Six Days: Book One in the SIX Series (7 page)

           
For the next two hours I felt like a kid. One after the
other, we moved around the rocks and bribed out as many crawdads as we could.
Griffin knew we had plenty, but it was somewhat addictive and neither one of us
wanted to stop.

           
“Twenty-six, Addie,” Griffin said excitedly, “that may be
a record for me.”

           
“For you?
I’m pretty sure I
caught at least half of those,” I said with a smirk.

           
“True. I hate to say it, but we probably only need about
eight. I couldn’t tell you while we were catching them because it was so much
fun to watch you. You seemed so scared and excited every time, I didn’t want to
stop you,” Griffin paused. “Want to throw the rest back in?”

           
“Eight? We only needed eight? Geez, I guess I didn’t ask.
That was so much fun.” I threw my head back, reveling in the childlike feeling
of something as simple as catching a crawdad. “I guess we should, so there’s
something to come back for,” I replied, looking up at Griffin, surprised to see
him already staring at me.

           
“My grandfather passed away when I was fifteen. I don’t
think I’ve done this since then. I forgot how much fun this was,” Griffin said
with sincerity. For a moment I wondered who this adventure was really for. We
gently placed the unneeded crawdads back along the edge of the giant rocks.

           
“Now
comes
the real work,”
Griffin said smiling, heading back to the shore line with the bucket. “You do
know how to cook a crawdad, I presume?” Griffin stared at me with such a
serious expression, only breaking when he saw the disgusted look on my face.

           
“You eat them? They’re so tiny!” I shot back, mildly
freaked out by the idea. Griffin just smiled and grabbed his shoes, so I
followed suit. He headed back up to the campsite and I followed, wondering how
serious he was about eating them.

           
When we finally reached the campsite, Griffin opened up
the rear door on the driver’s side of his black Audi. He set the bucket of
crawdads securely on the floor in the back seat, wedging his duffle bag against
it so the pail wouldn’t tip over. We climbed in the car and I took in one last
view of the lake as we pulled away.

I
was surprised at how easy conversation came to us. It was so much easier when
it was just the two of us. We joked about the others in the group and talked
about some other memories he had with his grandfather. He spent a lot of time
with him growing up, and I could tell by the sincerity in his voice that his
grandfather must have meant a lot to him.
 

As
we continued the drive back, Griffin informed me he was taking me back to his
place for dinner.

           
“So if you’re taking me to your house, shouldn’t I at
least know more about you? I don’t even know your last name,” I interjected
from the passenger seat.

           
“Well, interesting timing for that one,” Griffin bit his
upper lip as if he really wasn’t sure how to respond. “I have actually been
thinking about going by my mother’s maiden name, Hayes. My father and I, we’ve
had a rocky time. He’s a business man, so he wasn’t really around much while I
was growing up. So, I figured my mom has basically raised me, and my granddad,
her father. I just feel like a Hayes more than anything else, if that makes
sense. I don’t know, I’ve never been good at talking about some of that stuff,”
Griffin said, furrowing his brow.

           
“I’m sorry Griffin,” I spoke, “I didn’t mean to push you
for information. You don’t have to tell me anything. I didn’t know that was a
loaded question. My family history is a bit of a mess too, so I get it,” I
said, staring out the window as I spoke. “You can be Griffin Hayes to me
without an explanation.” I could see Griffin’s face relax as I said it.

           
The subject quickly turned to music and Griffin was happy
to share his favorite songs with me, explaining what he loved about each one.
He spoke so passionately about each song. All the music he liked had a similar
sound, usually an honest voice with poetic words. It sounded like some of the
music I heard Griffin playing around the campfire the night before. Although it
was all new to me, I felt comforted by it. Time passed easily, and before I knew
it we were pulling into his garage.

           
“So is this like an apartment, or a condo or something?”
I asked. The property looked like a bunch of smaller buildings combined
together, but they all looked the same so I couldn’t tell where one ended and
another began.

