13

F-L-O-U-N-D-E-R

Grady had resolved to stay with Asher and Sophie until Claire and Ryder cleared out. Maybe he could play sick and skip the gala too. Proving to be the best friends a guy could have, Zane didn’t say a word when he dragged him out of Black Op, and Asher and Sophie ensured he had a bed to sleep in, no questions asked about how things had gone with Claire.

Until Thursday morning. Pippa stopped by the office before heading off to school. She’d twisted his ear like the naughty schoolboy he was the moment he entered. Not that she ever grabbed her students by the ear. She was too gentle of a person, but Grady had deserved it.

“You’re a complete cad,” she admonished. He heard Lincoln chuckling from his office.

“I know. Trust me, there’s nothing you can say that will make me feel worse.” On seeing her punishment wasn’t nearly as agonizing as what he was already going through, she released him from her iron grip.

Obediently, he followed her into the kitchenette where she poured him a cup of coffee and gave him a look that would have any troublemaking kid confessing his every misstep. He should have paid Lincoln a retainer to secure his silence. Otherwise, the trouble with telling your married friend a secret, is that he didn’t keep secrets from his wife, and while the others seemed to appreciate Grady was wallowing in his own misery, Pippa was too meddlesome. She already took it upon herself to help Lincoln’s bachelor friends, since they didn’t have women of their own to keep them in line. He tried telling her it was sexist, but she didn’t seem to care.

In full lecture mode, Pippa’s hands rested on her hips while Grady crashed into his office chair like a dejected student. “The sparks were obvious the other night at Ahab’s, but come on, when she’s still engaged? It was going to happen, but you have to wait for the breakup to finalize so she’s not put in an awkward position. I can’t believe you’d take advantage of her like that.”

“Hey, she took more advantage of me than I did her. She was... she was... hot.” That was not his best defense.

“Sure. Just keep telling yourself that. You can hide, but you’re going to have to face her, eventually. What’s your plan?”

“I don’t have a plan.”

“Exactly the problem. You need a plan. And that starts with apologizing.”

“I will again.”

“Again? When did you apologize?”

Shit. His hand had still been down her panties when he apologized. She’d still been leaning on him and in the haze of orgasm when he’d run away. Green guilt washed over his face like a seasick sailor in the middle of a typhoon. Fuck Grady, way to make her feel worse.

Seeming to read his mind, Pippa gasped, staring at him in horror with her hand over her mouth. “You didn’t—”

He nodded, biting his lip very much like Claire might.

“Grady Mallory. You really blew it this time. You’re on your own with this one.”

With no hope of rescue, Pippa ditched him, too. Lincoln left him alone for the day, not commenting when Grady left for Black Op at lunchtime. Even Zane and Freya avoided him for the rest of the day. By evening, Grady was convinced that he’d done irreparable damage.

“I think you should go with the truth.” Asher’s eyes were locked on the TV as his Xbox quarterback threw a twenty-yard pass for a first down.

Lincoln took a swig of his beer and nodded. “The truth shall set you free.” Lincoln was running a terrible defense, having chosen players based on his fantasy football league alone. It hadn’t worked out well for him all season.

In no mood to play, Grady had the feet raised on the leather recliner like an invalid. He rubbed his eyes and pretended he wasn’t in the pickle he currently found himself in. “Not sure the truth is going to make anything better. How about this: Ryder, I’m in love with your fiancée and made it to third base with her Monday night? By the way, she might have fidelity issues. Although you two deserve each other, I still want her for myself, because I’m that pathetic. Think that will go over well?”

Rolling his eyes, Asher managed a successful running play while mocking Grady at the same time. “I meant, talk to Claire first. You said yourself, she doesn’t seem the type to fool around when she’s in a committed relationship. Trust me, the Claire we met at Ahab’s was not a cheater. Maybe there’s more to the story.”

Grady’s brain sloshed inside his skull. He felt like sandbags coated his entire body, pinning him to the chair. He hadn’t slept much since Claire had walked into his life. Shit, he didn’t even know her last name. Yeah, he was seriously fucked up. “Why do you have to be so logical?”

“Aren’t you a lawyer?”

“Supposedly.”

After scoring the extra point, Asher set down the controller while Lincoln reconsidered his strategy. “Remember when you made Sophie feel like shit for making out with me in the dressing room before Lincoln and Pippa’s wedding?”

“Don’t remind me.” Pressure was building behind his eyes. Not another damn tension headache.

“As soon as you got your head out of your ass, you came over and apologized. Now, Sophie’s one of your best friends.”

Zane strolled in the front door and didn’t hesitate to add to Grady’s misery. “Is his head still in his ass?” He grabbed a beer from the fridge, popped open the bottle with his titanium wedding band, and plopped on the couch next to Asher.

“Asher, did you call everyone over to make me feel worse?” Grady groaned as he realized he was in the middle of an intervention.

With a deep belly laugh that had been scarce six months ago, Zane whacked Grady on his foot. “What are friends for?” He took a massive swig of beer. That man didn’t do anything small. “From what I hear, you fooled around with your brother’s fiancée, then checked out as soon as you’d gotten your play.”

