Chapter 28 #2
She lowers her lashes, and the look is gone, replaced with manufactured sincerity.
“That’s not…” She drags in a deep breath before straightening her shoulders, giving me an innocent look.
“Our family is a little dysfunctional,” she confides, like I’m one of her society friends.
“Lynley and I—” She shoots her mother a dark look.
“Our upbringing wasn’t always the best, and I know we’re both still dealing with the trauma from that. ”
Johanna stiffens but doesn’t say a word. I lift a hand, rubbing my thumb over my lower lip. “Is that so?”
The question makes Caroline pause. “I thought you said Lynley told you about us…”
I tip my head to the side. “I never said that.” She frowns, confused. I make a show of looking at my watch. “Now, if you don’t mind, I actually have plans.”
“Wait!” Caroline steps forward, her knees hitting the front of my desk with a loud thud. She yelps, grimacing in pain, but I don’t move, staring at her as the flush in her cheeks deepens. After a moment, she tries again. “We need you to do something for us.”
I maintain my silence, enjoying every moment, watching as she grows visibly more flustered.
“Look, Grafton—can I call you that? It’s just that…
my sister has blocked us. On everything.
We know she’s hurt about her divorce, but Mom”—she flaps her hand at the woman behind her, who’s still carefully keeping her eyes away from mine—“made mistakes. We’re ready to let bygones be bygones.
” Her smile is tight and insincere, too shaken to keep up the innocent act.
“We can’t let the past ruin our futures, hm?
Especially when there are children involved. ”
I nod slowly. “And what is it that you need from me?”
That seems to be Johanna’s cue, because she steps forward, her hands shaking. “We know you’re with Lynley.” Her tone is accusing, her eyes watery as they finally lift to mine. “You broke up her family.”
Air hisses out between Caroline’s teeth. “Mom—”
“No, no,” I interrupt. “Let her have her say.” I stare at Johanna, challenging her. “You were saying I broke up Lynley’s family. Carry on.”
Her brows knit together, lips going pinched. “Lynley is married, and her children need their father,” she starts, voice growing stronger with each word. “And you’ve come along and destroyed everything. She should never have gone through with the divorce!”
“That’s an interesting narrative,” I muse, crossing my arms over my chest. “And what part did Caroline play in all this?”
Johanna flinches, but Caroline scowls. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, voice vibrating with fury. “And it has nothing to do with you.”
“Hmm. So, let me just see if I have this straight. Lynley chose to get divorced and block you both, and it has nothing to do with me, but it’s also my fault?” I hum before snapping my fingers. “Oh! And you need something from me, but have yet to say what.”
Johanna snaps. “I want you to leave my daughter alone!”
“No!” Caroline shouts. “That’s not— It isn’t—” She whirls on her mother. “Will you shut up? I told you to let me do the talking!”
“As fun as this is…” I start, but Caroline focuses back on me, her face bleeding white.
“Wait, wait, wait.” She closes her eyes, shoulders lifting with her inhale. “We know the truth. Both of us.” She glares at her mother. “The fact is, we are Lynley’s family. We’re all she’s got, and she needs us. Mase and Ginny need us too.”
I give her a bored look. “Are you gonna get to the point sometime today? As I said, I have somewhere to be.”
“We need you to help us,” she blurts. “Make Lynley meet with us.”
I pretend to consider it before simply saying, “No.”
Johanna surges forward, hands coming up in front of her and curling into claws. I stare at her impassively, wondering how Lynley came from this.
“Well, then you need to pay us!” Johanna’s voice is shrill, and I finally let loose the smile that’s been hovering.
“And now we get to the truth of it,” I murmur.
Caroline seems to gather herself, face clearing of all emotion as she tells me, “My husband has left me for another woman—some rich older whore from the country club,” she tells me tonelessly. “It’s just Mom and me. Christopher has stopped supporting us since the divorce went through.”
“And you want me to take over,” I guess easily, my smile widening. Caroline’s mouth pinches as she jerks her head down in a nod. It’s obvious she doesn’t give a shit about losing her husband, but losing her cash cow is a whole other problem.
“If you do, we’ll stay away from Lynley and the kids,” she claims, silencing Johanna with a look when her mother makes a noise of protest. “This is the best option for everyone.”
“Is it?”
Ignoring the lack of inflection in my tone, Caroline continues doggedly, “You do this, and we won’t make trouble for you and Lynley. We’ll stay out of her life. If that’s what she wants. If you don’t do this—”
“We’ll go to the press!” her mother shouts, eyes flashing wildly, no longer the cowed woman who first walked in here. “We’ll tell them that you blackmailed Lynley into leaving Christopher, and that any videos that come out of him are doctored by you. Deep fakes, or whatever it is they’re called.”