           
“Well, kind of, they’re technically called ‘lofts’ I
think. I don’t know the correct explanation for that, but mine is this whole
section of the building. I know
,
it’s kind of
ridiculous. But my dad,” Griffin’s voice trailed off and he shook his head.
“Let’s just say as a business guy, he thinks that his role as a father can be
made up for with money. I’m not that guy, but of course he barely knows me, so
why would he know that. Anyway, he owns all these buildings, so…” Griffin’s
voice trailed off again. I could tell he was slightly embarrassed by it, but
either way, I was impressed. The place looked gigantic. Then I looked at
Griffin, still dressed in his cargo shorts and t-shirt, reaching behind his
seat for our bucket of crawdads.

           
“What’s that look for?” he asked me, a smile spreading
across his face.

           
“Nothing, I just like this scenario. The guy who lives in
some lofty penthouse apartment building, feeding
a girl
crawdads she had to catch herself, instead of a lobster,” I said smirking.

           
“Do you want to go out? We can totally go out and grab
food if you want, I just…”

           
“Griffin, no, this is perfect. Trust me, a girl needs
some crawdad in her life,” I interrupted. His smile widened.

           
“Then join me in the kitchen,” he said, stepping out of
the car and leading me up his garage stairs. I happily followed behind him. I
noticed another vehicle, a large black SUV, parked in the garage bay next to
his Audi.

           
“Does someone else live here?” I asked, caught off guard
by the other vehicle.

           
“No, that’s mine too. The snow levels get pretty crazy up
here in the winter, so I drive that one for a few months when the roads are
bad. I know
,
it’s ridiculous for one person to have
two cars. But that’s my dad for you,” he replied, shrugging. “Another tax
write-off for him I guess. I’m sure he has it down as a business expense.”

           
I could tell by Griffin’s change in tone that he didn’t
like talking about his father. I followed him inside.

           
His place was amazing, as I suspected it would be given
the outside of it. It had really high ceilings with beautiful wood beams
running across, and the floors were all dark wood. He also had a giant terrace
as well, with a hot tub and even a small makeshift greenhouse with a garden in
it. He showed me which plants produced which vegetables and pulled a few to
have with dinner.

           
“I figure it’s a way to justify all this other wasted
space, by actually producing something useful,” he replied when I asked him
about his gardening skills. There was something about Griffin.
Most of the time everything about him seemed so effortless, but yet
so genuine at the same time.

           
Griffin cooked up the crawdad and sautéed some of the
vegetables, and although small, the crawdad tasted better than I imagined. We
recounted the day and Griffin laughed at me again for my panic on the first
catch.

           
“So, adventure one was okay for you then?” Griffin asked
as we cleared the plates from dinner.

           
“That actually felt amazing. I never would’ve imagined
crawdad catching as a good time, but it was really fun,” I gushed.

           
“Well, then I had better get you home. Tomorrow is
another day. I know you’re working at the bakery early. When are you done?”
Griffin asked nonchalantly, putting his hands in his pockets.

           
“I’ll be there pretty early, so I’ll probably be done
around three or four in the afternoon,” I guessed. “What’s on the agenda for
tomorrow?”

           
“Part of the adventure
is not knowing
,”
Griffin replied, flashing his boyish smile yet again. “I’m really glad I met
you, Addie. I think you’re a great addition to the group. We all really enjoy
your company. You’re a good friend to have around.” Griffin picked up his keys.
“Ready?”

           
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave.

The
drive home took less than ten minutes and we mostly listened to music. As we
pulled into my apartment lot, Griffin started undoing his seatbelt.

