Page 4 of Making It While Faking It
Suddenly, it dawns on me that something could be very wrong. Swallowing a gasp, I press my hand snuggly over my heart to ask, “Is Mom okay?”
Leo’s palm flies up. “Your mom is perfect.”
“Okay then.” My tone connotes that I’m seeking an explanation as to why he’s in Iceland, which happens to be an ocean away from where he lives.
His mouth twitches as he presses his lips. He’s definitely nervous. I would ask if Lynx is still in good health, but then, I would know if anything bad has happened to Lynx before he would. I’m Lynx’s emergency contact. I’m not even sure he and our dad are on speaking terms.
With a sigh, Leo seems to relax a bit. Then he rubs his palms against his pants as his eyebrows bounce up and down. He’s acting exactly like he did before he told me he was cutting me off from the family riches.
“I guess you want to know why I’m here,” he says.
My chest tightens, and I nod stiffly. “Yeah. Why are you here?” Somehow, the volume of my voice feels inadequate, or maybe, I feel inadequate.
My dad crosses his leg like he does when he’s about to talk business.So he’s here for business, and his visit isn’t personal.That’s almost a relief.“I have a proposition for you,” he says.
I stand tall without uncrossing my arms. “Okay…” I say, sounding guarded.
“You know the Lord family, don’t you?”
The Lords?He means the family that’s been nothing but an enemy to our family ever since I could remember. However, as recently as five days ago, the bad blood may have been purged when my cousin Paisley became engaged to Hercules, the youngest Lord brother. And we both know that I had a fling with Orion once—well, twice—but Leo only knows about the one.
However, the plot has definitely thickened. Like a shark smells blood in the water, I smell money in the air. But I keep a straight face. I don’t want my dad to know that my interest has been highly piqued.
“Mm-hmm,” I say tightly then swallow.
My dad makes a sudden move to take off his coat, leaving me wondering why in the hell he’s tiptoeing around whatever he’s here to say, which is totally out of character for him. Something has to be very wrong.
My arms fall to my side as my heart constricts, and I say, “Dad. Is everything okay with you?” Maybe he’s here to tell me has cancer or something. He would totally do that.
“I’m fine,” he says, frowning as if his demise is the last thing I should suspect.
“Okay then…” It’s time he gets on with it. The suspense is driving me crazy on the inside, so much so, that it feels like Simon’s infraction never even happened.
Leo coolly lays his expensive coat over his lap. “I heard about what happened to you on set this morning.”
I stiffen, wondering who told him. Was it Brandi? She can be a motormouth when she’s nervous. My dad makes everybody nervous.
“If you’re putting yourself through this because you need money, then I might have a solution,” he says, recrossing his legs.
I’m listening attentively as he goes on about bank regulations and interest paid on holdings. It’s all high, apparently. Operating the family bank, Grove Industrial Tech, and several other businesses as separate entities and treating them as such has been a nightmare. He mentions old-money sweetheart deals. Apparently, the Lords have some unique wealth maintenance privileges. My ears perk up higher when he says that Paisley’s engagement to Hercules Lord has put our family in a position to be granted entrance into what he calls “the land that flows with milk and honey.”
I actually snicker at that. My dad smiles as if he enjoys lightening my mood. He actually used to make me laugh a lot before he dropped the bomb on me. We were close. I’m still baffled at why he so abruptly cut me off.
He continues, mentioning the upcoming marriage between Paisley and Hercules, and he does so without grimacing.Interesting.
“The assets between Xan and me are split fifty-fifty, and then we are executors of our children’s trusts.”
I fidget nervously as I keep myself from screaming, “Why?” at the top of my lungs.Why in the hell do you keep me from what Grandfather made rightfully mine?All I want is my restaurant. Just a tiny bit of my inherited money will help me keep it alive. Given another opportunity, I will not make the same operational mistakes twice.
My dad pauses to get a read on me. But I’m totally confused about why I should care about the family’s banking concerns, especially when I’ve been separated from the money.
He coughs to clear his throat and then shimmies his back against the flimsy chair, which creaks. I’m embarrassed again. But he’s nervous. “However, if another Grove marries into the Lord family, then we will qualify for those inherited entitlements.”
A lot of questions and few expletives are sprinting across my brain. Leo watches me as if he knows he has to give me time to think. In actuality, he hasn’t really asked me to do anything yet, but I think I know what he wants me to do.
Shit.
As I blink, my eyes get stuck closed for a few seconds. There’s no way this is really happening. Except it certainly is.
