Here With You (3 page)

"Thanks for the offer," he replied dryly.

"What are friends for?" She sat up, the pillow still in her lap. "Really. I want to
know what the woman who brings the great Griffin Chase to his knees is like."

Nicole was stunning.

It'd hit him right in the middle of his chest when he saw her. L
uminous
, with her glowing
skin and
dark
shiny hair
that trailed over her creamy shoulders.

In retrospect, he guessed he assumed he'd find the same girl he'd left. Pretty and
popular Nicole: the smart and funny girl with the ever-ready laugh. The girl everyone
loved because she always made a person feel better than he really was.

She was still all that, but with an added layer of complexity.

She was sexy.

Last night she'd worn a flirty dress that left her shoulders bare and knee-high red
boots that made him want to strip that dress off and see her in nothing but the footwear.
Her voice was even different than it had been years before—deeper, nuanced, and mysterious.

But her eyes got him the most. Her eyes
showed the way to heaven.

"Well?" KT prodded him
.

It wasn't supposed to be this complicated. He shook his head.
"There aren't words to describe her."

"You're such a goner."

"I'm telling you
, i
t's not like that.
Look at us. I've stayed friends only with you
."

"That's because we're like siblings
,
and
incest grosses
both of us
out
." She gave him a knowing look. "Don't tell me you've never kissed Nicole."

"Kiss" didn't begin to describe it. It'd been more like a wake-up call.
He started to get turned on just thinking about the softness of her lips on his.
He hadn't meant to do it—it'd been a heat-of-the-moment sort of thing—and now he
couldn't get it out of his head.

He wanted to do it again. He wanted to kiss more than just her lips.

"I rest my case," KT said smugly.

He raked a hand through his hair. "I couldn't help myself. I just leaned down and
went for it. I'm surprised she didn't slap me, and I can't believe she didn't tell
me to take a hike."

"She loves you, too."

"
Nine years ago,
I left her and never called. She should hate me."

KT shrugged. "Love is a strange emotion."

"Love is overstating it."

"There are all sorts of love. It morphs and changes." She got up and patted his shoulder.
"I hope in this case it morphs into what you want."

That was the thing: he didn't know what that was. He'd come back because he had this
damn
album to write and he'd lost his motivation.
H
e'd
closed his last tour date with
Lost
and
ha
d thought of Nicole
, like he always did when he played that song, since it
was about her
. He'd walked off the stage, almost oblivious to the applause as he remembered
how excited he'd been to write music back when he'd known her.

Somewhere along the way he'd lost that
excitement
.

He wasn't used to not knowing what he wanted.
He was
tired. He'
d
been on autopilot and
couldn't remember what
passion
felt like
.

Nicole had always been passionate about everything she did: drawing, dancing, reading...
even babysitting. Her focus changed like the wind, but then that was her charm. Her
enthusiasm had been infectious. Around her, life had been bright and inspiring.

He missed her. Obstructing her from his life had been the biggest mistake he'd ever
made.

It'd been a crazy idea to track her down and—basically—accost her, but he'd been desperate.
He was lucky she'd agreed.
He knew he didn't deserve it. He'd just have to make sure he was worthy of her friendship
this time.

KT patted his shoulder again. "You better suck up to her big time. Take her flowers
or something."

"You think flowers would help?"

"Hell if I know.
" She tossed the pillow aside. "
My sister
gets squeally
when her beaus send her stuff like that. It's a woman thing, right?"

"Aren't you a woman?"

She recoiled as if he'd insulted her. "Please."

Laughing, he
half hugged her. "T
h
anks for letting me crash in your sanctuary. Thanks for being my friend."

She snorted but hugged him back. "Don't think this gives you an open door back when
Nicole kicks you out."

Nicole wouldn't kick him out. He was going to make sure of it, and he wasn't going
to question why it seemed do-or-die.

He loaded his few belongings into his vintage Chevy and then headed to the address
Nicole had given him of the store where she worked. According to his GPS, it was a
short trip. KT lived on the upper edge of the neighborhood.

Miraculously, he found a spot big enough to park his car. As he maneuvered into it,
his phone rang with "Eye of the Tiger."

His manager's special ringtone. Grif knew exactly what Roddy would say.
Where are you? Don't you know you have to tell me how to locate you? Are you writing?
When the hell are you coming back?
Roddy Gallagher was a shark, but he was predictable.

Grif silenced the phone and got out of the car. Later he'd talk to Roddy. Now he had
to focus.

As he pulled up the address Nicole had texted him, he spotted a florist on the map.

He paused. Take KT's advice to heart?
She wasn't
a
normal woman
—she preferred spending time with her piano over
any human, himself and her sister Bijou excepted.
But she'd said Bijou loved flowers, and he couldn't think of a girlier girl than
Bijou Taylor.

Flowers couldn't hurt. He headed to the shop, which was only a couple blocks away.

"Back to the Fuchsia," he read out loud
as he approached
. Cute.
The door was open, and the space was inviting
.

A thin brunette came out from behind a worktable
as he walked in
. "Can I help you?"

"I'd like"—he took off his sunglasses and surveyed all the colors, sizes, and shapes
of flowers before pointing to pink ones in the corner—"those."

"Decisive."

"They look happy and cheerful." Just like Nic.

