Page 141 of All Packed Up

“Don’t dismiss my emotions, that’s so mean,” he drawled.

“Oh shut up,” Wendy half growled as another laugh broke free. But she looked a little closer at his words. Was he scared Nic was gonna shut him down? He had to know Nic still had feelings for him. For fuck’s sake, they’d already kissed.

She saw the way they looked at each other. A simmering want that was just waiting, biding its time until it could spark a wildfire of need. Someone just needed to light the match.

But what place did she have between them?

Just as she decided it was none of her business, Grif pulled into a parking lot and put the car in park outside the loading area.

“Do you wanna stay here? It’ll be super quick.”

Wendy was already unbuckling her belt and had her door half open. “I’ve been cooped up enough, don’t ya think?”

Grif rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, come on.”

Wendy followed Griffith inside, and that specific scent of fresh cut wood only associated with home improvement stores assaulted her senses.

Tony was waiting at the counter, and Wendy kind of hated how the store was set up. They had to walk down the middle aisle to get to the cash register, which left the shop owner plenty of time to size them up on their way down. Like a goddamn runway.

His gaze was curious, but alight with recognition as they drew closer. “Back again already?”

Griffith huffed and leaned on the counter. “Yeah, that storm took out some of my fence. Do you have the pieces I called about?”

“I was sorry to hear that. Glad it’s not too bad though. I have your wood right back here. Give me a moment and I’ll bring it out.”

Wendy nodded and quit pretending to be interested, turning and taking stock of the different aisles. She wanted to look at stuff. Any stuff. So as Griffith finished making small talk, she watched the way the florescent lighting glared off the collection of multicolored carabiners as she started down that aisle.

There was quite a collection of ropes and cords along the same aisle, and her cheeks flushed as her thoughts dived south. Grif’s chuckle and his footsteps echoed behind her.

Clearing her throat, she quickly reached the end of the aisle and took a sharp right, coming to a collection of—

“Oh my god, look!” she whisper-yelled.

Birdhouses of all kinds of shapes and sizes and colors were stacked high on the shelves.

“This one?” she questioned, voice rising an octave in excitement. “It’s a mushroom!” The comically large, pale orange mushroom would look adorable next to the smaller maroon one with polka dots. “These are adorable.”

“Rent must be getting high these days. They’re having to get day jobs.” Grif teased.

Confused, Wendy turned her head to watch him reach up to touch a birdhouse decorated to look like a coffee shop. Her mouth dropped open as she understood the joke Griffith had made.

“They’re even little tables for them to sit at!” She pointed out the little patio with tables for the birds to stand on.

With a laugh, she grabbed one on the shelf in front of her and held it up. “Well if they’re living in places like this, I can see why rent would be sky high.”

Griffith’s deep laugh warmed her up from the inside out, as if she’d downed a hot cup of tea. “This must be the vacation home,” he declared, picking it up and turning it around. It was decorated to look like a log cabin, complete with a little wraparound deck and stupid miniature rocking chairs, though they were glued down.

Wendy giggled and sat it back on the shelf for him. “I didn’t even know they made stuff like this,” she admitted.

“Me either. I had no idea birds were so advanced.”

Wendy elbowed him, and then pointed at yet another adorable, tiny house just waiting for some birdy inhabitants.

“I want a huge flower garden,” she rambled. “I have this image in my head of what it would look like. And I want all the birds to have their own little houses like this.”

She tapped Grif on the arm in excitement. “Wouldn’t that be so cute? I could have different islands of flowers and put the houses on big hooks so they would stick out above it all!”

When silence was her response, Wendy paused, assuming he was walking right alongside her. Turning around, she found him standing in the aisle, hands on his hips as he studied her.