           
“Oh, don’t worry about it Griffin. I actually
don’t
own
the whole building, my door is right there,” I said teasingly, pointing to my
door. I grabbed my bag from the back seat. “Thank you. I really had fun today,”
I said, feeling a shiver through my entire body for a brief moment as I said
it. I reacted by flinging my car door open and stepping out quickly. “I’m glad
we’re friends too,” I spoke softly.
Why did I say that?
I was thinking
about earlier, when he made the comment about being friends. I mean this wasn’t
a date or anything, obviously, so that was a normal thing to say, right?
           
I closed the door quickly,
cursing myself for my awkwardness. I briskly walked to my apartment door,
wishing I had ended that conversation differently. Griffin nodded and gave a
small wave from his car window as I opened up my door and walked inside. I
couldn’t decide in that moment if I was relieved to be alone, or disappointed.

           
Six-fifteen came early, and my alarm clock chime was less
than cheerful. I quickly showered and pulled my hair back into an effortless
pony tail. I threw on some jean capris, a loose black shirt and some
comfortable worn-in sandals. By the time I arrived at the bakery a little
before seven, Mallory was already inside. She already had mixing bowls and
utensils pulled out on the counter to prep us for our day.

           
“Wow, what happened to you?” Mallory asked. She had an
unusual grin on her face.

           
“Sorry, do I look like a mess? I was tired. I didn’t even
dry my hair,” I replied, my voice trailing off.

           
“No, just the opposite.
You’re
glowing, which isn’t usually your look before seven a.m.,” Mallory said
smirking. “What were you up to all night?”
           
“What? Not what you think. Get
that look off your face,” I responded, playfully smacking Mallory’s arm. “What
did you think was going to happen? He’s a nice guy and all, but we’re just
friends. We had a fun day together, that’s all.”

“Then
why didn’t you call me last night? I was worried about you,” Mallory said
sincerely.

“I’m
sorry
Mal,
by the time I got home I was tired. I just
forgot to call.” I recounted the story about crawdad fishing and the dinner we
made. Mallory gave me a suspicious look, as if she believed there was more to
the story.

“It
wasn’t weird or anything, it’s not like he was hitting on me. We just hung out
and it was really nice. Don’t you guys do that all the time?”

           
“Well, yeah,” Mallory said, setting down the baking dish
she was holding, “but I don’t know, Griffin’s different. He takes longer to
warm up to people. I mean, yeah, he’s fun and spontaneous and all that. We all
love
him,
I’ve just never seen him like this. He has
all this family stuff going on right now so he’s just been a little distant
lately.”

           
Mallory opened up the large refrigerator and pulled out a
square white box. “Now, seemingly around the same time you came along, he’s all
happy and laid back again out of nowhere. I like it, that’s all. And then
there’s this,” Mallory said, pointing her hands at the box. “It’s a delivery
for you.”

           
“What is it?” I asked, stepping up to the counter to lift
the lid off of the box.

           
“I don’t know, but it has your name on it,” Mallory said,
shrugging with a mischievous look on her face.

           
I opened up the box. Inside was a beautiful small square
chocolate cake with piped white icing that read:
Day 2.
There was a
small tent card resting on top of the cake.

           
Day 2: The Fountain of Youth - Modesty Optional. I’ll
pick you up at 6:00 p.m. - bring the cake.

           
“Mallory, what
is this?” I looked up at her with a curious smile on my face.

           
“Don’t look at me,” she said with her arms up in
self defense
. “I have very limited information. I just
provided the cake.” Mallory’s laugh sounded innocent, as if perhaps she really
didn’t know much.

           
“Well, we’d better get to work. Apparently I have the
possibility of immodest plans with a handsome stranger tonight,” I mused,
rolling up my sleeves. I shot Mallory a sideways smirk. “Pass the sugar.”

           
The day flew by as Mallory and I prepped recipes and drew
up plans for opening the bakery seven days a week. Mallory really seemed
motivated by her dare. She really wanted to make the bakery her full-time job,
despite it having been more of a hobby the last few months since she started
it. Work was a good distraction, and I was genuinely optimistic for Mallory and
wanted to help her in any way I could. Mallory didn’t bring up Griffin again,
which was a relief because I still hadn’t decided I wanted to give him much
thought. After all, I ended up here in the first place trying to run away from
the last handsome man I gave in to.

