Page 116 of The Grand Ruin: Lance & Scarlet-Part One

“Nina, you’re more than welcome here.” My dad’s voice floats in from the hallway, and I turn to find him walking through the kitchen door. He’d gone to bed a while ago, leaving us outside as the temperature dropped.

“It’s nice to have the company around here with him sleeping the day away.” I flick my head over my shoulder at him. “Besides, who’s going to help me finish this?” I hold up the bottle of red wine.

She rolls her eyes, but I can see how easy it was for her to cave. She’s loved being here today. “Okay.”

I smile wide, grabbing the bottle opener from the drawer.

Today has been exactly what I needed, and I didn’t even know it. Lance called me once, making me dip outside to take the call while Nina stayed up in the bedroom—which was the right thing to do, considering I was blushing hard within thirty seconds of being on the phone.

He was desperate to come over tonight, and I wanted him to. Istillwant him to. I told him I’d let him know when Nina left, but having a female in the house, and that female being Nina, who’s so refreshingly normal and fun to be around, I feel like a night off might be exactly what we need.

“You okay, Dad?” I ask, eyeing where he’s standing on the threshold to the kitchen.

“I just came down to take my pills.” He gives Nina a sheepish smile, crossing to the medicine cabinet.

I get the feeling he feels a little humiliated at having to admit that. It’s only ever me who sees this vulnerable side to him.

“The idea of not having to taxi myself back into the city is a weight off tonight, thank you both,” Nina tells us as if to shift the attention.

I give her a grateful smile. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

Dad takes his pills and then rounds the kitchen island, pulling me in for a cuddle. I sigh as his warmth wraps around me. “It’s been a pleasure having you for the evening, Nina. I hope you and Mason can figure this out. And I hope he can bring you out here himself sometime soon. You’re truly a breath of fresh air for us all.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and hold him a little tighter.

God, I hope Mason comes home soon.

For Dad’s sake.

And he’s right. Everything’s been different since Nina showed up. Mason’s present for the first time in years, and I have friends. Actual real-life friends instead of the fictional ones from stories I tend to cling to.

“Good night, girls.”

“Good night, Dad.” I smile into his shirt. “I love you.”

Once Dad is long gone to bed and we’re nearing the tail end of another bottle of wine, I send a text to Lance letting him know Nina is staying over and that I will see him tomorrow night.

He texts back almost immediately.

Nina doesn’t seem to notice as my eyes flick down, her attention lost to the chocolate pudding she found in the pantry that we’re now cooking.

Asshole CFO: I like her even less now

I chuckle to myself and slide my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.

“Tell me more about this Joey guy?” I bump her out of the way with my hip and bin the instructions she’s reading. “He’s the one who photographed you in the studio, right?”

She leans back against the kitchen counter. “Yep. That’s him. And honestly, there’s no great tale. Just your brother being an overprotective fool for the most part.”

“Have you known him long?”

“No. I barely even know him now. Enough I’d call him a friend but other than meeting for coffee once and running into each other on nights out, that’s it.”

“You’ve never had any kind of… relations?” I ask, popping a brow.

“Never.”

“But he’s asked you out?”

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