Page 129 of Not A Whisper

“Trying to rip apart before it can begin?” Trip drawls in hisusual bored fashion. “Yeah, that’s us. He has been, and will continue to be, wildly unsuccessful in that endeavor.”

Jason chuckles. “Garry’s a tenacious businessman with shit ethics and even worse morals. We’ve been planning this break away for some time.”

“‘We’?” Bruce squeaks. Beneath that tan, I watch as the color leaches from his face. His wife leans into him a bit as she regards all of my guys.

Grant nods. “Yes, the three of us make up GBN Enterprises. We’ll be doing much of the same type of business Garry has, except we’ll be doing it better. Let me introduce to you my partners: this is Jason Nani, who you may have met in the past, and this is Trip Baniker.”

Partners, notbusinesspartners. Though it’s implied in his introductions, I wonder at Grant’s verbiage. He’s pretty purposeful in the words that he uses. Do our hosts notice it too? As they all shake hands, I can see the curiosity and perhaps a bit of suspicion just beneath their carefully crafted masks of polite interest.

“Well that’s quite an endeavor you’re embarking on,” Bruce says, shaking his head, his mouth curving upward in an amused, albeit tense, smile. “I noticed that GBN has an auction item on the roster tonight—given that you’ve done this a time or two, Grant, you know that this item will become public during the auction?”

Grant laughs. “I do, and I’m aware Garry will be present here shortly.”

Translation: we’re purposely doing this to make a statement. I bite back a pleased smile as Bruce and Lydia give Grant an impressed once over. My pride fades, however, as they turn their attention to me. Grant notices it too.

“We don’t want to bogart your time,” Grant hedges. “Thereare others coming in behind us. But before we make our rounds, there’s another introduction I’d like to make.”

The sudden smile he flashes in my direction steals my breath away. His auburn eyes flare to life, brightening like shooting stars and radiating the sun’s warmth. The curve of his mouth is completely natural and at ease. This is one of Grant’s rarest smiles, the one he saves for those closest to him. The one I’ve seen him wear in pictures with Trip and Jason but have rarely seen in person.

He pulls me closer as Jason and Trip step back to give me space. “This is my beautiful wife, Briella Wilson-Gipson. Bri, this is Bruce and Lydia Johnson—the hosts of Groveton’s annual charity auction.”

If Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were surprised by the news that Grant, Trip, and Jason own a budding enterprise, they’re utterly floored by this announcement. Their faces go slack with shock before they scurry to cover it up.

“Wife? When I saw the name Briella on the guest list, I’d assumed it was just a friend,” Lydia says, speaking up for the first time. Her voice is high, but not quite shrill. When she turns to give me her full attention, her silvery, stick-straight dress glimmers in the light. Slowly, her gaze drops over my dress down to my feet and back. Apparently, she can’t find fault with my outfit because she smiles tightly at me as her gaze turns icy. “Well, welcome Mrs. Wilson-Gipson. I haven’t seen you around before, usually I know everyone.”

I match her brittle smile. “You’ll be seeing me a lot from here on out as I support my husband and his partners. I think Groveton is in for a pleasant surprise over the course of the next few years, and I’m excited to stand behind them and watch it happen.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Bruce agrees with a wide grin.

Grant and the guys quickly thank our hosts for the invite before we move away.

“Johnson?” I repeat quietly, staring at Grant’s profile as he leads us away. “As in Carmilla’s parents?”

A quick grimace flashes across his face before he manages to control his expression. “Yes.”

Ah, that explains the cold reception from Lydia then—she just met the woman Grant left her daughter for. Hopefully there won’t be any hard feelings there for long.

“Fuck, I just realized we’re going to have that same conversation forhours,” Trip groans. “By the way, Grant, it’s Baniker-Wilson.”

I flash him a smile and it earns me a wink, though he looks as annoyed as ever as he shifts his gaze away to glare at the people around us.

“Feel free to correct me all you want. Just be prepared for a ton of questions,” Grant says with a shrug.

Trip winces. “The details are no one’s business.”

“Yeah, well, expect that people will pry.”

Jason snickers as he walks with me on my other side. “Just wait until I add our doll’s last name tomyname. Then it’ll really throw people off.”

I shoot him a look of surprise then laugh when his dimples appear.

“Grab a drink, Trip, just don’t get drunk,” Grant says, flicking his wrist toward the staff walking around with trays of hors d’oeuvres and glasses full of red and white wine.

Oh, a drink sounds nice. “Trip, if you get a drink, get me one too.”

He nods before breaking away.

“Are we going to just dive in and mingle or let them come to us?” Jason asks. The light touch of his hand on the small of my back is as comforting as Grant’s hand in mine.

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