           
We thumbed through some old recipe books she had found a
month or so ago at a used book store, trying to get some ideas for some new
things to bake. Mallory had already perfected cakes, cupcakes, cookies, normal
things like that. We were now looking for some different items to stand out
from the usual stuff you would find in a bakery, different options to
eventually fill up her glass cases with. Mallory used to only spend two or
three days a week in the bakery, whenever she had a large order or an open
house to prepare for. Now that we were looking to expand her business, we had
agreed to spend even more time there. Mallory still had some spinning classes
to teach on occasion because she still wasn’t quite ready to give those up just
yet. I, however, didn’t really have much else going on. I enjoyed having more
of a purpose to my day and agreed to spend as much of my week there as we
needed.
 
Of course, that was before I had
my week planned out for me by Griffin.

           
Finally as it neared four o’clock, Mallory shooed me out
of the shop to go home and get ready for whatever plans I had tonight.

           
What was I going to wear?
With little details, I
didn’t want to overdress or under dress, but that made it hard since I didn’t
know where I was going. I settled for some grey leggings and a long dark blue
tunic with a belt around it. I chose some medium height wedge shoes, thinking
they didn’t really look either too casual or too dressed up. I figured Mallory
would verbally reprimand me for my boring fashion choice. But without her
expertise, that’s just how I felt most comfortable. I spent thirty-five minutes
curling my long blonde hair, but it felt too overdone, as if the effort would
make it look like I was trying too hard for something that wasn’t a date. I
brushed my fingers through it, trying to soften it. I hoped that would make it
look more natural, but then gave up on it altogether and tied half of it back
out of my eyes.
Why was I second guessing all of this?
I cursed myself
for getting so worked up over the whole thing.

           
Just then, there was a soft knock at my door. I opened it
to see Griffin standing there, leaning against the door frame. He wore loose
lounging jeans, designer flip flops, and a light blue polo shirt.

           
“Ready?” he asked softly, staring at me with his deep
piercing eyes. His mouth curled upwards into a sly smile. “You look nice. Oh,
grab a swim suit.
If you want one.”

           
“If I want one?
What’s the
alternative? Oh, never mind, I’ll grab it,” I said, quickly walking back to my
bedroom. I opened up my bottom dresser drawer. Wasn’t it too cold out to be
swimming this late? It wouldn’t be too much longer before the sun began to set.
I had two suits to choose from, which was a miracle given how little I had
brought with me when I moved. What a typical girl thing to do, I could have
been sensible and grabbed an extra pair of jeans, but instead, I had made it
out of my past life with two different swimsuits. How practical was that? I
quickly grabbed the more modest one with pink and white polka dots. I smirked
at the line “modesty optional,” then felt suddenly nervous about what that
really meant. I shoved the swimsuit into my purse, thankful that I chose more
of a
Boho
style bag, rather than my clutch. I grabbed
the cake off the kitchen counter and walked back to the door where Griffin
still stood, watching me.

           
“I’ll carry that,” he said, taking the cake box from me.
He smelled amazing, like a crisp summer night.

           
The drive lasted about forty minutes, and Griffin refused
to tell me where we were headed. He introduced me to more of his favorite
music, and we laughed again about our crawdad experience the day before. He
also told me a little bit about his upbringing and I was surprised to find out
he had a younger brother. His brother, however, made it out of working for the
family business by choosing to go into the Marines. His father of course didn’t
approve, but Griffin almost seemed jealous that his brother had found a way out
while he was still stuck working for his dad.

           
“Well, what else would you rather
be
doing?” I asked. “If you could do anything with your life, what would it be?”

           
“That’s just it, I don’t know. Is that terrible? To
already be done with school and yet I’m still wandering around trying to figure
out what I should be doing with my life?” he asked sincerely.

