I placed my hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."
Brody scrubbed his hands over his face. "Fuck. I have a gut feeling that if Monica takes Jacks out of the country it's the last time I'll ever see her."
"It won't be," I said. "If she does that, I promise that Sierra and I will help you."
"Sierra and you?" he asked, opening his eyes and looking at me in surprise. "Do you have some sort of training I was unaware of? Am I dating a secret badass?"
"Nope. Just someone with a smart friend and a lot of righteous anger."
"And what can Sierra do that this incredibly expensive private investigator can't?"
"More like won't," I mumbled. "Let's just say she could make Monica very uncomfortable if she disappears with Jacks." I cleared my throat because the way he was looking at me made it feel tight all of a sudden. "Um, Sierra can do things that most companies can't."
"Can't?" Brody asked.
"Um...more like won't."
He closed his eyes again and shook his head. "Maybe it's better if I don't know."
"Probably."
"Well, since the mood is nice and ruined now, there's something I have to tell you."
Wow, that sounded ominous.
"Jacks told Mom and Dad that 'my friend Cam' was eating dinner and watching movies with us a lot. Mom wants to have a family dinner at their place next week."
That would definitely have ruined the mood if Monica hadn't called when she did.
"Uh, I'm not sure I can," I said. "I may have...a lobotomy scheduled for next week."
Brody lifted his head and looked at me, grinning. "A lobotomy?"
"Yeah," I answered with a nod. "I've been feeling pretty off lately and I think it will help."
"You're coming to my parents' for dinner next week," he commanded. There was no other way to describe the tone he used.
"Brody, you know your mother hates me, right?"
"She doesn't hate you, Cam. That would require too much energy. She disapproves of you. But then again, she disapproves of everyone since we Murphy's are so superior to everyone else."
"Disapproves of me?" I asked. "At your wedding, she asked me if I bought my dress from a lady of the night."
Brody choked on a laugh. "Did you? I mean, it was a sexy dress."
I smacked his shoulder. "Brody! Will you please take this seriously?"
"I am," he said, chuckling.
I tried to smack him again, but he caught my hand and pulled me across his lap.
"Okay, so Mom disapproves of you more than she does most people. Mostly because you refuse to comply with her expectations. If it makes you feel any better, she treats Ben the same way."
I pulled a face, much like Jacks had a tendency to do. "It doesn't."
"Cam."
"Brody."
