Page 120 of For the Sub

“Anyway, Jamie continued our dad’s vision, but he’s a little more extreme. He homesteads.”

“Subsistence living?” he asked.

“Yes. Fishing, trapping, raising reindeer.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “He’s become a bit of a loner.”

Brandy had given him her body and her kindness. And now she was gifting him with a glimpse of her most vulnerable memories.

“Have you been to see him?”

“Not yet.” She shook her head. “I’d like to. But I can only get there a few months of the year, and it’s a heck of a long trip. The logistics are a nightmare.” She looked down for a moment. “And it’s a lot of money.”

They finished their beverages, and when the server returned with the wheeled dessert cart, Brandy shook her head. “I’m sure your aunt is wondering what’s keeping us.”

Not that Niles cared whether or not they attended the auction.

“Coffee?” the server asked. “Aperitif?”

“I’m fine,” Brandy assured Niles. “Thank you. And I think I’ve had enough champagne to last a lifetime.”

“Just the check, please,” he said to the server.

In less than five minutes, they arrived in the lobby.

The hotel didn’t have a specific ballroom.

Instead, the mezzanine area served as the party space. There were plenty of alcoves for silent auction items and a large, open area for mingling.

A band was warming up in what was generally the bar, and a space had been cleared for dancing.

The tables were triangular in shape, rather than round. Chairbacks were short. Tall glass vases filled with flowers sat next to shorter, squattier ones.

“This is a visual feast, isn’t it?” Brandy asked, glancing around. “The colors, the contrasts in sizes and shapes. It’s…”

He waited.

“Not at all what I expected,” she finished.

He’d seen to it that the Northrups were not on the guest list. And in future, they’d find their names excluded from many more events.

No one fucked with Brandy on his watch.

“I apologize for what I said when you invited me. This truly is fabulous. Exactly my style.”

“Which is… What? Quirky?”

As if contemplating his questions, she wrinkled her nose.

“Bold?”

“Yes.”

“And fun?” he suggested.

“All of that,” she responded with a laugh. She leaned into him and pressed her palm against his chest, on his heart. “I’m glad I came.”

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