I should’ve been thinking about Wyatt’s Yale application, or our budget, figuring out which bill I’d stall if I had to make any payments to Yale to secure Wyatt’s placewhenhe got in.
Instead, I was recalling the way Alex’s eyes had flicked over me, looking like he was trying not to notice me, yet absolutely noticing me. When I realized I’d fallen right back into that fantasy spiral, I let out a bitter laugh because this was pathetic.
I had a drowning company to manage. A family on the brink of financial ruin. A little brother pinning all his dreams on an acceptance letter.
Yet my brain had decided to fixate on a man with warm seats and good bone structure. I jumped off my bed and headed downstairs, grabbing a wine glass from the kitchen. It was time for my nightly wind-down ritual.
The couch, a blanket, a glass of wine, and if I was really lucky, a bit of numbness.Man, I really need numbness tonight.
I was just walking into the living room with my glass in one hand and the bottle in the other when the front door opened and my mother came in.Smiling.
Nora Thayer was actually smiling. I could even see her pearly white teeth for the first time in half a decade. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a brightness in her eyes I hadn’t seen since before the trial.
Before the humiliation had made her fold in on herself like a ghost still haunting her own life. She closed the door behind her with a giddy little giggle.
I stared at her, hard, trying to figure out if I was hallucinating. “Did Dad die in prison?”
“God, I wish,” she said cheerfully, waving a hand. “But no.”
She turned toward me, her eyes not even just bright butsparkling. I noticed then that she was dressed to the nines, her shirt fully tucked into her linen skirt, her makeup flawless and she’d even accessorized.
“This news is better,” she said excitedly. “I’ve just saved us all, Jane.”
Her smile widened and every muscle in my body tensed. I suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about what that meant. Because whatever she’d done, I seriously doubted it would be good.
CHAPTER 8
ALEX
At this point, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was called to my dad’s house on a bright, frosty Saturday morning. For a change, the skies were blue and ice glittered on the ground like glass, the air practically frozen, but I would take that over an active storm any day.
As I drove out to Dad’s house, I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, torn between worrying what he’d summoned me out here for and being glad to finally have been summoned. Dad’s recent silence had really been getting on my nerves.
Plus, he’d been in such a weird mood since Zach had first brought up the Thayers that I’d known it was only a matter of time until he told me what he’d been pondering. On the other hand, I really wished he wouldn’t pull me all the way out here just for one meeting.
It was nearing the end of January and I wanted the Thayer deals sealed by the end of Q1, which meant I should’ve been in the office this morning, making it happen. Zach had been taking the lead, working his magic to get cozy with the board members we were targeting, but Nate and I were working hard in the background, getting our due diligence done and ironing out the finer details.
I pulled up to Dad’s, a little surprised to find the driveway empty. On the other hand, now that Charlotte had moved out, it often was. I was just still getting used to it.
Parking right in front of the stairs, I turned off my ignition and took the steps into the house two at a time, already freezing my balls off when the heavy front door slid shut behind me. I rubbed my hands together to warm them, looking around the foyer—also empty—and then sighed as I headed to Dad’s study.
Somewhere in the depths of the house, I could hear the faint voices of staff quietly talking among themselves, but that was it. No other sounds. No other people.
It was almost a relief to find Dad waiting for me when I pushed open the door to his study, a stack of papers ready on his desk. Flames flickered happily in the fireplace, the drapes open to let in some natural sunlight for a change.
Dad wore a navy blue knit sweater with no tie, a serene smile on his lips. It took me no more than a fraction of a second to drink it all in, and suspicion instantly tightened my gut. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, bracing myself for the worst.
“Take a seat, Alex,” Dad said, waving a friendly hand toward the overstuffed chair on the other side of the desk. “Thanks for coming over, son.”
My stomach sank like a stone.What the fuck is he so happy about?
“No, thank you,” I said politely, declining because I had a feeling I’d rather stand for this. “I’ve got plans today. I’m being fitted for a new tux for the gala next weekend and I probably need to stop by the office. Check on Zach and see how he’s doing.”
I definitely also need to take care of myself a bit. Maybe even go out and socialize tonight.
Nowadays, I was very much a one-night stand, no strings attached kind of guy, which meant having to go out and find someone when the urge struck. Years ago, I’d been in a handful of what had felt like serious relationships, but then I’d gotten over it.
What’s the point if my marriage was always going to be arranged anyway, right?
