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She rolls her eyes. “She works at the only beauty salon in town. Don’t worry. You’ll know when you meet her. She has an all-year-round tan, hot pink nails, bleached blonde hair and loves to gossip. If you want to know anything about anything, go ask Dolly. She could be a detective.”
I definitely don’t want to run into her, then. She might also be good at sniffing out secrets, like me and Grayson.
“There’s always one go-to person in every town. Though, I thought Aunt May at Stones Throw was kinda the unofficial mayor in this town.”
Georgia laughs. “That’s a good way of putting it. Aunt May, who you probably know by now is not my aunt, or anyone else’s, could rival Dolly in the gossip stakes, though May is a little more discreet.” She turns her nose up. “I think my brother’s best friend, GP, slept with her.”
“Aunt May?” My eyes go wide. Isn’t she married?
Georgia stops, then falls about laughing. “Uh no, Dolly Simpson.”
“Oh. Thank god for that. I felt bad for Uncle Mike for a second.”
Georgia giggles as we keep walking toward my building. “GP isn’t the type of guy that wants to get tied down,” she goes on. “So I wouldn’t waste your time there.”
I’m not sure why she thinks I’d want to be tied down, but I also don’t miss the way she says GP. It makes me wonder how long she’s had a crush on her brother’s best friend, Hudson. I’m still yet to meet him.
“Then there’s Grayson’s other friends, most of which are married or already have partners.”
“What about your brothers?” I joke. “Are any of them single?”
She makes a gagging noise. “Puh-lease. Let’s see shall we? Grayson; recently divorced, broody, thinks he owns the world and walks around scowling and fighting with my other brother, Gabriel, like it’s an Olympic sport. Gabe’s a single dad with trust issues and has more of a temper than Grayson has, and because he’s been second in charge after my dad, he thinks he can boss us all around. Then there’s Brooklyn, who has a weirdly amicable co-parenting situation with his ex, Eden, a woman I still adore and call my sister. Oh, he’ll bed you and treat you right, but he won’t remember to call you in the morning, or ever. Bless him. And my twin-brother, Beau?” She snorts, shaking her head. “Highly intelligent, some say he takes after me, but if you could tear him away from World of Warcraft to even leave the house to go on a date, I’d give you twenty bucks if you made it as far as the driveway.”
I can’t help but smile at the descriptions of her brothers. “It sounds complicated.”
“Though, I have to say, Celeste’s brothers are kinda cute. But both are ex bull wranglers, which is a weird occupation in itself,” she goes on, barely coming up for air. “Easton is kinda like Beau, but replace a gaming console with horses and saddles and you’d have a fairly accurate comparison. He lives and breathes them. In fact, he probably sleeps in the stables. Gaitley is more reserved, but would be a serious contender in snatching the Grumpiest Asshole of the Year Award from Hudson, if such a thing existed. I don’t know exactly, but he had a bad breakup back in Texas and came home to lick his wounds, scarred for life. I guess even the toughest of pack can get ripped to shreds by love.”
I’m yet to meet any of these people, but they sound kinda fascinating.
“I know from personal experience how awful some people can be,” I remark. “Even when they tell you they love you, but you know they don’t mean it. The last guy I dated couldn’t stop reminding me about the size of my hips, and not in a good way. That old saying; if you have nothing nice to say? He kinda missed the boat on that one.”
Georgia stops in her tracks. “Was he serious?”
“Sadly, yes. I threw myself into work, and the relationship quickly fizzled out. I’m comfortable with who I am. No thanks to assholes like him.”
Georgia wrinkles her nose. “It’s like Gray, he didn’t deserve what that piranha did to him,” she says. “I was being kind back then when Verne was in earshot. I’m sorry you have to deal with his ex. She’s a fucking nightmare.”
I smile to myself. Oh, I’m well aware of it, and I haven’t even met the woman.
“Lucky for me, I only really have to deal with her attorney, and he’s bad enough,” I quip.
She nods. “I’m glad it’s you. Grayson has been through enough. He looks like the big, badass CEO, but deep down he feels things more deeply than any of us,” she says. “A few years back, when the pandemic struck, it was Gray who kept the family afloat, so we didn’t fold. He never wanted a penny back for it. He has a good heart.” Her eyes meet mine. “In fact…”
I shake my head. Even though we’ve already done the tango, I wave her off. “He’s a client, and while I’ll admit he’s easy on the eyes, I’m his lawyer.”
She snorts. “You won’t be forever, though.” I don’t know why she sings that last part.
“Well, this is me,” I say, stopping at the doors to my father’s firm. “It was nice chatting with you. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“I’m going to Aunt Patti’s tomorrow, so I’ll see you there.” She beams.
I’ve no idea how she knows that I’ve been invited, but again, I remind myself that good news travels faster than wildfire in this town. It’s every bit the small town people say it is. At least everyone is friendly and seems to be easygoing.
“Sounds like a plan.”
We say goodbye and I make my way inside, dropping pastries and coffees in the staff room on the way.
I’ve still got a few minutes before Gray arrives, so I call Darby to give her an update.
