Jalen
Your dad wants you and Gabe in his office in fifteen.
I grimaced at the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Grae asked.
I quickly smoothed my expression. “Nothing. Just work stuff.”
She frowned. “You can go into the office if you need to. It’s not like I’m alone. I’ve even got Barney Fife over there.”
Nash glared at her. “Hey.”
“I don’t need to go in.” My dad could deal without me for a single day. I’d already sent him an email to let him know why I wouldn’t be in, but of course, he didn’t give a damn.
Grae stood and crossed to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and stretched up onto her tiptoes. “Go get some work done. You’ll feel better. AndLittle Womenmakes you cry anyway.”
“It does not.”
Her lips twitched. “Oh, I forgot, you had something in your eye.”
Nash snorted.
“It was allergy season,” I argued.
Grae stole whatever else I was about to say with a long kiss. “Go, work. I’ll reward you later.”
I grinned down at her. “Never made out with a unicorn before.”
Nash made a gagging noise. “Get out of here before you ruin my movie snack appetite.”
“Never gonna happen,” Maddie shot back at him.
I brushed the hair out of Grae’s face. “You sure?”
She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll be back before the movie’s over.”
“Take your time. We’ll be here.”
I kissed Grae once more and then released her, glancing at Nash. “You’ll stay?”
“There are snacks. What do you think?”
I shook my head and grabbed my keys from the counter.
Just as I reached the door, I paused. The idea of leaving her after everything that had happened felt beyond wrong.
Grae had flopped onto the couch, her head tipping back in laughter at something Wren said. Looking at her now, you’d never know there was anything wrong. That just last night, someone had set her place of work on fire because they were angry at her.
Movement caught my attention as Nash stood. His gaze locked with mine.“Go,”he mouthed.“I’ve got her.”
I swallowed the apprehension and nodded, heading out the door. Two new police officers were in a different cruiser. I waved to them as I got into my SUV.
It only took me a matter of minutes to make it to the lodge. Annoyance flickered somewhere deep as I made my way inside. Sometimes, it seemed as if my father liked to yank my chain just to see if he still had control. To demand something of me as a test and nothing more.
I wound through the halls until I made it to his office. His secretary stood the moment she saw me. “Mr. Shaw. Your father and brother are already inside. Please, go in.”
