A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [88]
Griffin had shaken his head sadly and said his own father was still holding the lead as the man to have the most affairs in Hattersville, and that there was no telling how many illegitimate children his old man could rightfully claim but chose not to do so. April hadn’t wanted to admit that she’d heard Herbert Hayes had had a problem keeping his pants zipped over the years.
“I think Erica is pretty upset with me,” she said after taking a sip of her tea.
Griffin glanced over at her. “That was coming down hard to accuse her mother of setting the whole thing up.”
“But who else would have benefited from it? I’m not saying she did it herself, but I bet she arranged it all. Everything is too pat. She’s my prime suspect because for her everything will fall perfectly into place.”
Griffin met her gaze. “I disagree. They will only fall into place if Erica allows herself to be manipulated.”
“And you.”
He lifted a brow. “Me?”
“Yes. I still think her sole purpose is to get you and Erica together.”
He chuckled. “It’s not happening. And I think you might be wrong about Karen Sanders this time. I wouldn’t put some things past her but I’m just not sure about this one. Mainly because when word gets out that Mr. Sanders had an affair, it will evolve into a scandal, which is something she wouldn’t want to deal with. She’s not that desperate to get me and Erica together.”
“But what if she is?” April implored.
“Even if she does believe in that Hayes–Delbert curse and is convinced the only way to break it is for me and Erica to marry, it takes two to tango. That’s one dance neither of us is willing to do, so it would be a waste of time on her part.”
“I don’t know, Griffin. I just have a funny feeling about the whole thing.”
He reached across the table and captured her hand in his. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Even if she managed to manipulate Erica, which I doubt she can do, she still has to try her wiles on me and she can’t do it. I’m not in love with Erica. I love you, baby.”
A myriad of sensations raced through April’s stomach. She had needed to hear him say those words while looking in her eyes. She needed to see the intensity in the dark depths, the passion, the desire and more than anything, the love. And she saw all of it and was tempted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“And I love you, Griffin.”
He squeezed her hand before releasing it and gave her one hell of a sexy smile. “So, now that Erica’s wedding has been postponed, when are you going to tell her about us?”
Nerves skittered through her. “I’m not sure.”
He glanced at her over the rim of his coffee cup. “Is there a reason you want to continue to wait? And please don’t tell me it has something to do with your theory about Mrs. Sanders. If you truly believe that, then the sooner we let her and everyone else know about us, the better off we’ll be. Then she’ll know for certain that my future is set…with you.”
“Yes, but…”
“But what?”
“Erica is going through a lot right now.”
“And what does that have to do with us, April?”
She drew in a deep breath, not knowing what she could tell him. It really didn’t have anything to do with them and, knowing Erica, she would be happy for them. However, that crazy feeling she had just wouldn’t go away.
“Nothing, really, but I prefer not telling her until she gets back. She’s going on an extended trip with her mother. Dr. Cobb feels she needs to get away for a while.”
“How long will she be gone?”
“Not sure. First they’re doing a twelve-day cruise and then they plan to stay at their place on Lake Tahoe. Erica said some thing about being gone for almost six weeks.”
“That’s a long time.”
“Yes, but I think they’re hoping the scandal will have died down by then.”
He took a sip of his coffee. “And they’re sure there will be one? What if the only persons getting those texted pictures are the four of them? I wouldn’t think anyone