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If Grant’s experience in South Beach was any indication, she’d find all the trouble she wanted and then some.
“I hope you have a nice time.”
A cup of coffee and a chocolate frosted donut later, Grant had made huge progress on his phone message stack, but his email inbox was still overflowing. He was about to get out of the office for a few minutes and stretch his legs when he heard a familiar voice in the outer office. His older brother Trey had come to visit, apparently.
He’d known that Trey was in town, but the way his brother traveled all of the time, he didn’t always get to see him when he was. Trey always seemed to be in some foreign country making high-finance deals and charming everyone in his path. Or at least that’s how it seemed to Grant.
Their mom had always said that Trey had been born with oodles of charisma and the keen intelligence to know when and how to use it. He wasn’t shallow or arrogant, but he was sure of himself, rarely backing down from a challenge. Which could be a good or bad thing… He’d done a few stupid stunts in his youth and that’s why Trey had a scar on each of his arms, and one on his knee. He could now tell when it was going to rain because it would start to ache.
His brother poked his head in Grant’s office, a grin on his face. All the brothers looked alike - a mixture of their mother and father. Trey looked the most like their mom while Ace looked the most like their dad. Grant and Justin were somewhere in between.
“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop in and say hello.”
“Come on in. Sit down. Tell me about your latest trip.”
Trey plopped down in a chair, his long legs stretched out. He was dressed casually today in blue jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Apparently, he wasn’t making any million dollar deals today.
“Boring as hell. I’m actually on a little vacation right now. I took some time off to relax.”
“Are you going anywhere?”
“Fuck, no. To me, a vacation is getting to sleep in my own bed and setting my own schedule. I’m going to stay far away from any airports for the next two weeks. I figured I could just hang out and bother my brothers if I got bored.”
“How many days into this vacation are you?”
“Today is day one.”
“I have a feeling I’m going to see a lot of you. Don’t get too comfortable in that chair or I’ll send you out on a shift. I can deputize you.”
“Can I carry a gun?” Trey asked with a wicked grin.
“No.”
“Then I’ll pass. Seriously, how was your vacation? Did you have nice weather?”
Grant was close with all of his brothers but he probably connected more with Trey since they were closer in age. They had always been there for one another, even when the problem wasn’t any more serious than getting dumped by some girl a few weeks before prom.
“Would you mind if I ran something by you? I want to get your opinion about whether I’m overreacting.”
It didn’t take long for Grant to fill Trey in on what had been going on recently. He didn’t go into “intimate” detail because that wasn’t integral to the story, but he made it clear that Mia was incredibly important to him. If something happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
After hearing the story, Trey sat up in his chair, leaning forward so his elbows were resting on his knees.
“Do you think you’re overreacting? Or is it Mia?”
“Mia, but I’m wondering as well. I want to protect her and keep her safe, but she’s said that part of this whole situation might simply be an overactive imagination. Being back with me may have brought up some stuff from her past.”
“Is she the type to imagine things?”
Grant had given that question a great deal of thought.
“I don’t think so. She’s never been that way with me, but I’m not a psychologist. The human mind is often a mystery.”
“Wrapped in a riddle,” Trey agreed. “For what my opinion is worth - which probably isn’t much - I don’t think you are overreacting. The one thing I’ve learned from business is to always be aware of the little things around you that can throw a deal out the window. Moods, past deals, attitudes, customs. Hell, even how good the coffee is can make a difference. It’s never the big-ass stuff that makes negotiations break down, it’s always the piddly crap. Those things can add up. Right now, you have two somewhat small things. Each of them on their own? Not a big deal. Together? That’s a different story. I’d take it seriously and be on the lookout for anything else. Shit happens in threes, you know.”
“It makes me feel better that you think this way. I don’t want to push Mia away, but I also don’t want to fall asleep at the wheel if something is truly going on. I can’t force her to do things my way.”
“Can you imagine Mom just doing whatever Dad said without question?” Trey chuckled. “If she started doing that, he’d assume she was up to something. He’d have people tasting his food.”
