Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Sometimes he wondered if his mom ever thought about Peter Hawthorne anymore.
“Yep,” Kyle replied. “It’s Nina and JT’s anniversary. They usually have it out at the ranch, but she wanted something in town this year. I think they didn’t want Michael to have an excuse to not come. Since he broke things off with his fiancée, he’s kind of been a hermit. I mean as much as a dude with millions of dollars, a high-rise condo, and a job as one of McKay-Taggart’s top investigators can be. It must be weird for them to keep working together.”
Yeah, he knew all about that. He’d only gone out with Darcy Riggs a couple of times, and it was odd to see her around campus. He couldn’t imagine having to work with his ex.
The question was how did he manage to ask Kyle if he knew Tessa without setting off alarm bells in his brother’s head? No one in the world could annoy him the way Kyle could. In a brotherly, give-him-shit way.
Then again, he could always kick his ass out of the town house. His brother was staying at his place, and maybe the idea of homelessness would make him more respectful.
Or he could not say a word. That was the better plan.
Kyle pressed through the door. “Hello, you two. I bring cocktails, and Leslie said we should all relax. She’s got things under control. Please tell me there are short ribs left.”
His mom wore a slim skirt and a tailored shirt that made her look like a captain of industry. She was sitting at a table set for four. Sean had taken off the black jacket he wore in the kitchen and was in slacks and a T-shirt.
They made a striking couple. Anywhere those two went, eyes followed them.
He couldn’t help but remember how many people said his mom had been way out of his father’s league. They still joked about how Pete Hawthorne had managed to land Grace Thornton.
Tessa was gorgeous. She was probably way out of his league.
“I think you’ll find I saved you a couple,” Sean said, gesturing for them to all sit. “Thanks for working tonight. And David, it’s good to see you. It’s been a couple of weeks.”
“I’m getting ready for the big trip.” David leaned over and kissed his mom on the cheek before settling onto his chair. “I know it’s still a ways off, but there’s a lot to manage, and I’m probably only getting one shot at the library.”
“He wants me to watch his cat.” Kyle frowned and shrugged out of his jacket. “Who let him get a cat?”
“He showed up one day and wouldn’t go away.” He hadn’t meant to become some weird cat dad. He’d gone home one night two years before and when he’d opened the door, a thin feline had sped inside. Before he’d known what he was doing, he was opening a can of tuna, and the cat never left. He now scooped kitty litter and often worked with a tabby sitting on his desk watching him. Hamilton was a cautious cat. He eyed everyone who came into the house as a potential enemy. Sometimes he swore that cat was plotting world domination. The good news was after a long period of wariness, Kyle and Hamilton were starting to get along. “And I saw you petting him last night. You know it doesn’t make you less of a man to pet a cat.”
“Fine.” Kyle sank into his seat. “I’ll admit Hamilton’s kind of cool.”
His mom leaned in. “That trip is what I wanted to discuss with you. By the way, thank you for talking to Carys. She’s been so upset.”
“David said she’s dealing with high school crap.” Kyle sighed in obvious appreciation as Sean uncovered the dishes.
Okay. Maybe he was hungry. Short ribs, risotto, and sauteed green beans. He could definitely eat.
“It’s a little more than that. It’s a complicated situation.” His mom passed him the green beans. “But social media always is. I should never have allowed her to have a page. I try to monitor it.”
“You wouldn’t have been able to stop this. It didn’t come from her. Even if you’d kept her off the Internet entirely, it would still have hit her hard. But she wouldn’t have known it was coming.” He felt for his sister. He hadn’t had the kind of pressure on him Carys had on her. She was pretty and popular, and that meant someone was always looking to take her down. Any deviation from the norm would be punished in that world, and Carys had one big deviation.
“Did someone finally out her for being in a threesome?” Kyle asked.
Sean nearly dropped the plate. “What?”
His brother wasn’t the most subtle of men and got their mom’s death stare, the one that let them know she was going to end them if they didn’t straighten up and fly right.