Sitting the recliner up rapidly, its electronic gears complaining from the swift movement, Grady glared at Zane. “That’s not—” Grady cringed, realizing that was exactly what had happened.

“Look, do you want her or don’t you?” Zane’s expression grew serious, without a hint of amusement.

“More than anything.”

“Then get off your self-pitying ass and go talk to her.”

Catching his breath through his heavy chest, Grady braced his hands on the arm of the chair to stand.

Zane laughed and shoved him back down with barely a tap. “Not now, you lovesick puppy. It’s late, wait until tomorrow. No offense, but she’d have to be out of her mind to consider necking with you right now. You look like shit.”

Eyes glued to the game, Asher added, “She’s having breakfast with Freya and Sophie day after tomorrow. They’ll feel her out. Maybe put in a few good words for you, after they make sure she’s not a faithless bitch.”

His phone buzzed in his pocket; ripping it out, he juggled to catch the damn thing, pathetically hoping it was Claire. Not that Claire had his number, but Ryder did, even if he never called.

Nope.

“Haley?” he answered. She hadn’t called him in months.

“Hi Grady,” she said with a waver in her voice.

Sitting up, he walked into the kitchen. “Everything okay?”

She sniffled, but cleared her throat and powered on, tripping over her words. “I’m leaving Nate. I walked in on him with my friend Mariella in our bedroom, and, and, I don’t think it’s the first time. I feel like such a fool.”

“I’ll be on the next flight out.”

“No, don’t come. I’ll figure it out. I just needed to say it out loud.”

“Seriously, I can be there tomorrow. Do you have friends you could stay with in the meantime?”

“I don’t trust any of them right now.”

He gripped the phone tighter and wanted to chuck it at Nate’s pretty face. “That piece of shit. Tell me what you need.”

“I just needed to talk to someone normal. That isn’t a creep.”

Grady snorted under his breath, wishing to hell that was him. “Is he moving out?”

“Yeah. He’s in a hotel for now, then he’s looking for his own place. But I hate this house. I can’t stay.”

“Come home. I’m looking for a new place anyway and can get something with a spare bedroom so you can crash with me until you know what you want.”

The sniffling calmed, but there was still a fire to her tone. “I will come home.” She seemed to smile, her voice lightening. “I’ll fix up my house.”

“I thought you sold that after your dad passed.”

“No... Honestly? I hadn’t even considered it until just now. Nate didn’t think it was worth anything, so I continued on with the rental management company Dad had used, and I get an update every year or so. It’s been vacant for a few years because it needs updates. I’m going to fix it up and you can stay with me.”

“That would be awesome, but that’s a long way off, I can’t stand another day under Patricia’s roof. Especially while Ryder’s there with his fiancée.”

“Ryder’s engaged?”

“You didn’t know?”

“I’ve been avoiding Patricia. I don’t want to tell her.”

“For all her faults, she’ll take your side. When she found out my dad was cheating on her? She threw him to the street and didn’t even take us to his funeral.” Grady rubbed a hand over his jaw and dropped to the kitchen barstool. He knew his dad hadn’t been a decent guy, cheating on Patricia and then wrapping his car around a tree while drunk driving a year after she’d left him. But he’d still been his father, and Grady knew next to nothing about him. Except as Patricia’s excuse for where Grady’s temper came from. Or any of his inadequacies.

“Ugh. Maybe I’ll call her.”

“Better yet, get away for a few days and come rescue me from the gala.”

“Shit. I was using Nate’s annual holiday party for work as my excuse to avoid coming.”

“I’ll cover for you if you don’t want to come.”

Haley paused, and he heard a heavy exhale as she considered.

“Hey, Haley?” Grady said as he glanced out the window, but as full dark had set in, all he could see was his own reflection, the shiner from the shitty case he’d taken glowing bright as the moon, his hair frazzled like a madman, and his jaw clenched so tight he might break a tooth.

“What’s up?” she asked, her tone sympathetic before she even knew he needed it. As if her problems disappeared as she worried after her big brother. Luckily, she’d had a decent dad to take after, unlike Grady, who was stuck between two terrible choices of parents.

He released the breath he’d been holding in, suddenly glad his sister had called. “I’m the same sort of jerk. I fell for Ryder’s fiancée.”

“Uh-oh.”

“And I made a move, then ditched her before we could hash it out.”

“You are a jerk.” The words were harsh, but she held the sympathetic tone. “Does she feel the same?”

“I think so.”

“Did you tell her how you feel?”

“Sort of.” Closing his eyes, he shook his head. “I will.”

“How does Ryder feel about it?”

Shit, he hadn’t even thought about Ryder’s feelings. He really was an ass. “I don’t think he knows.”

“Okay, Grady? As your baby sister, a pissed-off, cheated-on woman, and a human being, I’m going to be bossy here. Ready?”

Chuckling mirthlessly under his breath, he agreed. “Shoot.”

“Where are you now?”

“At Asher’s.”