The woman plucked a bunch from the basket and inspected them. "You want anything else
bundled in
with the
gerbera daisies
?
Some purple misties or miniature roses?
"

"Just the
pink
flowers." Nicole was a simple woman. At least she used to be.

Not that
it was apparent
from the kiss last night.
That kiss had been complicated. Hot.
S
h
e'd been pliant and willing and warm in his arms. For
him
—he didn't have to question whether she kissed him for himself or because he was Griffin
Chase, rock star.

In fact, she hadn't really wanted to kiss him. Her body may have been willing, but
he could tell
her mind knew enough to
hold
back.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present.

T
he flower shop lady
stood
gawking at him. "
Y
ou look just like Griffin Chase
, b
ut you couldn't be, because what are the chances?"

Damn
—
he should have worn the hat.
He
pulled out his wallet.
"Pretty high, actually."

"You're saying you're the pop singer?"

He frowned. "I prefer calling my music crossover hits."

"Griffin Chase, who did
Lost
?"

"
Your laughter lights my way in the dark/Saving me, at any cost/From being lost
," he sang. Those were his favorite lines. They reminded him most of Nicole.

The flower shop lady
pointed at him, eyes narrowed. "You cannot hang out here. One celebrity is enough.
And if you're high maintenance, you might as well buy your flowers somewhere else."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I have no intention of hanging out
here.
I just needed some flowers
."

She didn't look like she believed him, but at least she
wrapped up
the flowers and carried them to the front counter.

"Those are pretty." He nodded at the bouquet as he
handed money over
. "She'll like them. Thank you."

The woman grunted and rang him up.
"Thank me by buying more flowers."

"Okay."

She stopped what she was doing and gave him a disbelieving look.

"What's your name?"
he asked, amused.

"Julie
,
" she
replied slowly
.

"Julie,
you're right. My friend deserves more than this. Can you send her
a bunch of flowers every day
?
"

"Every day?" She goggled at him. "Her place will look like a funeral home. Unless
she loves flowers?"

"I don't know." Nicole used to love fruit roll-ups and romance novels. He had no idea
what she liked now. He'd have to find out.
"Let's do every other day. If she hates it I'll cancel the order."

Julie handed over his change. "
And
I won't alert
The Enquirer
or anything."

"Deal. Send them to her work. You can charge my card." He gave her the information
Nicole had given him
. "T
h
ank you, Julie."

She shook her head. As he walked out, he heard her mutter "Kooky celebrities."

Smart woman.
Saluting her, he left the store and headed to Romantic Notions and Nicole.

Even if the name didn't give it away, he could tell from the storefront that it was
over-the-top feminine. Fortunately, he'd never been the type of guy to shy away from
women's underthings.

A soft bell chimed as he entered, the scent of vanilla tickling his senses. He stood
in the doorway and looked around at all the lace and satin. Then he saw Nicole, standing
next to a dresser,
something frilly and red in her hand
. She
star
ed
wide-eyed at him as though she hadn't expected to see him again.

Trying
not
to the think about her underwear and if she wore what she sold, he
held out
the bundle of flowers. "I got these for you."

Setting the lingerie down, she cautiously approached him.
She accepted the
pink
bouquet, eyeing them like they might be poison.
"What's the occasion?"

"Because you're being a good friend and I thought you'd like them." He frowned. "Do
you like them?"

"They're beautiful
,
"
she said, looking
confused. "I love flowers."

"I know you must get them all the time—"

"No
.
"
She shook
her head.

"Your boyfriend doesn't give you flowers?"
Not so subtle, but it'd been on his mind. His mom had told him Nicole was seeing
someone. He told himself he was just curious, and that he didn't want his staying
with her to cause friction.

Well, truthfully, he wanted her all to himself. It was selfish, but accurate.

Her brow furrowed.
"My boyfriend and I broke up, but, no, he didn't give me flowers."

"He must have been an ass."

The corners of her mouth quirked. "Maybe."

He stuck his hands in his pockets. "I have my stuff
in the car
."

She set the lingerie down and held out a key. "My roommate has been out of town for
work, but she comes back late tonight. I told her you're couch surfing for a few days,
but if she can't take it, you're out."

"Got it." He took the keys.

"You can walk there. It's close." S
h
e bit her lip. "I have to work late, and then I have dinner with a friend, so you're
on your own."

"Okay."

She looked like she was going to say something else, but then she just smiled
gent
ly. "We'll reawaken your passion for music, Grif. Trust me."

Oddly, he did. He already felt better than he had in months, maybe years.

Chapter Three

Rachel sat at the back of her English class for two reasons. One: it was easier to
zone out on the teacher. Two: back here no one could stare at her.

She was sick of being stared at.

In New York, no one
had ever
stared at her. She
'd been
the same as all the other students. They
'd
all wor
n
uniforms, so she
ha
dn't ha
d
to worry about figuring out what to wear, and she
'd
never stood out.

She'd done nothing but stand out since
her dad
had
made her
to come to
San Francisco—and not in a good way.

She just wanted to go home.
She wanted to go back t
o the apartment on the Upper East Side where she'd lived all her life. To the bedroom
she hated because it was still decorated in princess pink from when she was a kid.
She'd never complain about the pink ever again if
her dad would just move them back
.