Sofia’s arms tightened. “Thanks.”
When they separated, Cass said, “I’d love to hear about how you two met. Can we do lunch or something?”
Sofia looked at Russ, who inclined his head, then she turned back to Cass. “Perhaps brunch tomorrow. I can text you an address.”
“I’d love that.”
Sofia’s small smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Me too.”
Caught in the emotional storm raging in her mind, Cass barely paid attention to where Grayson was going. Not that she didn’t care, but grappling with the toxic brew left in her family’s damaged wake took more effort than she remembered. Only when a screaming fire truck sped through an intersection and yanked her out of a spiral of emotional dysfunction did she realize they were stopped at a light.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I’m taking you to my place.”
“You don’t have?—”
“Stop, Cass. You haven’t slept, and you’re running on fumes. You’ve got enough to deal with without adding the headache of finding a place to stay.” Grayson’s tone left no room for argument.
Not that she had it in her to fight. Hell, exhaustion was a relentless bitch, and at the moment, she was grateful to have one less thing to deal with. “Thanks?”
He shot her an amused look before the light turned green. “Are you asking me something?”
His levity snuck through the emotional fog. “No. Seriously, thank you. I just don’t want to put you out or anything.”
“You aren’t,” he promised. “We’ve got about fifteen minutes before we get to my place, so why don’t you call Isa or Des and let them know where you’re going to be?”
She pulled Isa’s number up and called her, doing her best to keep the details about what had gone down with her mother as vague as possible, but Isa was familiar with Cass’s family dynamics and accurately filled in the blanks. After that, she didn’t hesitate to share a few pithy comments.
“Well, I’m glad Grayson is there, then,” Isa said.
“Yeah, me too,” Cass said softly. It was a little disconcerting how much she liked having him at her side. “Oh, by the way, Sofia’s engaged.”
Isa’s derisive snort filled her ear. “Let me guess—he works with your parents.”
Cass hesitated. “Probably.”
“What?”
Cass frowned, confused. “What, what?”
“That tone,” Isa said. “It’s the one you get when you’re trying not to judge. Need I remind you who you’re talking to? I want you to judge, so judge away.”
She sighed. “It’s not like I have much to go on, Iz. We exchanged maybe five sentences.”
“Well, obviously it was enough, so spill.”
Highly aware Grayson was listening, Cass debated stopping the conversation, but because it was Isa, she shared the nebulous impressions swirling in her head. “All right. Well, he acts as if he’s the prodigal son my parents never had. In fact, he met with Swanson without the ’rents or Sofia. Fiancé or not, why would he be meeting with the family lawyer?”
“Good question,” Isa said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer that would fit.”
“Neither do I.” But I need to find out because it is beyond odd. “And you know how my mother is—she’d never let her venom spew in front of outsiders, especially if they’re part of the business.”
Because a division in the family was bad for business. That fact that her mother hadn’t hesitated to let Cass have it with Grayson, Swanson, and Russ standing witness boggled Cass’s mind.
“Yeah, she’s rabid about maintaining the professional image that hides the bitch underneath,” Isa agreed. “If she let fly with the fiancé around, she not only likes him—she trusts him too.”
“Maybe, but something tells me that’s going to come back and bite her in the ass.”