“Okay. Tonight, you’re going to plan your case. You’re a natural orator and will come up with something great. In the morning, hit the gym or something to burn off that temper, or you’ll blow it. Then, you’re going to talk to Ryder and see how he feels. Finally, you’re going to talk it out with her. Tell her how you feel and, if she’s the right one for you, she’ll be thrilled you did and you can sweep her off her feet.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“Trust me, as a woman that is finally free of the jerk of a man that she’s been saddled with for the last ten years, I’m realizing the importance of honesty and fighting for what you want. And you, Grady, you never fight for what you want. You swallow your pride and accept what others want for you, and then you take it out on the ice or the field or wherever you can throw that negative energy.”

Needing a long draw of oxygen, Grady nodded. “Got it.”

“Just don’t get hurt.”

“Sure,” he said, glaring one last time at the distorted reflection of his shiner before turning away.

“And I’m coming to the gala.”

“I was kidding. Don’t do that to yourself.”

Her voice vibrated with snarky enthusiasm. “It will be perfect. I have a plan.”

Avoiding Ryder hadn’t been difficult. In yet another meeting, he was already in the office before she got out of bed. Now that he had no reason to set aside time for her, he wasn’t even pretending to be on vacation.

Claire hid in the stables and visited the horses until the stablemaster arrived, then snuck back into the house. Hattie hung around longer than necessary to make sure Claire ate something. While she didn’t pry, she unsubtly regaled Claire with stories of Grady’s heroics and adorable antics. The puppy he’d rescued from the side of the road as a kid. The bully he’d knocked flat that had pushed Haley into the mud.

When Patricia and Bill returned from a charity brunch, Claire was suddenly finding Mallory Mansion too small for comfort. Hattie tipped her off about a nice hiking trail and packed her a snack, ensuring she had a warm hat and gloves.

The Riverside Trail was as gorgeous as she’d hoped. After following the thundering river for a mile, she hooked to the upper loop, too fired up to notice the temperature was dropping.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Ripping off her gloves, she dug into her pocket and bumbled the phone, only half disappointed when she realized it wasn’t Grady. And then remembered he didn’t even have her phone number.

“Hi, Mom,” she answered.

“Uh oh. I called to see how you were. You don’t sound good.” At the sound of her mother’s voice, her eyes welled with that damn pressure behind them, and her vocal cords rattled.

“I made it worse.”

“Oh. Honey. What happened?”

“I don’t even know where I went wrong. I broke things off with Ryder.” She tugged her lip into her mouth, squeezing until it hurt. “That went okay, better than I thought. But... I tried to tell Grady how I felt.”

And her maternal patient pause. “He didn’t feel the same way?”

“I thought he did. We... I kissed him again, and it was amazing. Fireworks and lightning and all that good stuff. But he left. Apologized and stormed out.”

“What? Why would he apologize after a fireworks kiss?” Val’s voice was fiery on her behalf.

“I was trying to wing it, and you know I’m not good at that. I had gone out with Ryder for one last schmoozing dinner. Anyway, I wore this really cute, but maybe too come-hither dress for Grady’s taste? I don’t know. I may have been a little too direct, hoping a big gesture would show him how I felt. But, I got carried away and threw myself at him.”

“Your grandmother would have something to say about you being too forward, that men want to be the aggressor. But that’s a bunch of baloney. If he doesn’t appreciate your moves, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

“In that moment, it was so perfect. Honestly, we seemed to connect.” She spared her mother the details, but hadn’t been able to spare herself as she remembered too well the sensation of him seeming to sense exactly what she needed. “But then I... I don’t know. I think I got too carried away.”

“Not possible. Have you talked to him?”

“No. I plan to hide from him for the rest of the trip.”

“Honey, I’m going to be stern. I’ll be waiting at the airport when you get home, and if you haven’t straightened things out with Grady, one way or another, then I’m turning you right back around to catch the next flight back.”

“So he can reject me again?”

“So you can know, that the man that upended your world in a matter of hours truly isn’t the one. A lifetime of regret? I don’t think you want that. If I had stayed broken up with your father, imagine where I would be? You were right to break things off with Ryder. He wasn’t the one for you, and I’m glad you figured it out on your own. But don’t leave things unsettled with the other one.”

“Okay.” She nodded weakly. Her teeth were chattering, her hand numb as she grasped the phone.

“How’d the job interview go?”

A few flakes fluttered around her like butterflies, and a miraculous giddiness bubbled in her tummy. “I got the job.”

“I’m so proud of you. You must be thrilled.”

“I am. You need to come see this place. Dad will have the house on the market before you can say yes.”

“Until he hears I’ll take advantage and cut back on my hours. Although, if you move up there, you’ll be seeing more of Grady, anyway.”

“Spoilsport.”

“Talk to the man.”

“I will.”

“Before you leave.”

“I will. I’m going to have breakfast with some of his friends tomorrow, and I’ll pick their brains.”

She shoved her phone in her pocket, slipped on her gloves, and started the hike back. As the flakes began to stick to the trail, she did a victory dance. As more and more flakes accumulated, she picked up the pace.