his side. He liked the feel of her close to him, her scent tickling his senses, and the way his blood pulsed whenever she was near. Since meeting his pixie he felt alive.
“Scoot this way, Boss,” Peg ordered, holding a camera. “This one is for the company newsletter. Holy jeepers, we should get all the King daughters and their husbands in a shot to put in the newsletter.”
The flash went off, but Griff pulled away, finished with the photo ops. “Thanks, everyone,” he said, nodding as the managers filed out of the conference room.
Their low murmurs blended together, but he picked up on one. “I would love to be a fly on Mrs. King’s wall when she finds out.”
“Mother,” Priscilla said under her breath. “I forgot to call her.”
Griffin tensed. Should he lie? “I called her Saturday.” He had, but he decided not to mention the face-to-face meeting afterward.
His wife looked up at him, her eyes wide with a mixture of curiosity and fear. “Tell me. What did she say?”
Now that he certainly couldn’t answer with the whole truth. “She was stunned. Angry. At me.”
“Oh, Griff, I’m sorry! You shouldn’t take the brunt of this—”
“I will. So before she tries to discredit me and our marriage, I arranged a small press conference.” Just saying it made his stomach turn. He’d faced those monsters too many times while growing up. Later, he’d limited their access to his retail success, keeping them at bay for the most part. He’d been labeled as difficult and mysterious. It worked. It shut them down.
Peg interrupted, “Ready and out, or is it Roger and Wilco? Whatever it is, Boss, the vultures are outside.”
“Now?” Priscilla turned from Peg and asked Griff.
He nodded. “The sooner the better. We give them the story first, instead of trying to defend something someone else says later.” He’d lived the futility of that.
“I’m going with you,” she said with a firmness in her voice that couldn’t be mistaken.
“You don’t have to.” He wanted to shield her from them. “I’ll make a statement. I won’t answer any questions.”
“They’ll just badger us at another time, right?” she reasoned. “So let’s face them together, answer the way we want to and walk away.”
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her gently on her lips. He pulled away, staring into her big green eyes, getting lost in them. “Thank you.”
He heard the camera go off. Easing away from his wife, he turned to his assistant. “Peg?”
“Ah, Boss, this is the best one yet. I’m gonna load this on the computer and we’ll release this picture to the press. Ain’t no way they can lie about the feelings you two have for each other now.”
***
A few minutes later, Griffin stiffened at the sight of the large crowd outside King’s. He cursed under his breath.
“I’ve been saying worse for the last half hour,” Bruno said, coming up to Griff’s side.
“I thought you got off two hours ago?”
“Yep, well, I gotta say congrats to my baby girl and you.” Leaning in, he said in a low voice, “You treat her well, ya hear?”
That fierce protection made Griff smile. He was grateful this man would always look out for his pixie. “Bruno, you ready for this?” Griff nodded to the onlookers just outside the building. “You stick by Priscilla’s side and if anything, I mean anything, starts to look bad or starts going wrong, you hustle her inside. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. They’ve got to come through me to get to her.”
“Good answer.”
“What was?” Priscilla asked, coming up as Rico rushed by her side to fluff her hair and pat some powder on her face.
“Bruno’s sticking to you like glue,” Bruno said. “No arguments, baby girl.”
Her smile trembled. Griff’s heart squeezed in his chest. He reached out to take her hand. “You don’t have to go, or stay, if you just want to put in an appearance.”