Page 109 of Grizz

I walk toward them.

“Mr.Langley,” I say.

“Out walking?”he replies, like we’ve run into each other at a gallery opening instead of the edge of my unraveling.

“Yeah,” I answer.“Guess so.”

He studies me for a beat—too long to be casual.“Where are you headed?”

I almost laugh.“Nowhere, really.”

The word hangs there, ugly and honest.

Julian’s gaze changes just slightly.He glances at his watch, then back at me.“It’s Thanksgiving.”

I consider that and wonder how I’ve gone most of the day without even realizing that.“Shouldn’t there be the parade going then?”

“That ended hours ago.”

“Oh,” I say.

“Are you spending Thanksgiving alone?”

I shrug, because that’s easier than sayingyes.“No family here.The family I do have is Canadian.Different Thanksgiving.”

That should be enough.It’s always been enough for everyone else but not for Julian Langley.

“You’re a New York Viper,” Julian says, voice calm but carrying steel underneath it.“You’re not going to spend Thanksgiving wandering Manhattan like you’ve got nowhere to belong.”

The woman beside him tilts her head, curious now.Julian notices and gestures lightly.“Svetlana,” he says.“My companion.”

She offers a polite smile, gaze sweeping over me with interest that feels measured, not judgmental.

“We’re heading back to my townhome,” Julian continues.“There will be a proper Thanksgiving meal.Afternoon feast.Full table.”

My instinct is to decline—to keep moving, keep walking until my legs give out and my thoughts finally win.But part of me is fascinated that this man is celebrating Thanksgiving with a woman I bet he hardly knows, and that honestly makes me feel a little sad for him.

Julian watches me, waiting.“You’ll come,” he says.

NotWould you like to.

NotYou’re welcome if.

You’ll come.

I’m not the type to ask for help.I open my mouth to argue.To say I’m fine.That I don’t need charity.

But the truth is brutal and undeniable.I have nowhere else to go and I need something to distract me from the emptiness swallowing me whole.

Julian steps slightly closer, his voice lower now—not softer, but clearer.“You don’t get to be alone today, Grizz.Not on my watch.”

I nod once, the movement heavy.“All right,” I say.

And just like that, the night I thought would swallow me whole is rerouted—dragged, against my will, toward a table I never expected to sit at, carrying a weight I didn’t know anyone else could see.

I walk beside Julian and Svetlana, grateful they’re carrying the conversation and sparing me the effort.When we reach his building, Julian gestures up and says, “Best address in Manhattan.”

And it is.His townhome is stunning, rendering me speechless just like it did the night of the casino fundraiser.I remember being distracted then by noise and people and the press of bodies.Tonight, with the space mostly empty, the scale is almost overwhelming.