Tonight was an opportunity to think about something else— something that wasn’t wrapped up in his family, his grandfather’s legacy, and his future. Will needed a break from his father’s burning desire to enter into a large-scale partnership with the international chain store Home Needs. Despite having a degree in finance and economics, Jackson Grand held an unofficial role in the company. He paved his own path, considering himself in charge of idea and product development, possible merger and acquisition opportunities, while also dabbling in marketing.
After playing several rounds of golf, and maybe sharing one too many drinks at the nineteenth hole, with Fredrick Banner, the CEO of Home Needs, Jackson decided this was the very thing that Grand Babies needed to really launch themselves into being a household name.
In return for a sizable investment that would allow for the opening of two new Grand Babies stores, Fredrick Banner wanted the prestige that was associated with the Grand family name. The universally respected Grands—who’d once been dubbed Seattle’s royal family—looked a hell of a lot better in the media than Fredrick’s own clan.
With his son making headlines for bad choice after bad choice, Fredrick had stalled discussions and negotiations by demanding a surprising number of social engagements that shone a spotlight on the two families spending time together.
Which meant Will, the CFO and face of Grand Babies, who just happened to be Nolan Banner’s age, was banking a lot more hours outside of the office than he wanted, spending time with someone he didn’t particularly like.Thiswould be a welcome reprieve.
A sharp beeping sound let him know someone had opened his front door. Served him right for giving his sisters keys.
“You home?” his younger sister’s voice called out. Will groaned and yanked on his stiff jeans, hoping like hell they relaxed, and buttoned them quickly. Kyra wasn’t big on privacy. She barged in anywhere she wanted like they were all still kids. Though in her case, shewasstill a kid. At twenty-two, she was the baby. A bit of a surprise for his mother. Will was in the middle at thirty. Madeline—Maddie—was the oldest at thirty-two.
“Be right out. Why are you here?”
Will nearly tripped over her when he opened his bedroom door. She stopped in front of him, gazing up with a wide grin. She’d changed the star nose stud to a shiny diamond. The tips of her long side bangs were purple while the rest of the short, blunt cut was blacker than astarless night. Her eye makeup made her look older but Will always saw the kid she’d been underneath all of it.
“What if I’d had company?” Will asked, keeping his tone brusque as he shoved his phone and wallet in his back pockets.
Kyra laughed. A full-out, loud belly laugh. “Right. Then I would have alerted the media. All hail, the Grand Babies bachelor is off the market, ladies. Dry your tears on our ultra-absorbent, earth-friendly disposable towels.”
“That’s a long slogan, brat,” he said, nudging her shoulder on his way by. He should eat something. The pastrami sandwich was surprisingly filling but once he got back to the office, he’d worked for hours without a break. His focus was interrupted more than once by thoughts of Lexi. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had occupied that much space in his brain from just a brief meeting.
“I’m on my way tola parents.Why aren’t you coming? Once-a-month mandatory dinner. Touching base, a civil game of Monopoly, and a thorough review of what we’re doing with our lives,” Kyra said, doing a poor job imitating their mother’s lecture voice. Put like that, it sounded boring as hell. He was definitely in for a better night with Lexi.
“Les parents,”he corrected. “Ormesif you want to call them yours.”
“No way, dude. I’m adopted.”
He laughed. “You wish.” They joked but they loved their parents. Sometimes they just spent a little too much time together.
She trailed after him, making him smile. She’d been doing that since she could crawl. Kyra was 100 percent not adopted. He remembered how fascinated he’d been when his mother was pregnant. And with Kyra as a baby. His sidekick growing up despite their age gap.
“Anyway. I’m busy tonight.” He continued to the kitchen, the familiar pride filling his chest. The house was more than an investment to Will. With three thousand square feet spread over two floors, it was hishome. He’d grown up with a proverbial silver spoon in his mouth and knew he was beyond privileged. That didn’t mean there weren’tother challenges. Despite the fact that he wasn’t the oldest, he had an extra layer of duty placed on his shoulders by his parents that included everything from watching out for his siblings to excelling academically. There was an aloofness to his parents’ mansion that meant he’d never been able to relax there even as a child. Will and his sisters were loved but their parents were not affectionate or effusive. The three siblings, despite their age differences, made up for that with one another. They’d always been close.
“Busyisn’t a synonym forwork,just FYI. And work isn’t an excuse to skip dinner.”
Will shot her an amused glance, saying nothing.
“Seriously, if I have to listen to Mads and Rachel talk about their trip again, I’m going to drown myself in my butternut squash soup.”
Will pulled open the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of water, passing Kyra one. “That wouldn’t end well. You’re allergic to squash. Though it would give your face a nice rosy glow so you wouldn’t have to wear all that makeup.”
She stuck her tongue out at him because despite being twenty-two, she was his baby sister.
Kyra opened the bottle, took a long drink—their mother wasn’t around so out of the bottle was fine. She set it down and Will knew the second she figured it out.
Her eyes went rounder than dinner plates, her long lashes lifting. “You have a date. Oh my God. Did hell actually freeze over? Did you lose a bet? Did Mom pick her? Does she have good teeth? Strong child-bearing hips and an incredible pedigree?”
Will nearly snorted the water through his nose. “Stop. I don’t have adate. I’m going to a get-together. Speaking of which, I need togetgoing so you should stop stalling and head to dinner. Give Mads a break. She put off their honeymoon for months. Now that we’re closing this deal, she and Rach deserve to have some time to themselves.”
His oldest sister had married her high school sweetheart just overa year ago. They’d both been born into families who put business first. Rachel even more so. Her family owned a chain of coffee shops that she was heavily involved in. Both of them had understood needing to postpone the honeymoon to work around other things. With Will buried in numbers for a possible merger, the birthday party for the company’s fiftieth, and Kyra still in school, they couldn’t get away right after the wedding. No, it was a perfect time for Maddie and Rachel to travel. Before they all got even busier.
“I know. I just hate that everyone is moving forward, doing exciting things, and I’m not allowed to do anything.” Kyra sulked, leaning against the white marble countertop.
He tapped her nose, set his drink down. Hopefully there would be food at the party. “Don’t pout. You’re starting the way we all did. Interning while finishing college and learning the different areas to figure out which one you want to focus on.”
She straightened, cautious optimism dancing in her blue eyes. “I already know it’ll be product development. I’m telling you, one day all of our products will be completely organic and earth-friendly.”
