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“Huh.” That only added to how scary Clary’s Grandma Moretti probably was. “Did she mention anything about Holly?”
“No. She only asked how we were all doing.” His brother shrugged. “She could simply be gathering information to make sure Clary’s safe here.”
“Did she say anything else?” Seth asked after he dropped a groaning Hugh down on the hard floor.
“No.” Zane let go of Hugh. “She deflected every one of my questions with a polite smile. She knows I’m not going to press her. I think she’ll have a lot of questions for you.”
Seth blew out a breath. He’d never been good with people, so he learned. He’d learned the tics and micro-expressions. He’d learned negotiation skills.
He practiced everything Zane taught him and had it down to a science.
Then why did he suddenly feel so helpless and confused? Especially when so much depended on this meeting.
“You’ll be fine,” Zane said as they got into the elevator. “I’m sure Clary can hold her own. She did with Elton and Aldric.”
“Is Aldric here too?”
“Yeah. They’ve all been summoned for dinner.”
“I can’t imagine how that will turn out well.”
“They’ll behave.”
Would they? Aldric might still be feeling apologetic, so yes. Elton? How long would he keep his mouth shut? His brother had never been able to do so. Not even with Holly, when he knew what the consequences were.
The moment Seth opened the door to his apartment, he could hear Oliver.
“You should open a restaurant. I’d go there every day.”
Seth smiled at Oliver’s sincere statement.
A mingled aroma of food drifted over as he drew a breath.
“It’s too much work,” Clary said, “and she’d probably be sued for beating up anyone who dared tell her to change the way she cooks her food.” She laughed softly and leaned against her Grandma Moretti’s arm.
“Feeding you takes up all my time already.”
Clary made a face. “You’re always saying I don’t eat enough.”
Grandma Moretti shot her a glare despite the small smile playing on her lips. “Don’t talk back to me.”
Clary merely smiled and tipped her head against Grandma Moretti’s shoulder. Then, when she saw Seth, she got to her feet. “Grandma Moretti, this is Seth Anderson.”
Grandma Moretti gave him a scrutinizing scan.
“Hi, Mrs. Moretti.”
“Just call me Grandma Moretti. Everyone does.” Her chest rose and she turned back to the dining table. “Oliver has already heated up the food. Get your other brothers to join us.”
Seth and Zane turned their attention to their phones when an alert came up about activity detected by the doorbell. They both looked up and frowned when they saw Aldric taking a bouquet of red roses from a delivery person.
Was Aldric going out on a date? It seemed like it. He was in a white shirt, gray pants, and brown leather shoes.
But now?
“I’ll go get them,” Zane said and shot him an I’ll-handle-it look.
Seth strode over. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat. “Thanks for the food.” He looked over at Clary, and she gave him a small, uncertain smile.
