“Wait—”
“Leave,” I order, “before I call security. You’re done here.” I shake my head. “And any possibility you had of ever making nice with Lynley? It’s gone.”
Johanna lurches forward, face looking like waxy paper. “You can’t tell her. You can’t tell her we came here.”
“I don’t hide shit from my woman, even if it might hurt. Don’t worry. You’ll barely be a footnote in her day.” I straighten to my full height, staring down my nose at them. “You don’t get it yet, but you will. You’re nothing to Lynley now. She doesn’t need a family like you, and I’ll make sure she never misses what you should have been.”
Caroline and Johanna don’t linger, fleeing with their tails tucked between their legs. I give it a few minutes to make sure they’re really gone, and then head downstairs, determined to head home and forget about them.
I’ve just stepped out of the building when a high-pitched voice yells, “Grafton!”
I turn to find Ginny bearing down on me, sneakers slapping the pavement, her smile beaming. Mase and Lynley are approaching at a more sedate pace behind her, and I crouch, sweeping her into my arms.
“Little Dancer,” I greet.
“Big Grafton,” she returns seriously, and then cackles manically, giving my neck a tight squeeze.
I laugh as Lynley reaches us. “What are the three of you doing here? I was just on my way home.”
Lynley’s face softens, her smile wide. “We thought we’d come into the city and have dinner with you,” she tells me. “A little adventure for a Friday night.”
I set Ginny on the ground and pull Lynley into me, ignoring the kids’ groans as I plant a smacking kiss on her mouth. “I like that, darling. Surprise me more often.”
She tips her head back, her eyes gleaming. “I just might.”
I turn her around, ushering her back the way she came. “I left my car at my apartment, so we’ll take yours.” Mase falls into step on her other side, while Ginny is next to me, her tiny hand sliding into mine. “What were we thinking for dinner? I could go for a burger.”
“Yes!” The kids cheer at once, and then Ginny sternly tells me, “But you have to eat the green things.” She clucks her tongue, expression unimpressed. “Green things don’t belong on a burger.”
Mase pipes up. “This is the one time she’s right. Meat, cheese, and sauce. Otherwise, it’s a salad on bread, and that’s not what I’m about.”
Lynley gasps out a laugh. “Not what you’re about? Where on earth did you learn that one?”
I lean around her, making eye contact with Mase as we walk. “I’m not arguing. I have plans for a double beef patty, extra cheese.” I think about it. “Extra sauce, too. Make it real sloppy.”
“We can do that?” Mase asks, before his mouth sets firmly. “Actually, that’s what I was going to do anyway.”
Lynley smiles indulgently, ruffling his hair, ignoring it when he jerks away from her. “Of course you were.”
We’ve barely walked anywhere before a strident voice calls out, “Lynley!” We pause, looking back, finding Caroline and Johanna hovering outside the building that houses Reynolds & Media, clearly having hidden from view as I left. Their eyes are wide with surprise at seeing her here, but there’s hope, too.
Ginny’s hand twitches in mine, but she doesn’t make a move, her expression cautious. Mase takes a step, putting himself in front of his mother, as if to protect her. I don’tsay a word, waiting for Lynley to decide how she wants to handle this, but she blinks once and then turns away, urging us all back into motion.
“I think I’ll get extra pickles on my burger,” she muses, like nothing has happened. “And then I’m going to cover all your faces in pickle-smelling kisses.”
Mase screws his face up, and Ginny pretends to gag. I pull Lynley closer with an arm around her waist, telling her, “Don’t worry. I like pickles. I’ll take all the kisses.” She laughs, snuggling into my side. I lower my voice, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “You okay?”
She looks up at me, shoulders loose and smile easy. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Fair enough.”
She loops an arm around my middle. “I’m sure you’ll fill me in later. Right now, I just want to spend time with my family.”
“Can’t think of anything better.”
Chapter 29
Lynley
