“What?”
“Did you know that Griffin Locke started an antivirus company with his roommate in college? They developed software with firewalls to prevent ransomware attacks. It was so successful they sold it a few months ago for millions.”
I tipped my head to the side, my mind racing, unable to process what she’d said. Griffin didn’t seem like a man who was wealthy. Prior to his brother dying, he lived in the small apartment on the second floor.
“Why did he argue with us over that mistake in our lease, a difference in a few hundred dollars?” Hadley’s eyes tightened.
“He’s a good businessman, unable to reconcile the mistake he’d made. What’s he doing now?”
“It says he moved home to be near his family, his brother, Julian Locke and his nephew, Declan. His parents retired to Florida a few years ago. Then there’s a link to the article about Julian’s accident.”
Hearing the last few months of his life read from an article contrasted with the pain and vulnerability I sensed when I talked to Griffin.
Hadley shifted closer to me. “Avery, you’re working with him now. Maybe you could talk to him about Kids Speak, see if he’d be interested in attending the fundraiser or supporting us as a silent investor?”
A few words into her request, I was shaking my head. “Nope. I’m not asking anyone for money. That’s not my thing. You know that.”
Dylan moved her focus from her phone to me. “Remember when I said it was all about connections. You seem to have some rapport with Griffin. He asked to see you.”
“We don’t get along.” Except for those few minutes in the conference room. It was the only time we hadn’t argued.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Well, it didn’t help that you called him insufferable. Have you heard from him since?”
“No. I need to follow up with the insurance company first.” It had been two weeks since he’d walked into the office. My mouth usually got me into trouble. I’d say something without thinking, or I would try and say something and it would come out all wrong, offending the other person. Then I’d be frozen in place, unable to speak or even apologize.
Dylan leaned toward me. “It might be a good idea to apologize for saying he was insufferable when you call him.”
I winced, knowing I should have already done that. “I’ve been meaning to do that.”
Discussion filtered back to the number of new clients we brought in this week, the increase in education cases. Relieved, the conversation shifted from Griffin. I thought about what I would say when I finally spoke to him. Would he accept an apology, or would he be antagonistic? I couldn’t blame him for being upset, but I liked the way we were in the conference room. I didn’t want to return to the way we used to be.
After our meeting, I went to my office to pack up for the day. I’d had two glasses of wine with dinner. I felt more relaxed. Should I call Griffin and apologize when I wouldn’t feel so awkward? It was Friday night. Did I want him to answer or would voicemail be preferable? Normally, I’d want voicemail, but I longed to hear his voice. I dialed his number before I could second-guess myself.
He answered after three rings, sounding distracted. “Griffin Locke.”
Ugh. That voice combined with the alcohol in my system went straight to my core. “Hi Griffin. It’s Avery.” I closed my eyes at my professional greeting. Clearing my throat, I continued, “Avery Arrington. I wanted to apologize for the other day.”
“Dec, I’ll be right there.” His voice sounded far away as if he’d moved the phone away from his mouth.
I’d made another mistake interrupting his family time, adding to the list of reasons why he didn’t like me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt” —I glanced at the clock, seven p.m.— “dinner or family time. I wanted to apologize—”
“You mean when you called me an insufferable ass?” His tone was patronizing, as if he had the upper hand.
The familiar irritation I experienced when we spoke over the phone shot through me, gaining force as it flowed through my limbs. “I didn’t say you were an ass. I said you were insufferable.”
“I think it was implied. You have an interesting way of apologizing.” He sounded amused.
Was it my predictable reaction to him or something else? I wanted to scream in frustration. I couldn’t even apologize to this man. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. “I’m sorry I said you were insufferable. I was referring to our lease disagreement.”
“I know what you were referring to.” His tone was steady and even.
I got the impression he was goading me, and I’d reacted how he expected. Frustrated I’d fallen into our old pattern of interacting, I noticed the background was quiet now. It seemed intimate, just me and Griffin on the phone, his focus one hundred percent on me. “You make it difficult to apologize.”
He barked out a laugh. “Am I supposed to make it easy?”
I smiled despite wanting to throttle him because it was the first time I’d heard him laugh. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I called to apologize. You’re my client and I was unprofessional.”
“To be fair, you didn’t know I was there.”
“That doesn’t make it right. I truly am sorry. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth sometimes. Can we move past it?”
“I should apologize too. I was an ass when we were having that dispute over your lease.” Griffin’s voice was softer, sincere.
I was stunned for a few seconds, unable to respond. He was apologizing to me?
“Were you serious about helping me with my brother’s estate and his guardianship issues?”
I licked my lips, thoughts tumbling around in my brain about more time with Griffin. “Of course.”
“I’ll take whatever help I can get.”
“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll draft an attorney-client agreement and prepare an estimate for you.”
“Let’s set up a time to go over the will. I want to hand this off to you sooner rather than later.”
My nerves tingled at the thought of seeing him again so soon. I glanced at my calendar. “How about first thing Monday morning?”
“That works. Listen, I’ve got to finish this chess game with Declan. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure. Have a great weekend.”
He hung up without responding. He was playing chess with Declan. He’d moved into Julian’s home despite questioning his capabilities as guardian. He wanted to protect Declan. Despite my initial impression of Griffin, he seemed like a good guy when it came to his family. I felt bad for judging him by our initial phone conversations.
I searched for his name on my phone to find the article Dylan was quoting earlier. I quickly scanned it to see the date of Julian’s death. I closed my eyes, sympathy filling me. That was right before we signed the lease for the building. Is that why he’d used a proxy instead of handling it himself? He was distracted dealing with his brother’s death.
I felt horrible for judging him when I didn’t know all the facts. It was understandable he’d be a little on edge. I read through everything I could find on his start-up. When I read several articles saying the same thing, I went to close the browser when a headline caught my attention. Start-up partners split among rumors of an affair.