           
“That’s not terrible at all. I have been asking myself
the same thing for a long time,” I answered in agreement. “You know when you’re
a kid and you just know you’re going to grow up and be a ballerina, or an
astronaut, or whatever? The problem with that is
,
no
six year-old ever says they are going to grow up to be a tax auditor, or a
sewer repairman, or a car rental counterperson. Then one day you wake up as an
adult, and all of a sudden you’re auditing someone’s taxes, wondering how the
hell you got there. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better for kids to just
learn that, odds are, they are going to grow up to live a mediocre life. You
know, working all day at a job they’re never really sure is the ‘one’ for them,
hopefully a little better off than their parents, sure, but otherwise not
really using any unique talent whatsoever.” I finally paused, wondering why I
couldn’t stop rambling.

           
“Wow, Addie, I’m going to put it out there that you
probably shouldn’t become a teacher, at the very least. That was not a
motivating message at all,” Griffin replied, laughing.

           
“I’m sorry, I don’t know where all that came from. I
guess I’m just trying to say that I agree with you. I have no idea what I’m
supposed to be doing. Although I have to admit, even though I never imagined
myself baking anything, it seems to be working out so far. So you never know,
sometimes I guess life just decides for you, that’s all I’m saying.” I reached
over and turned the radio back up, happy to end my random conversation. Griffin
smiled at me, and I wasn’t sure if it was out of amusement, or if he was just
glad I was done talking.
         
  

           
We finally pulled up to a large metal gate baring a sign
that read “Loganville Hot Springs, Two Miles.”

           
“Hot springs?” I asked, looking over at Griffin as he
pulled the car down a long tree-lined dirt road.

           
“Have you ever been to one before?” he asked.

           
I shook my head no.

           
“It’s actually supposed to be like a health rejuvenation
thing. They’re natural hot springs coming out of the ground, all full of
minerals from the earth that are supposed to be good for you. I just like it
because it’s fun,” Griffin said, glancing over at me to study my reaction.

           
“So like a giant natural bathtub?” I smirked.

           
“Yeah, kind of.
There’s a bunch
of them though, that’s why I like this place. There are a couple big ones, full
of a lot of people, and some smaller ones. It’s an interesting group of people.
It’s a nature park, so some people are more, well, natural than others.” His
mouth curled up into that perfect smile again.

           
“Oh
my gosh
, so I’m supposed to
sit in a ground bath with naked people? What kind of adventure is this?” I
asked anxiously, not sure if this was my type of place.

           
“Don’t worry, it’s not like that. There are different
areas, depending on your preference. Besides, it’s a Monday night, and still
pretty early in the year. I doubt it will even be busy,” Griffin said
matter-of-factly. “Besides, you brought a suit, so you don’t have to do
anything crazy. We’re just here to relax,” Griffin said, smiling at me. His
grey-blue eyes pleaded with me to just trust him.

           
We pulled into a small dirt lot with four other cars
parked in it. “This will be perfect,” Griffin said, opening his driver side
door and reaching for a cooler he had sitting in the back seat. “Don’t forget
the cake,” he reminded me, slinging a bag of towels over his shoulder.

           
We walked up a small trail marked with various signs and
side trails. I did feel a little ridiculous in my wedge sandals, but I guess it
was still a better choice than heels which I’m guessing Mallory would have
urged me to wear. We came to a little clearing that was marked “Serenity
Springs,” and passed two older couples who were just gathering up their
blankets and towels to head out. There was no one else in sight.

           
“Wow, so this looks like the same setting you see on
Dateline
where all the serial killers take their dates,” I murmured, a little
creeped
out that we were only surrounded by trees and
various nature sounds. It was a pretty area, it just felt a little isolated.
“Is that the spring?” I asked, pointing to a small cement-type pool in the
ground. “Is the water orange?”