“So, his son, Elijah, does actually work a lot, huh?” she asked. “I heard he’s won over workers because he pulls his weight.”
They had entered the lobby, so Theo lowered his voice. Though his snort was easy to hear.
“He works, yeah, but Elijah Grant walks around this place like he’s some kind of god when his dad isn’t around. You should feel the vibe of the workers in the cafeteria when he’s nearby versus when he’s not. A total mood shift.”
He led them up some stairs to a second smaller lobby. There was no one behind the desk, but Theo went to check it anyway.
“Are you sure you’re supposed to meet Mr. Grant today?” he asked. “I know sometimes he’ll work during the weekend shifts, but it doesn’t look like Rhonda’s here. She’s his personal assistant. Do you have the time right?”
Blake was about to check her phone again when the door down the hall to their right opened.
The man was tall, wore a crisp business suit and didn’t skip a beat at the sight of them.
“Mr. Grant,” Theo said in greeting.
Mr. Grant?
He was all smiles as he walked over to them.
“Oh, sorry, I thought you had an appointment with Grant Senior,” Theo said. He didn’t bother to lower his voice. The man approaching laughed.
“I realized after the fact that my assistant might have confused you with that.” He looked to Blake and extended his hand. “You must be Blake Bennet. I’m Elijah Grant Junior. I’m the one who made the appointment with you since my father is out of town on business.”
Red flag.
It sprung up quickly.
Blake shook his hand with grace.
“Oh, that’s no problem. Maybe you can help me too. If you don’t mind, that is. I’m sure you’re a busy man.”
Elijah Grant.
Blake didn’t know much about him other than he was Mr. Grant’s only child. Even though his father’s company employed half the town, he had never been one to fraternize in the social aspects of Seven Roads. Elijah was a few years older than Blake, but she knew he hadn’t attended any of Seven Roads’s schools either. She wasn’t even sure she had been in the same room with him in any of her thirty-five years of living.
Yet, she was good at reading people.
She had a strong feeling that Elijah wasn’t as nice as his smile.
But neither was Blake.
She turned to nod to Theo. The boy was looking between them with not-so-sure eyes. Blake tapped his hand in what she hoped was a casual way.
“Thanks for walking me here,” she said. “Make sure you give your dad a call and tell him you were kind enough to show me around. He’d be proud of your manners.”
Blake was, of course, talking about Liam. While she was fine to go talk to Elijah in private, the change was enough to make her feel the need to update Liam. She was still ready to handle herself, and even if she hadn’t been, leaving now might spook the man. How and why, she wasn’t sure, but Blake did know that he had heard her request and accepted it instead of his father.
And that made her mighty curious.
Thankfully, Theo played his part cool.
“I’ll let him know,” he said. “I was just about to call him anyways since it’s my break. Y’all have a nice chat. I’ll be going now.”
She imagined if he had a hat, he would have tipped it to them.
He cast her a quick look, and she returned the gesture with her own little nod.
Elijah seemed wholly unaware of their secret exchange. He swept his hands in the direction of his office with a smile still hanging on his lips.
