I lifted my chin and let some of the edge I was on slip through into my voice. “This isn’t at the expense ofanything. It doesn’t touch the company and it’s got nothing to do with the family. Also, not for nothing, but that shitstorm you’re talking about wasn’t our fault. It’s not our storm, man. We got dragged in, but we didn’t create it. None of us are getting that divorce and we didn’t insist on signing the NDA either.”
Colin looked between us like he was watching a tennis match. “Are we still talking about the dog or?—”
“Yes,” Will and I said in unison.
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Definitely just the dog, then. Got it.”
Zach closed the laptop halfway and peered at each of us in turn. “For what it’s worth, this gives us leverage. If they try to push back, we don’t have to play nice.”
“That’s the point,” I said.
Will exhaled slowly, his eyes darting between Zach and me like he was waiting for answers. “Let’s say you win this battle, what happens then?”
I shoved my hands into my pockets and shrugged. “Then we go back to Chicago.”
Will’s eyebrows swept up. “Just like that?”
“Just like that,” I said, knowing I was potentially lying but holding his gaze anyway.
My twin kept looking at me for a long minute, definitely knowing I wasn’t being entirely truthful, but it looked like he couldn’t decide whether I was lying to him or to myself.
Colin cleared his throat. “So, what’s the plan? Are we emailing? Showing up dramatically? Hiring a marching band? I have a few ideas if anyone is interested.”
“Let’s hear it,” Zach said, glancing at his old friend with a smile on his lips.
It was still weird that the whole Westwood-Thayer connection had come from these two, Zach and Colin, who’d become friends years ago. If not for them, Alex wouldn’t have Jane and a whole lot of other stuff wouldn’t have happened either.
Ultimately, I might not even have gone to that wedding where I’d met Jacque, but this wasn’t the time to get philosophical, so I chuckled and shook my head instead. “No marching band. It’s a tempting idea, but no.”
“Bagpipes?” Colin tried.
Will snorted. “Absolutely not.”
He made a show of thinking some more before he snapped his fingers. “Cowbells?”
Even Zach rolled his eyes at that one. “Let’s not.”
“Fine, but you’re all boring. You have noflair.”
Will stood and straightened his jacket. “Just be smart about this. That’s all I’m asking.”
“I’m always smart.”
Zach and Colin made identical, doubtful noises, but I ignored them, focusing on my twin instead. “Did you stand up for a reason?”
He nodded. “Walk with me, would you?”
“It’s your house.” I followed him out into one of the absurdly long hallways, wondering how many war strategies had been discussed between these walls before.
Actual wars, probably, rather than our personal crusade, but still. I felt like we were in good company here. Will stopped near one of the tall windows, leaning back against the stone wall and studying me like an art student examining a painting.
“I still think this is reckless,” he said quietly.
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed, pausing for a long beat before he sighed. “How is she?”
I turned to stare out the window and slid my hands into my pockets. “I still don’t know. She’s not answering my calls.”