“Oh, I see. You came here because Christopher is a cowardly, spineless fuck, and you thought I might be too?” I chuckle darkly. “So you thought you’d…what? Blackmail me? Maybe try to fuck me, and blackmail me with that too?”
Caroline falls back a step, a dramatic gasp leaving her. She presses a hand to her chest, but she can’t quite hide the flash of cunning slithering through her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she declares, tone the perfect amount of outrage.
I sigh. “I thought you came here with a better plan, but I guess you live to disappoint.” I slide my gaze from one woman to the other.
“My answer is no. I will not tell Lynley to unblock or contact you. I will not be giving you any sum of money.” The corner of my mouth tugs up.
“And you can bet your ass I would never touch you. You have absolutely nothing I want. I’ll give you a suggestion, though.
” I plant my hands on my desk, leaning forward as I tell them both, “Go get a fucking job.”
“Wait—”
“Leave,” I order, “before I call security. You’re done here.” I shake my head. “And any possibility you had of ever making nice with Lynley? It’s gone.”
Johanna lurches forward, face looking like waxy paper. “You can’t tell her. You can’t tell her we came here.”
“I don’t hide shit from my woman, even if it might hurt.
Don’t worry. You’ll barely be a footnote in her day.
” I straighten to my full height, staring down my nose at them.
“You don’t get it yet, but you will. You’re nothing to Lynley now.
She doesn’t need a family like you, and I’ll make sure she never misses what you should have been. ”
Caroline and Johanna don’t linger, fleeing with their tails tucked between their legs. I give it a few minutes to make sure they’re really gone, and then head downstairs, determined to head home and forget about them.
I’ve just stepped out of the building when a high-pitched voice yells, “Grafton!”
I turn to find Ginny bearing down on me, sneakers slapping the pavement, her smile beaming. Mase and Lynley are approaching at a more sedate pace behind her, and I crouch, sweeping her into my arms.
“Little Dancer,” I greet.
“Big Grafton,” she returns seriously, and then cackles manically, giving my neck a tight squeeze.
I laugh as Lynley reaches us. “What are the three of you doing here? I was just on my way home.”
Lynley’s face softens, her smile wide. “We thought we’d come into the city and have dinner with you,” she tells me. “A little adventure for a Friday night.”
I set Ginny on the ground and pull Lynley into me, ignoring the kids’ groans as I plant a smacking kiss on her mouth. “I like that, darling. Surprise me more often.”
She tips her head back, her eyes gleaming. “I just might.”
I turn her around, ushering her back the way she came. “I left my car at my apartment, so we’ll take yours.” Mase falls into step on her other side, while Ginny is next to me, her tiny hand sliding into mine. “What were we thinking for dinner? I could go for a burger.”
“Yes!” The kids cheer at once, and then Ginny sternly tells me, “But you have to eat the green things.” She clucks her tongue, expression unimpressed. “Green things don’t belong on a burger.”
Mase pipes up. “This is the one time she’s right. Meat, cheese, and sauce. Otherwise, it’s a salad on bread, and that’s not what I’m about.”
Lynley gasps out a laugh. “Not what you’re about? Where on earth did you learn that one?”
I lean around her, making eye contact with Mase as we walk. “I’m not arguing. I have plans for a double beef patty, extra cheese.” I think about it. “Extra sauce, too. Make it real sloppy.”
“We can do that?” Mase asks, before his mouth sets firmly. “Actually, that’s what I was going to do anyway.”
Lynley smiles indulgently, ruffling his hair, ignoring it when he jerks away from her. “Of course you were.”
We’ve barely walked anywhere before a strident voice calls out, “Lynley!” We pause, looking back, finding Caroline and Johanna hovering outside the building that houses Reynolds & Media, clearly having hidden from view as I left.
Their eyes are wide with surprise at seeing her here, but there’s hope, too.
Ginny’s hand twitches in mine, but she doesn’t make a move, her expression cautious.
Mase takes a step, putting himself in front of his mother, as if to protect her.
I don’t say a word, waiting for Lynley to decide how she wants to handle this, but she blinks once and then turns away, urging us all back into motion.
“I think I’ll get extra pickles on my burger,” she muses, like nothing has happened. “And then I’m going to cover all your faces in pickle-smelling kisses.”
Mase screws his face up, and Ginny pretends to gag. I pull Lynley closer with an arm around her waist, telling her, “Don’t worry. I like pickles. I’ll take all the kisses.” She laughs, snuggling into my side. I lower my voice, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “You okay?”
She looks up at me, shoulders loose and smile easy. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Fair enough.”
She loops an arm around my middle. “I’m sure you’ll fill me in later. Right now, I just want to spend time with my family.”
“Can’t think of anything better.”