Sometimes the whole twin thing got on her nerves. Scott thinking because they’d shared a womb, they each had the right to butt in when the other had stuff going on. Of course, when the shoe was on the other foot...
And far more crucial to the point, Grayson Bartholomew was staying with him...
“He didn’t tell you?”
“If you’re referring to Gray, he and I have only ever mentioned your name once since you two broke up. Yesterday, when I told him I had to talk to you before he moved in with me for a bit.”
She faltered. Or rather, stopped moving so that she didn’t cut herself. “You never mention me?”
“Nope. And, for the record, that’s not going to change. He’s my friend, but you’re my sister. My loyalty is to you. If he needs or wants to know anything about you, he’ll have to ask you.”
Emotions tangled up inside her. Running amok. And settled when she glanced at her daughter, who was feeding Morgan a long string of spaghetti. She should stop her.
“He knows about Leigh, though, right?”
Scott’s shrug, his look of emptiness, was not faked. “No clue. Definitely not from me.”
Okay, wow. She’d assumed...
Nodding, reminding herself of Gray’s habitual short bobs, she resumed chopping. Took a deep breath to steady herself, dipped into her professional persona as far as she could go, and said, “I’ve offered to help him get some of his assets unfrozen, and to get him reestablished with a new corporation.”
She glanced at her brother as she finished. Saw his jaw drop. And a deep frown slowly form that seemed to consume his entire face.
“You and Gray have been seeing each other?” He finally got the words out. She couldn’t tell if he sounded injured, or just plain incredulous. “And you didn’t tell me?”
She went with injured.
“No,” she said, putting down the knife and turning toward him. “I texted him this morning. Had him come to my office. We made a deal. I’m helping him, pro bono as I’m required to take on at least one pro-bono case per quarter, and—”
“Wait a minute,” he interrupted. She stopped talking at the quick shake of her brother’s head. “You’re already working with the company trying to get Safe Haven boxes outside of all city fire stations and medical clinics...”
“At least one...” she interrupted back, reclaiming the conversation. “Although Gray doesn’t know that, and I see no need for him to do so.”
Nodding, Scott’s gaze was piercing as he watched her, silently. Waiting, she knew. The man was way too good at getting people to tell him things with that look. It was what made him a hugely successful prosecutor known for getting criminals to confess, but at home... “You really need to soften that look a bit,” she told him.
Which gained her a raised eyebrow in addition to the rest.
She could have called him on that, too. She thought about it, feeling petulant. And maybe would have if she didn’t intend to reserve the right to come at him when she knew something was wrong.
With Leigh and Morgan, he was all the family she had.
“Knowing that he was going to be invading us here, I went online last night to investigate the details of the case. I’m sure you already know that he was clearly an innocent party and has lost everything when he’s done nothing but serve his community with a valuable business.”
Scott’s look softened. “I do.”
“And it occurred to me that I could make a win-win deal with him.”
Their father had been big on the whole win-win philosophy. They’d grown up with him making such deals with them. He’d get his way on things, but they’d get something they wanted out of the deal, too.
Scott’s silence was more of a comfort at that point. He’d quit pushing.
“His problems are right up my alley. It’ll be a no-brainer, helping him. And in exchange, all our associations must take place at the office.”
“He keeps his distance from you at home.”
“And I keep mine from him as well. There will be nothing personal exchanged between the two of us.”
When Scott sucked in his lips, for a second there, she’d thought he was going to tell her she was ridiculous for thinking such a thing could work.
