Page 64 of The Paradise Problem

I choke down a sip of my ice water. “Um… no.”

“Yeah. I’d guess not.” She takes a long drink from her mug. Something tells me there’s more than just coffee in there.

“Blaire, can I ask you a question? Weston wife to Weston wife.”

She slides closer, a devious glint in her eye. “Kinky.”

“No,” I say with a laugh. “About the family.”

She picks up a fork and takes a bite of West’s abandoned omelet. “That’s less exciting, but let’s hear it.”

“Is it always like this between Ray and the guys?”

“You mean like a lion ready to devour its young at any moment?”

“Yeah,” I say.

“Unfortunately.” She sets down West’s fork. “But you learn how to navigate it, you know?” She takes another long drink, draining whatever’s in her cup. “The first time I visited House Lannister,” she says with a smirk, “Alex was a nervous wreck. I’m sure you’ve seen how he gets with his dad, and I know I can be a handful. I’d already met Janet and Ray, of course—I’d worked for the company for three years by that point—but I was officially being introduced as The Girlfriend.” She lowers her voice. “I was also fifteen weeks pregnant at the time, so you can imagine that didn’t help. Janet was so catty, my lord. Just scathing. I’ve always lightened my hair and she asked if I’d considered dyeing it brown, because the blond wasn’t doing my intelligence any favors. I was also pregnant, like I mentioned, and already starting to show, though nobody knew it was anything but a few extra pounds. That first night at dinner, Janet called me voluptuous and talked about how lucky I was because she’d never been able to put on weight.”

“Yikes.”

“She tried to clarify that she merely meant curvy, darling,” she says with an affected accent. “She said it was admirable that I could eat whatever I wanted without feeling guilty, and she was so glad I wasn’t one of those girls who stressed constantly about their weight, because why would I care about being skinny anyway? It’s so boring!”

I whistle through my teeth.

“It’s not all terrible, though,” Blaire says, and then winces. “I mean, okay it is, but there were funny moments, and I know you’d never believe this, but when he’s not with his parents, Alex is so much more relaxed. They really do bring out the worst in each other.”

“I can see that,” I say, even though honestly, I can’t imagine a funny, relaxed Alex.

“But, you know, the money certainly helps, and the good news with a messy family is that there’s never a dull moment.” She picks up West’s fork again and then pauses with it hovering in the air as she remembers something. “Oh my God, there was this one night Ray was just going on and on at Sunday dinner about some beef with an executive, and everyone was on edge. Charlie was away at school and Liam hadn’t been around for a while, but Jake was there and he’d brought a girl with him—which never happens.”

“I wonder why.”

“Lincoln was only a few months old, and I couldn’t drink because I was breastfeeding. I was about to murder everyone, so I excused myself to the downstairs powder room. I wasn’t the only one with that idea because I open the door and there’s Jake and his date and he’s got his hand completely up her skirt. I’m telling you he was wearing that girl like a mood ring.”

I have to cover my mouth to contain the laugh.

A waiter materializes at Blaire’s side and places a mimosa in front of her. She smiles up at him with gratitude and turns her attention back to me. “Listen, if I could have disappeared into that bathroom with them, I would have. But like I said, you get used to the weirdness. And you’re doing great. Everyone loves you.”

“But is this healthy?” I say quietly. “It’s not my place to say, but Ray is pretty terrible with the guys.”

“He is. You didn’t hear it from me, but I think they’re all waiting him out. I know Alex is. Ray will announce his retirement soon and Alex will step in.”

Acidic guilt crawls up my throat and I have to swallow it down. So everyone in the family except West is expecting Ray to pick Alex as his successor? Blaire lifts her champagne flute and takes a sip of her drink before leaning in and lowering her voice. “Ray can golf all day or whatever he does and be someone else’s problem. But between us, I’d prepare yourself for Ray to start turning the screws on Liam.”

“You mean pressuring him to come back to the company?”

She hums. “As COO. Ray’s dad, Albert, was a real stickler about family and wanted them all working together. Family is everything to the Westons. Now that Liam is back, I can’t see Ray letting him go again. Frankly, I’m surprised he let him stay away as long as he did.”

* * *

BACK IN THE BUNGALOW, West and I are quiet for a little while, each doing our own thing, and it’s nice. It’s easy. He’s even-tempered, resilient, and deeply capable—a combination that is so rare it’s no wonder the Ray Westons of the world try to drain him of every good thing he creates and gobble it down into their rotten, fiendish mouths. I never want to be like that with him. I see his goodness and only want to protect it. I think of what Blaire said and I’m ready to challenge Ray Weston to a duel.

“So,” West says, startling me and setting his phone on the table. “What do we have going on this afternoon?”

“How could you forget?” I ask, spreading my arms wide and singing, “Spa day!”

West groans. “No.”

---