"It's possible," Parker conceded. "We tried to kick Bryce and Ophelia out, or give them rooms at the Inn, but the will made that impossible. They're ours for the next five years, like it or not."
"And you don't like it?" I hadn't formally met Bryce or Ophelia, but I'd heard about Bryce from Griffen and Royal.
Parker waved a hand in the air in dismissal. "Aunt Ophelia is fine. She's sweet, usually, just way too indulgent with Bryce. Bryce is an asshole. He's hated all of us since we were kids, and we've always hated him back. It's just lovely having him in the house."
Her raised eyebrow and cool sarcasm told me Bryce as a houseguest was anything but lovely. Based on what I'd seen so far, I could imagine. "Parker," I began.
She cut me off. "Is Claudia alright? It must have devastated her to send Tyler away."
"She's fine. Off to Botswana to join a friend on a luxury safari for three weeks. It was hard for her, but she's resolved not to let him run amok like he has been."
Parker nodded, lost in thought. Her throat thick with emotion, she said, "I know how much she loves him. She's always believed he'd get himself together. I'm sorry she had to face the truth." Her warm hazel eyes met mine, her mouth turned down in sadness. "He isn't going to get himself together, is he?"
"I don't see that he has a choice," I said. Then, knowing my brother, I shrugged. "No, I don't think he will. I don't think he has it in him."
"What will he do?" she asked, with helpless worry.
"I don't know," I said, honestly. "He has what's left of our grandmother's trust. It should be enough to buy a place to live and a car, and maintain both if he gets a job and doesn't live extravagantly."
Parker sighed. "And the chances of that?"
"Not high," I admitted. "Are you feeling sorry for him? Because–"
"No," Parker interrupted, "I'm feeling sorry for your mother. He's going to break her heart."
"He already has," I said. "You know she loves you, don't you?"
Parker shook her head. "Not more than she loves her sons."
"She sees you as a daughter, not just a daughter-in-law. Finding out how Tyler has treated you, the way he's been behaving since you left, finally made her realize that he wasn't going to change."
"Does he really think he can get me back?" she asked, mostly to herself.
"Who knows what he's thinking? He's deluded enough to have convinced himself that he has a chance."
"He doesn't," Parker snapped, as if I were making a case for Tyler. Not in this lifetime.
"I know. Everyone knows that. Hopefully, we can get him out of Heartstone Manor, so you never have to deal with him again."
Parker turned, narrowing those usually warm eyes on me. Right then, they were anything but warm. Cool, assessing, calculating. That was okay. I could deal with calculation. And as frustrating as it was knowing Parker was angry with me, I liked that she was standing up for herself. But then, I can be a perverse bastard.
"And what about you?" Parker challenged. "Can I get you out of Heartstone Manor?"
"You could," I offered. "Griffen made it clear that family comes before business. If you want me out, I'm gone."
Parker turned and paced to the front window of the library, staring out into the courtyard at Hawk, who watched Tyler and Bryce engaged in a heated conversation. "I don't like the two of them having a private chat," she murmured under her breath. "They've been BFF's since the moment they met. Spoiled princelings squared. They're plotting something."
I followed her to the window. "Probably. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it."
Parker spun on her heel and glared up at me. "We'lldeal with it? Since when are we aWE? How do I know I can trust you any more than Tyler?"
I tried not to let that sting. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I studied the woman in front of me, wearing her jeans and stained t-shirt as if they were a ball gown, defiance all over her. I'd loved her since the first moment I saw her.
Years of trying to talk myself out of it hadn't worked.
Seducing her hadn't worked. Playing it cool and giving her time hadn't worked.
It was time to try something else.
