Page 123 of Reputation (Tempt)

“Graham,” I said, taking a seat across from him.

“You look like shit,” he said.

“Nice to see you too.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, not even bothering with pleasantries. He’d never had time for small talk, even as a child.

“Pierce called while I was on the way here. He wanted to talk about the custody hearing.”

He took a sip of his whiskey. “I already submitted my written testimony.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want me to come to the hearing with you?”

I appreciated that more than he could know. Graham rarely took time away from work, from the hotel empire he oversaw. So, for him to offer to attend the hearing meant a lot to me.

Even so, I knew I couldn’t let it come to that. Not if I was going to keep my fake engagement a secret. Not if I was going to protect my daughter and the woman I loved.

“Thanks. I’ll let you know,” I said, eager to end the conversation as Knox and Jasper joined us, each with a drink in hand.

“You want one?” Knox asked, holding up his glass of whiskey.

I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”

Jasper dealt us in. While we played, we caught up on life. Knox’s soccer team was doing well. If they kept it up, they’d be on track to win another MLS Cup. Jasper was…well, technically he worked in marketing for Huxley Hotels, but I was convinced he was a professional flirt. Most of the time he seemed to be sitting around doing nothing of real substance. Wasting his life.

“How was Mexico?” I asked Graham. He’d just returned from inspecting the new Huxley Grand development in Ixtapa.

He glowered. “Progress is slower than I’d like.”

“Of course it is,” Jasper said with an annoyed huff.

Sometimes I wondered if Graham and Sloan had gotten all the work ethic between them and Jasper none.

Graham ignored Jasper’s dig and kept his attention on me. “It’s going to be a beautiful property, and we’re planning a soft opening for influencers and travel bloggers.”

Knox and I weren’t involved in the day-to-day operations of the Huxley Hotel empire anymore. Besides, Graham and Sloan were better suited to running the family business. And to a lesser extent, Jasper. I was more than happy to take more of a behind-the-scenes role.

“Even Lily?” Knox asked, referring to a popular luxury-travel blogger who had a site named Gilded Lily. After she’d given a negative review to one of the Huxley Grand locations months ago, Graham had been on the warpath.

Graham gnashed his teeth. “Jasper insisted on putting her on the invite list.”

“Yes,” Jasper said, dealing another round of cards. “But I didn’t think you’d agree.”

“Is that wise?” I asked.

Graham straightened. “Maybe it will be a chance to show her how wrong she is about the Huxley brand.”

When they started arguing, Knox turned to me. “Is Emerson okay?”

“Yeah.” I frowned. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

“Oh, uh—” He cleared his throat. “Never mind. Perhaps I misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood what exactly?” I asked.

I checked my cards then glanced at everyone else to get a reading of what had been dealt. Jasper frowned, though I wasn’t sure whether it was about his hand or what Knox had said. Graham arched an eyebrow and took a swig of his whiskey.

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