Page 58 of The Usual Family Mayhem

“It looked like a big kiss.” Celia sounded excited about that.

Gram nodded. “I’m impressed Jackson has it in him.”

Celia and Gram were off again. Celia took the lead. “He’s had practice with those girlfriends, though the last one was incredibly serious.”

Gram nodded. “I couldn’t imagine her kissing anyone or anything.”

Okay, that was enough of that topic. “Ladies. Can we pick a subject and stay on it?”

Gram’s stiff stance eased a bit. She leaned into Celia but didn’t relinquish the barricade and let me pass. “Fine. Tell us about your boyfriend.”

“Mywhat?” So, they hadn’t overheard Brock talking about business crap. Instead, they’d created a horrifying scenario about my nonexistent dating life and gave me a fictional boyfriend. Brock.

I’d rather scramble to find their hidden poison... then drink it.

“The man in the yard.” Gram gestured in the general direction of outside. “The squirrelly looking one.”

“Don’t say that. What if she really likes him? Although I can’t imagine.” Celia went back to wincing. “Do you?”

“We recognized him from before,” Gram explained without an ounce of guilt. “Charlotte snapped a photo of him during that visit to Graylyn.”

That unwanted business meeting kept biting me in the ass. “She did what?”

Celia wasn’t done wincing. “Charlotte texted Mags about seeing you with a man. Mags asked for a photo.”

Of course she did. “It’s interesting how you forgot to mention Charlotte’s private investigator skills earlier.”

Their spy network had been working overtime. They’d sent out their minions to collect information and report back. The realization was enough to make me stay inside forever.

“We’re even because you forgot to tell us about the boyfriend.”

Gram’s fluffy pink-and-blue plaid slippers made it tough to take her ire seriously.

“Did you and your man have a fight? Is that why you’re here? He did something to upset you and you ran?” Celia reached for my hand. She cradled it in her palms in a soothing touch. “I’m not judging. You should run if you’re not safe.”

“Some people might think a man following you across state lines is romantic. It’s not. It’s a warning sign.” Gram nodded as if to punctuate her comment. “It’s a hint of controlling behavior to come.”

Wow.I loved them and appreciated their concern, or whatever this was, but... wow. “He’s not... okay. We’ll circle back to Brock.”

Gram graced us with her third snort of the conversation. “That sounds like one of those California names. Brooks. Now there’s a good Southern name.”

Celia shot Gram a look. “Mags, be supportive.”

“California.” Gram acted like the state name was a swear word. “He’s not the right man for her. He had those beady little rat eyes. I know a bad man when I see one.”

I’d never again be able to look at Brock without thinking of a giant rodent. “I feel like we’re having eight different conversations and I’m miles behind in all of them.”

“We’re talking about the rat-eyed man at the door just now.”

As usual, Celia went with a calmer approach. “And the kiss with Jackson. There was some flirting, too, but mostly the kiss.”

“About that. Why are you lumping Jackson and Brock together?” They didn’t belong in the same universe, let alone the same conversation.

Celia pressed a hand against her chest. “We’re not the ones trying to balance both men.”

“Dealing with one is bad enough.” Gram sounded pretty sure about that. “With apologies to Jackson, of course.”

The haze cleared. This bizarre showdown was about my nonexistent love life. They believed I was dating Brock. I couldn’t think of anything more vomit-inducing. “I’ve told you about Brock. He’s my boss.”

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